Sunday, March 30, 2003, Chandigarh, India

 

L U D H I A N A   S T O R I E S


 

Woman, paramour held for murders
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29
The Raikot police has arrested a woman on the charges of murdering three men, who were reportedly lovers of the woman and obstructed to her alleged illicit relations with other men. It has also arrested one of her paramours.

The men were allegedly murdered at different intervals in the last decade. The latest victim of the woman, Sukhjit Kaur alias Sukhi, a resident of the Guru Nanak Pura Colony, was her nephew. He is said to be her first lover and was involved in previous murders also. The nephew, Dhalwinder Singh, was murdered on March 21. The police has solved his murder case as well as two previous ones.

The case is reminiscent of the infamous Rano affair in Samana under Patiala police district. The minor girl, Rano, had similarly killed five persons including her parents, who came in the way of her alleged illicit relationships. She was awarded the death sentence by a court in Patiala last year. The case is now in a higher court.

According to an FIR registered at the Raikot police station, based both on the statement of Amarjit Singh, brother-in-law of the woman, and subsequent police investigation, the woman and her latest paramour, Mal Singh, alias Mallu, have been booked for murdering Dhalwinder Singh, one of the three sons of Amarjit Singh.

The DSP, Raikot Mr H.S., Brar, has confirmed the arrest of the two. The FIR details the tale of deceit and illicit relations. The complainant, Amarjit Singh, had to even spend some years in jail, facing charges of murdering a former paramour of the woman.

Sukhjit Kaur was married to Darshan Singh about 10 years ago. The woman, according to the FIR, was not of a good character. She developed illicit relations with some men, of whom the nearest to her was Mukand Singh of Jalaldiwal village. The family tried to stop the woman but failed. Mukand Singh later on also developed differences with the woman as she had allegedly started going around with other men also.

The FIR states that Mukand Singh was found murdered about eight years ago. He was poisoned to death. The police arrested Amarjit Singh and Darshan Singh, brother-in-law and husband of the woman, on the charges of murdering the man. They spent some years in jail, but were later acquitted of the charges.

Now the police says that the woman had murdered Mukand Singh as he had become an obstruction in her path. She had allegedly conspired to frame her husband and brother-in-law to eliminate them also.

The FIR further says that when the two brothers were in jail, the woman developed relations with Dhalwinder Singh, a son of Amarjit Singh. When the brothers came out of the jail, they found the truth and tried their best to stop the relationship. Amarjit Singh states in the FIR that Dhalwinder Singh was not listening to anyone and they had to maintain silence as it was a matter of family pride.

Darshan Singh was very upset with the affair. He allegedly beat up the woman also. In 1998, Darshan Singh was also found poisoned to death. Amarjit Singh said the family did not report the matter to the police because of family honour.

The FIR states that the illicit relations between the woman and Dhalwinder Singh continued despite the second murder. However, they started living separately. The relationship developed problems when when the woman started courting other men also. One of the latest men in her life was Mal Singh. He and his friends had a bitter argument with Dhalwinder Singh over the woman. On March 21, Dhalwainder Singh was found murdered near the house of his father.

The police had registered a blind murder case. On investigation, the series of murder and the common cause, the illicit relationship, was unearthed.

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288 recruits pass out

Ludhiana, March 29
It was a proud moment for 288 recruits who were recruited to the 152 Infantry Battalion (TA) Sikh at an impressive ceremony here this morning. The unit was raised at Ludhiana on September 10, 2001.

To complete the strength of the unit, nearly 400 recruits were enrolled during November and December. They had hardly completed their basic training, when the unit was deployed during Operation Parakram, and remained there for nearly a year. After their return from the operation, these recruits were put through an intensive training of three months which culminated in their oath-taking and passing out parade.

The recruits, clad in the ceremonial regalia of the Sikh Regiment, took part in the parade, which was commanded by Major Damanjit Singh Gill, Senior Company Commander and Quarter Master of the battalion.

The Commanding Officer, Col T.P.S. Gill, took the salute at the much appreciated march past. Colonel Gill, in his address to the gallant soldiers, said even though the Territorial Army was meant for the second line of defence, yet they must always remain prepared to serve to the regular Army. All TA units had performed their duties creditably wherever they had been deployed, he remarked.

After the parade, the new sepoys had a cup of tea with officers and JCOs of the battalion. Group photographs were also taken. TNS

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Many Punjabis still stranded in Kuwait
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29
As images of Gulf War keep on flashing on television sets, the entire family of Charanjit Kaur remains glued to TV while trembling with fear and uncertainty. Ms Charanjit Kaur’s husband has been stranded in Kuwait.

It was a horrible ordeal for the family to learn about an Iraqi missile attack on Kuwait which caused a massive damage to life and property there. She could only fear the worse till she received a phone call from her husband that he was safe.

Her husband and son had been working in Kuwait for the past few years. However, her son returned after the war clouds started hovering. Her husband waited for some time more, only to get stranded. She maintains that her husband desperately wants to come back but he does not have enough money to purchase a ticket.

She said, her husband told her that his employer had fled the country in the wake of possible attacks from Iraq. Although he wanted to come back, there was nobody who could lend him some money for the ticket. Her husband also told her that there were several Indians, including a number of Punjabis, who were still stranded in Kuwait as none of them was in a position to purchase a ticket to return home.

There are several other families, whose kith and kin are stranded in Kuwait. They said, they might have spent thousands of rupees on making phone calls only.

As the images of war kept on flashing on the television sets, they felt more desperate and helpless.

However, some of them like Mr Mohinder Pal Singh, have managed to come back. He is staying at Shimlapuri here. He said, he had been working with a company which closed down after its owner had fled the country.

He revealed that they had not received salaries for several months and the employers were not ready to pay anything to them.

The families have urged the Government of India to make arrangements for the evacuation of all Indians who want to come back. Ms Manjeet Kaur, another woman, whose husband is also stranded in Kuwait said she was being told by her husband to make some arrangement for his return. Only the government could be of some help, she pointed out, while wailing in disgust and despair. 

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Residents suffer as MC, Trust pass buck
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 29
City residents, living in colonies developed by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust and later transferred to the municipal corporation for maintenance, are a harassed lot since the two bodies have made it a habit to pass the buck when it comes to enforcement of building bylaws and removal of encroachments.

After several such incidents, involving residents of posh localities like Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar and Sarabha Nagar, where blatant violation of building bylaws and encroachments on public roads and streets were not checked despite opposition by affected people, residents of Model Town Extension have come out with a similar problem.

Upset over parking of public transport vehicles on pavements in Blocks A and B of the locality, alarming level of air pollution caused by dumping of building material, use of parking space by shopkeepers for storage of merchandise and unlawful occupation of vacant SCOs, residents and the Welfare Association of the area have made repeated pleas to the civic administration and officials of Improvement Trust for remedial steps, but it vain.

Mr J.S. Grewal, one of the residents, who has been suffering the misery for quite some time now, says the people of the colony are in a fix as to whom they should approach. There is no maintenance worth the name of pavements and roads. In the absence of proper enforcement, opportunist elements are having a field day and holding the residents to ransom.

According to Mr Grewal, the Zonal Commissioner of D Zone did take note of one of the complaints regarding illegal parking of trucks and buses on the roadside and wrote to the MC traffic police for taking action, but nothing was done. To add to the woes of the people, Improvement Trust officials further increased the confusion by asserting that in accordance with a resolution adopted by the Improvement Trust in December, 2000, the building control of the localities stood transferred back to the trust

In such circumstances when the building plans were to be approved by the Improvement Trust, the MC administration washed its hands off the varied problems of the residents and refused to act at least for the purpose of unpleasant task of removal of encroachments.

An MC official, on condition of anonymity, justified the stand taken by the civic body on the grounds, that enforcement of building bylaws and identification of unlawful occupants was not possible when the building control was being exercised by the Improvement Trust. “Moreover, if trust officials are approving building plans, they should morally be responsible for enforcement as well.”

The president of the Welfare Association, Mr M.S. Aneja said they had been submitting identical representations to both the MC and the Improvement Trust authorities, but till date no one had come to the rescue of the hapless residents. “We are living in a miserable condition and ironically we do not even know whom to turn towards for redressal.”

The residents are sore over the continuing row between the two bodies, which is causing great suffering to the thousands of people living in such colonies and are victims of dual control or rather “no control” for all practical purposes.

Keeping their fingers crossed in the meantime, the victims are looking forward to government intervention to resolve the imbroglio. 

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1 killed as bus overturns
Our Correspondent

Doraha, March 29
A Punjab Roadways bus (PB12C-9513), coming from Tarn Taran and heading towards Delhi, turned turtle near the toll tax barrier last night. One passenger died on the spot, while seven others were injured in the accident.

Immediate relief was provided by persons posted at the nearby first aid post. The rescue operation lasted for about two hours.

The bus driver probably lost control over the vehicle while trying to steer clear of a dead cow that was lying on the road at a distance of few metres from the toll tax barrier.

Surinder Singh (40), a resident of Doraha who was standing near the window of the bus, died on the spot. Mr Manjit Singh, in charge of the first aid post, Doraha, said, “We rescued 25 persons in two hours. The injured were provided first aid and taken to Sidhu Hospital.”

Five of the injured have been identified as Sadhu Ram, Ram Singh, Madan Lal, all residents of Rajasthan, Asis Jam of Rajpura, and Janak Parsad of Bihar. The injured have demanded compensation from the administration on the plea that the accident could have been avoided had the officials posted at the toll tax barrier removed the carcass from the road in time.

“The toll tax scheme was launched by the government last year and till date ‘exorbitant rates’ are being charged for allowing vehicles to ply on the National Highway. Clearing carcasses in time and providing immediate relief to accident victims is a part of their duty, which they failed to perform,” said the bus passengers.

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A dusty bus stand
Vimal Sumbly
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29
The Ludhiana general bus stand seems to present a picture of apathy and neglect. Ditches and potholes apart, the massive dust that rises in the bus stand makes visibility zero, besides leading to other problems. There seems to be no maintenance of the bus stand as on now.

Fed up with sending applications to the authorities concerned to improve the conditions inside the bus stand, members of an auto-rickshaw association have taken upon themselves the task to water the area by rotation so that the place remains dust-free and operational. The desperate and drastic initiative of the association is going on since July last.

The Tribune had reported the issue about six months ago. However, when a Tribune team visited the place, nothing seemed to have changed. In fact, dust could be seen all over on buses and other vehicles. Some members of the association took the initiative as they were losing clients, who were avoiding coming to the auto-rickshaw stand due to the immense dust.

According to Mr A.P.S. Sarkaria, General Manager of Punjab Roadways, which manages and maintains the bus stand, tenders have already been floated for the maintenance and soon work would be allotted. However, association members say they have been listening to the same argument for the past over six months.

Initially, the move was initiated by some auto-rickshaw drivers and coolies, but now almost everyone working outside the bus stand contributes towards a better environment. Though this step has been initiated out of compulsion, there is wide-scale resentment among workers here against the roadways authorities, who collect a handsome “adda fee” everyday, but spend nothing on the upkeep of the area.

There are virtually no roads between the platforms and the main gate. Big potholes are a constant threat to the buses that go in and out of the bus stand, making travelling a nightmarish experience for commuters. The president of the Ludhiana Auto-Rickshaw Workers Federation , Jathedar Kulbir Singh, says that had the association not taken upon itself the responsibility of watering the broken roads to keep dust away, most auto-rickshaw drivers would either be ill or would run out of business as no one was willing to brave the dust.

The association has now decided to organise “kar seva”, seeking the help of people in the vicinity to build makeshift roads on their own inside the bus stand complex, which is otherwise the responsibility of the roadways. 

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Tiger the humanist

THE closure of the financial year heralds many things. Several panic signals of diverse degrees are sent out. Received at many spheres, various levels. Causing both response and reaction. Race against time here. Panic almost everywhere. Grants not spent cause worry. Auction of thekas-desi-daru liquor-vends provides dramatic ups and downs. Liquor, pool-trade, contract, etc project daily news. Sadly, the water level in Punjab, the land of five rivers, is rapidly depleting. Ironically, the level of consumption of liquor is rising. Jeet Singh Tiger, W.W.F fame wrestler, feels it most.

He is one of the most famous wrestlers of the world. Most well-kept body, six and quarter feet plus. Looks towering among the tall, nicknamed man-mountain. All muscles, physically called Devil’s dynamic in the ring. Has strong mental muscles. Enough of robust common sense. Despite his terrifying exterior, he has a soft heart. He feels for the common man. Always keen to annex as many titles as possible. Loves to accept any challenge, anywhere. Rules the mat and ring. Is both loved and feared. From the Arab world to the Far-East, his posters inspire youth in homes and gyms. His son, Ali Singh, promises one-up manship.

He is here among his people on a mission close to his heart. He loves health, physical as well as mental. He advises balanced diet. He says: “Listen to the internal clock, watch the need of your body. Go for good, not rich, food. Take fresh water, devoid of impurities”. He significantly adds: “Body is the temple of God. Keep it carefully, devotedly. It is trust of the Almighty, don’t betray it.” He admitted at a recent gathering at Machhiwara (Ludhiana ) that in ignorance he overate and over- drank. Very soon in youth, he discovered the hidden wealth, potentiality of physical health, besides mental alertness, combination of real vigour.

Jeet Singh Tiger, hailing from village Sujapur-Hans, Jagraon subdivision (Ludhiana), painfully learns that bottled water of doubtful purity is selling at higher rate than milk in Punjab, the legendary land of milk and honey.

Tiger admires Mr Nelson Mandela, the living legend of African heroism, for anti-drug campaign and leading role in helping the drug-victims.

He is a tiger with ferocity in exteriority against adversaries. He loves life, mankind the most. Has compassion for the drug-addict. Tiger in humanist in thought and action. (M.S. Cheema)

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EPF account statements to be issued
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29
The sub-regional office of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will issue account statements to all its subscribers on April 1. Besides, as part of its golden jubilee celebrations, the organisation will also settle death claims within one to three days.

This was stated by Mr A.N. Sharma, Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner (NZ), and Mr N. N. Sharma, RPFC.

This has been made possible by the cooperation of the employers who have submitted the necessary documents in time.

So far, 35 establishments have submitted their returns consisting of 2.17 lakh accounts, they added.

The office handled 4,578 establishments consisting of 7.42 lakh accounts during the current year. Death claims will be settled on a priority basis.

Mr K. L. Goyal, Regional PF Commissioner, Ludhiana, said a function would be organised on April 1 to handover the account statements to the representatives of the establishments. 

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Vitamins for your dog

Vitamins are like tiny cogs in the body’s physiological machinery, which ensures that every thing works smoothly. Lack of one or another can cause widespread disruption. Not only do organisms need these nutrients, but also they need them in proper amounts and ratios for optimum health.

Vitamins are divided into fat-soluble and water-soluble types. Water-soluble vitamins are excreted from the body if they are not used; fat-soluble vitamins are stored in fatty tissue. Fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K.

Vitamin ‘A’ is obtained from dairy products, leafy green vegetables, fish liver oil, and carrots. Deficiency of this vitamin leads to vision problems, slow growth, skin and coat problems, and diarrhoea.

Vitamin ‘D’ can be synthesized in sunshine by the body; dairy products and fish liver oil also supply this vitamin. Deficiency leads to rickets, bone diversities, poorly developed muscles, nervous disorders and vision problems.

Vitamin ‘E’ sources include cold-pressed vegetable oil, meats, raw nuts and seeds, leafy green vegetables, soybeans. Reproductive failure, bleeding disorders reduced function of many hormones result following the deficiency of this hormone. Insufficiency of Vitamin E can cause muscle tissue breakdown and impairment of immune response.

Vitamin ‘K’ is procured from yogurt, egg yolk, fish live oils , it can also be synthesized by bacteria in the dog’s intestine and does not need to be added to the diet under ordinary circumstances. Deficiency may lead to bleeding disorders and miscarriages.

Water-soluble vitamins are the B complex, and ascorbic acid (vit. C). B-vitamins are obtained from Brewer’s yeast, whole grain cereals. These help convert food to energy and deficiency causes fatigue, irritability, nervousness, hair loss, skin problems.

The dog can manufacture Vitamin C and supplementation is not always necessary. However, some vets insist that Vitamin C is helpful for dogs that are under stress. Vitamin ‘C’ is obtained from fruits and vegetables, especially broccoli, cabbage, leafy green vegetables.

Dearth of vitamin C causes shortness of breath, swollen joints, slow healing, and poor dental condition.

Some ingredients may contain the needed vitamins, but the pet may not be able to digest and metabolize them adequately. The ability to metabolize vitamins can be affected by the quality and type of ingredients being eaten, the dog’ s breed heritage, age, general health and medication.

Dr Jaspreet Singh

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7 booked for illegal sand mining
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29
On the directions of the Deputy Commissioner, the police has booked seven persons on charges of illegal sand mining at Manewal village, near Machhiwara.
They were quarrying sand even after the expiry of their contract. The Ludhiana Vigilance Bureau had recently indicted some contractors for illegal sand quarrying in the village that caused a loss of Rs 3 crore to the state exchequer.

Amandeep Singh Behlolpur, Pargat Singh, Madan Singh Machhiwara, along with their helpers Gurdial Singh, Sampuran and Amrik Singh Gehlewal, have been booked under Sections 406 and 379 of the IPC.

The police has confiscated four trucks and three tractor-trailers and the drivers of these vehicles Sikander Singh, Harminder Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Gurdev Singh and Shankar have also been arrested.

The land was handed over to these persons for agriculture practices on August 4, 2000, for seven years at the rate of Rs 25,000 per annum which was likely to be increased by 10 per cent after every two years. But instead of sowing crops on the land , they started sand mining. The village panchayat approached BDPO, Machhiwara, Rana Partap Singh on July 11, 2002, who forwarded the case to the DDPO.

Following the complaint, the lease was cancelled on March 11, 2003. But even after the cancellation of the contract, the illegal sand mining continued. According to the police, all the lessee (patedar) and their helpers are still at large. 

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No breakthrough in murder case
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29
Two days after the badly mutilated body of a youth was found hanging from a goal-post in a football ground of Kot Mandiala Kalan village, the police has failed to identify the deceased or murderers. The police is confident that a love-affair must be the reason behind the barbaric murder, but the investigation could not progress further as the youth could not be identified.

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Traders protest against VAT
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29
Hundreds of traders and small-scale industrialists staged a demonstration against the government proposal on VAT and the Central excise duty at Vishwakarma Chowk here today. They had come together under the banner of the joint action committee (JAC), a conglomerate of about 150 associations of traders and small-scale industrialists.

Almost all leading figures of industrial unions, including Mr Inderjeet Singh Pradhan of the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU), Mr Tulsi Dass Jaitwani, Mr Jagmohan Sharma, Mr Sunil Mehra, Mr Mohinder Aggarwal of the Pradesh Beopar Mandal and several others representing various small unions joined the demonstration.

They said it was a show of unity organised head of the nationwide strike planned by the traders and the small scale industrialists against VAT and the Central excise duty. They asserted that in case the government did not withdraw both these taxes, the traders and the small-scale industry would be forced to close down, resulting on a loss to the economy.

The traders claimed that the industry was already passing through a recession and there was a slump in the market. “It is on the brink of closure and VAT and the Central excise duty may prove to be the last straw,” said Mr Sunil Mehra of the Beopar Mandal. The traders claim that the new system of tax gives unbridled powers to tax officials, who may misuse these.

Mr Pradhan maintained that the assumption that the introduction of VAT and the Central excise duty would lead to additional revenue was misplaced. He said the government seemed to have been fed with wrong statistics. He observed that the new system might lead to corruption and cumbersome procedures and ultimately loss of revenue.

Mr Tulsi Dass Jaitwani regretted that the government did not take the small-scale industry and the small-and-medium-scale traders into confidence. He stated that the government seemed to have finalised its proposals on bureaucratic feedback that was far from the reality. 

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When traffic jam led to invention
Vimal Sumbly
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 29
Had Mr Jagat Singh, Managing Director of G.S. Auto International, Ludhiana, not been stuck in a traffic jam three years ago, the world would not have been able to get the ‘hydraulic lifter’, which is bound to revolutionise heavy vehicle transportation.

Mr Jagat told The Tribune that once he was held up in a jam near Phillaur as a heavy truck in front of him could not take a turn as its four rear tyres got stuck. An idea struck him as to how to evolve a mechanism that can lift the rear tyres of a vehicle. And consistent research and untiring efforts for three years yielded results recently when the company was able to develop successfully the hydraulic lifter for trucks and tankers.

The hydraulic lifter, which has already been patented to GS Auto, will help lift the trailing rear axle of the 10-tyre trucks. This device, which has been successfully experimented, will be available in the market from April. Currently it would come as an accessory.

Giving details of the device, Mr Jasbir Singh, CEO and Joint Managing Director of the company, said the hydraulic lifter had a hydraulic mechanism with an operating liver, which could be easily operated by the driver while sitting in his cabin. The lifter has pistons on both ends of a cylinder, which could be fitted under the chassis of a truck or tanker having 10 tyres, above the axle.

Listing the benefits of the device, Mr Surinder Singh , Director (Commercial), said the device would increase the service life of rear suspension components, reduce wear and tear of rear trailing axle tyres, reduce fuel consumption by at least 20 per cent, ensure easy driving on uneven and bumpy tracks, and allow hassle-free replacement of rear trailing axle tyres in case of a puncture.

The device can raise the rear tyres of a vehicle by six inches, even if it is loaded with 35 tonnes of material. The product costs around about Rs 30,000. 

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