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April 12, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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15 booked in DTO office scandal Ludhiana, April 11 Highly-placed Vigilance sources told TNS that they had also found evidence regarding movable and immovable property worth over Rs 1 crore amassed by two other clerks in the office. The Vigilance Department has sent a source report regarding these two clerks to seniors and they were likely to be arrested soon. The two reportedly own several plots and kothis in the district. Though the case of these two clerks is not directly related to
yesterday's raid, the vigilance got some additional evidence against these two following the seizure of some documents and questioning of some of the accused agents and employees. The cases have been
registered mainly against the agents as no strong evidence was found against the clerks so far. This is an interesting development as the
agents could not have worked without the support and knowledge of the clerks, informed sources said. The Vigilance had rounded up more than 30 persons in a three-hour raid yesterday after which the Transport Office was also sealed. Some of these were let off last evening only. About 20 persons were detained, of which 15 were booked. They have been identified as Krishna Lal, Surinder Pal, Jagjit Singh, Shamsher Singh, Narinder Singh, Satish Kumar, Rajeev Kumar, Gurinder Singh, Parshottam Lal, Amarnath, Prem Kumar, Mangat Ram and Babu Ram. The Vigilance raids have exposed a clerk-agent nexus at
the DTO office amounting to sublet government work to the agents by clerks The clerk had allegedly employed people to do his official work and share the collections that accrued from public transactions like registration of vehicles, issuing driving licences etc. The work of government employees was virtually reduced to just signing up at the documents. The Vigilance has Department also collected details about the price tagged with occupying a seat in the office. Employees allegedly got the prized seat after getting some ‘setting’ with the high ups at a premium. The vigilance sources said they had collected enough documentary evidence and mobile phone sets and calls to substantiate their claims. The scandal was unearthed in over a three-hour-long raid by the Vigilance department. The 50-member team comprised the local Vigilance Bureau and the Chandigarh office. The assistance of Ludhiana and Jagraon police was also taken. Mr Kanwrjit Singh Sidhu, SSP, Vigilance, said that some of the agents were doing all the work of the government employees. The Vigilance has found entries in the registers of different handwriting. The agents were allegedly on the payroll of the employees. This has come to light through some documents in the possession of the Vigilance Department. The agents got commission from the employees according to work. He said Vicky Singh, a resident of Shimla Puri had complained to the Vigilance Department regarding the alleged scandal. He was forced to pay a sum of Rs 500 to a clerk for getting his work done. |
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SSI seeks help to counter WTO impact Ludhiana, April 11 Addressing mediapersons here today, its president, Mr Joginder Kumar, criticised the government for its total failure to apprise the industrial units of the impact of WTO as well as invoke the provisions in the WTO agreement to safeguard the domestic industry. He said the policy of the government toward the SSI sector was influenced by institutions like the IMF, the World Bank and other vested interests which included the CII and FICCI. The federation, he added, had submitted a memorandum to the Union Minister for SSI, Mr C.P. Thakur, calling for immediate remedial measures to save the units from ruination. The units are the backbone of industry with nearly 38 lakh registered units and a sizeable number of unregistered ones contributing 40 per cent to the manufacturing sector, almost 35 per cent to direct exports and providing employment to almost 1.6 crore persons. Stressing the need for rationalisation of the excise and custom duty structure, Mr Kumar observed that the cumulative duty burden on basic raw material for light-engineering industry like HR coil was 51 per cent for first grade material, while the defective material in the same category attracted a total duty of 69.9 per cent, which was ridiculous. In the wake of hike in the prices of inputs and services over the years, the threshold limit of exemption from excise duty should also be increased from the present level of Rs 3 crore to at least Rs 5 crore. The federation president lamented that in the absence of effective enforcement measures, the producers of raw material like HR coils had created an artificial scarcity and were dictating their terms to the industry. The secondary left out material was being sold to the industrial units for Rs 21,000 to Rs 22,000 per tonne, whereas the prime quality of the same material was being exported at around Rs 13,000 per tonne. Logically, the secondary left out material should command a lower price and should be sold in the range of Rs 10,000 per tonne. To add to the woes of the SSI units, the main producers had manipulated the imposition of dumping duty on certain countries from where HR coils were available at cheaper rates. |
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World Cup defeat haunts family Ludhiana, April 11 The labourer’s 17-year-old son, Ravi Kumar, has been battling for life at the local DMC hospital after he consumed poison when India lost the cup. Depressed over the performance of the Indian team, the youth drank a bottle of pesticide. Life has come to a standstill for this family. The youth is in a critical condition and is on a life-support system at ward No. 46 of the DMC hospital, even three weeks after the incident. The incident went unnoticed all these weeks as the family remained tight-lipped about the action of the youth. The news came out after the boy gained consciousness and the family confided in some hospital staff. Mr Hans Raj, father of the youth, admitted to The Tribune that his son was a cricket freak and had attempted suicide because he was not able to tolerate the country’s defeat. He said they were very embarassed at his action and did not disclose it initially. He said his son told him after drinking the poison that he was disgusted at Indian team’s defeat and had attempted suicide. Hans Raj said they also feared some police action for attempt to suicide. The youth is on a ventilator. Dr Sandeep Puri, Medical Superintendent, told The Tribune that it would take some time for the complete treatment of the youth. His condition had been fluctuating as the effect of the poison rebounded time and again. Even though Hans Raj is a labourer, he has managed to provide education to his children. Besides the victim, he has three other sons and two daughters. Ravi Kumar was studying in class 10+1. The prolonged treatment at the hospital has been costing a fortune to the family. They have already spent Rs 70,000 on medical expenses and a bill of Rs 25,000 of the hospital is pending. The family has no money to pay the expenses. They are in a catch-22 situation. They cannot risk the youth’s life by taking him away from the hospital. While they cannot keep him there due to the mounting expenses. Basant Kaur, mother of the youth, who, along with some other relatives has been staying in a corridor of the hospital since March 23, said they had already mortgaged their house in Mullanpur Dakha. ‘We have no more money left. Our relatives have been helping us but now their funds have also exhausted’. Dr Puri said only the management of the DMC was authorised to waive off the expenses but that too only to a limited extent. The family praised the doctors and the other staff for going out of the way to help them. Upset over the cricket game, Basant Kaur questioned “Will any cricketer, earning crores, come forward to help my son”. |
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Primary teachers oppose new policy Ludhiana, April 11 Stating this in a press note, Mr Piara Singh Dhillon, its president, protested the method by which the government had issued the notification without consulting the representatives of primary teachers. He also condemned the decision of the government to appoint a headmaster of government school from the master cadre as he believed that the promotion channel of the primary teachers would get abolished by this way. Mr Dhillon said the association also met Mr Khushal Behl, Education Minister, Mr B. Sarkar, Education Secretary, Mr Jagtar Singh Khatra, DPI (Primary), Mr Sohal Lal, DPI (Secondary). He said the minister assured them that their grievances would be looked into. |
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Death sentence in triple murder case Khammano, April 11 On the night of August 29, 1996, three persons — Rabi Singh, a Gujjar family head Sahu and his daughter Jamila (16) — were hacked to death with iron rods and a 7-year-old girl, Billo, was badly injured in the incident. A case was registered in this regard at the Khamano police station under Sections 302, 458, 460 and 34 of the IPC. Jagjit Singh, the main accused, was arrested after some days but the co-accused, a labourer from Bihar, Raju, is absconding. Apart from death sentence, 10 years’ imprisonment has been given under Sections 458 and 460 and a fine of Rs 5000. |
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4 undertrials hurt in brawl Ludhiana, April 11 The brawl has confirmed reports that gambling is a
common activity in the jails here. Jail officials have hitherto been denying this. The payment of lost money was paid at Bakshikhanna when undertrials took money from relatives to pay the debt. According to Raju, an undertrial who was witness to the brawl, about 10 undertrials belonging to two different groups had first an argument over money and then exchanged fisticuffs and finally bricks and bottles. They also injured each other with blades, which they had managed to carry with them despite tight police security. Police sources disclosed that the groups used to play gambling in the jail. Today the losers were to pay the lost amount but some dispute arose. The injured undertrials, who have been admitted to the Civil Hospital, have been identified as Baljit Singh, Gulshan Kumar, Avtar Singh and Sarbjit Singh. A case has been registered against 10
undertrials. |
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Two drown in village pond Sahnewal, April 11 According to sources, four friends, Gurpreet Singh, Bhola, Ravi and Malkit Singh, were roaming around in the village pond in an old raft meant for taking out weeds from the pond when it suddenly overturned. Gurpreet and Bhola swam to safety, while the other two, Ravi (18) and Malkit Singh (24), drowned in the pond. |
‘Bring back my family’ Mullanpur Dakha, April 11 With her death, the toll of the crash, that took place on April 4, rose to seven. Kuldeep Kaur was cremated here last evening. The body was in bad shape due to 100 per cent burn injuries. When a Ludhiana Tribune team visited the site today, the house of Purshottam presented a tragic site with relatives mourning the death of three persons. Purshottam was not present in the house as he had gone to Kiratpur Sahib to perform rituals. Purshottam had lost his son, Gurpreet Singh (21), on the day of the crash, his daughter, Manjinder Kaur (22), on the next day and his wife, Kuldeep Kaur, who died at the DMCH, Ludhiana, yesterday. Besides him, his eldest married daughter, Sukhminder Kaur, and his youngest son, Jagpreet Singh, were left to face the loss. Ms Sukhminder Kaur, while making an effort to control herself, said, “What does the compensation mean to us? Can the money bring back our dear ones? We don’t need money. Tell them to bring back my mother, brother and sister”, she said with tears rolling down her cheeks. Similar was the story of Mr Dewan Chand, an octogenarian whose entire family died in the crash. His wife, his only son and a pregnant daughter-in-law were killed. |
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Re-polling ordered Khanna, April 11 The commission has also suspended the SHO, City police station, Mr Baldev Singh Brar, for negligence of duty and not preventing Ashok Tewari from tearing ballot papers. The SHO, Nawanshahr, Mr Surinder Mohan, has been ordered not to enter Khanna city till April 16. He is the son-in-law of Ashok Tewari. |
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Aggarwala society refutes allegations Ludhiana, April 11 The society, which also owns a school, was in the eye of the storm over the formation of a new society under the name of Tagore Education Society to manage the school and to promote education by setting up new educational institutions. Some of the members of the housing society had attributed motives behind the new society taking over the responsibility of managing and running the school. Addressing a conference here yesterday, Mr Surinder Kumar Gupta, president, Mr Jinder Pal Gupta, vice-president, Mr D.J. Jain, treasurer, and Mr Amrit Lal Aggarwal, director of the housing society, alleged that the propaganda was aimed at creating confusion among the members of the society as election of the office-bearers were due in the next couple of months. They claimed that during their tenure various projects for better infrastructure were successfully completed in the colony. Similarly, the management of the school was not only streamlined but initial steps were also taken to set up another school and a college on the new campus. Mr Amrit Lal Aggarwal said in view of objection by some of the members of the housing society, the constitution of the Tagore Educational Society had been amended in a general body meeting held yesterday and the powers of the managing committee of the society to nominate the governing body of the school had been restored. |
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Valmiki Samaj to hold session Ludhiana, April 11 This was announced by Mr Vijay Danav, national convener of the samaj, during a news conference here today. Among others present on the occasion were the state convener, Mr Ashwani Sahota, Mr Lakshman Dravid, Choudhry Yash Pal and Mr Mohan Veer Chauhan. He said the Union Minister for Fertilisers and Chemicals, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, would light the lamp and the Himachal Pradesh Governor, Mr Suraj Bhan, would hoist the flag. Dr Vijay Sonkar, Chairman, National SC/ST Commission; Mr Sukhbir Badal, a former Union Minister; Mr Ganga Ram Teja, member, National Safai Karamchari Commission; Lala Lajpat Rai, MP; and Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal, a former Speaker, Vidhan Sabha, are expected to attend the function. Dr Dev Singh Asur of the samaj will preside over. According to Mr Danav, delegates from Punjab, Maharashtra, New Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttaranchal, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Rajasthan would take part in the deliberations, which would mostly focus on key issues relating to the Dalits. The participants, he added, would also deliberate on the strategy to step up communication and extension activities and educational drive against social evils. |
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Federation to hold protest Sahnewal, April 11 Mr Jandeep
Kaushal, vice-president of the All-India Federation of Democratic Youth , said: “We will raise our voice against the hike in fee structure, increase in allowances of ministers and policies of the government towards farmers, traders, students and common man”. |
Youth commits suicide Ludhiana, April 11 A postmortem examination was conducted at the Civil Hospital, Jagraon. Paramjit Singh was mentally deranged. Dowry case: Pritam Singh of Salempura village, Jagraon, was arrested by the Sidhwan Bet police in a case registered under Sections 498 and 406 of the IPC on the complaint of his daughter-in-law. The accused was remanded into police custody for three days. According to information, Ms Darshan Kaur has blamed her father-in-law, her husband, Balwinder Singh, and others of maltreating her for dowry.
Khanna Arrested: The police today claimed to have arrested six persons who were allegedly planning to rob a petrol station here. According to the SHO (City), Mr Baldev Singh Brar, on a tip-off, a police party conducted a raid at a place near Spring Dale Public School and arrested six persons. Those arrested were later identified as Kamal Kumar of Dogora village, Vikas Kumar of Muzafarpur, Jatinder Kumar, Barinder Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Raj Kumar, all residents of Rohtak. Three pistols and three knives were seized from their possession. A case has been registered.
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Minister for Bar, Excise Dept coordination Ludhiana, April 11 He was addressing a joint meeting of the officers of the department and members of the DTBA at Mini Secretariat here. Reacting to some problems raised by the members of the bar association, Mr Johar asked the officers to prepare a case for getting the approval of the higher authorities for permitting the traders and businessmen to deposit small tax amounts in all nationalised banks. He also exhorted lawyers to serve their clients with full dedication and devotion and announced a grant of Rs 50, 000 for the library of the Bar. Mr K. D. Bhardwaj, Bar president, Mr Varinder Sharma, secretary, Mr P. D. Sharma, Mr Ajay Chowdhary, Mr Mohinder Grower, Mr Ashok Bakshi (all members), and Mr. Dharmjit Singh Khera, also addressed the meeting. Later Mr Johar discussed the progress of the ongoing project of lawyers’ chambers complex in the new judicial complex with the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Agarwal, representatives of the association and officers of the PWD. He also visited the site along with the officers. He advised the administration to provide two new entries at the judicial complex one from the Feroze Gandhi Market side and other from the Model Gram side, so that the problem of parking space could be tackled. The Deputy Commissioner said the lawyers’ chambers complex would be completed by the end of September. The balance funds amounting to Rs 1.40 crore as government’s share would be released at the earliest, he added. Mr Harish Dhanda, President District Bar Association, assured that the remaining share of the Bar Association totalling Rs 60 lakh would be deposited within a week. |
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