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| Tuesday,
October
14, 2003,
Chandigarh, India
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4,000 houses for city homeless Ludhiana, October 13 This was announced by Chaudhry Jagjit Singh, Minister for Local Bodies and Employment, while speaking at a function after formally starting the work on the repair of all roads in Industrial Focal Point area here today. The project would be completed at a cost of Rs 5.16 crore. He also laid the foundation stones of two new bridges to be constructed over the Budha Nullah, near Chander Nagar and behind Shingar Cinema, at a cost of Rs 1.18 crore. Elaborating on the scheme, the minister said the government was taking a soft loan of Rs 20 crore from HUDCO for the project. The Centre would provide Rs 20-crore subsidy. He said good quality houses would be allotted to people living in slums. There would be a restriction on the transfer of ownership for 20 years, he added. Referring to the development plan of the government for urban areas, the minister said the government had chalked out a comprehensive programme to provide water supply and sewerage facilities in all cities and towns in the state at a cost of Rs 225 crore. For the first phase, an amount of Rs 145 crore had been released to 43 municipal councils for different development projects so far, he added. The minister said the financial condition of the state had improved following adoption of strict financial measures. Various financial institutions had agreed to fund development projects and welfare programmes of the government, he said. Referring to the quality of roads in the city, he said the road network in the city was ranked among that of the top 10 cities of India in a survey conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). He said the city had also attained the distinction of launching an integrated programme bring about development in all 210 slums in the city. He assured that excellent infrastructure would be provided in the Focal Point area and, if required, the government would release extra funds for it. Mr Malkiat Singh Birmi, Minister for Jails, Housing and Urban Development, said the government was making all efforts to motivate more and more multinational companies to invest in the development of various townships so that houses and residential plots could be provided to the maximum number of people. He said the first such township was being developed at SAS Nagar by a development company from Malaysia at a cost of Rs 300 crore. He said discussions were in progress with another multinational company for the construction of a long elevated road in all major parts of Ludhiana city. He said the government would provide the required funds for the excellent development of Industrial Focal Point, Ludhiana. Mr G.S. Atwal, Parliamentary Secretary, Industry, said the state government would release subsidy amounting to Rs 100 crore for the setting up of new industrial units. He demanded that the Centre should provide all facilities as were being provided to Himachal Pradesh. The Mayor, Mr Nahar Singh Gill, said the process of development in Ludhiana had been accelerated after the installation of the Congress government. During 2002-03, the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, completed a prestigious project of providing potable water to 100 per cent population in approved areas of the city and became the first corporation in the country to do so. Mr S.K. Sharma, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, said during the past one and half years, the Municipal Corporation had spared funds amounting to Rs 7 crore for the development of roads in Focal Point area, which counts for 20 percent of the total funds available with the civic body for development. Others who addressed the gathering included Mr Jagmohan Sharma, president, DCC, Mr Rajnish Ahuja and Mr H.S. Shembi, president and general secretary of the Focal Point Industrial Sheds Association, respectively. |
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Shopping fast for the fast Ludhiana, October 13 Every year a woman's shopping list keeps increasing. The bug is biting every female species no matter whether she is six or 60. Earlier, women used to apply mehndi at home. It was a thing associated with 'shagun'. But now mehndi tents dot each and every corner of the locality. 'Mehndiwalas' from Rajasthan, Gujarat and other far flung areas are minting money by applying mehndi. Owners of beauty parlours say that they start making designs many days before the festival as every woman is willing to spend in hundreds provided her design is exclusive. If you thought 'bindi' was just a dot on forehead, think again. Due to TV serials 'bindis' too have become a fashion statement. Women prefer designer 'bindis' that cost more than Rs 200 for a packet of 10. Under the name of 'Mein Prem Diwani Hoon' bangles' with ghungroos, are selling fast whereas 'Andaaz' bangles have kundan work done on them. 'Koi Mil Gaya' has collection of colour bangles. Gujarati bangles have a lot of 'meenakari' and are the flavour of the season. A set costs from Rs 150 to Rs 200. Fruitsellers and sweetmeat sellers have eager women buyers queuing up. The prices of fruits are up and so are of sweets. Clay 'karwas' have also flooded the market and the coconuts have become pricy too as they are needed for pujas. Too much commercialisation has robbed the fast of its religious significance. Now it has become a totally commercial event under the guise of prolonging husband's life though, in reality, a woman's ever-increasing shopping list may shorten a husband's life span. |
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Jagraon police busts gang of thieves Jagraon, October 13 Fortunately, the activities these modern day Jekyll and Hyde personalities could not continue for long, thanks to the Jagraon police which has busted a 19-member gang of young dacoits, probably the first group of organised dacoits in the post-terrorism Punjab. While the police deserves a pat on the back for the job, the constitution of the gang and the background of the members is a cause of concern for the state police and sociologists. As many as 17 of the 19 gang members, including the leader, was a Punjabi. Normally, the migrant labourers from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh are members of such gangs. Secondly, all the gang members were below the age of 22. The youngest one being just a frail looking 12-year-old. The cause of alarm for the sociologists was that most of the gang members were orphans or had disturbed family life. The parents of some of these were living separately with some even indulging in bigamy. The youngest member of the gang was 12-year-old Bhima. He used to drive a rickshaw for a living when his widowed mother eloped with someone and he was left to fend for himself. One wonders how society is going to rehabilitate criminals like Bhima, who were introduced into the world of crime at such a tender age. All the gang members were paraded before mediapersons this afternoon by the Jagraon SSP, Mr Mukhwinder Singh Chhina. It was a day of celebrations for the family of ex-serviceman Tarsem Singh and another person, a priest, who were the victims of the gang. They had remote hopes that the persons would be identified but were pleasantly surprised that most of the stolen goods has been recovered by the police. The leader of the gang, Gurdeep Singh alias Chandra, revealed that they undertook a recce of the area and marked the victims. Most of the times these were families living outside the villages. The police has recovered a list of such families who were potential targets of the gang in the near future. Mr Chhina revealed that the
gang members worked as waiters. “These days the contractors hire one person and tell him to bring a group of waiters. All these
After a series of robberies in this region, especially those in Jagraon, the police was under fire from public and media. Mr Chhina said informers revealed that some persons used to leave their homes in the dead of the night and return early morning. The police picked up one such person and the entire gang was busted. The gang had an organised rank structures. The leader got the highest share. The next got Rs 3000, and Rs 1000 less for each rank. Bhima, the lowest one, used to get less than Rs 1000. “He was under training.” The alleged dacoits used weapons smuggled here from Uttar Pradesh. These were country made pistols and guns of .12 bore and . 315 bore calibre. The members used iron rods, sticks and got swords manufactured locally for the purpose. |
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Farmers
give thought to environment Ludhiana, October 13 Claiming that they are equally worried about the ways of disposal, which are leading to pollution and loss of nutrients of soil, the farmers say that they are unable to handle it in an environment friendly manner as it costs them extra money and have asked the government to come to their help. They said that they had written several times to the previous government also but to no avail. ‘‘Once such a unit is set up here it would be a great help for the farmers. Besides giving employment to unemployed youths, the factory will consume the paddy as well as wheat stubble and help in saving the environment,” said Mr Devinder Ashok, president of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Welfare Society of the village. He said the farmers of this village were trying to find a solution and escape the wrath of environmentalists and general public. While talking to Ludhiana Tribune, the farmers said they wanted some lasting solution as they were well aware of the fact that burning the stubble caused loss of important minerals from the soil besides polluting the environment. Mr Charanjit Singh, a farmer and former panch of the village, said the disposal of the straw without burning meant employing extra labour and irrigation of the fields at least twice. He further said that the paddy straw, unlike the wheat, was unmanageable as it was harder. They claimed that rooting it manually required extra time also that meant lesser time for the preparation of fields for the next crop. Dr Devinder said if a paper and cardboard mill was set up in this village, it would mean relief for farmers of 50 villages that are linked to Pakhowal. He further said all farmers were ready to sell the straw to the mills and utilise it instead of wasting it. Quoting an example, he said a mill in Ahmedgarh had solved problems of many farmers as they were selling the straw to the mill owner only. Mr Pavittar Singh, another villager, said there was no problem in the village for setting up a mill. The villagers were ready to provide a piece of land. Another panch, Pargat Singh, said the farmers were ready to work in cooperation with the mill if the government wanted a cooperative mill to be set up. The mill would help in management of straw besides providing jobs to scores of poor villagers. The farmers said the message for not burning the residue was being conveyed very strongly and they resorted to burning of straw under immense fear from the police and administration. They said although no case was registered against any farmer for doing the same but the fear always lurked on their heads. |
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‘Bridging’ gap between mandis Jagraon, October 13 The completion of the Rs 40 crore 810-mtr-long bridge was a dream come true not only for the residents of these areas but also for all those who travelled from Faridkot, Ferozepore, Moga to Jalandhar and other northern parts of the country. The bridge has reduced the distance between Jalandhar and Jagraon alone by more than 50 km. Visibly happy farmers told Ludhiana Tribune that they had never seen such facilities on their side and had been forced to sell their produce, especially paddy, at whatever price was offered to them. The general view among a group of farmers from Nakodar tehsil was that the procurement was much more systematic here. Recalling old times, Nachattar Singh, a farmer from Nakodar, said: “Even after 55 years of Independence, we had to use a ferry across the river. But ferrying farm produce was out of question. During the monsoon, rains or when the river was in full spate we had to detour either through Ludhiana or through an existing bridge at Kawan Pattan on the Shahkot-Dharamkot road.” Others too were of the same opinion. Kuldip Singh, another farmer from across the Sutlej, said they were not getting the maximum support price (MSP) of Rs 580 there and were being offered much less. “I was offered Rs 585 a quintal today for my mound by a sheller owner, which is Rs 5 more than the official price. The real problem is that on our side all procurement is done by government agencies, which only buy at the fixed MSP,” he pointed out. Officials of the Jagraon Market Committee too are happy at the arrivals. They said they hoped to receive more than 3 lakh quintals of paddy this season. “Better facilities, time-bound payments and better prices are the motivating factors for the farmers to bring in their produce. We make sure that the farmers are not put to inconvenience and allow them to wait for the private buyers to make their bids,” revealed an official. An official pointed out that the reason why the purchase by sheller owners was on the higher end was because all 52 shellers in the tehsil were operational and needed huge stocks to keep them running. Of the total 98,867 tonnes procured till October 12, the private buyers alone accounted for 43,191 tonnes. There were as many as six agencies in the 16 mandis of the tehsil, he added. Besides the benefits to the farmers, sources added that the bridge would help ease traffic on National Highway No. 1. The bridge would also lead to a shorter route for traffic from Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Gurdaspur districts; Jammu and Kashmir; Palampur, Dalhousie, Dharmashala areas of Himachal Pradesh to Bathinda and Mansa districts in Punjab; Hanumangarh and Sriganganagar districts of Rajasthan; and Sirsa and Fatehabad districts of Haryana. |
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CM likely to
continue anti-corruption drive Ludhiana, October 13 The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has interrogated Mr Badal, his wife and son, Rajya Sabha member Sukhbir Singh, in connection with the FIR registered against them for allegedly having assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Mr Sukhbir Singh initially tried to put up some semblance of resistance but later relented and appeared before the Vigilance Bureau. The officers of the Vigilance Bureau who interrogated Mr Badal and his wife Ms Surinder Kaur were courteous to them although Mrs Badal was aggressive in her replies to their questioning. Perhaps Vigilance Bureau officials had the instructions to be polite to them. The Chief Minister has repeatedly stated that he has no plan to arrest Mr Badal and would put up the challan in the special court and he has already written to the Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court, for designating such a court. Although Captain Amarinder Singh claims that the Vigilance Bureau has collected sufficient evidence against the Badals, Mr Badal has gained political strength during the past few months. He has been able to mobilise Akali workers who were feeling demoralised after the fall the SAD-BJP government in the state one-and-a-half year ago. The unity with his once foe Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra has also brought great relief to him (Badal) as there is no major opposition to him at present from the Akalis, notwithstanding the formation of the new Akali Dal headed by Mr Ravi Inder, former Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, and the Akali Dal (Amritsar) headed by Mr Simranjit Singh Mann. Both these Akali factions are opposing Mr Badal and Mr Tohra and are indirectly extending support to the anti-corruption drive of the Chief Minister. The united Shiromani Akali Dal does not have any political programme except defending Mr Badal. Political observers in Punjab are of the view that the Chief Minister will continue to demoralise the former Chief Minister and president of the Shiromani Akali Dal in view of the immediate elections to the four Vidhan Sabha of Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh. The anti-corruption campaign of the Congress against the Akalis will have significant effect on the voters as was seen in the case of elections to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, which was spear-headed by the Punjab Chief Minister. Again, Captain Amarinder Singh will be heading the election campaign in Rajasthan and Delhi which have sizeable Sikh population. The two-day session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha last month was also dominated by the happenings of the state for the past one year and in particular the campaign against Badals. The standard of the debate in the Vidhan Sabha and particularly the show put up by the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition was probably the lowest in the history of the state. Such a low standard of parliamentary debate has never been witnessed during the more than 50 years of Independence of the country. The anti-corruption campaign launched by the Chief Minister has the full backing of the Congress high command and the Chief Minister is in a mood to continue this campaign till the elections to the Lok Sabha are held next year. Anti-corruption campaign is a big handle to cash the sentiments of the people. However, the Chief Minister has to understand that the anti-corruption campaign has not made any dent in the day-to-day functioning of his government in the state despite the strong media support. The corruption level in the state government offices in the state at the district level has not seen any change (read reduction, what to talk of eradication). People continue to suffer as usual. Corrupt officers are continuing to have the support of the state government and the Chief Minister has shut his eyes towards them. The tall claims of the Chief Minister to have fiscal reforms have also fallen prey to the political compulsions of the Chief Minister. The number of measures announced by him have been withdrawn and the Chief Minister has succumbed to the political pressure in easing out some of the competent and good officers from their posts. The Chief Minister should know that the man in the street is not happy with his government as he is feeling insecure in the face of deteriorating law and order in the state. The state is witnessing alarmingly high rate of robberies and daylight dacoities.Both urban and rural areas are in the grip of fear and panic over the spate of robberies which have taken place in different parts of the state during the past few weeks. Besides, having confrontation with Mr Badal, the Chief Minister is also on warpath with the NDA Government. The NDA Government has adopted an anti-Congress Government attitude in Punjab because of the anti-corruption drive launched by Mr Amarinder Singh. The NDA Government is not ready to help the Punjab Government in boosting its economy. The plan of the Punjab Government to send a delegation of business men-cum-state government officials was stalled by the Central Government by denying the necessary clearance to visit China, with the result the same had to be cancelled. The farming community in Punjab is also annoyed with the Punjab Government. But the state government has very little say in the fixation of minimum support price for the agricultural produce which is a Central subject. The Centre has frozen the MSP of paddy and wheat and the Chief Minister participated in a dharna against the Centre in Delhi along with the Punjab farmers. To have smooth sailing in Punjab, the Chief Minister has to have his own house in order. |
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Badal seeks more time to
file reply Ludhiana, October 13 He was in the city yesterday to inaugurate an eye camp at the Akalgarh Gurdwara. He also met senior Akali leaders in view of the questioning of his family members about disproportionate assets and charges of receiving bribes during his five-year term. Several MLAs and senior functionaries of the local unit were closeted with him for a long time. Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, Mr Badal said there was no truth in the allegations levelled by Capt Amarinder Singh and asserted that charges framed against him and his family members were nothing but “a tapestry of lies.” However, he said he had not received any fresh summons from the bureau for further questioning. Earlier, while addressing the congregation at the gurdwara, he listed the failures of the government. Crime was at an all time high and senior functionaries of the government were seldom available to redress the problems of the masses, he said. |
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Badal did disservice to Panth: Ravi Inder Mandi Gobindgarh, October 13 The first conference of the region was held at Patiala on September 20. The second conference would be held on November 16 at Moga and the third on December 7 at Amritsar. The Akali Dal would also organise a conference on the occasion of Jor Mela at Fatehgarh Sahib in the last week of this year. Out of 17 districts, Jathedars in 12 districts have been appointed. Mr Ravi Inder said that the Akali Dal had deleted the word Shiromani from its name. To keep a vigil on the performance of the Akali Dal, a Shiromani Akali council, headed by Baba Sarabjot Singh Bedi, had been formed. It would work as a central authority. The term of the Akali Dal chief would be of two years and no member of the family would contest any election at any level. It is to save the party from family rule, he said. He said that during the tenure of Mr Parkash Singh Badal as SAD chief we did not know about the treasurer of the party or its accounts. He accused Mr Badal of allotting MLA tickets and ministries to mafia. He ridiculed Mr Badal for calling his supporters from across the state at the time of his inquiry at his residence. The Akali Dal chief said that there was no scope of unity in the Akali factions till Mr Badal was the chief of SAD. He had done a great disservice to the Sikh Panth, and should quit in the larger interests of the Sikh Panth, he remarked. |
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Kidnapped student hoodwinks captors Ludhiana, October 13 Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, Dr S.M. Sharma, Principal of the college, said that he was relieved that the boy had come back safe and sound. Gurinder, also known as Vicky, returned to his residence in Jamalpur Leli this morning. Dr Sharma said that he had informed the police about the kidnapping of the boy at about 12 noon on October 11. The police came to the college and recorded the statements of the witnesses. Gurinder’s cousin Sukhjinder had lodged an FIR against Phulla and others under Sections 365 and 34 of the IPC at division no. 8 police station. Giving details of Gurinder's kidnapping, police sources said that he was called outside the college and forcibly made to sit on a motor cycle that was later abandoned in Punjab Agricultural University. From there, Gurinder is stated to have been taken away in a black Maruti car. The police sources said that he was held captive at the office of Phool Badan in Haibowal. Sources said that Gurinder was kidnapped to settle old scores. On September 26 , two girls of Arya College were reportedly teased by two boys of the college. The girls resented the remarks made by boys and complained to Dr S.M. Sharma, who promptly suspended the boys. Meanwhile, the girls’ relatives came to the college and bashed up the boys. College boys resented this “outside” interference, as the Principal had already taken action in this regard. Angry students damaged the car of the relatives of the girl that was parked outside the college. Sources said that Gurinder was kidnapped and had reportedly threatened to tell the names of the students who had damaged the car on September 26. Gurinder persistently said that he did not know the culprits. Sources said that his captors went to another room to discuss the matter, and left him in the care of a person. Somehow, Gurinder hoodwinked the person and managed to flee. After running from his captivity, last night, Gurinder said that he did not go home as he feared for his life . Only in the morning he went with his brother Sukhjinder to division no 8 police station. |
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Festival shopping adds to traffic blues Ludhiana, October 13 The stretch of the Old GT Road from Old Sabzi Mandi to the railway station, Kailsah Cinema Chowk to Deepak Cinema, which provides link between old city localities and Civil Lines, Chaura Bazar, Saban Bazar, Model Town, Ghumar Mandi and the Mall Road have become nightmares for vehicular traffic. There are hardly any parking places in most of these areas and at some of the most problematic spots, moving even on foot is difficult, if not impossible. With the motorable link of the Jagraon bridge between old city and localities across west of Ludhiana-Delhi railway track being virtually out of bounds for traffic towards Clock Tower and other wholesale markets due to ongoing work on the elevated road, volume of traffic on the Domoria bridge has increased manifold. Since the traffic regulation seems to be nobody’s baby in the city and traffic cops seldom making appearance on this busy section, motorists and other vehicle drivers are left to fend for themselves. As a result, serpentine queues of vehicles, right from Nigam Market to Deepak Cinema Chowk, and occasionally beyond these two points, could be seen most of the time nowadays. The city traffic police, responsible for regulating traffic, has apparently washed its hands off the problem, perhaps due to enormity of the problem being beyond their control or due to simple lack of concern for the crucial matter. In fact, the city administration has been persistently neglecting the problem of traffic management and it has remained the lowest priority both at the planning and execution stages. About erratic traffic lights on major crossings and poor enforcement of traffic laws by the police, the less said the better. The traffic police personnel remain elusive, particularly when needed to govern the traffic movement in case of power failure or malfunctioning of traffic lights. There have been several instances of prolonged traffic jams at the busiest of the crossings for hours together due to failure of traffic lights and police personnel are generally nowhere near. Enforcement of traffic rules and traffic management in the city is a tough ask. The problem needs to be handled in an effective manner with a strong will and a resolute determination on the part of the administration. Stop-gap arrangements will not only defy any viable solution, but may also compound the already complex problem. |
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PSEB staff to hold rally today Ludhiana, October 13 Activists of various PSEB unions, including the Technical Services Unions, the PSEB Employees Federation, the Junior Engineers Council, the PSEB Karamchari Dal and the PSEB Workers Federation (INTUC), while speaking at a rally at the PSEB Divisional Office, Old Sabzi Mandi, flayed the management for its anti-employees attitude. The union leaders said the agitating employees would hold a dharna in front of the Chief Engineer’s office on October 14. Among others who addressed the rally were Mr Balraj Singh Sekhon, Mr Ramesh Kumar, Mr Pawan Kumar, Mr Mehar Chand, Mr Arun Kumar and Mr Vijay Kumar.
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Three marriages solemnised Doraha, October 13 “Every year the club organises such functions in order to help the poor,” said Mr Sudarshan Kumar Sharma, its chairman. “We have given the couples daily-use items, including utensils, silver ornaments, television sets, sewing machines and clothes,” he added. Among others who blessed the newly weds were Mr Bant Singh Daburjee, senior vice-president, Doraha Municipal Council, Mr Adarsh Pal Bector, Mr Surinder Pal Sood, Mr Sardara Singh, Mr Navjit Singh, all councillors, Mr Krishan Lal Gupta, Mr Vinod Gupta, Mr Rohit Gupta and Mr Mohan Lal Pandey. |
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Man assaulted, dies Ludhiana, October 13 Prisoner escapes:
Two killed:
One person was killed and one injured in an accident. Mr Mohinder Singh, a resident of Kot Mangal Singh, was injured when a car hit his scooter. The pillion rider, Manjeet Singh, was killed on the spot. The Division No. 6 police has registered a case. The Division No. 7 police yesterday registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC on a statement of Mr Ajay Kumar against an unknown driver of an ambulance vehicle who hit a person on the road on Sunday. The victim died on the spot. Opium seized:
Assaulted:
The Haibowal police has registered a case under Sections 323, 324, 341, 506, 138 and 149 of the IPC on a complaint of Mr Amar Nath, a resident of Malkit Nagar in Haibowal Kalan, against Kaka and Bawa, both residents of Haibowal Khurd, and others. The complainant alleged that the accused had intercepted him on the road, beaten him up and threatened him. Booked for eve-teasing:
Held for gambling:
The Division No. 6 police arrested Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Mohalla Nanaksar in Shimla Puri, and Parwinder Singh, a resident of Abdullapur Basti, while they were gambling at a public place. The police seized Rs 890 from their possession. |
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Woman shot at, car taken away Ludhiana, October 13 The victim, Harminder Kaur (42), a widow, was standing outside her house at about 8:30 a.m. When two youths, one clean-shaven and another wearing a turban, directed her to handover the keys of her car. They shot at the woman when she refused to follow their directions. |
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