 |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Four Akali activists injured Lohara (Ludhiana), November 24 Four persons, including a woman municipal councillor of SAD (Amritsar) were injured last night when they were allegedly beaten up with rifle butts by the Shimla Puri cops for allegedly damaging the foundation stone, which was being prepared at about 10 p.m. last night. The injured persons were Jal Kaur (70), municipal councillor Sunita Rani (34), Surinder Kaur (45) and Surinder Singh (30). The SAD (Amritsar) alleged that the police started beating up its activists without provocation as they told the police to prepare the foundation stone elsewhere. The police alleged that the activists were drunk and abused the cops. The SAD (Amritsar) was protesting against the foundation stone on two counts. It claimed that the foundation stone was being constructed on a private wall owned by an activist of the party, Charanjit Singh, who was the first to oppose it. The party also claimed that it was their municipal councillor, Sunita Rani, who had done most of the development works and the Congress was laying the foundation stone to play petty politics in the area. Justifying the laying of the foundation stone, Mr Gill and Mr Dakha said they represented the area and had every right to lay the foundation stone of the development project. When their attention was drawn towards the already laid foundation stone of the project by Mr Jagjit Singh, Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, one month ago, the Congress leaders said the foundation stone was of the adjoining Daba village while this was of Lohara village. Twelve activists of SAD (Amritsar) were rounded up last night out of which nine were released at 3 a.m. last night. The other three were released this evening. The three, Satpal Singh, Jagdish Singh and Dr. Jagjit Singh, Mr Charan Singh Lohara, general secretary, SAD (Amritsar), however claimed that the FIR was fabricated in advance as the complainant had made the statement to the police in the afternoon, whereas the incident took place late at night. Tempers ran high among the activists of SAD (Amritsar) as they alleged biased police action at the hands of the Congress. At least 200 villagers gathered on the Mini-Secretariat premises to air their grievances to senior police officers. DSP R.K. Bakshi was deputed to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and submit his report within 24 hours. Even as he was conducting his investigation, Mr Dakha and Mr Gill formally laid the foundation stone, which announced the inauguration of a sewerage project in the village. The inauguration ceremony was performed amid heavy security, with activists of SAD (Amritsar) remaining mute spectators. They later complained to Mr Bakshi that they had respected the orders of the SSP to maintain peace, but the Congress leaders went ahead with the foundation stone laying ceremony. Mr Charanjit Singh Lohara, former MLA Hira Singh Gabria, municipal councillor Simarjit Singh Bains and senior leader Balwinder Singh Bains alleged that the police was a puppet in the hands of politicians. They alleged that the police beat up 70-year-old Jal Kaur, who was peacefully protesting against the laying of the foundation stone. They said democracy was no longer alive as the rule of the ‘danda’ prevailed. They said the police and the administration should understand how embarrassing it would be for a SAD(Amritsar) activist, if the foundation stone of a rival party was laid on his private property. They said the Congress should have shifted the land of its supporters and there would have been no controversy. Mr Lohara said the Congress was pressurising Sunita Rani to join the party. She had refused and was now being harassed by the police. He said she was a representative of the people of the area, but the police beat her up. Mr Gill and Mr Dakha denied the charges. They said they had never invited Sunita Rani to join the Congress. They said they did not dictate terms to the police, which acted on its own to maintain peace in the area. Addressing Congress activists after laying the foundation stone, Mr Gill announced that all approved localities in Ludhiana would be provided with sewerage by 2005. Sewerage projects in different parts of the city were being completed at a cost of Rs 150 crore, he added. Mr Gill said the Lohara project would cost Rs 8.50 crore. He disclosed that the municipal corporation was considering setting up a city metro train, which would put the city on the fast track of development and trade. He added that work on roads in Lohara village would be started soon. Mr Dakha, speaking at the function, said development projects worth more than Rs 20 crore in the wards of city falling in his constituency were in progress. He announced that a new road on the inner bank of the Sidhwan Canal would be executed at a cost of Rs 45 lakh for which the required funds had been released by the municipal corporation. He said the Congress government was committed to carry out fast development in all parts of the city, irrespective of the party affiliation of the councillor of the ward. He said water supply in the Lohara area would be started shortly, as the new tubewell had been installed and work on laying of water pipes was being done at a fast speed. He asserted that development works more than Rs 2 crore were being executed in Ward 28 alone. The new sewerage project would benefit many localities including Daba, Lohara, Begoana, around GNE, and would be linked to the main sewerage near Dugri. A heavy police posse was deployed in the village to prevent any further law and order problem. |
|
Cong has used its last weapon,
says SAD Ludhiana, November 24 General secretary of the party, Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal maintained that the government had used its “last weapon. He said it was harping for the past on the single agenda on filing a charge sheet against Badal. He said the government had so far been defining its performance in terms of a single-point agenda of implicating Mr Badal and his family members. It has exhausted the last option and now it will have to explain to people as to what they have done”, he asserted. “Fabricating a charge sheet against Mr Badal and others seems to have taken up so much energy and the time of the state government that it could not think or do anything else”, he said. Lambasting Congress leaders for their observations that the Akali Dal was trying to make a political issue out of a case of corruption, he said, “it is only a political plot by the Congress to defame the SAD. Ultimately the truth has to come out and the Congress leaders will cut a sorry figure”. |
|
|
Panthers Party hails chargesheet against Badal Ludhiana, November 24 Addressing a press conference here today, the state president of the party Mr Gurinder Sood, said the party would continue to strive to bring awareness among the masses against all evils, especially corruption, and to take up crucial issues of public interest so as to make the government wake up to the problems of the people. Mr Sood deplored the ill-advised move by the ranks of the Shiromani Akali Dal in coming out on the streets to agitate against the filing of a charge sheet by the Vigilance Bureau in a court of law. “Instead of trying to disturb law and order in the state, the SAD chief should face the charges brought against him and prove his innocence in court,” he said. He informed that Mr Manjit Rai Bhardwaj, had reached Pathankot from Jammu as part of his ‘Rashtriya Chetna Yatra’. The Panthers Party called upon the Himachal Pradesh Government to provide adequate security cover and medical facilities to Mr Bhardwaj during his tour of the state. |
|
|
MC saves 8.89 cr on development works Ludhiana, November 24 The MC Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sharma, said conditions of allotment of work were strictly adhered to in different works like premix carpeting of roads, electrical works, maintenance of civic amenities and sinking of tubewells. The main thrust was on quality, quantity and schedule of completion, he said. Throughout the stipulated period of contract, the progress of the respective works was monitored at all stages. Mr Sharma said delays in completion could invite a penalty of 1 per cent of the total value of the estimate per day to the contractor and the total penalty of up to 10 per cent of the total cost could be imposed upon the defaulting contractors as per law. Those contractors who failed to commence work after the issuance of order, earnest money of 2.5 per cent of the contract amount was forfeited. The contractors, who failed to abide by the terms of the contract, were also debarred from further bidding. “In the recent past, a total penalty of Rs 19.60 lakh was imposed upon the contractors for delays and other irregularities in 22 development works. In addition, a compensation of Rs 28 lakh has been recovered from running bills of the contractors for the projects which include fire brigade buildings at the local
The MC Commissioner maintained that the development works were being undertaken swiftly in order to improve the infrastructure. Works worth Rs 17.77 crore had already been completed. The Finance and Contracts Committee had approved estimates of Rs 53.54 crore and these works were scheduled to be completed by March. |
|
Residents decry encroachments, lack of amenities Ludhiana, November 24 According to Mr Pran Bhatia, a former councillor and patron of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Residents Welfare Association, the mushrooming of jhuggis around the super deluxe flats in the area has made the life of the residents miserable. Many of the squatters were running dairy farms and piggeries around their jhuggis in an unlawful manner, much to the annoyance of the residents. These unlawful occupants were not only posing a threat to the public health and sanitation but were also in the habit of misbehaving with bonafide residents of the colony. In a meeting convened at the residence of Mr Bhatia, activists of the association, including Mr Hardev Singh Narangwal, president and Mr Arvind Sharma, press secretary, lamented that the jhuggi dwellers were in the habit of leaving the cattle to graze in the parks. To add to the misery of the residents, a sizeable population of pigs scattered the garbage and waste material all over the places and the children also ran the risk of being bitten by stray animals. The children either had to remain indoors or their parents had to accompany them to the parks or when they went out to play. “Level of sanitation in the colony, leaves much to be desired and as a result of the apathetic attitude of the trust authorities towards the woeful condition of the area, several pockets have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and flies, exposing the people to grave health hazard. After an outbreak of gastro-enteritis, dengue has gripped the colony and the residents apprehend outbreak of measles at any moment.” Mr Bhatia pointed out that the condition of 100 feet wide road along the railway line towards blocks D, E and G had to be seen to be believed. The entire road was dotted with deep pot holes, filled with mud and stagnating water. Rampant encroachments all along the road had further worsened the situation. “Due to persistent neglect, the parks in the colony have been turned into barren stretches, completely devoid of plants, shrubs and trees.” Functionaries of the association also raised other issues like erratic power situation and lack of LT cables, which made the residents spend heavily on service lines for new connections besides frequent tripping and voltage fluctuation. The lack of community centre in E block also come under discussion and the LIT authorities were asked to provide a suitable site for this purpose. The association had also submitted a detailed memorandum to the LIT authorities for redressal of their problems in an effective manner without any further delay. |
|
Lovebirds irk cinegoers Ludhiana, November 24 Sonu Grover, who had gone to see the afternoon movie show at a theatre on the Malhar road, yesterday said, “It was a terrible experience. Since it was a comedy movie, we took our children along to watch the movie. We were accompanied by one of our family friend’s family. The movie had already started and it was dark in the theatre. The ticket checker showed us our seats. Once we settled down, we were shocked to see what was happening around us. There were at least 10 to 15 couples, of course they did not look married, who were indulging in objectionable behaviour. They were not bothered that we were looking at them”. Robby, another visitor at the same show said, “All this was happening in connivance with the theatre people. Two of the couples gave some money to one of the ticket checker. The ticket checker went out of the balcony and returned after 10 to 15 minutes. He arranged one of the boxes for a couple. When this couple returned before interval, another one was sent in the same box. It was like we were watching an adult movie. Another visitor, who did not wish to be quoted, said he had complained about this to a managers. Instead of listening, he told us that it was all common. He told as to shift to another row. He even said if we were not feeling comfortable sitting with those couples, we could always leave the show”. Ms Sonu said it was unfortunate that the parents of these teenagers were not keeping any check on their wards. “The morality, and ethics are all gone. What can we teach out children if such things are happened openly at public places?”, asked Sonu. One of the local cinema owners, who is also the member of the Cinema Owners Association, when asked about such incidents said it was very common. “There is nothing to be surprised. These unmarried couples bribe the ticket checkers to get lonely seats. How can we stop them? If we start stopping them, we will lose the visitors.” |
|
Man nabbed with 35 kg poppy
husk Ludhiana, November 24 Meanwhile, the police yesterday registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC on the statement of Jagdish Singh, of Kucha Anant against Gurnam Singh, a resident of New Moti Bagh, who plies an autorickshaw. The complainant had stated that Gurnam Singh had rammed his three-wheeler into his brother Surinder Singh on Sunday. He died on the spot. No arrest has been made so far. |
|
BKU warns govt on procurement Ludhiana, November 24 Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, the BKU chief, Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, charged the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Raj Nath Singh, with pursuing anti-farmer policies ever since he had taken over. The minister was reported to have announced recently that while the government would continue to fix the minimum support price
(MSP) for different varieties of food grain, the government agencies would enter the market for procurement. The farmers would be free to sell their produce to private agencies and traders and the shortfall, if any, would be made good by the government through insurance companies. Mr Lakhowal said if the government really wants to ensure the minimum support price of farm produce, the amount of premium for crop insurance should be borne by the government and a foolproof system should be devised to pay the farmers as per the support price for their produce. The BKU president alleged that a large number of farmers were still to receive the payment from government procurement agencies on account of sale of paddy and as a result they had to face difficulties in sowing rabi crops. He called upon the government to immediately make payment of previous bonus of Rs 20 per quintal and another Rs 50 per quintal on account of purchase of paddy during the current season. Mr Lakhowal further demanded that the minimum support price for sugarcane should be fixed at Rs 143 per quintal on the basis of price index and the government should make arrangements for making all sugar mills operational and issue directions that all payments for purchasing sugarcane should be made in cash. The BKU functionary said though the government had slashed the rate of interest on agricultural loans from 14 percent to 9 per cent, however, the banks were still charging the previous rate of interest even on fresh loans with the plea that instructions to this effect were not received from the government.
|
|
|
80 pc of disabled in rural areas, says SDM Ludhiana, November 24 The workshop is being held at the Vocational Rehabilitation Training Centre for Blind / Disabled (VRTC). It is being organised by this institution in collaboration with the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment , Govt of India from November 24 to 26. Mr Arora further said that 80 per cent of the disabled lived in the rural areas and remote villages. For
them, the rehabilitation services were not available. In order to meet the requirement, community based rehabilitation programmes were introduced and various services in the field of rehabilitation provided to these persons at the door step. He commended the work of the Vocational Rehabilitation Centre which was always in the forefront by organising such workshops. Mr Kripa Nandan from the National Institute for Visually Handicapped, Dehra Dun, had especially come to oversee the arrangements.
|
|
Withdraw ban on recruitment, demands INTUC Ludhiana, November 24 In a memorandum submitted to the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief
H.S. Hanspal, INTUC impressed upon the government to scrap the policy of
disinvestments, privatisation and contract labour. It demanded the introduction of a comprehensive pension scheme for local bodies to provide benefits to those who retired prior to 1990. The workers’ body demanded that safai workers, employed on contract basis on wages of Rs 1,200 per month, be regularised against vacant posts and the government ensure scrupulous implementation of labour laws in private factories. Workers in the private sector should be granted social security along with other due facilities under ESI Act, Provident Fund Act, Gratuity Act, Bonus Act, Payment of Minimum Wages Act and Maternity Benefit Act, they demanded. The delegation asked Mr Hanspal to use his good offices in setting up a labour welfare board with adequate representation to trade unions, including
INTUC. It wanted the anti-corruption drive to continue in order to root out this menace from all levels in government departments, rather than targeting political leaders alone. |
|
Shiv Sena to take
out “rath yatra” Ludhiana, November 24 The rath yatra will start from Patiala and after reaching Srinagar, the Shiv Sena leaders would burn effigies of Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jash-e-Mohammad. This was stated by Mr Pawan Gupta, president of the Sena, while addressing mediapersons here yesterday.
|
|
Mandi Ahmedgarh, November 24
|
|
|
Probe sought into ads to channel Khanna, November 24 |
|
Three cases of theft registered Ludhiana, November 24 The police has registered a case of theft under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC on the statement of Prem Sagar Aggarwal of Jamalpur Colony. Some person (s) stole Rs 7000, and some goods from his hardware shop on the intervening night of November 22 and 23. No arrest has been made so far. The police on Sunday registered a case under Sections 211,380,418,424 and 426 of the IPC on the statement of M.K.Ghai, of Model Town Extension against Rakesh Thapar, of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar. The complainant had stated that he had rented out a big hall to the complainant but he failed to make any payment to him in spits of repeated reminders and has also stolen a fan. No arrest has been made so far. Gamblers held:
|
|
CRISIL criticised
for rating Ludhiana, November 24 In a letter addressed to the Union Steel Secretary, the president of the Chamber, Mr P.D. Sharma, alleged that CRISIL was “blindly” supporting the steel manufacturers and it was proving very detrimental to the small-scale sector. He pointed out that India had the second highest average tariffs among developing counties. World Bank consultant Garry Pursell had also pointed out this fact. He maintained that India had signed an agreement to establish the free trade area with Thailand. He said Indian manufacturers were raising their voice against this because cost of import for Indian manufactures was very high as compared to those in Thailand. The manufactures of Thailand even have access to duty free import of steel. He warned this could wipe out the local manufacturers in India. He expressed surprise as the import duty on capital equipment for mega power and road projects ranged from 2 to 5 per cent only, while on steel, which is an important input in the capital good attracts a duty of 25 per cent which goes up to 31 per cent with incidental taxes. |
|
Central sales tax on oil resented Ludhiana, November 24 Mr P.D. Sharma, president of the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said here yesterday that Punjab’s industry was being asked to pay central sales tax through its nose in order to please Reliance. The prices of petroleum products like petrol, diesel and gas affected the cost of production of the industrial product and the survival of the industry. Industry met its energy requirements to the extent of 73.1 per cent from coal, 13.6 per cent from petroleum products, 10.9 per cent from power and 2.4 per cent from natural gas. The transport sector was highly dependent on petroleum products. He alleged that the unjust burden of one state was being transferred to the other state in order to help Reliance, which had its refinery in Gujarat. Reliance set up its refinery in 1999 in Guajrat and opted for deferment of sales tax. It sold its products to oil companies by adding 4 per cent central sales tax. As per the practice between 1967 and 1999, central sales tax on petroleum sector imposed by the state was paid by the consumers in the state in the form of surcharge. Reliance had approached the Centre and the Petroleum Ministry took a decision in 2000, under which one-third of the central sales tax was to be absorbed by Reliance, one-third as surcharge on petroleum products sold in Gujarat and the remainder through hike in retail prices. He said Reliance deferment of central sales tax was Rs 410 crore in 1999-2000, Rs 960 crore in 2000-01, Rs 908 crore in 2001-02 and Rs 1,194 crore in 2002-03, accumulating to Rs 3,472 crore. |
|
|
Think before buying home theatre system Ludhiana, November 24 Buyers should keep in mind that all audio is based on the length, width and height of the room where the system is to be installed. It is for this reason that most systems, whether home theatre or music, do not operate as well at home as they do at the shop. The area in the shop is usually small and the system is designed to operate in that much of space. The concept of music for people in north India is loud and punchy as they are used to hearing disk jockeys at parties. This kind of audio is called public address and is meant to be used in open spaces where there is a large crowd. The stress is on high volume and not on quality. It is biologically not possible to listen to sound at high volume for a long period of time. When we hear music at home, it is at low volume and therefore this requires a different kind of hardware. Quality sound at low volume can only be reproduced on high-end equipment, which is expensive, but gives value for money. |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
