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Ramoowalia files papers amid show of strength Ludhiana, April 23 A massive shamiana had been erected at the party head office in Rajguru Nagar in anticipation of the arrival of a large number of supporters from the district. People had started arriving in the city from Assembly segments since morning and the crowds swelled by noon. After speeches by senior functionaries of the party, those gathered started for the Mini-Secretariat, headed by a rath carrying Mr Ramoowalia, his wife Jarnail Kaur, Punjabi singer Harbhajan Mann, Jagjit Singh Lopon, Avtar Singh Mullanpuri and other senior leaders. The procession was led by a large group of bhangra dancers. Behind them were workers carrying banners and posters. Ms Jarnail Kaur filed her papers as a covering candidate for her husband. Irate partymen blocked traffic at Aarti Chowk alleging that vehicles carrying workers for the event had been impounded. Tension was defused following the intervention of Mr Ramoowalia. Meanwhile, the police diverted commuters to alternative routes. Colourful arches had been erected along the way where large groups of people garlanded the candidate and joined the procession. The procession reached the secretariat at about 1 p.m. Earlier, while interacting with mediapersons, he said he was fighting the poll on the “vikas and insaf” issues — development of villages and justice for the masses. No party had touched these issues in the past. The former Union
Minster for Social Welfare said his party was not pursuing any big political agenda and was concentrating on various socio-economic issues. Parties were not redressing such issues and were misleading
He feels that his fight is with the Akalis in villages and with the Congress in cities. “The LBP will not only take up the cause of farmers but will also strive to provide a better deal for the Punjabi youth stranded abroad besides ensuring that girls who marry abroad, are not
harassed on any account,” he added. Mr Ramoowalia said businessmen, traders, farmers, labourers, government and non-government employees, and students all were feeling frustrated for which corruption, political bankruptcy and other malpractices were responsible. People did not know whom to trust after being at the receiving end of misgovernance for the past 50 years, he said. |
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Ramoowalia’s posters: cases registered Ludhiana, April 23 A case was registered at the division number 3 police station yesterday against some persons for sticking posters of Lok Sabha candidate Balwant Singh Ramoowalia on the gate pillar of Government School in Madho Puri while another case was registered at the division number 6 police station for sticking posters of the same candidate on the outer wall of the post office in the Industrial Estate. No arrest has been made in any of these cases. Meanwhile, unruly winds, which blew across the city accompanied by rain early this morning, caused a temporary set back to various Lok Sabha candidates as lengthy strings displaying their posters across various roads and streets of the city fell down. |
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Politicians connive in violation
of building laws Ludhiana, April 23 As if the conniving officials of the building branch of the municipal corporation were not adequate in promoting and patronising the construction of buildings without approved building plans and at variance with the laid-down rules, of late, politicians of all hues and colours, including a large number of councillors, have also been interfering with the process of enforcement and standing in the way of demolition of buildings, coming up in gross violation of the norms. Earlier this week, the extent of clout wielded by builders was made evident when the demolition squad of the MC, headed by the Municipal Town Planner, had to return without dismantling a single brick in a complex being constructed near Noorwala Chowk in the Shivpuri locality. Several activists of the SAD and the BJP, including a couple of councillors, descended on the spot and opposed the action against the alleged violations. The owner of the complex was given two days’ time to produce the relevant record and make suitable alterations if the violations were non-compoundable. Almost a similar situation had arisen about a fortnight ago, when the MC staff had made an attempt to pull down an unauthorised extension of a school building in Subhash Nagar near Basti Jodhewal. Political functionaries, along with the area councillor, had a heated exchange with the MC officials, who were not permitted to perform their assigned task and had to beat a retreat after giving five days’ time to the management of the school. As happens in routine in such cases, no follow-up action has so far been taken against the school management for excess coverage, which again, was a non-compoundable offence. Another builder of yet another commercial complex in Gandhi Colony in Model Gram area did one better. In a bid to deter the MC officials from removing the unauthorised construction, he not only put up huge banners of the SAD-BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha elections, on the site of the construction, but went further to threaten the affected area residents that he was highly connected and they could do whatever they like. The MC staff, however, were not influenced by the ‘well-connected’ builder and the construction work was ordered to be stopped forthwith. Inquiries made by Ludhiana Tribune revealed that most of the political functionaries, coming out in the open to support the offenders, had vested interests and the builders sought their help only when the officials concerned of the building branch, right from inspectors up to the assistant town planners concerned of the area and in some cases another couple of rungs higher in the rank, expressed their helplessness even after offering complete protection and assistance (for obvious reasons) in the initial stages of constructing buildings in gross violation of the building norms. It is no secret that as far as builders of commercial complexes or other institutional buildings were concerned, they believe in striking deals with whoever can come to their rescue in their unlawful activities, be it officials or political functionaries and it was all the more unfortunate that more often than not, the MC officials succumbed to political pressure against enforcement of building laws. |
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SAD-BJP govt favoured its own men: Tiwari Ludhiana, April 23 The legislator from the Dakha Assembly segment, Mr Malkiat Singh Dakha, along with Ms Barjinder Kaur, secretary, PPCC, and Mr Manjit Humbran, president, District Youth Congress (Rural), were accompanying Mr Tiwari during the election tour. Reiterating the commitment of the Congress to work for the welfare and uplift of the poor people, Mr Tiwari placed on record the contribution made by the party legislator (Mr Dakha) in providing better infrastructure to the population in the bet area during his tenure of the past two years. He said, in complete contrast, the previous SAD-BJP government had distributed huge funds in the so-called sangat darshan programmes only to a select few persons and organisations, which were close to the political leaders. He charged the NDA government at the Centre with giving a raw deal to the farmers, members of trade and industry, rural population and making compromises with their professed policies to appease the other allies in the coalition. Mr Tiwari claimed that the Congress alone could give a stable, secular and progressive government to the nation. Mr Dakha observed that despite gross discrimination, meted out to Punjab and its people by the Central Government, the state government had succeeded in putting the economy back on the rails and launching various policies and programmes for public welfare and development of the rural and the urban areas in Punjab. Meanwhile, party activists, including those from front organisations like the Youth Congress and the Mahila Congress, carried out a door-to-door contact programme to mobilise support for the party candidate in Rishi Nagar, Krishna Nagar and many other localities of the city. |
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Sangh shuns Congress Ludhiana, April 23 Mr R.S. Parmar, state chief of the sangh, said 44 tribes of Vimukat Jatis had been supporting the Congress since Independence. But the Congress had been ignoring the members of these tribes while distributing party tickets for poll. The sangh had thus decided to distance itself from the Congress in this election, he added. |
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6 file papers on last day Ludhiana, April 23
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Husband, in-laws get
10-year RI in dowry death case Ludhiana, April 23 The Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Presiding Officer of a fast-track court, Mr Vijay Singh, has sentenced Paramjit Singh, Kuldip Kaur’s husband, and his parents, Gurmit Kaur and Puran Singh of Hawas village, to undergo 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment each in a dowry death case. The accused were booked under Sections 304-B and 34 of the IPC at Basti Jodhewal police station on June 19, 2002, following a statement of Karnail Singh, father of the deceased. The complainant had stated to the police that her daughter was married to the accused on April 13, 2002. She was 19 years old at the time of her marriage. The father of the girl further told the police that on June 17, 2002, her daughter along with her husband came to her parental home. She apprised my wife that her in-laws were demanding Rs 20,000 for a scooter. She also said they had threatened to kill her if their demand was not met. The mother of the girl said they were not in a position to fulfil the demand, added the complainant. On June 19, I got a message from Gurnam Singh of Hawas village that my daughter has died due to burn injuries. Immediately, I went there and found only the badly burnt body of my daughter in the courtyard of her in-laws, said the father. However, during the trial, the accused pleaded not guilty and said they were falsely implicated. They said Kuldip Kaur was cooking food and got burnt by accidentally. It was not their fault. But convinced with the arguments of the additional public prosecutor and the cogent evidence presented by the prosecution, the court found them guilty and sentenced them accordingly. |
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Judge’s son dies in mishap Ludhiana, April 23 Sanjeev Kaushik, 32, was returning from Jagraon when his Maruti Zen car, which he was driving, collided head on with a Tata-407 truck coming from the Ludhiana side at 5am, the police said. The truck driver fled from the spot, while Mr Sandeep Kumar, who was travelling in the truck, has been admitted to a hospital here. The truck was carrying Bisleri bottles. Sandeep is an employee of Bisleri. Meanwhile, a pall of gloom engulfed the district court after the news spread. Working in the courts remained paralysed, as lawyers went to the house of Mr Kaushik to console the bereaved family. Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, President, Lok Bhalai Party, also visited the aggrieved family to offer his condolences. The cremation took place late in the evening at the Civil Lines cremation ground. |
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Major power shutdown Ludhiana, April 23 Supply to parts of Guru Vihar, Kuldip Nagar, Baldev Nagar, Sarwan Park, Janta Nagar, Attan Nagar and Subash Nagar from 9am to 5pm; Dheri village, Satowal village and Chooharwal Bouta from 9am to 5pm; and Old Ketchehari road, Rakh Baad, Officer Colony, Prince Hostel, Malerkotla House, Ram Nagar, Guru Nanak Stadium, Club road and Green Park from 9am to 4pm. Supply to parts of Chawni Mohalla, Vihar village, Manna Singh Nagar, Bhattian village, Nisaant Bagh Colony, Hazuri Bagh Colony, Bhoura village, Aman Nagar, GT Road bypass and Green Land School from 8am to 3pm; Ganesh Nagar and Link road from 9am to 2pm; and Guru Arjan Dev Nagar, Tajpur road, Tibba road, Vishwakarma colony and Indira colony from 9am to 3pm. |
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Sewadar
cremated Ludhiana, April 23 Ravinder Singh, the sewadar, who also worked in Gurdwara Alamgir for 15 years before his immigration, was known for his dedication towards his religion. He was cremated with full honours near Kailash cinema today. He was going to Toronto gurdwara in a car on the morning of April 14 after attending a Baisakhi function. The car collided head-on with another car and he died on the spot.
— TNS |
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Woman attacked over property Khanna, April 23 Jagbinder Singh and Gurbinder Singh, however, said they were being implicated in a false case. |
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