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CM alleges double standards by EC Ludhiana, May 1 He pointed out that while the Election Commission had asked the Haryana government to transfer the Director-General of Police when his wife was contesting elections from Haryana, no such directions were issued in Punjab. Instead, the commission was ordering transfers on various complaints from other parties. He apprehended that Justice Nirmal Singh could influence the voters and the outcome also since he was holding an important post in the state. Earlier, addressing a public rally in support of the party candidate from the Ludhiana parliamentary constituency, Mr Munish Tiwari, here today, the Chief Minister asserted that for improving the plight of the industry in Punjab, an open border with Pakistan could be a great help. He favoured the opening of the Wagah border for trade and business in Pakistan. He observed that since Punjab was bordering Pakistan, peaceful relationship with that country would benefit the state the most. The Chief Minister reiterated his stand that former Prime Minister, Inder Kumar Gujral had waived off only a part of the loan pending against Punjab. At the same time, the Chief Minister made it clear that he had told Centre that Punjab could not afford to repay that loan as it was spent on the security of the nation while fighting against terrorism. “I have told them when you do not take anything from Kashmir or North East for fighting militancy, why should we pay”, he said. Referring to the problems of the industry, particularly in the context of rising steel prices and the growing activities of trade unions, the Chief Minister said he had tried several times to seek an appointment with the Prime Minister, to sort out the issue, but had failed every time. He said his government would not allow any trade unions to hold the industry to ransom. At the same time, he assured, it would be ensured that no worker or labourer was denied justice. Among others present on the occasion included AICC general secretary Ambika
Soni, and PCC president H.S. Hanspal.
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Dhillon for making Ludhiana a model city Ludhiana, May 1 Releasing his personal agenda for the city — ‘Ludhiana Vision’, — he highlighted his plans for the city, Mr Dhillon said he had envisaged integrated development in the district as a whole, inclusive of both urban and rural areas. He said being a local, he was aware of the needs and direction for the development of the city and its surrounding areas. He said as a partner in the future NDA Government at the Centre, he would be in a position to execute his plans. Highlighting issues, he added that being an Industrial city, the industry here was facing competition from global manufacturers under the policies of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). With a view to keep the local development under control, he proposes to press for the setting up of a Development Board with extensive powers on the pattern of DDA. For the industry, he would try to provide the latest technology. An international market would be set up for industrial products of Ludhiana and dry port facilities available in Ludhiana would be further improved to smoothen the transit of the industrial products to foreign markets Mr Dhillon said he would work for the opening of Husssainiwala and Wagah borders so that trade with Pakistan and the Middle East Countries improved. With this the cycle, machine parts and machine tools, hosiery, readymade garments would be directly traded. Besides, Punjab’s agro-products like vegetables, potatoes and wheat will also get better export opportunities. He promised to work for checking the rising steel prices. According to “Ludhiana Vision” in order to meet power needs of Ludhiana’s industry, a new power plant, exclusively for Ludhiana would be set up. The demand for an international airport will be met. On the pattern of Delhi’s ‘Pragati Maidan’ a Trade Fair Complex will be set up that will have a convention centre. He also proposes to help the Ludhiana’s hotel industry. Shatabdi and Sampark Shatabdi trains from Ludhiana to Delhi would also be started “Vision Ludhiana” also includes agriculture development. He said that agro-based cottage industry in satellite towns such as Jagraon, Mullanpur, Machhiwara, Koomkalan, Hambran, Pakhowal, Dehlon, Doraha, Khanna, Payal would be set up, to enable farmers to process and market their produce. Mr Dhillon further said Sidhwan Canal branch passing through Ludhiana would be developed for tourism and as a picnic spots and Buddha Nullah canalisation and cleaning project will be also be taken up. |
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Common man faces poll blues Ludhiana, May 1 ‘‘The newspapers are full of political news. Different
television channels are talking about elections or the candidates and
their idiosyncrasies, even what they have for breakfast, their
criminal records etc all the time. We are sick of it and hope the
elections are over soon. But we know there is no respite for another
three weeks," said Prof N.S Tasneem. Many others also echoed his
sentiments. Mr Sudharshan, who owns an electronic goods showroom is
very frustrated . He said ‘‘people in my trade are greatly
frustrated as the demand for refrigerators, coolers and
air-conditioners increases during this season but we could not supply
as the trucks and tempos that bring our stocks from other cities have
been hired by different political parties. Due to the shortage of
transport, we did not get the goods and lost out in business. Now the
rain has lowered the temperatures and the demand has fallen
considerably’’. He expressed the hope that the trucks will be free
from the control of political parties by the time temperatures rose
once again. Ms Binny, who has to leave her son to school and fetch
him, is equally frustrated like scores of other parents. The rallies
taken out by different parties every other day, cause traffic jams .
She says it is not funny to be stranded on the roads for more than an
hour and find your child crying bitterly in school. Jasmit, a
working woman says,‘‘I reach office late due to the traffic jams
and get firing from my boss. What can I do? Has any political party
specified routes of the rallies so that we can take a detour This is
happening even when the Election Commission has specified so many
rules for the candidates.’’ ‘‘Walls and every inch of space
has been defaced by the party workers. We are fed up of this mess. We
have to keep one person to check that no one defaces the wall of our
house as our house is a corner one. Anyway who is going to clear the
mess after elections also worries me", says Ms Tripti, a
housewife.
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Husband, in-laws booked for demanding dowry Ludhiana, May 1 In her complaint to the police, she has alleged that she has been harassed for more dowry although her family had given all household goods in her wedding. Soon after the demands of the family grew and they even allegedly tried to kill her by opening the LPG pipe. Mr Sandeep Kumar, brother of the girl alleged that the boy was demanding a Zen car, duplex flat, cooler, refrigerator and many other household items from them although the girl was a government employee. She alleged that she had been harassed for the past two years. She has a 10-month-old boy. She alleged that one day when she was at home her husband left the gas pipe open and left for office. She smelled the gas and turned off the regulator. She alleged that she was harassed by her mother-in-law, sister-in-law and her husband. The Division No 5 police has registered a case under the Dowry Act against her husband, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and brother-in-law. |
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SBI takes possession of
mortgaged property Ludhiana, May 1 The property was taken into possession after serving due notice on him and giving the stipulated time under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets Act. A spokesman of the bank disclosed that Sumeet Expeller Industries was granted a loan by State Bank of India. The borrower availed a loan of Rs 4,52, 524 and mortgaged the factory and the building. He did not make any attempt to repay the loan. Later, Mr Vasdev allegedly sold the mortgaged property and the land fraudulently to his daughter-in-law. The spokesman said despite continuous requests, the borrower did not repay the amount. He said a notice under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of the Financial Assets Act was served to him. Even then he failed to return the money. Ultimately, the bank took possession of the property yesterday. The bank had also lodged an FIR against Mr Vasdev. Bank sources revealed that after the possession of various properties, several defaulters had come to various banks for settling the amount. They said however, it was only the tip of the iceberg, while huge amounts remained unpaid. On the other hand, the industrial and commercial defaulters have been alleging that the banks were only targeting people with small amounts while the big fish was left out. They pointed out none of the banks had so far targeted any defaulter whose outstanding amount ran into crore. |
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Cracker fire victim dies, case registered Ludhiana, May 1 She and other three injured persons — Raj Kumar, Meenu and Seema — were shifted to CMC Hospital yesterday. Meanwhile, complying with the orders of the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Verma, the Division Number 2 police has registered a case under Sections 286, 327, 338 and 188 of the IPC against Ramesh Kumar, alias Tony, for illegally storing fire crackers
in his house. The case was registered against him on the complaint of one of the injured women, Meenu, She alleged that she
had taken a shop on rent from the accused and while she and four of her family members
were renovating the shop some sparks fell on the crackers already stored there by the accused leading to the five. Ramesh Kumar has not been arrested so far. |
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May Day celebrations Ludhiana, May 1 The management, teaching staff and workers firmly believing in the aphorism, ‘‘The family that prays and shares together, stays together’’ shared a hearty meal and felicitated each other. At the end, the results of the talent show were declared in which Sidak and the Veronica won the first and second prizes in the solo song competition for students of Classes VI to VIII. In the same contest for students of Classes IX to XII, Aditi and Inderpal were declared winners. Sukham and Nandini won top two prizes in role play in junior category. Gurpreet and Swaraj won the prizes in same contest for the senior category. In solo dance contest, Chahat was declared first while Sagarika and Seerat shared second prizes in the junior category. Michelle and Sangya were declared the best dancers in the senior category on the basis of their solo dance performance. Sister Sobel, Principal, said the day was celebrated as a mark of respect for the workers who slogged and sweated the whole year without even getting a reward for the work they performed. In their effort to celebrate Labour Day, children and staff of GRD Academy paid tribute to the labour fraternity as a whole. Speaking on the occasion, Brig Kartar Singh, Principal and Director, exhorted the children to recognise the dignity of labour. Later, the
children contributed towards cleaning of the whole campus. The team of Karan of Plus Two, Ramanpreet of Plus One and Sunpreet of Plus One was declared first. As many as 18 unions of labourers, employees and students held a joint rally outside the Labour Welfare Office, Gill Road, today. Various unions included Moulder and Steel Workers’ Union, the Lok Morcha Punjab, Inqalabi Kendra, Lok Ekta Sangathan, the Democratic Teachers’ Front, the PAU Democratic Employees Front, Shaheed Bahagt Singh Vichar Manch, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Labour Union, the Lok Sangharsh Committee, Cycle Industry Mazdoor Taal-Mel Committee, Jamhoori Adhikar Sabha, the Dayanand Hospital Employees Union, the Punjab Roadways Employees Union, the Punjab Students’ Union and the Nepal Jan-Adhikar Suraksha Samiti. In a joint press note, they said that several political groups were talking about their rights and making tall promises to them at the time of the Lok Sabha elections but they knew that once they attained power, their problems would not be listened to. They said with catchy slogans like ‘India shining’ and ‘Bharat Uday’, they were simply trying to woo the voters. Meanwhile, students of Love Dale Montessori celebrated May Day today. The children were told that Labour Day was celebrated throughout the world to pay homage to leaders who had sacrificed their lives in Chicago for the unity of the labour movement. Dignity of labour and the importance of labour was explained to the children. The children distributed gifts to the labour class and also hosted a tea party for them. They honoured 20 workers invited as guests and children entertained them by giving performance on various songs like ‘Its the time to Disco’ and ‘Mahi Ve’. |
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Dhillon greets workers on May Day Ludhiana, April 1 On the occasion of the International Labour Day, he congratulated the labourers and employees and assured that the SAD-BJP combine was behind them and would make all efforts to protect their rights. He added that Ludhiana's industrial peace had been disturbed since the Congress had come to power in the state. The trade union wing affiliated to the Congress has been fomenting trouble in cycle and steel industry in the city by misleading industrial workers for political considerations. |
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Mill conducts
mock drill Mandi Ahmedgarh, May 1 Mr Gian Singh, ASI, Mr Mukesh Kumar Sharma, naib tehsildar, Mr Suraj Parkash, Executive Officer, Mr Rajneesh Sharma, President, Municipal Council, reached the spot to deal with the situation. Members of the local Rotary Club, Lions Club, Muslim Youth Front, Punjab Mahavir Dal and CB Welfare Association rushed to the mill on hearing the emergency siren. However, leaders and workers of almost all political parties kept themselves busy in the election campaign of their respective candidates. |
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Govt failure to issue DA merger notification decried Ludhiana, May 1 Mr Yashpal Ghai, additional general secretary of the Pensioners’ Association, lamented that the Punjab Government was silent on this issue. |
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7 booked for forcing girl to marry Ludhiana, May 1 The complainant had stated that Daljit, Guddi, Harparshad, Inder Singh, Bhajan Kaur and Sibu persuaded her to work as domestic help in the house of Gurpal Singh in October last year. When she went there, she was forcibly married to Gurpal Singh, who raped her. However, she managed to flee the village and reported the matter to the SSP on April 8. An inquiry was conducted on the orders of the SSP. Hit-and-run case:
The complainant had stated that the suspect had hit her father, Mr Amir Singh, at the T-point near Deepak Hospital on the Ferozepore Road on Friday night and sped away. She said her father died on the spot. Lineman held:
The Model Town police has registered a case against the suspect under Section 354 of the IPC on the statement of the woman, who stated that the accused managed to sneak into her house when she was alone and having a bath. When she came out of the bathroom, he caught her with the intention of outraging her modesty. When she raised the alarm, the lineman was nabbed by the neighbours. Fraud alleged:
The complainant had stated that the suspects had demolished a wall of his plot in Jeenat Colony on the Jassian Road on the pretext that a portion of it belonged to the society. The suspects had thus committed a fraud on him, he alleged. The case was registered following instructions from the DIG, Ludhiana Range. Trader duped:
The complainant had stated that he was employed in a private company dealing in pipes and his job was to collect money from factories. On Thursday evening, he went to the Bank of Panjab branch at Vishwakarma chowk on the Gill road to encash a cheque, leaving behind his driver in the car along with a bag containing cash. In the meantime, a person hoodwinked the car driver by telling him that his money was lying on the road. When the driver stepped out of the car to have a look, the conman disappeared with the bag. Student beaten up:
The complainant had stated that the suspect had come to his hostel on Wednesday morning and beaten him up and threatened him. Booked for assault:
The complainant had stated that the suspects had beaten him up and attacked him with an ice pick in Ram Nagar on April 28. The police said this morning that Bugli had been arrested and later bailed out. Illegal possession:
The woman had stated that she owned an ancestral house in Mangat village taking advantage of her absence, the suspect broke open the lock of her house, stole household goods and later took possession of the house and the land. On a statement of Ms Pardeep Kaur, a resident of Samrala, the Model Town police has registered a case under Sections 454, 457, 380 and 506 of the IPC against Jagjit Singh Mann, Joginder Singh, Rajinder Singh and Ajaib Singh. The complainant had stated that the suspects taken illegal possession of her house in Kundan Nagar after damaging household goods and stealing articles from there on Wednesday. Bookie held:
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‘Bicycle industry in China flourishing’ Ludhiana, May 1 These observations were made by Mr G.L. Pahwa, president of the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA), while speaking at a meeting of the office-bearers of the association. Mr Pahwa, who, along with secretary of the body, Mr Varinder Kapoor, had led a delegation of 40 bicycle and parts manufacturers to China to attend the China Bicycle Show at Shanghai from April 14 to 17 said the purpose of the visit had been rightly achieved. The Indian visitors had gained great knowledge about the bicycle industry in China and quite a few deals were finalised with the Chinese manufacturers and suppliers. Mr Pahwa further informed that the Chinese Government was extending great help to all industries, particularly the bicycle industry, for their development without imposing any unwanted formalities or burden, unlike in our country. The meeting discussed at length the crucial issue of steel prices, which were on continuous hike since the last one year despite the assurances of the government. The members of the bicycle industry were surprised at the trend of the steel market which was shooting up day by day during the time of the Lok Sabha elections and they wondered as to what would happen once the elections were over and the new government took over. The functionaries of the union criticised the government apathy which had created a situation in which the bicycle trade and industry were on the verge of closure. Further, the meeting expressed its grave concern over the increasing labour unrest in the industrial town. Mr Pahwa alleged that certain people in the labour were misguiding gullible labourers. The prevailing trend, he said, was harmful for the industry as well as the industrial work force, who were losing wages due to illegal strikes and in some cases lost their jobs. He urged the government and the administration to initiate necessary remedial measures to defuse the explosive situation of labour unrest and to take strict action against miscreants. |
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Industrialists meet CM on labour unrest Ludhiana, May 1 The industrialists expressed their anguish and resentment against the “uncalled for” strikes day in and day out by some labour unions. They pointed out to him that certain vested interests among the trade unions were allegedly being patronised by Congress leaders. They cited several examples where the industry had to suspend work for some time. They said major groups like Hero Cycles, Avon Cycles, Bhogal Sons and others were affected by the strikes sponsored by various labour unions. They warned that such a trend, if not stopped at the earliest, would hit the industrial atmosphere in the city and the industry might think of shifting from Punjab. They said a similar situation had emerged in West Bengal where Left-sponsored trade unions had brought about the “death” of the industry. The Chief Minister reportedly assured the industrialists that his government would not allow anyone to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state. He agreed with the industrial representatives that at a time when the government wanted investors to come here, nobody would like to give wrong signals to them. He maintained that the government would ensure an industry-friendly atmosphere in the state. He said leading multinationals and computer giants were showing their interest in Punjab. At the same time, the Chief Minister said the government would ensure that labourers and workers also got justice and they were not exploited. He observed that all issues should be dealt with through negotiations only and any sort of confrontation should be avoided.
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CFS achieves growth
of 800 pc Ludhiana, May 1 Revealing details of the progress achieved by the station, Mr Amandeep Singh said the adoption of ISO standardised procedures had been very useful in increasing the efficiency in handling the containerised export-import cargo and further streamlining of the CFS activities. At a function held to mark Labour Day, Mr S.P. Singh, Assistant Director, National Productivity Council, appreciated the efforts made by the CFS in simplifying the system and procedure for reduction in processing time of various operations like accounting, export documentation and import documentation, etc as a part of implementation of the ISO-9001:2000 quality system. He praised the CFS for having taken a lead in the region for seeking an ISO-9001:2000 certification. Mr Vikas Goel, Regional manager, ICL, expressed satisfaction over the customer-focussed approach adopted by the CFS as a part of ISO 9001:2000 implementations. The chief Port Manager on behalf of the CFS assured that the quality management system would be maintained and total customer satisfaction would be achieved by fulfilling the needs and expectations of customers. |
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