Ghalib Kalan (Ludhiana), March 9
A septuagenarian, Fakir Singh, has received a notice from the Social Security Department of the district directing him to repay Rs 1,400 that he had received as old age pension, as he had produced wrong information while applying for the same. The notice seems okay only until one comes to know that Fakir Singh has not received a single penny as old age pension from the state government.

This instance proves that the Punjab Government in its bid to recover pensions disbursed by the previous Akali regime “violating norms” has issued notices to even those who have not at all received pension.

Speaking to Ludhiana Tribune here today, Fakir Singh said he received the notice (No. A/Ldh/05-2403754) dated February 14 from the Social Security Department. As he is illiterate he thought it must be about the start of his old age pension, for which he already had a passbook (PLA No. 116234) and also a bank account at the village branch of the Central Bank of India (A/C No. 10207). He had been waiting for his first pension ever since his account was opened about 9 years back. But, he was shocked when his employer told him that he would have to repay Rs 1,400 to the department within 15 days. The notice also stated that he could be booked under Section 420 of the IPC for his act. He also showed his bank passbook, which had a single entry of Rs 110 deposited on February 8, 2002.

Fakir lives in utter poverty and cannot even think of repaying a single rupee. He said that he got his four daughters married, but later his son threw him out of his house. He also used to abuse and thrash him. Now, he works at the house of an ex-serviceman who gives him two square meals a day.

The case of Amar Singh, another man in his late sixties, is even more surprising. He told this correspondent that his pension was not started, as a department official reportedly messed up with his age in the passbook. He has also received a notice asking him to repay Rs 1,001.

Despite having an eye disease, Amar Singh works as a daily wage worker to make a living. “My family can barely survive on what I earn. How can I repay such a big amount,” he averred. Unlike Fakir Singh who is still perplexed as to whom to air his grievance, Amar Singh has returned the notice to the department and retained a photocopy of the same with him. Being illiterate, he was unable to spell out clearly as to who messed up with his pension account and to which office he had sent back the notice.

The District Social Security Officer, Mr Karan Singh, said the Audit Department had carried out an investigation into the cases that were ineligible for drawing pensions in 2002 and notices were issued on the basis of the department’s report. He said if someone had received this notice, but didn’t get pension even once, could return it to the department along with the photocopy of his bank passbook. 

Ludhiana, March 9
The nation that forgets its martyrs, is doomed. So goes an old adage. What would anybody say if the people of a country throw garbage in front of the ancestral house of a great martyr, who laid down his life for the country’s freedom?

Sounds shameful, but it is true. As far as residents of the Nau Ghara area, where the ancestral house of Ghadar martyr Sukhdev is located, are concerned, the front of the martyr’s house is a perfect place for dumping garbage.

Less than a fortnight before a state-level function to be organised to commemorate the sacrifice of three martyrs at Hussainiwala, heaps of garbage lying in front of the martyrs house tell a tale of sheer callousness of the residents living nearby. A bust of the martyr is also installed in front of the house and the garbage is thrown right in front of it.

A visit to the house yesterday revealed that its front was slowly turning into a garbage dump as the residents living nearby threw poly bags full of garbage. Municipal Corporation employees do not care to clear the place of the garbage.

The house is visited by a number of celebrities. The martyr was born and brought up in the Nau Ghara area. The district administration had chalked out many plans to conserve the house.

‘‘The residents living nearby should be ashamed of what they had been doing all these days. How can they be so unmindful of what they are doing? How come their hands did not shiver when they were throwing garbage there? ’’ asked an elderly man, who had visited the house along with his grandson. He demanded stern action against those who threw the garbage.

A resident of the area, told Ludhiana Tribune that seeing an open space people had started throwing the garbage in front of the house. The area is cleaned after a week by the MC employees but nobody tries to discourage the residents from throwing garbage near the house, he said.

Foul smell has filled the air in the area and flies are also to be seen in plenty there. Stray dogs rummage through the piles of garbage, he added.

For 73 years after his martyrdom, the birth place of the great martyr had been in a dilapidated state. Finally it was preserved by a non-government organisation, Shaheed Sukhdev Yadgar Committee, headed by Dr Hardip Singh.

Dr Hardip Singh said it was shocking that the residents had piled up garbage in front of the house. He added that they would get the garbage lifted but it should be the moral duty of the residents living in the neighbourhood to keep it clean.

Ludhiana, March 9
The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr D.R.Arora, has sentenced Gurmail Kaur of Kular village falling under the Sudhar police station to rigorous life imprisonment on the charges of killing her daughter-in-law, Karamjit Kaur by setting her ablaze. Gurmail Kaur’s daugther-Sarabjit Kaur has also been sentenced to life imprisonment.

However, the court acquitted co-accused, Major Singh (father-in-law) and Joga Singh (brother-in-law) of the deceased finding no evidence against them. The accused have also been ordered to pay fine of Rs 10,000 each.

The accused were booked under Sections 307, 511 and 34 of the IPC at Sudhar police station on November 5, 1998, following the statement of Karamjit Kaur. But when Karamjit Kaur died due to burn injuries and accused were booked under Section 302 of the IPC.

Before her death, Karamjit Kaur’s statement was recorded by the Judicial Magistrate, Ms Davinder Pal Kaur, in the hospital. The complainant had stated in her statement that she was married to Malkiat Singh.

She had claimed that her in-laws used to quarrel with her and her husband. On the day of incident, her sister-in-law Sarabjit Kaur had beaten her up with a stick. After some time, her husband left the home to attend duty. Thereafter, at about 12 noon the accused Gurmail Kaur and Sarabjit Kaur set her ablaze.

However, during the trial the accused pleaded that they were falsely implicated, but finding cogent and convincing evidence against two accused, the court sentenced them. 

Ludhiana, March 9
The city police today arrested a proclaimed offender Vijay Dhand, brother of Nirdosh Dhand, a notorious criminal as per the police records, in the much publicised Lalla murder case for allegedly providing funds and other material used in the crime.

The police had already arrested four persons in the case while Vijay and Nirdosh were declared proclaimed offenders . Nirdosh continues to be at large. Lalla was allegedly murdered because of gang rivalry.

Addressing a press conference at Haibowal police station today evening, DSP Simratpal Singh Dhindsa said a police team headed by SHO Haibowal Gurpreet Singh nabbed the proclaimed offender of a hair cutting saloon in the area.

He said Vijay and Nirdosh were actively involved in the murder as they had provided the car to the assailants and other funds for committing the crime. DSP Dhindsa said Lalla was allegedly murdered by the assailants as he had become a major rival for Nirdosh Dhand. Lalla had allegedly started making inroads in Nirdosh Dhand’s finance business.

Doraha, March 9
Grants worth lakhs of rupees are lying unutilised with panchayats, thanks to a huge difference between the price of bricks fixed by the Deputy Commissioner and their prevalent market rate.

The market rate of bricks is between Rs 2,000 and 2,050 per thousand whereas that fixed by the Deputy Commissioner is between Rs 1,525 and Rs 1,550, including carriage charges. The gap of about Rs 500 or 700 in the prices has to be borne by the panchayats.

The panchayats are forced to use inferior quality materials in village projects as they are not in a position to bear the price gap. Sarpanches are in a fix as on the one hand they are unable to bear the price gap and on the other they are being pressurised for the early utilisation of grants.

A number of panchayats in Ludhiana and surrounding areas, including Heeran, Pangalian, Barwala, Kohara, Ajnaud, Dugri, Phullanwal, face similar problem. According to a Sarpanch, “We have received a grant of Rs 1 lakh from the government to reconstruct roads and streets in the village. Owing to variance in the prices of bricks, no project could be initiated and at the same time we cannot use inferior quality bricks just for the sake of procuring the utilisation certificate.”

Prof Pragat Singh Sekhon, a college Librarian and former panchayat member, said, “The problem is going to aggravate as the brick-kiln owners have just three months before monsoon for manufacturing bricks. At present too, the weather is not favourable for the process.

A woman Sarpanch said the panchayats were contemplating returning the grants to the government. “Roads in villages are in a bad shape. Streets remain flooded with pond water and most of the times it enters houses. Danger of water-borne diseases looms large over villages.

Mr Daljit Singh, BDPO, Doraha, said the problem was there but as far as the utilisation of grants was concerned we suggest the panchayats to lay underground drainage pipes instead of going for projects that require bricks.”

Mr Sumesh Arora, AME, Municipal Council, Doraha, said this was not the problem of villages alone. “The urban areas are too facing the same problem where contractors suffer losses due to the huge gap in the prices of bricks. Although we try our level best to ensure quality of construction material but for how long will we afford to suffer such a huge loss if situation remains the same?” he said.

Ludhiana, March 9
While the entire world is celebrated International Women’s Day yesterday, a 40-year-old mentally challenged woman with an amputated leg is forced to spend her life on the road as she seems to be abandoned by her relatives forever.

Anita had damaged her left leg two months ago after meeting with an accident with a running train. She was admitted by GRP cops at the local Civil Hospital where her left leg was amputated.

She recovered after some days and the hospital authorities kept on waiting for her claimants. But nobody turned up. She was discharged by the hospital some days ago. Since then she had been lying on the road near the Civil Hospital.

She had been depending on passersby for food. Of late she developed swelling in her right leg also. Today she was found on the road naked. She was rescued by activists of an NGO, Vishaw Guru Ravidass Mission, who admitted her to the local Civil Hospital after arranging clothes for her.

The woman could not tell anything about her whereabouts. She only said her name was Anita and she had lost her leg in a train accident.

Now she is recuperating in the hospital and doctors are studying the condition of her right leg. Mr Shiv Ram Saroay, president of the mission said it was ironical that the government had organised various functions to mark the women’s day while scores of destitute and needy women did not have protection of homes what to talk about their other rights.

He added that keeping with the mission to help such women, another woman, who developed problems after her child was delivered by an untrained midwife, was admitted to the local Civil Hospital today.

The woman, Sangita, had delivered a baby girl a week ago with the help of a midwife. But she developed complications and her labourer husband, Subhash Kumar, was not able to get her treated because of paucity of money. Then activists of the mission took her to the hospital today. She required two units of blood which was transfused to her today. Now her condition is said to be stable. 

Ludhiana, March 9
The Municipal Corporation launched a cleanliness operation in the Maseet area of Kila Mohalla here today following the direction of the District Magistrate, Mr Anurag Verma, to ensure clean drinking water in the area.

The Health Department also collected six samples of potable water being supplied to the area. The samples were sent to the Microbiology Department of Punjab Agricultural University for analysis.

The MC workers said that there was a leakage in the tube well of the corporation installed in the area and sewage was getting mixed with it. The tube well was repaired. The workers claimed that clean water would be supplied to the residents from today. The manholes in the entire colony were also cleaned.

Residents of Kila Mohalla were being supplied contaminated water for the past 15 days. Despite their repeated complaints no action was taken to ensure clean drinking water supply.

The residents had allegedly fallen prey to certain diseases like typhoid and diarrhoea due to contaminated drinking water. The District Magistrate passed orders following a news report in Ludhiana Tribune yesterday.

MC and Health Department teams had also surveyed the area yesterday. Garbage was also lifted and sewers were cleaned. Chlorine tablets were also distributed among the residents.

How have people in this region received private insurance companies?

Private insurers in the region are performing very well and have, infact, captured a sizeable market share. In case of Bajaj Allianz, for instance, the Ludhiana branch alone mopped up a business premium of Rs 600 lakh this fiscal and crossed Rs 8-crore mark in gross premium. Even the satellite offices are performing extremely well. Besides, the branch has an active workforce of over 500 dedicated consultants.

What strategies are you adopting to face stiff competition the sector offers today?

Innovative products and convenience to customer are the factors on which focus is laid upon. An endeavour in this direction is the online insurance portal we launched recently, which would facilitate getting an insurance possible in as less as two hours. Besides, there is an emphasis on expanding distribution network for which we are focusing on more offices and agents.

Has the attitude towards insurance as a product undergone any change?

People are becoming increasingly aware of the need for proper financial planning. Just as we see higher investments in capital markets, the insurance sector is also witnessing changes. For instance, earlier pension plans were primarily tax driven. Now people go in for these as investment options also , particularly the unit linked plans.

— Shveta Pathak

Ludhiana, March 9
The Punjab State Ministerial Services Union has served an ultimatum of one month on the state government for acceptance of all pending demands within a month, failing which the government employees would be left with no other alternative than to launch a statewide agitation.

The state-level convention of the union, held at Mini Secretariat here today, alleged that the government had adopted a negative attitude towards demands of the employees and none of the poll promises made by the ruling Congress at the time of assembly elections in 2002, had been fulfilled.

Addressing the convention, the state president of the body, Mr Sukhwinder Singh, and other trade union leaders rued that even after the union had submitted a 38-point charter of demands to the Punjab Finance Minister, Mr Surinder Singla, the government was silent over all these burning issues causing widespread resentment among the ministerial employees. Even many demands, which had been accepted in principle by the government, had not been implemented with reasons best known to the government.

Among other speakers at the convention from several representative unions of the government employees from all over the state were Mr Darshan Bajaj, Mr Sukhraj Singh Sandhu, Mr Harwant Singh Mangat, Mr Baldev Singh, Mr Ram Murti Bhardwaj, Mr Mukhtiar Singh Chandi, Mr Kulbhushan Kanwar, Mr Raj Kumar Arora, Mr Dalip Singh, Mr Harnek Singh Mavi, Mr Didar Singh, Mr Sukhdev Singh, Mr Darshan Sharma, Mr Vinay Sharma, Mr Ajit Singh Mann, Mr Lachman Singh, Mr Jai Kishan, Mr Sushil Kumar, Mr Rajinder Rana, Mr Mohinder Singh, Mr Vijay Marjara, Mr Balwant Singh Jugnu, Mr Mohan Singh Marwaha and Ms Krishna Arora.

The speakers further demanded immediate acceptance of other demands of employees like stoppage or recoveries of benefits granted under proficiency promotions and ACPs, hike in fixed medical allowance from Rs 250 to Rs 500, typing allowance and computer allowance of Rs 250 and Rs 500, respectively, to all clerks and scrapping privatisation.

Other issues raised at the convention through separate resolutions included implementation of the Rakhra Committee Report, fixing norms for stenographers, grant of powers to DDEOs for refundable and non-refundable advances from general provident fund, change in name of posts of clerks and stenographers, recruitment of eligible family members of employees on compassionate ground and promotion of ministerial employees up to the level of the additional director.

Ludhiana, March 9
The Marxist Communist Party of India (MCPI), while reiterating its commitment to forge the unity of genuinely Left and democratic forces in the country, has condemned the leadership of the CPM and the CPI for tailing behind the pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist parties while the working people continued to suffer and groan under weight of poverty and rising prices.

The district-level delegate session of the party held here yesterday further noted with concern that the economic crises was reflecting into political crises, leading to uncertainty and instability in parliamentary system, which seemed to have become the victim of money and muscle power. The problems of the people, especially working classes, could be solved only through peoples’ democratic revolution and lead to establishments of socialist systems.

More than 80 delegates from the city and several villages participated in the session. Noted trade union leader Amarmeet Singh unfurled the party flag. Before formal commencement of the session, the meeting mourned the demise of MCPI leaders K.K. Kaushal, Sarwan Singh Bir and Davinder Singh Diwana by observing two-minute silence.

According to the state secretary of the party, Mr Kuldip Singh, a draft report relating to international, national, state and the district situation was presented before the house by Mr Lakhwinder Singh Boani, district secretary of the party. The report also highlighted the activities of the party in the district in the past there years, while also focusing on issues like poverty, unemployment, corruption, rising prices, deteriorating law and order, degradation of moral values in the society. The party was of the firm view that these problems had been caused due to policies of imperialism, globalisation and obscene culture under the influence of the West and capitalistic values.

The MCPI further observed that as a result of these anti-people policies, the poor people were being pauperised and the rich were getting more richer as the gap between the rich and the poor was ever widening. It stressed the need of propelled socialist system by replacing the anti-people and exploitative regime.

In the elections to the district unit of the party, Mr Pawan Kaushal, Mr Kirpal Singh Hans, Mr Amarmeet Singh, Mr Gudev Singh Sarabha, Mr Major Singh Dholan, Mr Harmit Singh Khanna, Mr Avinash Chander Khanna, Mr Pritam Singh, Mr Bal Krishan, Mr Bhan Singh Simlapuri, Mr Surinder Singh Shehzad, Mr Sukhdev Singh Kila Raipur, Mr Kuldip Singh and Mr Lakhwinder Singh Boani were elected to the executive committee.

Ludhiana, March 9
Almost three months after BJP workers protesting against the police were allegedly lathi-charged by the city police, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered an inquiry into the case.

The inquiry has been ordered on the representation of a local non-government organisation, Voice For Human Rights, to the NHRC in which it has drawn its attention to photographs published in various newspapers showing the police, especially senior officers, beating up BJP workers and leaders with sticks and blows.

Mr R.K. Jaiswal, SP (City-I), has been appointed inquiry officer by SSP Narinderpal

Mr Jagjiwan Singh has in his representation to the NHRC alleged that the Ludhiana police had celebrated World Human Rights Day in a unique manner by beating up human beings like animals in full public view. He said the protest by BJP workers was not of such a serious nature that the police had to use such type of method to disperse the protests.

He claimed that the real incident was that some of the BJP party activists were staging a dharna to protest against the alleged anti-people policies of the state government, alleged atrocities by the police on BJP workers and rising cost of living.

He said in a democracy people had the right for peaceful demonstrations. Claiming that the NGO was completely apolitical Mr Jagjiwan Singh said such an act of the police was a murder of democracy.

He said in his representation that the demonstration and right to know about the government policies were the Fundamental Rights, but this act of the Ludhiana police showed that law or Fundamental Rights were just paper work.

The statement of Mr Anurag Verma, Deputy Commissioner, in the newspapers on the issue was that “it was the duty of the police to maintain law and order”.

Ludhiana, March 9
“BSNL employees should remain prepared for a persistent struggle in the wake challenges before the public sector undertaking from private telecom operators on one side and the pursuance of privatisation and disinvestments policies of the Union Government on the other.’

These remarks were made by a host of prominent trade union leaders while addressing a seminar on “Challenges Before BSNL” held on the concluding day of the three day meeting of the central committee of the BSNL Employees Union here today.

Inaugurating the seminar, Mr Tapan Sen, general secretary, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, pointed out that the government’s decision to increase FDI limit from 49 per cent to 74 per cent was not only detrimental workers’ interests and the PSU but was tantamount to opening the floodgates of the telecom sector to multinational corporations from the USA and other capitalist countries.

Mr J.N. Mishra, president of the union, who presided over the meeting said the All-India Joint Action Committee would soon meet and formulate the modalities of the agitation against the suicidal decisions of the government for increasing the FDI limit and slashing the access deficit charges under pressure from private operators.

Mr V.A.N. Namboodri, general secretary of the union, Mr G.L. Jogi, Mr K. Vallinayagam Mani Bose, Mr P.Abhimanyu, Mr R.N. Moudgil and Mr Balbir Singh also addressed the gathering.

Earlier, the committee condemned the Union Government for allowing 74 per cent FDI in telecom and demanded its withdrawal. The Union Budget, described as pro-capitalists, also came under severe criticism. The union resolved to launch a long drawn struggle along with other public sector bodies against the government policies.

The meeting took serious note of Reliance Infocomm duping the BSNL of crores of rupees by converting international calls into local ones and welcomed the initiation of a CBI inquiry in the scam. It said other private operators in the field were also violating the agreements under different pretexts with full patronage of the political leaders.

Giving a call to BSNL employees to make all out efforts to improve the efficiency and better services to the people, the committee called upon the management to provide mobile phones on demand and make arrangements on war footing for releasing 5 crore mobile connections at competitive rates in order to widen the base of the BSNL services and earn more revenue.

Ludhiana, March 9
The news that a father strangulated his 21-years-old daughter for having intimate relationship with a married man speaks of the great generation gap. The remorseful father said that when he became aware of his daughter’s relationship he tried to dissuade her, but without success. In frustration, he strangulated her while she was asleep and surrendered before the police.

Dr B.P. Mishra, clinical psychologist, Dayanand Medical College, says, “Generation gap is increasing as there has been too much explosion of knowledge due to influence of IT revolution. The knowledge that the new generation possesses is different from the older generation. Hence no agreement can reach between the generations. Secondly the older generation tries to impose its value system on the newer generation, which the latter does not want to accept. And third, a lot of environmental changes have arisen. The friction arises as the older generation is not finding regular expected changes as the change in values is rather severe , The result is that newer generation’s values are light and superficial.”

“My parents are very busy and they have no time for us. My mother also works as she is a chartered accountant When we come back from our school, no one is at home. We are told that food will be kept in food warmer and we can eat that and have soft drinks from the refrigerator. Our basic needs are taken care of, but mentally and emotionally there is no bond. Now that we are in college and they have retired, our parents and we have nothing in common. We have developed a gap and have nothing in common. Our value system has become very different and our thoughts are just diametrically opposite. We, do have a generation gap,” said Neeraj Grewal.

Mr Taneja and his wife say, “Our son was very close to us when he was in school and college. But now that he has become financially independent, he has changed a lot. He thinks we want to know too many things about him when we just want to share things of daily happening. We tell him everything. We do not know when and how we lost rapport with him. May be this is what is generation gap. We want a little time and a little love from him, but he feels that we are too demanding.”

The schism between the two generations is on the increase due to pressures that arise out of living in nuclear families. Every member of family is under one’s own stress and does not have time to communicate.