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SAD (A) protests against Mann’s detention
Ludhiana, July 1 Addressing a rally before submitting a memorandum to President APJ Abdul Kalam through Deputy Commissioner Anurag Verma, party general secretary Charan Singh Lohara, said the Punjab government was resorting to the same experimentation which former Congress-led governments in the state and Centre had attempted in the face of failure of economic and political deliverance. Like in the past, the Congress has started raising the bogey of terrorism in Punjab. He alleged that the Capt Amarinder Singh government had failed on all fronts. Petty crime, murders, suicides and crime against women were on the rise. There is no economic or fiscal progress worth the name. Education levels are at an all time low. Corruption is at its peak. All Congressmen are engaged in loot of the exchequer as they believe that only some months are left before they are booted out of power. Politically, the state is in disarray. In the last three years or so, the Punjab Assembly has been convened for no more than 3-4 days. The leader of the Opposition, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, whose party, the Akali Dal (Badal), is also in the Opposition at the Centre, follows a policy of boycott, rather than debate and dialogue in the Assembly, he pointed out. “We had informed the present government, through the media and through meetings with the Home Minister that the present Director General of Police, Mr. S.S. Virk, and his notorious team of officers, had a vested interest in perpetuating the careers of certain officers in Punjab. His appointment is under scrutiny of the Panjab and Haryana High Court. When appointed, he had said, that there is peace in Punjab. Today, it is the opposite and the police are claiming there is many Sikh terrorists in Punjab,” he added. Other speakers said that ‘Is it not the failure of the state that after so much bloodshed, no problem of the state and no issue of the Sikhs has been solved? All promises, old and new of the Indian state have proved to be false. In these circumstances, what choice is left than to practice the politics of dissent? They said Mr Simranjit Singh Mann had been extolling this
proposition time and again. He rightly believes that Punjab has the full potential to act as a buffer between two warring nations on either side of Panjab. He strongly believes that the Sikh nation has to regain its sovereign status to protect its distinct identity. The protesters also warned the government and the people to be aware of the machinations of the VHP in dividing the community. The right wing Hindu outfit has said that Sikhs are part of Hindus and the photos of Guru Gobind Singh would be displayed in temples. This is a sinister design to undermine the sanctity of the Sikh religion and the unique concept of Shabad Guru in Sikhism. They have further said that the VHP was against the reservation policy for Muslims and Christians. In the face of such monolithic attacks, what should a minority do, they questioned. Notwithstanding our political beliefs, freedom of expression is a fundamental right recognized by the Indian Constitution and international conventions and covenants. The government has arbitrarily detained Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, party general secretaries - Gurjatinder Pal Singh Bhikhiwind and Mr Gursewak Singh Jawaharke, district president Nawanshahr, Darbara Singh, district president Ropar, Jathedar Bhag Singh, members of working committee, Mr Sarbjit Singh Bhullar and Mr Bachan Singh Bains in false and fabricated cases. Under the garb of “terrorism,” apart from these arrests, false cases have been registered against a large section of the party leadership and other political activists, they alleged. The party has appealed to President Kalam to intervene in the matter. Peace in Punjab seeks political sagacity and statesmanship. Today, conflict resolution requires cooperation, debate and honest deliberation. All pending legal and political issues must be resolved within the strict purview of rule of law, international norms, values, conventions and covenants. International human rights organisations must be allowed to visit Punjab. State repression must end in Punjab. All political leaders must be released and Punjab police must be contained, they added.
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City bus stand to get new lease of life
Ludhiana, July 1 MSK Projects India Limited, a construction company, has been given the project of developing the bus stand at the cost of Rs 17 crore. The Baroda-based company has accepted the proposal on build, operate and transfer (BOT)-basis for a period of 10 years. After remaining in a deplorable condition for the last many years, the bus stand will get a new lease of life with the allotment of the project. Being nobody’s baby and a victim of official apathy, the Ludhiana bus stand has got many assurances and plans announced by successive governments but it There had been several protests by the residents also as the bus stand of the richest city of Punjab was lacking in various basic facilities. Dotted with potholes and bus bays full of dirt and filth, the bus stand presents a picture of utter neglect. Unfortunately, the residents have seen various proposals for developing the bus stand but none could see the light of the day. Earlier it was announced that the foundation stone of the new bus terminus was to be laid by then Chief Minister on August 15, 2002. The proposed Rs 7-crore bus stand project with a provision for all kinds of basic amenities, including waiting rooms for passengers, was entrusted with the local Municipal Corporation. However, the project never started. Later, the project was transferred to PUDA and the Punjab Roadways. The roadways authorities had conveyed to PUDA that the existing bus stand, spread over 9.92 acre, required renovation and needed proper maintenance. The PUDA had also washed its hands off the project stating that the authority had not received a single penny from the state government and was not able to start work on it. The local depot of the Punjab Roadways stated that it gave about Rs 1 crore annually to the state government for the maintenance. However, not even 10 per cent of it was utilised for the same. Besides basic amenities, the Roadways had demanded operational counters. Presently, there are 20 counters. The authorities concerned has sought more than 10 such counters. Another major problem at the bus stand is the condition of toilets. Not only is the number of toilets much less than the requirement, but also these are not maintained properly. The officials has demanded that eight more toilets be constructed and the existing toilets be cleaned and maintained properly. With no proper facility to park vehicles, there is usually chaos at the bus stand. Stray animals add to the problem.
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Doctor alleges victimisation
Ludhiana, July 1 The doctor, Mrs Devinder Kaur, has alleged that the raiding team did not find anything incriminating but forced the charges on her. The subject of the alleged PNDT test was so poor that she had just Rs 150 with her when she came to the hospital. However, when the team arrived and a melee ensued she suddenly had several thousand rupees with her. “I have not conducted any sex-determination test. I just checked the health of the foetus but the team did not listen to me and treated me as a criminal” said Dr Devinder Kaur. In fact a board at the entrance of the hospital clearly states that no sex-determination tests are conducted at the hospital. A team comprising Dr Manorama Avasthi and Dr Mrs Sethi had conducted a raid on the hospital yesterday. The raiding team sealed the scanning machine and records of the hospital. Dr Devinder Kaur insisted that the raid was a plot to defame her and her hospital. She stated that she had never committed such an offence ever in her medical career.
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Punjab police directive on crime involving NRIs
Mandi Ahmedgarh, July 1 The Assistant General of Police (Intelligence) has sought information from all police stations in this regard. All SHOs in the state have received orders through their district headquarters asking them to furnish information regarding murders related to NRIs. Showing concern over happenings in the past, the Intelligence Department has sought information in a tabular form. The information will be broken up into four sections. Besides seeking names, addresses and personal information of the NRIs murdered in the area falling under their jurisdiction, complete information about murders committed by NRIs has also been sought. Emphasis has also been laid on the collection of facts regarding contract killing involving NRIs. The officers concerned would send information in cases of contract killing, whether the murder has been committed by some organised gang or an individual. The amount of the contract will also be mentioned. In the last division, the SHOs have been asked to furnish information about the present state of all case registered in connection with such incidents.
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Gang involved in murder, theft busted; four held
Ludhiana, July 1 SP City-I R.K. Jaiswal and DSP Rajinder Kumar Sharma told a press conference that a police team had nabbed the four wanted in several cases of crime, some as old as 2001. The accused allegedly used to slit the throat of their victims before dumping their bodies in sewerage. The gang members were Charanjit Singh of Fatehgarh mohalla, Satish Kumar of Salem Tabri, Kaka of Shivpuri and Sunita of Guru Nanakpura colony. The woman was allegedly used by the gang members to spot potential targets. She used to mark locked houses and work out the best time to strike at a shops or business offices. The gang had allegedly admitted to committing several crimes in Shivpuri, Fatehgarh Mohalla and several other places in the city.
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Seven cheated of lakhs
Ludhiana, July 1 According to the FIR registered at Sarabha Nagar police station, Gurpreet Singh and Harman Singh of Barewal here have been booked under Sections 406, 420, 467, 468, 471 of the IPC. They have been charged with cheating seven city residents namely Mr Inderjit Singh Johal, Mr Randhir Singh Chhokar, Ranjit Singh, Mr Harjinder Singh, Mr Darshan Singh,
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12 office-bearers, workers of BSP quit party
Ludhiana, July 1 Mr Inderjit Singh, treasurer of the state unit of the party, said in a statement here today the grass-roots workers and the other cadres of the BSP were totally disillusioned. They were feeling frustrated over various recent developments within the party and way of working of senior leaders, who appeared to have given up the principles of humanism and commitment to the Dalit community. “The party is no longer pursuing the programme of social change for the oppressed sections, and instead it has become an outfit for personal and family gains.” The former BSP functionary remarked that dedicated and loyal workers, who had put in a lot of efforts to take the party to its present position, were now feeling stifled as the leadership had failed to provide direction. The party with a glorious past was facing an uncertain present and a dark future as a result of self-seeking policies and short-sighted leaders. Besides, hundreds of party workers, other office-bearers, who announced their decision to quit the party, included Mr Gurcharan Singh Pehalwan, district vice-president (rural), Mr Surinderpal Singh Heera, district vice-president (urban), Mr Kulwant Singh, press secretary, Mr Shingara Singh, secretary, Mr Manpreet Singh, president, volunteer force (rural), Mr Ram Singh, Mr Karam Singh, president and secretary, respectively, of the Koom Kalan Assembly segment, Mr Hari Pal Singh, president, Kohara circle, Mr Surinder Singh, president, Jhabewal circle, Mr Paramjit Singh, Mr Nirmal Singh, Mr Darshan Singh, office-bearers of ward units, Mr Surinder Singh, nambardar, Mr Sarup Singh Khasi, Mr Dalwinder Singh and Mr Sohan Singh. According to Mr Inderjit Singh, all former BSP office-bearers and workers had decided not to join any other political party for the time being and the crucial issue of empowerment of the Dalit community and safeguarding the interests of weaker sections would be discussed at length before taking any further decision.
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Singla inaugurates help centre for taxpayers
Ludhiana, July 1 Speaking on the occasion, the minister said in the present era of liberalisation the departments entrusted with the job of tax collection were to play the role of facilitating agencies rather than that of raiders or persecutors. There was a dire need to bridge the communication gap between the enforcement agencies and the tax payers, and at the same time image of the departments, collecting direct and indirect taxes, excise and other duties, needed to be changed so as to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and confidence to achieve the objective of better compliance. Mr Singla maintained that the government was making all out efforts in the right direction to accelerate the growth of industry and trade and further to ensure minimum interference of the officials in the working of the industrial sector. With the emergence of fierce competition at the global level, only transparent and efficient performance of the government departments was required. He said after liberalisation the revenue from direct taxes had considerably increased in the country. Quoting the example of the Telecom Department, where the private players had a significant presence, he said the functioning of this sector had been completely revolutionised and the consumers were getting cheaper services on their doorstep. Where as earlier there were long waiting lists for getting new telephone connections. Visualising enormous potential for Indian industry in the field of information and technology, the Finance Minister claimed that the country was performing exceptionally well and of late had emerged a formidable economic power of the world. Mr Singla said after the implementation of valued added tax (VAT) in the state, the government had solved most of the problems of different sections of the industry and trade by holding detailed interaction with their representatives. He asserted that with the implementation of VAT the tax collections of the government had increased substantially. The investment scenario being conducive for the growth of industry, coupled with better facilities being extended by the Punjab Government for medium and large industrial units, many new big units had come up in the state. In particular, Mohali town had emerged as a major IT centre in the region, he added. Appreciating the prompt initiative of the Customs and Central Excise Department to launch a help centre in the industrial capital of state, Mr Singla expressed hope that the centre would play vital role not only in solving the tax-related problems of small assesses, but also help in establishing excellent understanding between the department and the taxpayers. Addressing the function, Mr V.K. Garg, Commissioner Central Excise, remarked that this year the department expected to collect Rs 1,90,000 crore worth of indirect taxes. “It is now no more possible to supervise each assessee or clearance and the department was already encouraging voluntary compliance. He said there were still many in the small scale sector who were either ignorant of the legal provisions or feared to come forward. According to Mr Garg, the help centres were aimed to encourage small units to come forward and clarify their doubts. The government was committed to weed out unaccounted transactions from the economy and it would thus be in the interest of the SSI sector to join the mainstream and start paying taxes regularly and voluntarily. Mr V.P. Chopra, president, Federation of Punjab Small Industries Associations, Mr V.K. Goel, general secretary, Ludhiana Management Association, Mr S.C. Ralhan, Regional Chairman, Engineering Export Promotion Council, and Mr Ranjit Singh, Commissioner Appeals (Customs and Central Excise), also addressed the function.
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PSEB staff strike work over lineman’s death
Mandi Ahmedgarh, July 1 While addressing the rally, various leaders alleged that the management was trying to shield Bhupinder Singh, junior engineer, whose negligence had caused the death of Baljit Singh, a lineman, while working on a transformer on the Dhulkot road. Meanwhile, the JE concerned has been transferred to Raikot on the demand of the union activists. Baljit Singh along with another employee were electrocuted by the back flow of high-tension current allegedly due to negligence of the JE on June 18. Baljit died due to lack of medical assistance. “Instead of arranging medical assistance for the injured employees, Bhupinder Singh fled from the scene and got himself admitted to a hospital at Doraha,” the leaders said. The union leaders had demanded immediate transfer of the JE and stern action against him. They suspended work today to impress upon the authorities to take action against the erring official. Sukhcharanjit Singh, Chaman Lal, Parmel Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Rachhpal Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Avtar Singh, Harbans Singh, Nirbhai Singh, Balwinder Singh, Karam Chand Sharma, Hari Datt and Narang Singh, leaders of employee organisations, including the Technical Services Union, Employees Federation (AITUC) and the Employees Federation, spoke on the occasion. Mr Saudagar Singh Gill, Additional Superintending Engineer, claimed that an inquiry had been initiated into the incident. He confirmed that Bhupinder Singh had been transferred to Raikot division. “I had forwarded a representation received from the union representative through SDO (Rural). Considering our comments regarding the working of the JE, the Superintending Engineer ordered his transfer to Raikot division.
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Couple
alleges harassment by family
Raikot, July 1 The couple has levelled serious allegations against the in-laws of the woman through individual affidavits. Ms Suman Sharma, wife of a Harjit Kumar, a singer, of Kalsian village, was admitted to Bengali Hospital in an unconscious state on June 25. Perusal of the records at the hospital showed that the police was informed thrice but the statement of the victim was yet to be recorded. Sources at the police station, however, claimed that the incident occurred at a village that fell under the jurisdiction of Lohatbaddi chowki, and an official from that
chowki would record the statement and proceed further.” Though the couple hesitated to talk to the media on the issue, they submitted separate affidavits accusing father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law (wife of elder brother of Harjit) of Suman of harassing and humiliating her for bringing meager dowry. “Besides harassing me for bringing a meager dowry they used to instigate me against my husband. Feeling humiliated I decided to end my life and consumed poison,” reads the affidavit by Suman attested as identified by Executive Magistrate. Perusal of the affidavit submitted by Harjit Kumar revealed that besides being denied right to his share in property, he was asked to pay a loan of Rs 11 lakh. Social and political leaders of the village had met at their house to resolve the issue but to no avail. Rather it resulted in a scuffle and the parents threatened to disown the couple after which Harjit left the house to seek financial help from his friends. “By the time I returned home, my wife had consumed poison leaving her kids crying. I was shocked to note that my parents and sister-in-law had ruined my life,” concludes the document. When this reporter tried to talk to Suman, Harjit asked to wait for a couple of days as his relatives had assured him that they would impress upon his father to give them their share in property. “In case my father does not agree to give us our share then we will disclose those facts that would expose the reality,” argued Harjit.
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Raj Guru Nagar residents resent cutting of trees
Ludhiana, July 1 According to Maj (Retd) B.S. Gill, president of the society, a complaint has already been lodged with the police. He said the trees across the colony were planted by the society in order to ensure greenery. He said nobody was allowed to cut any tree in the colony under any circumstances. He disclosed that the residents felt upset in the morning when they saw the trees cut and wanted action to be taken against the culprits. He said apparently in order to facilitate the smooth laying of the electricity wires the owner of the plot number 5-A allegedly got the trees cut. He said the owner was constructing a house there and he might have felt that these trees were hindering the laying of the electricity wires. He regretted that instead of finding some way out he decided to get the trees cut. Major Gill said the society members were upset and angry as these trees had grown over a period of several years. He said this was a serious offence and the society members decided to lodge a complaint with the police. A police team also reached the spot and started the investigation. The society has been demanding registration of an FIR against the culprits to ensure that nobody dares to cut the trees without caring for environment. He pointed out that it took many years for the trees to grow.
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Homage paid to H.D. Shourie
Ludhiana, July 1 In a press note, Mr Kaushal said Mr H.D. Shourie had filed several public interest litigations on issues affecting the common man. He believed in transparent, honest and effective governance. He was a crusader for consumers rights. He remained active in public life till the end. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan. In a message, Mr B.R. Kaushal said his death had shocked government pensioners all over the country.
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Stopover of Malwa Express at Khanna
Khanna, July 1 The train was later flagged off by a local councillor, Gurminder Singh Lally. The train bound for Jammu will reach Khanna at 12.20 pm, while that bound for Delhi will stop at 2.30 pm. It may be mentioned here that it will be the first train to stop at the station in the daytime. Assistant Traffic Controller Ashwani Kumar and Station Supervisor of Khanna were present on the occasion.
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56 trained in civil defence
Ludhiana, July 1 Mr Jatinder Zakhmi, Superintendent, Civil Defence, CDI Surjit Singh and Commander Balbir Singh, all contributed to make the camp a success. The trainess were awarded certificates at Swaran Palace , Kirpal Mandir, Sherpur Kalan, yesterday. The chief guest was the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anuraag Verma while the guest of honour was Mr S.K. Baroota, District Commander, Civil Defence.
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Spice slashes call rates
Ludhiana, July 1 Announcing the launch, Mr Mukul Khanna, DGM, Marketing, said: “The service is a part of our effort towards providing continuous value enhancement through new tariff plans and innovative services.” He said the new tariffs would lower call charges to 45 paise per minute after the first minute, which would be charged at 65 paise. The Spice to local landline call rate is reduced to 95 paise per minute after the first minute, which would be charged at Rs 1.65. Mr Khanna said new services would help increase mobile penetration. “While the market has high potential, given the fact that present mobile penetration rate in the state is only around 10-12 per cent, we are expecting to grow it to over 40 per cent five years down the line.” Call rates for pre-paid subscribers have also been reduced by the company as it has modified its existing Quicky Light plan.
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SBI staff celebrate golden jubilee
Ludhiana, July 1 Sweets were distributed among staff and customers. The bank also honoured its oldest customers. It conducted a free pollution check up camp and a quiz competition on the occasion. Mr
R. Karthikeyan, Deputy General Manager, while addressing the bank employees and customers, reminded them of the bank’s history and its role in the development of the nation. He also highlighted the changes taking place in today’s banking scenario and talked about the bank’s efforts to meet those challenges. Mr
S. K. Jain, Assistant General Manager, Civil Lines, Ludhiana, thanked the bank’s customers for their support.
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Fashion show today
Ludhiana, July 1 Sharing the concept of ‘Mix Masters’, Ms Pragati Taneja, centre head said innovative garments created by Jediiians after an exhaustive research on a unique theme, will be displayed to cover different genres of music- from Indian classical to western and fusion. “They have translated music to develop their debut collection. Students have not only gone through archives of music genre but have also made documentary films on their inspiration like deaf and dumb school and their endeavor in making disabled children feel music”, said Ms
Pragati. At a press conference here today, she added that fashion was always changing. It had the power to transform an image and make a social statement. The visual sequences were an outcome of extensive research, inspiration and a constant questioning of the students thought processes. Mr
R.C. Dalal, Executive Director, JD Institute said: “Fashion being the medium of expression, JD has organized more than 100 fashion shows in India and abroad providing a creative window to the budding designers. JD is a hub for the business of fashion”.
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UK beauty products enter Punjab market
Ludhiana, July 1 “These are natural products which have been developed using dead sea minerals, natural plants, essences and extracts of fresh fruits and flowers. These products, widely accepted in the UK, Canada, USA and European markets, are designed as anti-stress remedies,” said Mr Ravi Mittal, MD, Ekta Capital. He said pollution, free radicals and hormonal changes affect the health and beauty of one’s skin and company’s products like beauty masks would improve blood circulation and produce a vibrant, smoother and a younger looking skin instantly. The company’s team, led by cosmetologist and naturopath Kanchan Mehra, conducted a workshop wherein participants were given tips on international trends in skin and haircare and also make-up techniques.
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PTU launches business management course Ludhiana, July 1 Giving details, Mr Harinder Pal Singh, zonal head PTU Regional Learning and Facilitation Centre, said the university was already offering MBA course to working professionals, which was a great
success. This would be an opportunity for working professionals to acquire post graduation in management in just one year. After completing the course, they would be awarded post graduate diploma in business management. After the diploma, the students could upgrade for direct entry to MBA second year with specialization in marketing, finance, human resource or information technology. Mr Singh claimed that the courses were getting popular amongst students and working professionals. “This year we have four times more applications and enquiries compared to the corresponding period last
year. The reason is the efforts put in by the university and learning centres in
ensuring the quality of education and other allied services like placements, communication, personality development sessions and extra curricular activities like youth festivals, seminars and workshops etc. More that 900 passouts of various courses like MCA, MSc (IT) and BSc (IT) have been recruited as computer teachers in Punjab government schools recently. Apart from this, the placement cell has placed more than 300 students till date in prominent organizations”, claimed Mr Singh. One working professional said there were thousands of people working in streams like accounts, finance, marketing, administration etc for the past many years but their further growth was hampered due to lack of formal management qualification. “This would be a golden chance for persons like me to acquire the degree and move ahead in my career”, he said. Mr Harinder Pal Singh further added that counselling would be held on July 17 and more than 400 students had applied for the same. The course fee is Rs 19,000 including the cost books and other course material, he said. |
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