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CITU workers hold massive rally
Ludhiana, November 9 The rally, that started on November 4 simultaneously from Hussainiwala in Ferozepur and from Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, culminated in the city today. Raising slogans like ‘jungle raj band karo’ and ‘jhoothey case wapis lo’, the workers, who started the protest march in two groups, one from Rockman Cycle Industries and the other from Giaspura village, passed through Giaspura Chowk, Dholewal Chowk to Gill Road and gathered at Chhattar Singh Park. Alleging that the government’s policies had only resulted in a further deterioration in the plight of working class, the CITU put forth its demands including wage-revision, regularisation of daily wagers, ban on contractual labour and stoppage on closures of industrial units. “The last hike in the minimum wages of industrial workers was done by the state government in 2001 and the amount was Rs 156.50. Not only was it insufficient, there has been no further raise after that,” said Mr Vijay Misra, working president, CITU, Punjab. The CITU has demanded minimum monthly wages to be increased to be increased to Rs 5,000 for unskilled worker, Rs 6,500 for semi-skilled worker, Rs 8,000 for skilled worker and Rs 10,000 for highly skilled worker. The union also demanded that for every one point rise in inflation, an increase of Rs 10 in dearness allowance be effected. Alleging that even those who put in 15-20 years in several organisations were not regularised by industrial units, government and semi-government organisations, the union demanded that if a worker put in 240 days of continuous work in an organisation, he should be regularised. Thousands of workers are migrants from other states, who are deprived of even their basic rights, alleged CITU, demanding that ration cards and voter identity cards of such workers be made. Taking up the issue of closures and retrenchment, Mr Raghunath Singh, general-secretary, CITU Punjab, said thousands of units had closed in the last decade or so in the state rendering lakhs of workers jobless. “Every government claims it has done development works. What kind of a development is this where units close and workers are on roads?” The union also demanded that managements of companies, which had lodged cases against several workers, should take those “false cases” back. The CITU also emphasised that tripartite committees, including representatives from the government, industry and labourers, be formed to ensure proper implementation of labour laws.
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13 vehicles challaned for using LPG cylinders
Ludhiana, November 9 It may be recalled that some days back Deputy Commissioner Anurag Verma had issued warning against the use of LPG cylinders meant for domestic use in vehicles. Mr Verma informed that not only were the vehicles being challaned, but the vehicles, which had registration numbers of Ludhiana had also been issued show-cause notices by the DTO. He further said the cylinders being used in these vehicles had been seized. Show-cause notices have been issued to the violators seeking explanation as to why an FIR should not be registered against them under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act. They have been given a week’s time to reply to the show-cause notice. These persons have also been directed to provide information within a week regarding the gas agency from where they had obtained or purchased the cylinders. He said if this was established that the agency owner had knowingly given the cylinders for use in automobiles, the action would be taken against the agency also. The checking was conducted by a joint team of officials of the Transport and the Food and Supplies department. The District Transport Officer and Ms Simarjot Kaur, District Food Supplies Controller, said the use of domestic cylinders in automobiles was illegal. They clarified that government had allowed certain LPG kits for use in automobiles, but this permission was only regarding use of the certified kits but the use of domestic cylinders in the vehicles was still illegal. Steps had been taken in the wake of shortage of LPG for domestic use and the media too had been highlighting the exploitation of genuine customers. The officials appealed to the general public to avoid using cylinders meant for domestic use in automobiles.
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Review decision to close cycle divisions, say workers
Ludhiana, November 9 “The decision of closure needs to be reviewed and we have written to the government about it,” said Mr Raghunath Singh, general secretary, CITU, Punjab. He also threatened that the CITU would launch an agitation first in Ludhiana and then throughout the state if the government did not pay heed to their demands. Questioning the authority of the official who permitted the closure of the two divisions, Mr Raghunath said the matter should have gone to the Labour Department and “not just any official”. “It is against the law not to hand over the case to the Labour Department and to some other official.” He ruled out the possibility of workers accepting the compensation being offered by the management of the two companies. “The question of accepting any compensation does not arise. We want people to get jobs.” Over 8,500 medium, small and tiny enterprises had closed down in Punjab in the last 10-15 years rendering at least 3.5 lakh jobless, he said. Mr Raghunath said the registration of three unions, Lal Jhanda Hero Cycle Mazdoor Union, Rockman Workers’ Union and Lal Jhanda Hero Cycle Mazdoor Mangli Division Union, which was ordered by the court at the beginning of this month, was completely unacceptable to industrial houses. “Though registration of the unions took a long time, industry simply does not want workers to raise their voice, which is why they had started preparing for the closure,” he alleged.
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Row over BJP legal cell office-bearers’ list
Ludhiana, November 9 It was very embarrassing for the Secretary of the Congress Legal Cell, Mr Dalip Kumar Battish, whose name figured in the list of office-bearers of BJP’s Legal Cell. As per the list he has been nominated as executive member of the BJP Legal Cell. The list was released by the Press Secretary of the BJP, Mr Rajinder Khatri, yesterday to the media and was published in some
newspapers. The Congressmen termed it to be a move to malign the image of office-bearers of their party in the eyes of public. Talking to the Ludhiana Tribune, Mr Battish said he was shocked to receive telephone calls regarding his nomination to the BJP legal cell. He clarified that he had neither quit the Congress nor had he joined the BJP. It appears to have been a move to lower his reputation in the eyes of party high command, he added. Mr Battish said he was a staunch Congressman. His family had been associated with the Congress for decades. Moreover, the question of joining the BJP Legal Cell did not arise, as he was against the ideology and policies of that party. Similar was the case of a senior lawyer, Mr Ashok Mittal. His name also figured in the list as executive member. Mr Mittal said he had not joined any political party and he had nothing to do with the Legal Cell of the BJP. The general secretary of the Congress Legal Cell, Mr Kamaljit Sharma, condemned this ‘move’ of the BJP. “It appears that the party did not find sufficient number of persons to form executive committee of the cell. The Congress Legal Cell has taken a serious note of this and suitable action would be taken after consulting the party high command,” added Mr Sharma.
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Manhole covers being stolen frequently
Ludhiana, November 9 Mr Joginder Singh, a resident, said some gang was stealing the covers to make money and it was causing problems for the residents. He said a tyre of his car got stuck in the manhole and another resident was saved in the nick of time from falling in an open manhole. He said the MC had been replacing the covers but the thefts were still taking place. Dr Jaswant Singh, Joint Commissioner, MC, said they had started putting cement covers instead of iron ones. Iron covers fetched good price. In certain areas, iron covers were still being used. He said the manholes would be covered soon.
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Passing Thru
How is the housing finance sector performing in Punjab?
Punjab has immense potential for growth in housing finance sector, which is why we have chalked out expansion plans for the region. Our business recorded rapid progress during the past few years with loan approvals of over Rs 472 crore to over 8,000 units during the last financial year and approvals of Rs 335 crore for financing about 4,000 units for the half year ended 2005-06. We have been maintaining year-on-year average growth of 30 per cent for almost nine years now. What should a customer keep in mind while availing a housing loan? People mostly decide the bank or financial institution they avail loan from on the basis of interest rates. However, they must keep in mind that interest is not the only factor that determines cost. Factors like services to customers after the loan, which means credibility of the institution, and add-ons are equally important. What is HDFC focussing on — retail or large customers? Retail captures over 70 per cent of our total business. It remains the key focus area but we are equally emphasising on big investors too.
— Shveta Pathak
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Old city markets become road users’ nightmare
Ludhiana, November 9 Meena Bazar in the old city witnessed yet another traffic jam this afternoon as a delivery vehicle got stuck in the busy market area. Harried two-wheeler drivers heaved a sigh of relief when the cause of the jam — a delivery van fitted on rickshaw wheels — was removed and the flow of traffic restored. Congestion in all narrow bazars of the city , which weave an intricate pattern on either side of the Chaura Bazar, is on the rise due to hectic activity in the city’s hosiery industry these days. A number of several bazars located between the Daresi and Chaura Bazar, like Purana Bazar and the Lalu Mall Street, deal exclusively in hosiery products. More than the casual buyers, these markets are frequented by wholesale dealers from other cities and towns of the country. The small shops, bursting at the seams with stocks, have little space to accommodate big parcels and as a result these are placed outside restricting the movement of traffic. The narrow lanes are further narrowed by the inevitable parking of scooters and motorcycles and rickshaws various shops which are either loading or downloading hosiery goods. These days, congestion in Madho Puri, the hub of hosiery trade where manufacturing is also done has to be seen to be believed. Congestion from these hosiery markets spills over to the neighbouring non-hosiery markets as well as people try to find shortcuts by using lanes and bylanes. Victims of these frequent traffic jams opine that congestion in these narrow bazars can be reduced only if the entry of delivery vans and rickshaws is prohibited.
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DSP to probe allegations of police negligence in youth’s death
Mandi Ahmedgarh, November 9 Meanwhile, the local police handed over the body of the deceased after performing post mortem and registering a case under Sections 302 and 364 of the IPC against three residents of Hargobindpura. The youth died at Kundan Lal Hospital, seven days after being assaulted by some miscreants on the night of Divali festival on November 1. According to Mr Harinder Singh Chahil, SSP, Sangrur, Ravi Kumar (16), son of Mr Sham Lal of Hargobingpura village, was assaulted by some miscreants at Chhapar road on Divali night. He was admitted to the local Kundan Lal Hospital in a serious condition and the doctors at the hospital had informed the local police about admitting the injured persons. But Mr Maghar Singh, SHO ignored the repeated requests by the hospital authorities and the parents of the victim on the plea that the incident had occurred at a place that fell under the jurisdiction of Dehlon police station. The death of the youth infuriated his parents and relatives who resented the inaction of the police. They alleged that the police had ignored their complaint in order to shield the accused who were roaming free even after the death of Raj Kumar. The deceased was an automobile mechanic. Observations revealed that he was beaten up by three youths of the same village on the Divali night. He succumbed to his injuries at the hospital on Tuesday. Finding a prima facie case of negligence on the part of the SHO, the SSP Sangrur directed Mr Rachhpal Singh, DSP, Malerkotla, to probe the matter and submit his report within the stipulated period.
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BJP hails verdict against
reservation to Muslims
Ludhiana, November 9 The state general secretary of the party, Mr Rajinder Bhandari, said here today that the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh was well aware of the fact that the Constitution of the country did not permit any reservation based on religion. Yet the state government had gone ahead with such a move, which was apparently aimed at consolidation of the Muslim vote bank. Commenting on the stand of the Andhra Pradesh Government of going in appeal against the HC judgement to the apex court, the BJP leader said it would be yet another attempt to mislead the Muslim community and create an impression that the judiciary had undone what the (Congress) government had done for the welfare of the minorities. Mr Bhandari observed that the policy of appeasement of Muslims being pursued by the successive Congress governments, both in Centre and the states, was nothing new and the party had been devising several ways to woo the Muslim voters. “As and when the Congress feels the Muslim community drifting away from its hold, the party comes out with such ploys which were nothing more that cheap tactics to gain political mileage. He sounded a note of caution to the Muslim community to see through the game plan of the Congress governments and not to be misled. “If the Congress is really concerned about the poor plight of the minorities, it should rather take effective steps to improve their economic condition, provide better education facilities, create more job avenues and work for their empowerment.”
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Judge sheds light on free legal aid
Ludhiana, November 9 The seminar was organised by the District Legal Services Authority under the supervision of its Chairman, Mr Harbans Lal, District and Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, to mark the Legal Services Day. Hundreds of people, including panches, sarpanches, students of various colleges, schools and NGO’s attended the seminar. Addressing the seminar, Mr Harbans Lal said free legal aid was being provided to various sections of the society but they were not much aware about it. Any women, persons belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, industrial worker, person in police or judicial custody, physically handicapped, children, mentally retarded (irrespective of their income group) and the persons belonging to weaker section having annual income less than Rs 30,000 were entitled to avail free legal services, added Mr Lal. The authority had constituted a panel of 15 lawyers to deal with the cases of such persons. Deserving applicants were provided the services of a lawyer free of cost. Fee to the lawyer and all incidental expenses are borne by the authority. The authority had provided free legal services to 2377 persons, he further added. Listing the achievements of lok adalats, he said in Ludhiana through 240 lok adalats, 54979 cases were disposed off out of 80,804 placed before the lok adalat. The compensation worth Rs 59 crore was disbursed to the litigants. The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr S.P. Bangarh, Mr Priyank Bharti, ADC(D), Civil Judge Senior Division-cum-Secretary, Legal Services Authority, Mr S.S. Dhaliwal, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr K.S. Cheema, District Bar Association President, Mr Balwinder Goel, District Attorney, Mr Amar Ashok Pathak, Mr Arvind Markan also shared their views. Mr Rana Harjasdeep Singh, DBA secretary, the Principal, Mr Kulwant Singh, Mr Kuldeep Singh, Superintendent Central Jail, Ludhiana, Mr Jarnail Singh Dhaliwal, Superintendent, Borstal Jail, Mr S.K. Jain, Zonal Manager, Bank of India, also attended the seminar.
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Road project launched
Ludhiana, November 9 Addressing the gathering at the function, Mr Dawar hailed the ring-road project being undertaken by the state government. He said an amount of Rs 1100 crore would be spent on the project and it would ease out traffic congestion on city roads. He added that the renovation of local bus stand would also start from December 15. He said that he had got completed development projects worth Rs 50 crore in his area during the last three and half years. The Mayor, Mr Nahar Singh Gill, the Commissioner, MC, Mr S.K. Sharma and Mr Jasbir Singh Chadda were among those present on the occasion.
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900 cases cleared at suvidha camp
Khamano, November 9 She said it was the fifth such camp in the district and second in Khamano subdivision. Twenty counters of different departments were set up on the occasion. The ADC, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mr DP Gupta, ADC (D) Devinderpal Singh Walia, Sp. (H) Narjinder Singh Sekhon, DSP (Khamano) Satinderpal Singh, SDM (Khamano) Ravinder Kumar, CMO (Fatehgarh Sahib), among others, were present.
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Biz Clips
PNB: The Golden Peacock National Training Award 2005 was conferred upon the Punjab National Bank (PNB) for initiative and commitment to develop training programmes that offer tangible benefits to the business, organisations ad communities. The award was presented by Minister for Human Resource and Development Arjun Singh to Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the bank, Mr S.C. Gupta, said a press note.
— TNS
LIC: The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India is observing a Vigilance Awareness Week from 7 to November 11, according to a press note issued here yesterday. Mr D.K.Bhagat, senior divisional manager, LIC of India, Ludhiana, said the purpose to observe the awareness week was to have a successful systematic and focussed campaign against corruption.
— TNS KENWOOD: Kenwood has launched a new car stereo system with digital display. Priced at Rs 19,990, the new system is compatible with both mainstream MP3 compressed music data format and high compression WMA format, said a company press note. — TNS
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