Ludhiana, November 30
The railway station authorities have erected a wall outside the station near the old lakkar bridge to discourage residents from crossing railway lines here.

Since the Municipal Corporation had demolished the old bridge two years ago and the railway overbridge was yet to be constructed, a number of passengers were posing a threat to their lives by crossing the railway lines to reach the station or the Bhadaur house market.

To avoid accidents involving passengers as well as stray cattle, the railway authorities decided to construct a wall closing the opening of the station towards the old kacheri road permanently.

The move has, however, angered a number of passengers who argued that the MC had no business to demolish the lakkar bridge before it could connect ROB to Bhadaur House.

They demanded that the incomplete ROB should be completed as soon as possible. 

Ludhiana, November 30
Officials of the local Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have busted a racket involving evasion of customs duty, running into several crores, through under-invoicing of imported acid oils and fatty acid oils by soap manufacturing units in the city and elsewhere in the region.

The shady transactions, with their roots in Mumbai and Delhi, have been going on for the past one and half year and the total duty evasion by those involved, mostly brokers, the region is estimated at Rs 50 crore.

According to DRI officials, investigations carried out on the basis of inputs from the DRI headquarters in Delhi have revealed that acid and fatty acid oil, used as raw material in soap manufacturing, is being imported from Malaysia with false invoices, showing almost 50 per cent of the actual cost of the material, thus evading 40 per cent customs duty on the under-invoiced amount.

The acid oil importers involved in the racket reportedly produce documents showing the price of the material at $ 170-200 per tonne, whereas its originating cost in Malaysia is in the range of $ 320-330, which further goes up to nearly $ 400 on its arrival at the destination after inclusion of freight and other expenses.

While most of the big units, on whose behalf the acid oils are being imported, are located in Delhi and Mumbai, a part of the material is diverted to certain units in the city and other towns in Punjab, including Bathinda.

A senior DRI official told Ludhiana Tribune that recovery proceedings of evaded duty, along with penalty under the rules, have been initiated and the actual users are coming forward for compliance.

Ludhiana, November 30
Before attacking Iran in 1979, Saddam Hussain had ensured that all houses, car parkings, markets, schools, clubs and other buildings in townships had a bunker each to save people from being bombed.

Claiming this here yesterday, Mr Manmohan Singh Virdi, former Chief Architect of the Diwan of the Royal Court, Muscat, said that he had himself designed bunkers in the buildings of the country.

“It was in 1978 that Saddam Hussain wanted everyone to have a bunker for safety. Once every building reported of having a bunker each, he planned an attack and the war continued for 10 years.” said Mr Virdi.

He was in the city yesterday to coordinate a project of health walkways, underground cellars, health huts alongside the Budda Nullah with Baba Jaspal Singh Baddowal. He added that he would need 30 acres of land alongside the nullah to develop a naturopathy institute where people would be treated of chronic diseases.

Baba Baddowal said that he had already got the land sanctioned from the state government to open a naturopathy institute. The residents would be provided with health spas, steam bath treatments, colour therapy and other natural therapies.

Ludhiana, November 30
The demand for petrol and diesel remained constant in spite of reduction in their prices. Residents felt that only if a proportionate reduction in the prices of other commodities took place would the real benefit accrue.

While the price for petrol came down by Rs 2.14 to Rs 49.20 per litre, diesel became cheaper by 99 paise at Rs 31.70 per litre in the city.

"We were tired of hearing hike in petrol and diesel prices for the past so many years. Reduction certainly is welcome but if one compares it with the increase that has taken place in the past five years, it is next to nothing. The real benefit to the common man would come only if the prices of other commodities also fall," felt Mr G.S. Batra, Divisional Engineer, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), who is a resident of Dugri.

A large section of residents expressed little hope regarding decline in prices of other commodities. "Prices, I have seen, always move north. If the common man is to benefit, the government should assure that the drop in diesel and petrol prices cut down transportation costs and the benefit is passed on to the consumers. The current reduction would result in an average benefit of Rs 600 a month to us but I feel even LPG prices should be come down. There is a dire need for making things affordable for the common man," Ms Sadhna Sharma, a homemaker opined.

While the flow of customers visiting fuel stations went down sharply yesterday, as people awaited a cut in fuel prices, it didn’t go up much during the day even after the drop, dealers said. The consumer flow to petrol stations was normal.

"We had expected heavy rush today after yesterday's fall in demand. However, no significant rise in the number of consumers took place today," an employee at a petrol station in Civil Lines said.

Even after the reduction, petrol price in the state is higher by Rs 4 to Rs 4.50 than in neighbouring states. The price of diesel in the state, however, is lowest in the region.

"Heavy taxes are not just ruining this trade, as the demand shifts to other states, it also promotes inflation. The state government must take steps to reduce taxes like VAT and cess so that petrol is priced on a par with other states," said Mr Ashok Sachdeva, president, Ludhiana Petroleum Dealers Association.

Ludhiana, November 30
As the mercury hit its lowest mark in the city last night, making it the coldest town in the plains of the North, a section of people spent the night out in the open sky.

Hundreds of such people continue to spend their nights out in the open year after year. To make it even harder, they have next to nothing to keep them warm.

However, some fortunate ones among these pavement-dwellers get blankets as donation from people ahead of winter. However, this year it is a different story as the winter outset has taken everybody by surprise. As a result, most of these pavement-dwellers do not have enough clothes or sheets to keep them warm in the chilly weather.

Daily-wage workers coming from different parts of the country make up for most of these pavement-dwellers. Rickshaw-pullers park their rickshaws by the roadside after the day’s work and go to sleep on the pavements.

Ram Charan, one such worker from Bihar, said he never expected that he would have to bear such harsh realities of life when he left his home about a year ago.

He said he was told by his friends that he would have to struggle in this industrial town initially, "but I could have never imagined that the struggle would be so harsh".

A visit to the Club Road, bus stand, railway station by Ludhiana Tribune revealed another worrying aspect that dogs these downtrodden, including beggars.

A majority of them are drug addicts, for whom weather "isn't much of a problem". Whatever they earn during the day is spent on getting their daily doze of opium, tobacco, poppy husk or alcohol, which ironically helps them "stay warm" at night. Some of them have even sold their "belongings" for this "necessity".

The city has no dearth of philanthropists though. One such philanthropist, who does not wish to be quoted, says: "Every winter I give blankets to people who sleep out in the cold but it is not a final solution to the problem. What I do is for my own satisfaction. Do you think giving 20 blankets to needy people is going to solve the problem when several others die of cold every year?" he asks.

Ludhiana, November 30
Following complaints from a number of residents who were receiving water bills despite living in houses smaller than 125 square yards, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has decided to organise a lok suvidha camp at Zone-B office on December 8 to resolve the issue.

The Commissioner, Mr Vikas Partap, will listen to house tax, water and sewerage bills-related problems of residents of Zone B of the corporation. A press note issued by the civic body said grievances of residents of all zones would be redressed and suvidha camps would be organised accordingly.

Such camps would be organised in all zonal offices in every two months. The Commissioner would resolve various issues on the spot. 

Ludhiana, November 30
The city police will organise a special suvidha camp for the public on December 2 at the Police Lines here from 10 am to 2 pm to clear pending cases.

The SP, City-1, Mr Rakesh Aggarwal, said the camp would be presided over by the DIG, Mr Parag Jain, and the SSP, Mr A. S. Rai. All nine police stations of the city (Division No. l,2,3,4,5 and 8, Haibowal, Sarabha Nagar and Model Town), all their police posts, women cell and economic offence wing would take part in this camp.

DSPs, SHOs and chowki in charges will also be present at the camp. Officials will hear both the parties on the spot.

The matters which would be taken up in the camp include all pending complaints in the police stations praying for the registration of FIR or the cancellation of FIR.

He stressed that the priority would be on disposal of complaints.The police had also invited the municipal councillors and members of welfare societies in the camp so that their suggestion could also be incorporated.

Ludhiana, November 30
Activists of the Bhartiya Valmiki Dharam Samaj (BVDS) today staged a demonstration from Mata Rani chowk to Clock Tower chowk and burnt an effigy of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

They were protesting against the disrespect shown to Dr B.R. Ambedkar in Kanpur where some miscreants had vandalised his statue. The protesters demanded that those responsible for the act should be identified and punished. They also urged the UP government to take effective measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents

The demonstration was led by National Organiser of BVDS Lakshman Dravid, general secretary Ashwani Sahota and advisor Choudhry Yash Pal.