J A L A N D H A R

Rein in fake travel agents: Ramoowalia
Jalandhar, May 12
A small dairy owner of Bhakike village in Moga, Narain Singh, had taken Rs 3.5 lakh from a money-lender to pay the amount to a Raikot-based travel agent for sending his younger brother to Italy.

BJP men demolish wall; enquiry ordered
Phagwara, May 12
Around forty persons, supported by BJP councillor Arun Khosla, demolished a 75-foot-long wall constructed by local improvement trust to cover six shops built illegally by lambardar Ajit Singh in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar locality late last night.

‘Declare Gadaipur an industrial zone’ 
Jalandhar, May 12

The Jalandhar Chamber of Industries and Commerce today urged minister of industries and commerce Manoranjan Kalia to declare Gadaipur an industrial zone.

Minister of industries and commerce Manoranjan Kalia and chief parliamentary secretary Avinash Chander at a meeting of Jalandhar Chamber of Industries and Commerce in Jalandhar on Saturday. Tribune photo by Pawan Sharma

Punjabi singer held for selling opium
Jalandhar, May 12
The police nabbed Punjabi singer Gurmit Singh Nagra of Kohala village and his associate Jagdeep Singh of Sandhran village in Hoshiarpur district for  carrying opium.

Rein in fake travel agents: Ramoowalia
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 12
A small dairy owner of Bhakike village in Moga, Narain Singh, had taken Rs 3.5 lakh from a money-lender to pay the amount to a Raikot-based travel agent for sending his younger brother to Italy. But the agent duped Narain Singh by providing him fake documents as his brother Nachhatar Singh could not move beyond Hong Kong and he was forced to come back.

The incident took place on November 17, 2005, and since then the dairy owner had been pestering the agent to return the money to him.

At a press conference held here today, Narain Singh said he approached Lok Bhalai Party president Balwant Singh Ramoowalia recently who followed the case and helped him get back the amount.

“Since the lady agent returned the money on our intervention, we did not get a case registered against her,” Ramoowalia said.

Presenting the case before media persons, the Lok Bhalai Party president said there were several such people who were being duped but the government was unperturbed over the issue.

He said he had cited several cases exposing the fake travel agents in the garb of immigration consultants, marriage bureaus, air hostess and hospitality academies and student visa guides before Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The Chief Minister had promised him that a special team would be set up under an officer of the rank of ADGP to deal with the cases of human trafficking.

Ramoowalia said illegal travel agents had tarnished the image of India and trampled the pride of Punjab and thus serious action must be taken against them, including those issuing fake advertisements.

He said he had demanded from the CM that registration of travel agents be made compulsory, bank guarantee licences be issued to them which should be displayed at their authorised workplaces, police should immediate register an FIR, search his premises and take stringent penal action against him, fast-track courts be set up, travel agents found guilty be awarded rigorous imprisonment with hefty fines, and passports and money collected by suspect travel agents be returned to the victims immediately.

The Lok Bhalai Party president said he had demanded that since human trafficking was an organised crime, those found guilty on the basis of evidence submitted by five persons be put behind bars with immediate effect for a period of one year on the basis of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

The role of Protectors-General of Emigration (PGEs) and SDMs or DSPs checking the credentials of manpower recruitment agencies also be judged from time to time, he pointed out, while adding that he had asked for conducting a special session of the Punjab assembly over the issue.

BJP men demolish wall; enquiry ordered
Anil Jerath
Tribune News Service

Phagwara, May 12
Around forty persons, supported by BJP councillor Arun Khosla, demolished a 75-foot-long wall constructed by local improvement trust to cover six shops built illegally by lambardar Ajit Singh in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar locality late last night.

According to reports, lambardar constructed six shops facing trust land in residential area of the locality, which was objected to by the trust and the trust authorities constructed a long wall to cover the shops in 2002.

Now after change of guards in the government, BJP supporters again demolished the wall to have a full view of the illegally constructed shops, collected the debris of the wall in tractor trollies.

Meanwhile, Phagwara SDM Amarjit Paul has ordered an enquiry in this connection. Former Phagwara MLA Joginder Singh Mann immediately rushed to the spot, inspected the site and demanded a high-level enquiry into the demolition of the wall.

MC polls

Shiv Sena (Hindustan) president Pawan Gupta said the party will actively contest municipal corporation elections of MCs of Patiala, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar.

‘Declare Gadaipur an industrial zone’ 
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 12
The Jalandhar Chamber of Industries and Commerce today urged minister of industries and commerce Manoranjan Kalia to declare Gadaipur an industrial zone.

Holding their maiden meeting, the members of the newly-constituted chamber, since Gadaipur was out of Jalandhar octroi limit, the industrial units established there would be eligible to get subsidies as per the state government policy.

“If hundreds of acres of agricultural land allotted to Reliance can be declared as industrial zone within two hours, then why not Gadaipur,” asked chamber general secretary Charanjit Singh Maingi.

The members said they had been given an assurance in this regard by CM Parkash Singh Badal during his visit here just before elections.

Even former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had verbally declared the area as industrial zone but no notification had been issued to this effect, they added.

Presenting a charter of demands, Maingi called for enhancement of land charges of industrial focal point extension, better infrastructure for industrial zone including roads and cleanliness, exemption of house tax on industry, exemption from sight appraisal committee for clearance to induction furnaces in focal points, industrial estates and industrial area.

The list also included demands for setting up of industrial board at district level for solving problems related to electricity board, municipal corporation, excise and taxation, house tax and labour department, and establishing training centre for labourers.

Around 200 industrialists attended the meeting in which they listed some of the problems against the Punjab State Electricity Board including power shortage, power cuts, 50 per cent costlier electricity for rented industrial units and frequent visits of flying squads. The members also expressed their problems related to taxes.

The general secretary said, “Outside Punjab, VAT on industrial inputs and raw materials is four per cent but in Punjab it varies from four to 12.5 per cent. As a result, the factories here are losing business in global market.”

Citing other examples, Maingi said, “Punjab has many foundry units and the major raw material used here is molasses.

The rate of VAT is 22 per cent on molasses in Punjab and there is a ban on import without permits.

Our demand is that VAT on molasses for industrial use of should reduced to four per cent and ban on import be cut.”

He also demanded that VAT on furnace oil be reduced to flat three per cent in Punjab from the existing 8.5 per cent, adding, this would also help the state recover a revenue loss of Rs 11.72 crore per year since the current sale was nil.

Punjabi singer held for selling opium
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 12
The police nabbed Punjabi singer Gurmit Singh Nagra of Kohala village and his associate Jagdeep Singh of Sandhran village in Hoshiarpur district for 
carrying opium.

They were nabbed from different places falling under police division number seven.

The police recovered 4.5 kg and 500 gm opium from Gurmit and Jagdeep, respectively.

According to police, the accused had been selling opium in and around the city after purchasing it from Madhya Pradesh. Separate FIRs under Section 18 of the NDPS Act were registered against them.