Jalandhar, October 4
You just jumped a red light and feel doubly-thrilled to have given the traffic cop the slip. But your joy is short-lived as your act is caught on the tape. To make matters worse, even law catches up with you at next signal.

If all goes according to plan, in the next few months, the traffic violators in the city, especially the habitual ones, would find themselves in a big trouble. The Jalandhar police has forwarded a proposal to the government to make traffic operations high-tech. The traffic department’s shopping list includes GPS-fitted patrol vehicles, special high band frequency wireless and improved walkie-talkie sets and close circuit TV cameras, which would be installed at important junctions.

Says SSP Arpit Shukla: “ The idea is to provide faster communication and reaction time which would lead to better traffic regulation. It would also rein 
in violators.”

Giving details, SP traffic and security Rakesh Kaushal said an independent, state-of-the-art new traffic control room is coming up at Police Lines. “It would be fully computerised facility equipped with all the necessary paraphernalia for effective monitoring and supervision. The Punjab Police Housing Corporation (PPHC) has been assigned the job. It would be responsible for the construction of the building. A proposal, detailing the other technical facilities required, has been already sent to the government,” he added.

The traffic police chief, who has hit upon the idea of installing CCTV cameras at busy junctions like BMC Chowk, bus stand light point, PAP Chowk and Rama Mandi, says the surveillance equipment will be connected to control units to be set up at the traffic control room from where live feed can be watched on monitors. “The control room would also have the facility to process the traffic data and traffic-related offences,” he added.

“Most of the time people are not afraid to commit traffic offences as they think that due to the non-availability of a vehicle, a traffic cop would not be able to chase them. Also, in the absence of a proper communication system, the ride becomes smoother for the violators. We want to give tech support to our staff. This will also help in bringing down the crime rate in the city. CCTV cameras can be particularly useful in the hit-and-run cases,” said Shukla.

“The control room will have a dedicated toll-free number to help highway accident victims,” he added. A PPHC officer confirmed that they had been given a go-ahead to construct the new traffic control room at Police Lines. “A 1600 sq ft plot has been identified and the construction work will start within 10 days. The project is expected to be completed within six months,” he said.

Jalandhar, October 4
Police apparatus in the state has been put on high alert after receiving inputs from the central agencies that Babbar Khalsa International plans to target important government installations and buildings in Delhi and Punjab. Following information that the organisation took the decision to target Indian installations at a meeting held a meeting at Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Birmingham recently, instructions have been issued to all SSP in the state to take preventive and precautionary steps to avert any untoward incident. VIP security will also be stepped up.

The BKI has decided to retaliate against the judgments delivered against Jagtar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh in the Beant Singh assassination case. A letter issued to all SHOs, CIA and other units by the SSPs concerned states that terrorist Resham Singh Babbar, who has been barred by the German government from visiting Pakistan, has been visiting countries like Canada and the UK in his attempt to establish contact with Pak-based extremists and leaders. He is trying to return to India and is also involved in helping illegal immigrants from the state in finding shelter, jobs in Germany in exchange of their Indian passports. These passports are then sent to Pakistan, allegedly to be used by Sikh militants, the letter further says. It also asks cops to keep a close tab on the released terrorists. Confirming this, SSP Arpit Shukla said the VIP security would be reviewed and strengthened.

Jalandhar, October 4
The district police nabbed a person for stealing three tonnes of aluminium worth Rs 25 lakh here today.

Special staff in charge sub-inspector Angrej Singh arrested Akshay Kumar, a resident of Shiv Nagar, after a tip-off, while his three accomplices - his father Mukesh Kumar, Subash of Lakshmi Pura and Bhupesh Kalia of Mumbai - absconded, the police said in a press release.

The four accused used to steal aluminium from Mumbai from trucks after breaking the seals of the excise and customs department. They would then load it in other trucks and dump in a factory near Transport Nagar in Jalandhar. The stolen aluminium was usually meant for export.

While an FIR was already registered against the accused in Mumbai, a separate case has been lodged at Lambra police station. — TNS

Jalandhar, October 4
An NGO, Dastak, was formed in New Gobindgarh here today with Sandeep Chahal as its president.

Chahal said in a statement that the main aim of Dastak would be to enlighten the youth and society and make them aware of the harmful effects of drugs and social evils. The NGO would organise regular free career guidance seminars, workshops and guest lectures for the various competitive examinations. It would also organise free medical check-up camps.

The other office-bearers of Dastak elected were: vice-president - Dr Ajay; secretary - Ajay Kumar Aggarwal; finance secretary - Subhash Chander Aggarwal; and consultants - Dr S.S. Dhingra, Dr Ashwani Aggarwal, Gurjit Singh Kahlon, Chandandeep Singh, Revati Raman Gupta, Avinash Bawa, Jaspreet Kumar, Parul Sharma, Bikramjeet Singh, Sunny Dhir, Harsh Sharma, Manoj Kumar Sonu and Bhupjeet Singh Seth.

Phagwara, October 4
The Excise and Taxation Department would soon send special teams to Firozepore, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran to probe the alleged fake refunding of VAT being taken by several rice millers in these areas and to search any possible nexus with the culprit rice-miller of Kapurthala who was caught while taking fake VAT refunds. This was stated by assistant excise and taxation commissioner Rajinder Kaur while talking to selective journalists here today.

She said that one of 52 rice millers in the district was nabbed by the department while taking fake VAT refund of Rs 25 lakh and the culprit rice miller would soon be penalised and Rs 75 lakh would be recovered from him.

Answering a question about VAT refunding, Rajinder Kaur said Rs 1.69 crore had been refunded till August 2007, whereas stern instructions had been issued to refund VAT within 60 days of the application and ETO deputed at Kapurthala for VAT refund Harmesh Lal would visit Phagwara twice a week for this purpose to facilitate the traders.

She further disclosed that a reveneue of Rs 84 crore had been collected from VAT in Kapurthala district till now as compared to a collection of Rs 67 crore during the previous year. 

Phagwara, October 4
Sudarth Gupta, a student of Lovely Educational Institution, Chiherru, was allegedly attacked and seriously wounded by his more than 12 armed college mates near Bein Bridge last evening.

He was admitted to a hospital. He told the police that the assailants chased him in two cars and attacked him with sharp-edged weapons.

The police has registered a case under sections 307, 324, 427, 323, 148 and 149 of the IPC against Amarpreet, Karan, Manpreet, Harpreet and seven others, but no arrest has been made so for. — OC

Jalandhar, October 4
A six-day painting exhibition organised by the Prof C.L. Sharma Memorial Trust concluded at Virsa Vihar here on Thursday. Landscapes and portraits painted by veteran artist C.L. Sharma were displayed at the Dr Satya Paul Art Gallery.

The paintings, depicting human figures and scenes of sunset, sunrise, clouds and streams, were made in water medium. Most of the paintings date back to the last years of his life. He died on December 7, 1993. An alumni of the Mayo School of Arts, Lahore, the artist’s unique power in handling colours depicted the effortless blending and emerging of characters like a divine play. A self-portrait of the artist, his wife and grandchildren was also put up at the exhibition. 

Jalandhar, October 4
Doctors of Vardaan Medical Centre here successfully removed a fibroid weighing 2.25 kg from the uterus of a patient without an open surgery.

In a press note issued here, they claimed that this was for the first time in north India that such a critical surgery had been performed, especially given the fact that many other hospitals, including some big names, refused to take the case of the patient who was a 31-year-old lecturer from Ludhiana.

“It was a challenging task for us as we wanted to save her uterus while keeping her ovaries and tubes undamaged because the patient is yet to marry, become a mother and lead a complete life,” said Dr Lakhvinder Singh, who was a member of the 
team of doctors who conducted the four-and-a-half-hour-long laparoscopic surgery. — TNS