Jalandhar, May 5
Mystery shrouds disappearance of three-and-a-half-year-old girl, Muskan, from her house in Talwandi Bhairo village, falling under Nakodar police station.

According to the girl’s family, the incident took place on May 2 and they lodged a complaint with the police the very same day. However, the cops are yet to trace the whereabouts of the girl, an LKG student.

Showing her picture, Muskan’s grand father Bachan Singh told The Tribune that the girl had gone outside her house for playing at around 6 pm on May 2. A boy of the same village is said to have seen some persons taking Muskan with them, he added.

“When she did not return, we enquired about her from other children, but to no avail. We started our search and also went to her school building,” further said Bachan, adding that announcements were also made from two gurdwaras of the village. Subsequently, the family informed the cops who registered a cxase under sections 363, 363 A and 366 of IPC.

Bachan Singh said he suspects hand of some tantrik in the disappearance of his granddaughter.

“We have rounded up some suspected persons in the case,” informed SHO Satinder Chadda.

Meanwhile, the state president of Pendu Mazdoor Union Tarsem Peter said if the police fails to trace the girl, they would be left with no other option but to protest to exert pressure on the cops.

Jalandhar, May 5
The police arrested four persons, including a former militant and a woman, with fake currency notes worth Rs 7.25 lakh. The accused identified as Payal Bhatia of Ludhiana, Sukhchain Singh and Paramjit Singh, both of Tiggowal village, were arrested on Sunday at Dussehra ground in Jalandhar Cantt after a tip off.

Talking to mediapersons, SSP Arpit Shukla said their accomplice Balwinder Singh managed to escape yesterday. However, he was caught at PAP Chowk today.

The SSP said Sukhchain was the kingpin and had links with Pakistan-based Khalistan Commando Force chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar. He was released from jail in 2006 and had more than ten cases, including bomb blasts and seizer of RDX, lodged against him. Besides, Payal Bhatia was earlier booked under NDPS Act and lodged in Ludhiana jail, he added.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that they got the consignment of fake currency notes from Lahore-based Bashir. An FIR has been registered.

Jalandhar, May 5
The construction of the Domoria overbridge is likely to remain stalled for another year or two as the local bodies department of the state has already marked an inquiry into its engineering defects and inflated budget and there is every chance of the matter being handed over to the vigilance department.

Sources in the corporation have revealed that wrong engineering leading to technical faults is the main reason behind the problem.

They said gap left for the construction of span of the bridge was somewhat more longer than what had been shown in the drawings.

They added that the problem had assumed serious proportions since the smaller span would have been constructed with concrete material but a longer span would have to be constructed only using steel material proving to be a costly affair.

The officials revealed that while the earlier cost of construction of the span was pegged at Rs 80 lakh, it had now been put to a whopping Rs 7.5 crore, nearly 10 times more. “What really was disturbing was that the cost of the steel structures to be used for span was being quoted as Rs 140 per kg at the time when steel price was Rs 33 per kg, putting the cost of labour involved in the structure at Rs 107 per kg. Some senior functionaries raised serious objections before the department and the matter opened up,” the insiders revealed.

“That is why, now there is all this hullabaloo over the span to be constructed by the railways. The corporation, deviating from the standard procedure, had earlier sought a permission to construct the span itself but now it had backtracked.

Clearly the contractors, some officials and politicians had formed a nexus for siphoning off the funds,” they revealed, adding that principal secretary, local government, D.S. Bains, was investigating into the matter.

Mayor Rakesh Rathour said he, too, had felt that there was something wrong in the project and he had taken his stand against it.

Hoshiarpur, May 5
Taking a note of the 
news item published in The Tribune on April 27, the higher telecom authorities have directed the local telegraph office to start its operations on holidays too.

The local telegraph office was opened yesterday for the first time after six months and according to sources 35 telegrams were sent and received.

A leader of the telecom services Onkar Singh Rana said opening telegraph office on the holidays was very important keeping public interest in mind.

Hoshiarpur, May 5
The Hoshiarpur Institute of Management and Technology (HIMT) would now provide a three years course in Master of Computer Application (MCA). The course has been approved by All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the department of technical education and industrial training, Punjab. 

This was revealed by Maa Chintpurni Educational group chairman Vikram Sharma here on Sunday. He said they were planning to provide more professional courses at 
the institute.

Society director Kunal Sharma said the group plans to start MBA (hospital management) and MBA (software engineering) from the next academic session. — OC

Hoshiarpur, May 5
The sweet meat shop owners of the town went on an indefinite strike today to protest against the alleged callous attitude of the dairy owners.

They were protesting against the increased milk prices from Rs 18.50 per litre to Rs 22 per litre by the dairy owners and ban imposed by the deputy commissioner to prepare sweets made of milk.

City Halwai Union (CHU) general secretary Kewal Krishan Gautam said the decision for the indefinite strike was taken in an emergent meeting on Sunday night.

He said the deputy commissioner had convened a joint meeting of sweet meat shop owners and dairy owners recently. He persuaded both the unions to sell milk at Rs 20.50 per litre.

Gautam said, “We agreed to the condition provided dairy owners supply us milk at the rate of Rs 19 per litre.” However, dairy owners did not agree and demanded the sale of milk at Rs 22 per litre.

He said CHU members tried to convince the DC to lift ban from the preparation of sweets made of milk. “You won’t find any such ban in any district of Punjab, then why we,” he said, adding that their struggle would continue till their demands were accepted.

Hoshiarpur, May 5
Providing relief to a woman of Phuglana village, the district consumer forum has directed Aeroflot Tollstoy House, New Delhi, to refund Rs 22,500 along with litigation expenses to the former.

In her complaint against Aeroflot Tollstoy House, World Express, Jalandhar, and a local Kanadian Travel, Krishna Devi said she purchased a ticket for Belgium on July 16, 2005 and paid Rs 25,000 for it. However, she failed to get a visa from the Belgium embassy.

So she asked the Kanadian Travel to cancel her ticket and refund the amount after deducting the processing charges.

The Aeroflot Tollstoy and World Express took a plea that the ticket was not refundable.

The forum observed that the word non-refundable was not printed on the air ticket. Besides, the stands taken by Aeroflot Tollstoy House and World Express in regard to refund were different and contradictory.

The forum held that there was deficiency of services on the part of Aeroflot and it followed unfair trade practices. — OC

Batala, May 5
A first-timer to the city would be accorded a peculiar welcome with heaps of garbage, swarms of mosquitoes and flies waiting to greet him.

Sites such as the backside of Dr DR Bhalla, DAV Centenary Public School, SL Bawa, DAV College, RD Khosla, Gandhi Memorial School and Government Primary School, Mohalla Gandhinagar, are thronged with swarms of mosquitoes and flies which are a cause of great discomfort to the commuters in these areas.

Despite the fact that the situation has been brought to the notice of authorities, no spray or fumigation has been carried out anywhere in the city.

With the climate conducive for vector-born diseases, it is high time that health authorities wake up from their slumber and take notice. — OC

Nawanshahr, May 5
Punjab humbled Rajasthan 26-14 and Kerela thrashed Tamil Nadu 22-16 in the league matches of 25th sub-junior boys and 10th mini girls National Handball Championship currently underway at the Kirpal Sagar Academy here in the district.

The matches are being played in flood lights.

The event was inaugurated by the Local Bodies, Industries & Commerce Minister, Manoranjan Kalia, at a spectacular ceremony at Kirpal Sagar Academy on Friday evening.

The students of Kirpal Sagar Academy presented a "horse riding show" on the occasion. As many as 24 teams in boys section and 16 in girls section, from different states are participating in the tournament which is being organised under the aegis of Punjab Handball Association. S.S. Channi, principal secretary, Industries & Commerce, Punjab cum president of the Punjab Handball Association, S.M. Bali and secretary, Handball Federation of India, Surinder Kaur were present. — OC