The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Army to lend a hand in cleaning of 3 Punjab rivers P.K. Jaiswar Amritsar, September 2 The army has pledged logistic support for cleaning three major rivers of the state - Sutlej, Beas and Ravi - which are presently in spate. This was revealed by Deputy General Officer Commanding Brig R.J.S. Dhillon during the core committee meeting of the Prevention of Attrition to Assets in Nature Initiative (PAANI) held late last evening here. The committee discussed various initiatives to be taken in the second phase of the initiative. Ravi Singh, CEO, WWF, India, Manish Kumar, Jagdip Singh, DFO, Dr Anish Dua, aquatic biologist, various NGOs and industrialists attended the meeting. Brig Dhillon said the army would be ready for the riverine surveys by the third week of the month so that proper steps could be taken for saving the ecology and animal life of the rivers in Punjab. He said the army was always sensitive to the environment and it was already establishing a Rs 20 crore sewage treatment plant for the Amritsar cantonment area, which would be operational within the next 15 months. Gunbir Singh, chairman, WWF, Punjab, while welcoming the support offered by the army to PAANI, said a number of NGOs had extended their support to the cause. Talking to this correspondent, he said in the first phase of the project (PAANI), information was gathered about the various reasons for pollution in the three rivers. He said basically there were three major reasons, including untreated sewage waste and industrial waste being dumped into the rivers. He said agricultural chemicals were also getting mixed into river waters through small canals. Ravi Singh, secretary-general, WWF, India, appreciated the initiative taken by Punjab and showed his satisfaction on the progress of the programme. He pointed out that teachers from Punjab could be imparted training in special workshops by the WWF to sensitise the younger generation to ecological sustainability and climate change. Gunbir Singh said the WWF team found the dolphins discovered in Harike in best health and sharing the photographs of otters said otters were also spotted at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas. He said although otters existed in the Harike wetland but it was never documented. He said there were unconfirmed presence of crocodiles in Ravi basin and elsewhere. A quick survey of Harike to discover its potential was done by the WWF team with officials of the wildlife and forest department. Harike, an International Ramsar site, is an 86 km long wetland, whereas the Bharatpur bird sanctuary is only 25 km long. The state of the sanctuary is still good and apart from the dolphins, there are many more species which can be explored during the surveys planned. He said the Punjab government had extended much assistance to the conservation initiative through awareness advertisements in the media last month asking industry and municipalities alike to work towards curbing pollution.
	22 years on, ‘taxed’ NRI fights for house possession Bipin Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 2 The state runs rife with rosy stories of scores of NRIs who were accorded a warm welcome by the people and the ‘sarkar’ when after long stints abroad, they looked homewards for investment. But things have not been as sweet and smooth for Gurdial Singh, an England-based NRI, who has been rushing from pillar to post to get his house vacated by the excise and taxation department, Punjab, for the past 22 years. After the eviction notice by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the department allegedly occupied a portion of his house (705, Model Town) forcibly after vacating the other portion. Narrating his woes, Gurdial Singh claimed that the house was rented out to the Punjab rehabilitation department which further sub-let a portion of the house to the excise and taxation department. He claimed that since the rehabilitation authorities did not pay him the rent for a long time, he was forced to approach the court. After a verdict from the court, the rehabilitation department shifted from the house but the excise and taxation department remained there. Gurdial Singh claimed that to get possession of the portion, under the possession of the excise and taxation department, he had to fight another court case. Considering the gravity of the case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the department to vacate the house by May 10, 2008. Gurdial Singh alleged that on the directions of the high court, the excise and taxation department vacated a portion of the house but occupied the other portion after breaking open the locks and disposing the household goods. To get the illegal possession removed, Gurdial Singh claimed that he had approached Punjab Chief Minister and deputy commissioner, excise and taxation commissioner, Jalandhar, A. Venuprasad, many times but faced disappointment each time. When contacted, A Venuprasad said the high court directions had been adhered to. He said Kanwaljit Singh, joint director (investigations), excise and taxation, posted at Jalandhar, was aware of the actual position of the case. Kanwaljit Singh, however, claimed that the man was staking false claims to the portion of the house under their possession. “The man does not possess even a single document showing his ownership on the portion of the house. If he provides us with the same, we will move out,” claimed Kanwaljit Singh.
	School Land Dispute Political parties play the blame game Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 2 The ongoing dispute over the land outside the Government Elementary School for Boys, Garha Road, has taken a political colour with a BJP councillor and media in charge of the District Congress Sewa Dal becoming parties to it. The residents of the area, supported by the councillor, today put up the matter before the deputy commissioner in the sangat darshan programme and submitted a memorandum “for saving the school land from getting grabbed”. Congress media in charge Jagdish Mitter Bhardwaj, on the other hand, released a press note blaming BJP councillor Shiv Dyal Chugh “for creating an unnecessary furore over the matter”. The matter pertains to a 30-year old dispute over a 10 kanal and 2 marla land outside the present wall of the school on either side of the gate. The provocation came after some persons started getting shops constructed there. Municipal corporation joint commissioner Rahul Gupta had even got video recording done at the site. Since the land prices in the area have soared up to Rs 25 lakh a marla in the past six years, the issue has assumed more importance. The group supported by Chugh claims that in 1975 when the land fell under the jurisdiction of the gram panchayat, a resolution was passed and the land was handed over to the education department. The representatives, in their memorandum, have also demanded the cancellation of the building plan by the MC authorities. Bhardwaj, however, pointed out that those constructing the shops were in possession of the mutation of their portions of land. Rahul Gupta said he got the construction of the shops stopped today. “I have asked the revenue officials to furnish all the details. We will take the next step as per their report,” he said.
	Suspected diarrhoea cases reported Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 2 Four suspected cases of diarrhoea were reported in Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Nagar locality, here today. According to the residents of the area, Satya Devi, Malti, Raj Sahay and Guddi complained of vomiting and dysentery and were admitted to private hospitals. Sucha Singh, president of Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Nagar welfare society, claimed that contaminated water was being supplied in the area for the last one month. “The area residents have no choice but to consume the foul water,” he said. Jalandhar civil surgeon SS Walia denied to have received any report regarding the outbreak of diarrhoea in the area. “A team will be sent to Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Nagar to verify facts,” he added.
	Dharna outside Kapurthala SSP’s office Cop inaction alleged in murder bid case Dharmendra Joshi Tribune News Service Kapurthala, September 2 Several local leaders and municipal councillors from all political parties, including the ruling SAD-BJP alliance, staged a dharna outside SSP Rakesh Agarwal’s house today. The protesters alleged that the police was not arresting Chandigarh-based in-laws of a newly married woman allegedly at the behest of a Punjab cabinet minister. An attempt to murder case was registered with city police on August 29 against in-laws of Harleen Kaur, whose parents reside in Sarabjeet Nagar, Kapurthala. Harleen’s father Inderjeet Singh, alias Jugnu, along with several residents of Sarabjeet Nagar were among the protesters. They were demanding that the SSP should come out to listen to their grievances. The dharna was lifted when DSP Sukdhev Singh Chinna informed the protesters that the SSP would meet them in the civil rest house. The agitators kept on waiting for Rakesh Agarwal there for about an hour but he did not turn up. At this, they again started the protest outside his house. A joint action committee has been formed to decide further course of action. Meanwhile, Harleen’s father Inderjeet Singh told mediapersons that the police was putting pressure on him to reach a compromise with the accused in the case at the behest of information and public relations minister Bikram Singh Majithia. Majithia is a friend of his son-in-law Ravi Preet Sidhu, he added. Inderjeet Singh alleged that a police party from Kapurthala raided the house of his daughter’s in-laws in Chandigarh on August 30, but it intentionally returned without arresting the accused on receiving a phone call from the minister. Harleen’s father said the SSP called him on Saturday at his residence and asked him to reach a compromise with the accused. While Majithia could not be contacted despite repeated attempts, SSP Rakesh Agarwal denied the allegation of any pressure from the minister to not to arrest the accused in the case. Further denying the allegations of asking Inderjeet to reach a compromise with the accused, Agarwal said the matter was being investigated after the registration of the FIR on the basis of a typed complaint submitted by Harleen Kaur. SSP said Harleen’s in-laws were called in Kapurthala but Harleen and his father refused to face them as the police wanted to verify some facts through questioning in front of both parties. Agarwal said both parties were again called on Wednesday as part of the investigation to verify the allegations made in the FIR. Action would be taken in the case as per law after verifying allegations, he added. To a query, he said he preferred not to meet the protesters as they staged the dharna just to create a scene after calling mediapersons there. Some persons met them on Monday evening and he was ready to meet their representatives at office but they were adamant to meet him in public, he added. An FIR under various sections, including 307, 498-A, 406 and 34, of the IPC was lodged on Harleen’s complaint. Harleen’s husband Ravi Preet Sidhu, his father Budh Singh Sidhu, his mother Harpreet Kaur Sidhu and his sister Sawer Kaur Sidhu were named in the FIR. In her complaint, Harleen alleged that her husband and in-laws had been asking her to bring more dowry from her parents and beating her for the same since her marriage on March 1. Harleen Kaur alleged that her in-laws mercilessly beat her on Thursday. She somehow managed to reach her parents’ house in Kapurthala after that.
	In-laws throw woman out of house, court says take her back Dharmendra Joshi Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 2 In a significant decision, a Jalandhar court provided relief to an NRI’s wife who had been allegedly expelled by her in-laws from their house in Tajpur village, falling under Lambra police station. The court directed the woman’s in-laws to provide her shelter by giving her a room in the house. In her application filed under section 12 of the Domestic Violence Act 2005, the petitioner Naresh Rani alleged that she was thrown out of the house by her father-in-law Sardhu Ram, his wife Mindo, their elder son and sarpanch of Tajpur village Ashok Kumar and his wife Madhu on May 18 this year. She was also allegedly tortured. After hearing the two sides, judicial magistrate first class (JMIC) Barjinder Pal Singh observed that it was the duty of the in-laws to take care of the woman. The respondents much provide shelter to Rani, he said in his four-page judgment, adding that the petitioner is entitled for a room in her in-laws’ house. The JMIC also directed the family to provide ‘Istri Dhan’ to the woman and asked the SHO concerned of Lambra police station to submit a report by September 9 after ensuring compliance of the order. Talking to The Tribune, the petitioner’s advocate said Naresh Rani was married to Hussan Lal on December 8, four years ago. Soon after their marriage, her husband and her in-laws started ill-treating and torturing her for more dowry.
	Man held for mother’s murder Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 2 The district police has arrested a Rahmanpur village resident on charges of murdering his mother. The accused has been identified as Lal Chand. The woman Lakhi was found murdered under mysterious circumstances at her house on July 17. Talking to the mediapersons, SSP Jalandhar PK Rai said during investigations police got some clues which indicated Lal’s involvement in the murder. When he was grilled, he confessed to his crime, said the SSP, adding that the accused was frustrated over Lakhi’s refusal to solmenise his marriage. “He first strangled his mother and then ransacked the house to confuse the cops before lodging a complaint with the Sadar police.” A case has been registered.