J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Fatal Attraction
Youth pays with life for ‘loving’ friend’s sister
Kartarpur (Jalandhar), September 7
A love affair with his friend’s sister cost a Rehimpur-based youth his life a fortnight ago near here. The fact that the youth had been brutally murdered came to light this afternoon after the parents of the deceased approached some local leaders to get an FIR registered against four friends of their son Malkiat Singh, who later admitted to have hacked him to death.

Official apathy turns PUDA complex into junkyard
Jalandhar, September 7
Apathy on the part of the local administration has turned the PUDA complex into a junk yard. Sheer negligence on the part of the authorities has caused the scrap dealers and junkyard owners to encroach upon the government land right under the nose of the officials who don’t seem to care, even as piles of solid waste litter the area, despite their offices being in the vicinity.

A scrap dealer allegedly set a bitumen container lying in the PUDA complex on fire, resulting in a major damage to trees, in Jalandhar on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Focus on core issues, NGOs told
Nawanshahr, September 7
Deputy commissioner Nilkanth Avhad exhorted the NGOs to streamline their community service activities and concentrate more on the core issues concerning the society here today. He was presiding over the concluding ceremony of the three-day free eye operation camp in which 79 eye operations were performed.

‘Inflation, unemployment posing great threat to country’s unity’
Hoshiarpur, September 7
The rising prices, unemployment, illiteracy and economic backwardness are posing a serious threat to the unity and integration of the country and can create anarchy at any movement. This was stated by national general secretary of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Narinder Kashyap while talking to mediapersons here .

Guru Nanak’s marriage anniversary celebrated
Batala, September 7
Lakhs of people gathered at Batala to celebrate the Guru Parv here today. People from far off places thronged the town to observe the 521st marriage anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji. The Guru’s barat arrived from Sultanpur Lodhi and was made to halt at Gurudwara Dera Sahib Satkartariyan.

Veteran Veer is new Phagwara BJP chief
Phagwara, September 7
Jagdish Veer has been appointed as the president of Phagwara unit of BJP. He has replaced Bhalbhader Sen Duggal, who was elected as Phagwara municipal council chief a few weeks ago.

Bill Protecting Doctors
Cheema’s role hailed
Hoshiarpur, September 7
The state branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday honoured Dr Daljit Cheema, advisor to the Punjab Chief Minister, for his relentless efforts in making the bill protecting doctors and medical infrastructure a reality.

Fatal Attraction
Youth pays with life for ‘loving’ friend’s sister
Bipin Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service

Kartarpur (Jalandhar), September 7
A love affair with his friend’s sister cost a Rehimpur-based youth his life a fortnight ago near here.

The fact that the youth had been brutally murdered came to light this afternoon after the parents of the deceased approached some local leaders to get an FIR registered against four friends of their son Malkiat Singh, who later admitted to have hacked him to death.

According to the police, Malkiat’s friends - Dharminder Singh alias Kato, Rahul, Onkar Chand and Pritpal Singh - came to his residence on August 25 and asked him to accompany them for a jagran at Chakrala village.

The four, instead of going to the jagran, took Malkiat Singh to the fields of Pritpal Singh, located in the outskirts of the village and attacked him with sharp-edged weapons.

They slit his windpipe with a dagger and also assaulted him with an axe on the back of the head leaving him dead on the spot. The police said the four then dug up a pit and dumped the body in the field at midnight.

The suspects allegedly plowed the field early in the morning to destroy the evidence.

Talking to The Tribune, area SHO Harjinder Singh said Dharminder Singh plotted the murder since Malkiat Singh was having an affair with his sister.

The family members of the deceased said the four had returned from the jagran without intimating them on the same night.

Moreover, the four friends had pretended to assist Balbir Singh, father of the deceased, in trying to locate Malkiat in and around the villages. They even accompanied the family members whenever they approached the police and made efforts to get an FIR registered regarding Malkiat’s disappearance, the SHO revealed.

Since the four were not ready to disclose the actual episode, the police smelt a rat and picked them. During questioning, they admitted to have dumped the body of Malkiat in the fields after chopping off his head.

A team of police took the suspects to the site and exhumed the mutilated body from the field in presence of elaqua magistrate, Varinder Bhatia. The police also recovered the weapons used in the crime from the site. A case under sections 302 and 201 of the IPC has been registered against them on the complaint of Balbir Singh.

The four were produced at a local court and were sentenced to two days in police custody.

Official apathy turns PUDA complex into junkyard
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 7
Apathy on the part of the local administration has turned the PUDA complex into a junk yard.

Sheer negligence on the part of the authorities has caused the scrap dealers and junkyard owners to encroach upon the government land right under the nose of the officials who don’t seem to care, even as piles of solid waste litter the area, despite their offices being in the vicinity.

Moreover, the junkyard owners have been polluting the locality with impunity while the authorities seem to have become mute spectators.

The problems aggravate when the junkyard owners burn the rubber goods and other waste thus filling the air with hazardous smoke and other particles. The air and water pollution has been slowly damaging the lungs of the area residents.

In an interesting case, Pradeep Kumar, a junk-dealer, today allegedly set afire a damaged bitumen container, parked on PUDA land opposite Suvidha Centre, just 100 metres from the offices of the additional chief administrator and the deputy commissioner, causing massive air pollution.

Dense clusters of smoke filled the air forcing the residents of the area to shut the doors and windows of their establishments. The high rising flames also damaged telephone cables.

Worst affected were the green trees at the spot. The flames also gutted tree branches. The junk dealer had illegally parked the vehicle, earlier used for carrying bitumen, at the spot nearly a week ago. To extract the iron, he set it afire violating the norms.

The junk dealer had to call the fire brigade as the flames rose beyond control. The junk-dealer’s men had extinguished the flames before the two fire engines reached the spot.

When contacted, additional chief administrator, PUDA, AK Sikka claimed that the case was related to the estate officer (EO). “I have asked the EO to look into the issue,” he added.

Focus on core issues, NGOs told
Our Correspondent

Nawanshahr, September 7
Deputy commissioner Nilkanth Avhad exhorted the NGOs to streamline their community service activities and concentrate more on the core issues concerning the society here today. He was presiding over the concluding ceremony of the three-day free eye operation camp in which 79 eye operations were performed.

"The NGOs should generate separate funds for the community service activities and ensure transparency in their use,” suggested the DC while lauding their contribution in launching a crusade against social evils like female foeticide and drug addiction. The social bodies should concentrate more on providing education to the children belonging to the deprived sections of the society as it would ensure a better human resource development and ultimately help in building a better society, said Avhad while assuring all possible help for developing better infrastructure facilities in the schools being run by veteran social activist Baba Naubat Rai in the slum areas. A philanthropist from New Delhi, Guljit Singh Malhotra, offered to contribute a sum of Rs 5, 000 every year for providing education facility to the poor children on the occasion.

Earlier, the Doaba Sewa Samiti also distributed uniforms, stationery items among 350 children of schools being run by Baba Naubat Rai. An exhibition of handcrafts prepared by the trainees of Sewing School, being run by another social worker Lally Saini, at nearby village Kahma, were also organised. Among others Prajakta Nilkanth, chairperson, district Red Cross Society, Col Chuhar Singh, director, Sainik Vocational Academy, Gurcharan singh Basiala,Tarlochan Singh Kundra, Rattan Kumar Jain, Parvesh Kumar, also addressed the gathering.

‘Inflation, unemployment posing great threat to country’s unity’
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, September 7
The rising prices, unemployment, illiteracy and economic backwardness are posing a serious threat to the unity and integration of the country and can create anarchy at any movement.

This was stated by national general secretary of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Narinder Kashyap while talking to mediapersons here. Holding the Congress and BJP fully responsible for the present state of affairs, Narinder Kashyap bemoaned that more than 80 crore persons in the country were still deprived of “roti, kapra aur makaan” (food, cloth and house).

The Congress and BJP neither tried to formulate affective plans to provide employment to the youths nor took any step to control the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, alleged Narinder Kashyap, adding that both parties should be dethroned.

Referring to the indulgence of youths in intoxicants, he said if the trend was not checked soon it could pose a threat to the internal and external security of the country.

He criticised the Punjab government for not taking any step to control the increase in unemployment.

More than 50 lakh posts meant for SCs in various departments were lying vacant due to non-implementation of the reservation policy.

Guru Nanak’s marriage anniversary celebrated

Batala, September 7
Lakhs of people gathered at Batala to celebrate the Guru Parv here today.

People from far off places thronged the town to observe the 521st marriage anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Dev ji. The Guru’s barat arrived from Sultanpur Lodhi and was made to halt at Gurudwara Dera Sahib Satkartariyan. The barat was lead by panj pyaras and the holy Shri Guru Granth Sahib was carried in an aesthetically decorated palanquin. Thousands of baratis followed the bridegroom chanting holy hymns and shabads.

On arrival of the barat, the relatives of the bride sung ‘sithnis’ and thereafter, traditional welcome was accorded to the barat. The barat passed through the main bazaars of the city and then stayed at Gurudwara Kandh Sahib. After the solemnisation of the marriage, the barat returned with bride Bibi Sulakhni, daughter of Baba Mul Chand Khatri of Batala.

Thousands of people thronged the city from far off places along with their children. ‘Langars’ of sweets, fruits and meals could be seen in every nook and corner of the city.

Decorative lights were displayed throughout the city on the roads as well as outside the houses of the local residents to mark the occasion. Thousands of police personnel were deployed to control and guide the mammoth gathering on the occasion. — OC

Veteran Veer is new Phagwara BJP chief
Tribune News Service

Phagwara, September 7
Jagdish Veer has been appointed as the president of Phagwara unit of BJP. He has replaced Bhalbhader Sen Duggal, who was elected as Phagwara municipal council chief a few weeks ago.

Kapurthala district BJP chief Sham Sunder Aggarwal told The Tribune that Duggal had resigned from his post on Wednesday adhering to the party principle `one man, one post.’ Earlier too, Veer, a veteran, had held the post of Phagwara BJP chief for some time. He is also a former municipal councilor.

The new incumbent said his priority would be to mobilise BJP workers for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Other office-bearers of Phagwara unit would also be announced soon, he added.

Bill Protecting Doctors
Cheema’s role hailed

Hoshiarpur, September 7
The state branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday honoured Dr Daljit Cheema, advisor to the Punjab Chief Minister, for his relentless efforts in making the bill protecting doctors and medical infrastructure a reality.

The ongoing session of the state assembly has passed the Punjab Protection of Medicare Service Persons and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of violence and damage to property) Bill 2008.

Welcoming Dr Cheema, the state president of IMA Dr Amrik Singh said due to the growing number of violent mob attacks on doctors and their clinics, the IMA had been demanding the introduction of aforesaid legislation since long. Now, with its implementation, the doctors, paramedical staff and health institutions in state, would be provided adequate security.

As per the bill, an offence committed against a doctor or a paramedic or a medical institution would now be non-bailable and would be heard by a first class judicial magistrate. — OC