Amritsar, October 9
Bowing to public pressure, the district administration today allowed the Congress and Panchrattan Radha Krishan Temple Committee to celebrate Dusehra festival at the Chheharta grain market thus ending the controversy and averting the possible clash between Congress and BJP workers who were adamant to celebrate the festival on the same ground.

The celebrations passed off peacefully with senior leaders from the communist party in the area also participating in the function. Congress MLA Om Parkash Soni set the effigies on fire.

On the call given by Soni and the temple committee, hundreds of Congress workers and residents of the area gathered at the grain market this morning and erected the effigies of Ravana and his clan besides raising a stage. After getting written permission from the district administration, Soni thanked the people of the area, various organisations and the communist party for their cooperation.

Earlier, the police had demolished the stage erected by the Congress and temple committee, which had enraged the residents and temple committee, who had been inviting Soni as their chief guest for last more than one and half decade. They held a meeting last evening headed by Soni asserting that they would celebrate the festival there even if they were arrested.

After the incident, the CPI, led by Amarjit Singh Ansal, extended support to the temple committee and assured all help to them against the administration which failed to take an independent decision and was working under political pressure.

The administration had neither given permission to the Congress nor to the BJP. However, Congress leader had claimed that they were earlier granted permission by the administration, but later under the political pressure it withdrew permission and pulled down the stage.

Hoshiarpur: Dasehra was celebrated with fervour at Ram Lila ground here today. More than one lakh people, including women and children, converged at the venue to witness the burning of effigies of demon king Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkarana. Beautiful tableaus relating to various events of the life of Lord Rama and colourful display of fireworks were the main attraction of the fair. Vendors selling sweets and other gift items did a brisk business.

Batala: The main function to celebrate Dasehra was arranged by the Ramlila committee at a ground on the Jalandhar road here today. Many big and small effigies of Ravana, Meghnath and Kumbhkarna, prepared by various Ramlila units of the city, were brought here in the morning in parts and assembled and erected at the ground.

An artiste of the Ramlila portraying Ram Chandra shot arrows towards the effigies, which set them on fire. A huge gathering from the city watched the burning of the effigies. The police had made elaborate security arrangement around the ground and in the city. 

Jalandhar, October 9
Factionalism among residents of New Jawahar Nagar today cast a shadow on the religious fervour associated with Dasehra celebrations. Members of the Maa Bhagwati Sewa Sangh alleged that activists of the New Jawahar Nagar Welfare Society partially burnt the effigies of the demons around 2 am today.

The society members, however, outrightly denied the allegation, saying that they could not stoop to that level. The sangh members staged a dharna for more than two hours in the park where the celebrations were scheduled.

The two groups clashed over the issue of the selection of the park as the venue. The society members rued that it could destroy plantation, besides creating air and noise pollution.

The sangh, led by Rajinder Sehgal, was, however, adamant as he said all preventive measures were being taken to ensure the safety of the plantation and residents around. The matter was even taken to the police station division number 6. A compromise was reached after the society members, led by president Ravinder Laroiya, gave it in writing that they would dissolve their body.

Laroiya said, “Our idea was environment protection and we would continue to do that even after dissolution of the society.” Meanwhile, celebrations of the festival went on peacefully in the evening as Sehgal said two more effigies of demons were brought for the purpose.

Amritsar, October 9
Birth anniversary of fourth Sikh master Guru Ram Dass was celebrated with religious fervor here today. Thousands of devotees paid their obeisance at the Golden Temple and took a holy dip in the sarovar. They also listened to Gurbani.

In the morning, Prabhat pheris from various historic gurdwaras, led by Panj Pyaras, reached the main entrance of the temple where they were welcomed by the SGPC  management.

The whole complex of Darbar Sahib was illuminated and devotees were seen enjoying the colourful fireworks. Religious devans were also organised at Dewan Hall Gurdwara Manji Sahib in which renowned ragis performed. Langar were also organised at various places in the city to mark the  occasion. — OC

Jalandhar, October 9
After being held guilty in a land fraud, Adampur tehsildar and a patwari have been placed under suspension.

While Jalandhar divisional commissioner SR Laddhar has issued directions for placing tehsildarAmarjit Singh under suspension with immediate affect, deputy commissioner has ordered suspension of patwari Surinder Kumar.

Taking a serious note of Adampur resident’s complaint, in which he had alleged that Amarjit Singh in connivance with certain other revenue officers had registered a prime chunk land on much low price than the government rates, Laddhar had marked an inquiry into the matter.

During investigation it was found that the tehsildar had registered the prime land, on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway, at the rate of Rs 15 lakh per acre, far below than the government price.

Moreover, the location of the said land was also not shown correct. The investigation has also brought the role of certain deed writers and other employees of the revenue department under scanner.

Jalandhar, October 9
The district police claims to have foiled a bid for a bank robbery and murder by arresting four persons near the inter-state bus terminus, late last night.

The police also recovered four pistols including three country-made pistols, certain ammunition and a mobile phone from their possession.

The police nabbed the four persons - Swarup Singh of Kangna village, Baljinder Singh alias Bablu and Rinku, both from Dhandowal and Surinder alias Chhinda of Mehtabgarh - while traveling in an Indica Car.

According to the police, they were nabbed at a naka on a tip off.

On being questioned, Swarup Singh revealed that they had been planning to rob a bank in Dhandowal village and to kill Chhinda’s father at his native village.

For getting his father killed, Chhinda was to direct the gang about the entry to his house, the police claimed.

Cases for attempt to murder and hatching conspiracies to rob a bank and have been registered against them at police station division no 6.

The police also expect that the persons might make some startling revelations. 

Phagwara, October 9
Reminding former CM and Punjab Congress election in charge Captain Amarinder Singh that all cases against him, whether of Amritsar or Ludhiana land scams, were registered on the complaints of Congress activists, SAD general secretary and former minister Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra stated that Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government did not believe in indulging in witch-hunting.

Talking to mediapersons here last evening, Chandumajra reiterated that Akalis had not lodged a single complaint against Amarinder. Chandumajra was here to attend the marriage of an NRI’s daughter.

Chandumajra asserted that while Badal’s agenda was overall development of the state, whereas Amarinder had pursued a one-point agenda of witch-hunting against Akalis, especially Badals, during his regime. Commenting upon Amarinder Singh’s utterances during his first public appearance on Tuesday at the Chandigarh Press Club after his recent expulsion from the Punjab assembly and return from foreign tour, Chandumajra asserted that the Amarinder’s nervousness and tantrums, as the wording of his utterances and statements showed, clearly indicated that the doors of power for were going to be permanently shut for the Congress in Punjab.

Hoshiarpur, October 9
The District Consumer Forum, headed by president P.D. Goel, directed Vipul Hoom, senior business manager of Living Media India Limited and India Today group of publishers, both of New Delhi, to send a gray Norman hat worth Rs 900, magazines for the months of March, May and June, 2007, and to pay Rs 3,100 on account of unfair trade practice along with litigation expenses of Rs 1,000 to complainant Maninderpal Singh, a local resident, within one month.

Maninderpal Singh had filed a complaint against Hoom and the companies on the ground that the items promised to him as a subscriber of the Golf Digest magazine had not been delivered to him as mentioned in the subscription offer of the magazine published by India Today group of publishers.

As per the subscription offer issued by Vipul Hoom, if a subscriber applied for a three-year subscription worth Rs 2,700 of the magazine, he was supposed to be supplied with a gray Norman hat, gray Norman premium polo, six top flite XL straight gold balls, a hono ball pouch, tees, hono bell markers and a pitch mark repair tool free of cost.

Allured by the advertisement, Maninderpal Singh sent a cheque for Rs 2,710 (subscription GD11543506). The manager of Living Media India Limited vide letter dated February 2, 2007, sent information regarding the clearance of the cheque. He received all the gifts except the gray Norman hat worth Rs 900 and magazines for the months of March, May and June, 2007.

The consumer forum held that the India Today group had acknowledged the remittance of Rs 2,710 through a cheque (No 174540) towards subscription charges for one copy of Gold Digest India, but failed to send the gray Norman hat and magazines for the said months. It amounted to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, further held the forum.

Nawanshahr, October 9
Accusing the local railway authorities of adopting adamant attitude and causing inconvenience to passengers, a number of railway commuters staged a demonstration and raised slogans at the railway station here yesterday. They also put a complaint in the complaint book in this regard.

“Though the departure time of the first train from Nawanshahr to Jalandhar is 6.35 am, at least three days in a week, the train is delayed by about 45 minutes,” alleged commuters, adding that due to it they got late to their offices. Moreover, the passengers, who had to board some other trains from Phagwara or Jalandhar, also had to face inconvenience and they sometimes miss their trains.

The rail authorities let goods train to come on the track adjoining platform for loading and the passenger train is given another track without platform. Due to it, the passengers also have to face inconvenience in boarding the train, alleged the commuters, accusing the station master of showing “arrogance” and issuing threats of calling the railway police in response to their complaint with regard to delaying of the train.

Station master Sukhdev Kainth, when contacted, while terming the allegations as baseless, said he had been following the rules of the railway department. — OC