Jalandhar, December 5
The local sports lovers today ransacked the stalls of the Punjab overseas immigration, education and job fair, organised by a private firm, Evento India, which were put up at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium here. The three-day-long event, which started here today, drew a lot of flak from the sports enthusiasts.

As the stadium had been booked since November 22, the sports lovers were not able to go to the stadium for their routine exercises, morning and evening walks. The commercial activities began with a week-long Art of Living course, which was followed by “Mauja Hi Mauja” programme by Punjabi singer Mika and then the three-day-long grand job fair. The continuous use of the stadium for commercial purposes irked the city residents, which resulted in an altercation between the two parties on the spot.

And before the event could have been inaugurated, members of Guru Gobind Singh Football Society reached the stadium and started protesting against the event. However, talking to The Tribune, event manager of Evento India Sonam Singh expressed his helplessness and said, “We have been giving advertisements pertaining to the event for the last many days and rather took prior permission from deputy commissioner Ajeet Singh Pannu and JIT chairman Baljeet Singh Neelamahal. The authorities needed to discuss this issue at the initial stage with us.”

President of the society Sukhi Mann, also a keen football player, said, “We have recently filed a case against the commercial use of the stadium. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for December 8. This is the only stadium of the city where people love coming for sports activities. Even the senior citizens also visit this place daily. But the commercial use of the stadium does not solve the very purpose of the stadium.”

To control the situation from becoming serious, the city police, led by SP (city-II) Sarabjeet Singh, visited the venue and spoke to the protesters. Later on both parties held a meeting and brought the issue to an end. However, the members maintained that it was the moral duty of the JIT to look into the matter.

The SHO, division number 6 police station, Sakatar Singh, said, “Both parties reached a compromise and it was decided that being a sports stadium no commercial activity would be conducted in future.” The organisers had put up as many as 35 stalls of Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Delhi and Mumbai parties.

Another patron of the association, Dr S.P.S. Virk, said they have been working hard to maintain the stadium. “By putting up these stalls here the organisers have damaged the stadium. As per the JIT rules no digging should be done in the stadium, whereas the regular commercial use has defaced the stadium. The JIT authorities should look beyond commercial purposes and think about the welfare of the city people.”

Meanwhile, the members also met the JIT chairman, Baljeet Singh Neelamahal, who assured the members that no such commercial activity would be held in future. “We charged Rs 1 lakh from the organisers for this grand event. And now we have decided to revamp the stadium for the welfare of the sports lovers.”

Amritsar, December 5
The owners of the hotel, restaurant and hospitality industry here today strongly opposed the imposition of luxury tax by the Punjab government, which was already reeling under the recessionary trends.

APS Chatha, general secretary of the Hotel and Restaurant Association, talking to the media here today said the government’s decision to levy eight per cent luxury tax on all hotels in the present scenario was indeed very puzzling.

He said the state government must immediately withdraw this tax levy as the survival of the hospitality segments with heavy stakes was already in dire straits.

He said the state had already imposed 12 per cent VAT and along with this new luxury test would cripple the entire hospital industry.

Chatha added that the neighboring states like Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi too have imposed luxury tax but have lower VAT structure of 4 per cent thus making Punjab the most expensive tourist destination.

He said the government has also imposed 10 per cent luxury tax on marriage palaces and banquet halls. He said with the curtailment of international flights from the Amritsar International Airport has further deepened the crisis and added that the economic recession have hit this trade very hard. Surinder Singh, president of the Hotel, Restaurant Welfare Association, Amritsar, said the present state leadership was being misguided by the bureaucrats as the neighboring states have imposed similar tax on the room rent over Rs 2,000 per day while the Punjab has decided to levy on Rs 200 per day.

He said lack of the vision on the part of the taxation department and the faulty industrial policy the fan industry has already become extinct while the textile industry was also on the verge of collapse. He said this tax would have a shattering impact on the entire hospitality and tourism industry.

Jalandhar, December 5
Tightening the noose around corrupt officials, the local wing of the Punjab vigilance bureau arrested an employee of the Nakodar municipal council for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a Nakodar-based resident, here today.

DSP, vigilance, Harpreet Singh Benipal, revealed to The Tribune that Rakesh Chander Suri, a house tax-inspector with the Nakodar civic body, was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from Jaspreet Singh, a resident of Arjun Nagar.

Acting on a complaint of Jaspreet Singh, the bureau team laid a trap and arrested Suri while accepting the gratification money, he added.

Earlier, the complainant had complained to the bureau that the house tax inspector was demanding Rs 15,000 from his father Manjit Singh for no-dues-certificate for their house.

The deal was finally settled for Rs 10,000.

The bureau nabbed Suri when he was accepting the bribe money.

A case under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against him at Jalandhar. 

Kapurthala, December 5
The SAD-BJP government has failed at every front in its two-year regime. Atrocities on Dalits have increased whereas the debt-ridden and landless farmers are forced to commit suicide. Workers of rival parties have fallen prey to political vendetta in the Parkash Singh Badal-lead government in the state, alleged Avtar Singh Karimpuri, the newly-nominated member of the Rajya Sabha and state president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Karimpuri was addressing a gathering as a part of his sankalap rally here today. Coming heavily on the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akalai Dal, Karimpuri alleged that all the political parties have ignored the Dalits and the downtrodden in the last 60 years of independence. He also criticised Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal for spreading family politics.

The economic condition of the poor has worsened while the rich have been minting money and enjoying political patronage in the state in the SAD-BJP regime, he alleged.

Karimpuri also appealed to the public to vote for the contestants fielded by the BSP for the Lok Sabha elections from Punjab. The Punjab BSP chief was also accompanied by party contestants on the occasion.

While addressing the rally, the party candidate from Hoshiarpur parliamentary constituency, Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi, said the industry had faced a severe blow in Punjab during the UPA regime. The worst affected is the labour class which has been facing discrimination and exploitation at the hands of the industrialists.

He claimed that the Badal government has hardly thought of waiving off the loans of the downtrodden while waiving off the loans of farmers. He claimed that Hoshiarpur had completely been ignored by representatives of different political parties in the last couple of decades.

Seeking votes for himself and BSP candidates, Dr Sukhi promised that Rail network would be strengthened if the BSP forms the government at the centre. His priority would be to bring medical institutions to this part of the state besides developing the industrial sector, he said. 

Batala, December 5
Chief of Batala police district, Dr. Naresh Arora, while talking to mediapersons here on Friday, said keeping in view the recent attacks in Mumbai, security has been upped in the Batala police district.

All officers have been briefed in this regard to remain alert and to review security arrangements and important installations and crowded places in their areas.

Dr. Arora further disclosed that one QRT (Quick Reaction Team) has been established and is equipped with modern weapons.

Dr. Arora further said the anti-sabotage team of the district is conducting checks at all crowded places and installations at bus stand, railway stations and crowded markets, regularly. Special nakas have been laid to apprehend the bad elements.

He said surveillance on bad elements and terrorists of the past is being mounted. Special checking of hotels, sarais and other places, is being conducted.

The general public has been appealed to co-operate with the police and to inform about any suspicious article or person. 

Tarn Taran, December 5
An unsavory situation arose here when a IX standard student was punished for wearing a turban on the occasion of the annual function of the local St Francis School.

Jasjit Singh was made to stand for three hours by the teacher of his class. When the parents of the student came to know about the matter, they approached the principal and the management of the school, who allegedly termed the punishment right.

The parents then apprised Surjit Singh, manager of Darbar Sahib, Tarn Taran, about the situation. Surjit, along with head granthi Sukhjinder Singh, reached the school and took up the matter with the authorities of the school. Meanwhile, a large number of residents gathered outside the school demanding action against the teacher in question and the authorities of the school. A police party also reached outside the school to control the mob.

The situation came under control after the principal and management offered an apology to ease the situation, which had become quite tense.