J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Autorickshaw-canter collision leaves 5 dead
Nawanshahr, April 19
Five persons were killed and six others injured in a severe head-on collision between a canter and autorickshaw near Karimpur Chahwala village on the Garhshanker-Anandpur Sahib main road here today.

A visionary fight back
Nawanshahr, April 19
All his hopes seemed dashed after an accident nearly 26 years ago left this tyre-puncture repair guy blind. But with the support of his family and friends, Hardev Singh Saini (46) of Kangna Bet in Balachaur subdivision here is not only running his finance and property business successfully but has also made a mark in the political arena.

Road spells trouble for 15 villages
Tarn Taran, April 19
Residents of Kullaha, Maniala, Kacha Pucca and adjoining 12 more villages have seen four Lok Sabha and state assembly elections during the last eight years but their demand for the repair of the link road passing through these villages has never been met.

On the cover: Poll aspirant says deliberate move, Sidhu on denial mode
Amritsar, April 19
Surinder Singh, who wished to contest from the Amritsar Lok Sabha segment as a candidate of the Democratic Congress Party, alleged that SAD-BJP candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu violated the model code of conduct by getting his photograph printed on the cover page of a general knowledge book of a private school.

Cong forms legal cell
Gurdaspur, April 19
A 16-member official Congress election campaign legal cell has been formed for this constituency to provide free legal aid to Congress workers and supporters during the ensuing parliamentary elections.

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Army Connection
Woman nabbed with communication devices
Jalandhar, April 19
The Railway Police today nabbed a Gurdaspur-based woman who was carrying a bag full of certain communication devices from the local railway station.

Rich tributes to Parwana
Amritsar, April 19
Rich tributes were paid to noted Punjabi poet and secretary “Sahit Vichat Kendra”, Gurbachan Singh Parwana at his bhog ceremony, held at Shaheed Udham Singh Samark, here today. Parwana had died after battling prolonged cancer.

500 g opium seized, 2 held
Amritsar, April 19
Acting on a tip off, the district police arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 500 gram opium from their possession. The accused were identified as Gurneet Singh, alias Sonu, of Sarwarpura and Satnam Singh, alias Satta, of Jamalpur village, Tarn Taran, at present residing at SUS Nagar here.

Autorickshaw-canter collision leaves 5 dead
Parmod Bharti

Nawanshahr, April 19
Five persons were killed and six others injured in a severe head-on collision between a canter and autorickshaw near Karimpur Chahwala village on the Garhshanker-Anandpur Sahib main road here today.

As per the available information, as many as 11 persons, most of them migrant labourers working in Bonn Bread Factory in Ludhiana, were returning in an auto-rickshaw after paying obeisance at Naina Devi shrine.

When they reached near Karimpur Chahwala village at about 12.30 pm, a canter coming from the opposite direction, reportedly trying to overtake, collided with the auto-rickshaw.

In the collision, three persons, identified as Gurdip Singh of village Bhambian Kalan (Ludhiana), Kismat Aran and Surjit, working in Bonn factory, Ludhiana, died on the spot while another person identified as Sadanand died on the way to Saroya hospital.

The fifth victim is yet to be identified. The injured - Rajiv Kumar, Shiv Charan, Vishnu, Krishna, Ram Dalal, Amit Kumar - were brought to civil hospital, Saroya.

Out of them, Rajiv Kumar and Shiv Charan were referred to civil hospital, Nawanshahr. Amit Kumar has narrowly escaped. The police has arrested Gurcharan Singh resident of Bajigar Gillan (Batala) under section 304 of the IPC, informed SHO Pojewal Satwant Singh.

Deputy Commissioner Gurkirat Kirpal Singh has announced an ex gratia amount of Rs 1 lakh each for the next of the kin of deceased.

A visionary fight back
Deepkamal Kaur/TNS

Nawanshahr, April 19
All his hopes seemed dashed after an accident nearly 26 years ago left this tyre-puncture repair guy blind. But with the support of his family and friends, Hardev Singh Saini (46) of Kangna Bet in Balachaur subdivision here is not only running his finance and property business successfully but has also made a mark in the political arena.

Saini’s effective coordination skills, confidence, team spirit and leadership qualities helped him overcome his visual handicap as he managed to win the panchayat samiti poll last year while his wife was unanimously taken as the sarpanch of Kangna Bet village. Saini first started delving into the political matters of the village after he managed to amicably solve a major rift between two groups around the year 2002.

“The following year everyone insisted that I should contest the sarpanch election. Since the seat got reserved for a woman, I urged my wife to contest. During the subsequent term last year, the village got her unanimously re-elected while I fought the samiti poll and won,” he said.

Saini has managed to earn the goodwill and strike a rapport with the people by giving them personal hearing at his office set up in his house. From getting certificates for the handicapped, helping them avail monthly allowances, getting old-age pension for the elderly, providing conveyance to the ill for reaching out to doctors, helping the poor parents marry off their daughters and helping them get alimony in case of a conflict, Saini manages it all by using his resources, making calls and delegating duties to his dedicated workers.

He has also managed to win over the voters by raising his voice on major issues confronting the area such as construction of roads and erratic power supply.

He also helped the government high school in the village come up with 14 additional rooms. With the financial aid from his two NRI brothers, he also claimed to have got solar lights worth Rs 1.56 lakh installed in the village, besides contributing Rs 60,000 for the cremation ground and Rs 45,000 for the school building.

Road spells trouble for 15 villages
Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, April 19
Residents of Kullaha, Maniala, Kacha Pucca and adjoining 12 more villages have seen four Lok Sabha and state assembly elections during the last eight years but their demand for the repair of the link road passing through these villages has never been met.

An about nine-kilometer-long stretch of the link road, which connects Patti to the Khemkaran-Harike Road, via Kulla-Maniala, has virtually turned into a killer stretch.

‘Two years back, when the condition of the road went from bad to worse and the residents found it extremely tough to travel on it, they formed a Road Repair Sangharsh Committee and initiated an agitation.

The committee organised an overnight protest in front of the office of SDM Patti and submitted a memorandum. They warned that in case the road was not repaired, they would not allow leaders of any political party to enter their village.

To pacify the people, the administration assured to construct a new road. The inauguration was held on March 2008. A notice board installed by PWD (B and R) on the road mentioned that the road would be constructed with the assistance of NABARD at a cost of Rs 2.67 crore and the work would be completed within four months.

However, the road was left incomplete after laying stones and soil six months ago.

Residents rue that their living conditions had deteriorated due to the consistent passage of vehicles leaving behind clouds of dust which exposed them to several diseases.

Last month, two motorcyclists were killed in an accident and the incomplete road is entirely to blame for that. Daljit Singh, convener of the road repair committee, has demanded early completion of the repair of the road or else they would be forced to launch protest against the ruling government.

On the cover: Poll aspirant says deliberate move, Sidhu on denial mode
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 19
Surinder Singh, who wished to contest from the Amritsar Lok Sabha segment as a candidate of the Democratic Congress Party, alleged that SAD-BJP candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu violated the model code of conduct by getting his photograph printed on the cover page of a general knowledge book of a private school.

He made the allegation in a complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner through district the Election Office here today. He said the private school, situated in this Lok Sabha constituency, while giving admission, handed over a set of books to all its students on making the requisite payment.

When contacted, Navjot Singh Sidhu said he had not told any school to publish his photograph on its books. He added that he did not need such publicity as he had already received enough media attention in the capacity of a former international cricketer and expert commentator even before being a politician.

Deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer Bhagwant Singh said the department would investigate to ascertain the truth. He said violation of code of conduct would be penalised as per law.

However, Surinder claimed that, after the announcement of Lok Sabha election by the Election Commission of India, the school authority, in alleged connivance with the Bhartiya Janta Party and its candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu, circulated another book priced at Rs 75 among the students. Besides, Sidhu’s photograph had also appeared on page 58 of this book.

He claimed that teaching of the book in the school was a clear cut violation of the code of conduct, relevant laws and rules and added that as per the information gleaned by him, the above mentioned book had never been taught in the school earlier.

Cong forms legal cell
Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, April 19
A 16-member official Congress election campaign legal cell has been formed for this constituency to provide free legal aid to Congress workers and supporters during the ensuing parliamentary elections.

Harpreet Sandhu, member, legal cell PPCC and former Additional Advocate General, Punjab, announced this at the District Bar Association here.

He said as per the letter issued by Nasib Singh Gill, chairman, Panel of Advocates, Punjab Pradesh Congress Campaign Committee, the following advocates have been appointed for the Punjab Congress Election Campaign Planning and Implementation Legal Cell for this parliamentary constituency (which also includes Batala and Pathankot) - Harpreet Sandhu, Himmat Singh Shergill, Ashwani Puri, Baltej Singh Saroya, Sarbans Aujla, Rajinder Kumar Mahajan, Amardeep Shergill, Rajneesh Kaushal, Vinod Harchand, Naresh Thakur, Ajit Pal Singh and Sudesh Gupta (Batala), Amit Verma and Naval Gill (Pathankot).

Sandhu said the advocates were asked to send the daily progress report of the election campaign to Rajeshwar Thakur who has been authorised in this regard.

Army Connection
Woman nabbed with communication devices
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 19
The Railway Police today nabbed a Gurdaspur-based woman who was carrying a bag full of certain communication devices from the local railway station.

A resident of Rangar-Nangal, in Gurdaspur district, Seema landed in police net in a routine checking at platform no. 1.

Talking to The Tribune, SHO of the railway police Dharminder Kalyan revealed that Seema was coming from Ludhiana with an army bag. Suspecting something unusual, the cops stopped her and searched the bag.

The bag contained six wireless sets, six batteries, two chargers, six antennas, an Army dress, a PAN card, an ATM card, a nameplate (Sukhwinder Singh) besides some other documents.

During questioning, the SHO said the woman revealed that someone had stolen her belongings in the train and she stole the bag of an Army man travelling in the same train.

Meanwhile, a case under sections 379 and 411 of the IPC has been registered against her.

Rich tributes to Parwana

Amritsar, April 19
Rich tributes were paid to noted Punjabi poet and secretary “Sahit Vichat Kendra”, Gurbachan Singh Parwana at his bhog ceremony, held at Shaheed Udham Singh Samark, here today. Parwana had died after battling prolonged cancer.

Author of “Peeran Jaag Payian”, Parwana, who used to make Punjabi Juttis in the traditional Mochi Bazaar near Golden the Temple, was rendered jobless when the traditional bazaar was demolished to complete the “Gallaira Yojna”.

Despite best efforts made by the family members, neither the state government nor the district administration paid any attention to bear the medical expenses of the poet till his death. — TNS

500 g opium seized, 2 held

Amritsar, April 19
Acting on a tip off, the district police arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 500 gram opium from their possession. The accused were identified as Gurneet Singh, alias Sonu, of Sarwarpura and Satnam Singh, alias Satta, of Jamalpur village, Tarn Taran, at present residing at SUS Nagar here.

The police party, headed by Prabhjot Singh, SHO C-division police station, intercepted two scooter-borne youths near Gian Asharam School, Skatribagh, and recovered 500 gm opium wrapped in a gunny bag from the trunk of their scooter (No. PB-02-AM-6949). Both the persons have been arrested and a case under section 18/25/61/85 of the NDPS Act has been registered at Police Station C-Division. — TNS