Ludhiana, August 20
The graft charges levelled by a contractor against the Municipal Commissioner’s personal assistant on Tuesday seem to have given a severe jolt to the civic body, as the Municipal Corporation immediately gave the payment of Rs 17.33 lakh to the contractor following the allegations.

On August 18, contractor Arun Singla had levelled allegations against Municipal Commissioner’s PA Ashok Verma, stating that he took Rs 2,000 from him to find his files so that payments could be made.

Succumbing to the contractor's bribe allegations, the civic body issued a cheque for Rs 17,33,507 (August 18) to the contractor soon after the episode, pointing towards "corruption" in the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation.The biggest question which has arisen following the allegations is why the payment was made immediately to play down the incident, when the payment was being delayed for the past two months.

According to sources, contractor Arun Singla's bills were approved by the corporation on May 20, 2009. However, the payment was being delayed, citing missing files as the reason.

Reacting strongly to Municipal Commissioner G.S. Ghuman's media statement that Singla had gone back on his statement of graft charges against Ashok Verma when he was asked to submit an affidavit, the contractor today gave a copy of the affidavit, alleging that he had paid Rs 2,000 to Ashok Verma to find his files.

He said, “I have already posted the original affidavit to Municipal Commissioner G.S. Ghuman, demanding an inquiry to bring out the truth. Besides, I have even told him that corruption has been rampant in the Building and Roads Department of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation”.

Interestingly, after this episode on Tuesday, a media statement was issued from the office of the municipal corporation on Wednesday evening on behalf of the Municipal Commissioner according to which PA Ashok Verma had denied the allegations and demanded action against the contractor, besides registration of an FIR.

After the release, mediapersons were given a call from the Municipal Commissioner's office not to take the press statement. Besides, the charge of Municipal Commissioner's PA was also taken away from Verma yesterday.

Ludhiana, August 20
Terming the denial of a mediclaim to be unjustified, the permanent lok adalat has ordered United India Insurance to pay Rs 1,21,890, along with 9 per cent interest, to a consumer.

Pronouncing the order, Chairman of the lok adalat Sukhdarshan Singh Khaira, its members, R S Khokar and Nand Lal, also directed the company to pay Rs 5,000 as compensation for causing mental harassment to the petitioner.

The orders came on a complaint moved by Neeru Mehra of Tagore Nagar, Ludhiana, just three months back. She had submitted before the lok adalat her plea that she had taken the mediclaim policy from United India Insurance. The policy got renewed every year and it was valid up to Feburary 28, 2009, for Rs 2 lakh.

During the validity of the policy period, she fell sick. She had a severe pain in her both knees. She was diagnosed to have osteoarthritis knees. She got treatment from Sibia Medical Centre. She remained admitted from March 14 to March 17, 2008. As per doctors advice, she took the treatment.

But the insurance company failed to make the payment of claims despite the repeated requests.

On the other hand, the company justified the denial of claim. It pleaded that they had taken the opinion of their panel doctor, who had advised that the patient did not require hospitalisation for the treatment of the disease. 

Ludhiana, August 20
In open violation of the Prevention of Cruelty Towards Animals Act, a large number of dairy farmers, operating from the Tajpur dairy complex and the Haibowal dairy complex, are illegally transporting buffaloes for slaughtering outside Punjab.

These dairy farmers do not procure any certificate from the department of animal husbandry, Punjab, or Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), which is mandatory for transporting dairy cattle.

They even transport sick cattle, thereby endangering the lives of thousands of buffalo meat-consumers in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Dr Sandeep Jain, member, AWBI, and chief coordinator, care of animals and protection of environment (CAPE India), stated that a certificate from the authorities concerned was a must and a maximum of six cattle should be transported in a normal truck, which must have proper padding. Also, there should be provision of food, water and a medical kit in the vehicle.

He referred to a train service which transported hundreds of animals from Kila Raipur and around, but was discontinued with the efforts of the People for Animals and help of the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner.

Despite the stringent rules laid down to prevent cruelty towards dairy cattle, most dairy farmers are continuing with their illegal activities in the absence of any check from the department.

Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry, Ludhiana, Dr Joginder Singh said the Principal Secretary had instructed against the transportation of cattle without procuring a certificate from the department. Dr Singh said:"We would conduct raids on the dairies involved in the malpractice and register cases against those guilty of illegal transportation”.

Ludhiana, August 20
In order to claim Income Tax credit and refund, industrialists across the district have presented bogus turnover of around Rs 650 crore.

Besides, the evasion of taxes by industrialists has caused a loss of Rs 120 crore to the state exchequer in just one year and that, too, in three districts, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Sangrur.

The fact was revealed by Excise and Taxation Commissioner V. Venugopal. He said the department had pinned down two firms, namely Singhania International, Miller Ganj, and Vallabh Exports, Focal Point. These firms made bogus sales and purchases amounting to Rs 81 crore and Rs 94 crore for 2008-09.

Venugopal added that they had detected 19 firms which were showing bogus billing and even claiming refunds and credits. "Even the genuine traders are suffering due to these bogus firms as their refunds are delayed due to scrutiny by the department," he said.

He also said that they had got two battalions of police force to check the liquor inflow in the city from Chandigarh and check VAT refund thefts. In addition to this, the department had also decided to give cash reward to informers.

"Ten per cent of the recovered amount will be given as a cash reward to the informers. Reward will be given depending upon the quantity and quality of information," said Venugopal.

Discussing about the modus operandi of the two firms, he said they used to make bogus sales and purchases to claim credits and refunds. "In this network, dealers of many other districts are also allegedly involved. The total number of such dealers, who are running this racket, can be more than 50.”

During 2008-09, Singhania International made bogus sales and purchases of more than Rs 4 crore and claimed ITC of Rs 18 lakh. Shree Vallabh Exports made bogus purchases of more than Rs 83 crore.

Ludhiana, August 20
Industrialists feel that the power crisis might demolish the industrial structure in the state. If things don’t improve at the earliest, Punjab would face an acute water crisis, added industrialists.

President of the Apex Chamber of Commerce PD Sharma said a NASA satellite had recorded that between August 2002 and October 2008 Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan had lost 109 cubic kilometers of the groundwater. This happened despite normal rainfall. “Groundwater level is receding at 3 feet per year. With free power, water is being drawn from the ground unmindful of the crisis. People are not willing to opt for rainwater harvesting,” added Sharma.

Dyeing units have to suffer the most due to the lapses on the part of the government. He further added that world over, industry created minor or major pollution. Along with the individual efforts, the government’s effort had to play a major role in controlling the pollution. For industries like dyeing units, the pollution menace could only be tackled by providing the common treatment plants. Apart from the dyeing units there were other industries whose water pollution had to be tackled through these plants. “But here, the state government has failed miserably,” he added.

The state government proposed to shift dyeing and other water polluting industries near Budha Nallah over 700 acres. “Political consideration forced the state government to divert itself from this proposal. Thus, who could be held accountable for continuing pollution,” asked Sharma?

Ashok Makkar, president, Tajpur Dyeing Association, said dyeing units were initially asked to bring down the biological oxygen demand level from 100 to 30 and then to 3 level. Thereafter, they were expected to bring it to zero that was practically impossible. Things could have been much better if dying units were encouraged to bring down pollution level gradually, added Makkar.

Ludhiana, August 20
Amritsar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur and Muktsar are the worst affected in Punjab due to the failure of the monsoons from July 1 to August 5.

Ferozepur district is the worst hit with 86 per cent deficient rainfall followed by Fatehgarh Sahib with 76 per cent. Both districts of Amritsar and Muktsar had 67 per cent deficient rainfall. This was revealed in a report of the Agri-Meteorology Department of PAU.

Ludhiana, August 20
Offer for the allotment of 158 freehold residential plots in Sector 39-A on the Chandigarh Road here by the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), which is open till August 31, has invited criticism for what Public Cause, an NGO, claims to be a few conditions with regard to the refund of the earnest money to the unsuccessful applicants.

AK Bhandari, general secretary of the NGO, claims that the conditions laid down for the refund of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh earnest money for 200 square yards and 250 square yards plot, respectively, are not applicant-friendly. The brochure-cum-application form for the scheme lays down that unsuccessful applicants shall be refunded their earnest money after 90 days from the date of draw, he added. The GLADA has further stated that an interest at the rate of 5.5 per cent per annum shall be allowed for the period beyond 181 days from the date of closing of the scheme.

In a communiqué to the GLADA authorities, Public Cause has pointed out that the process of refund of earnest money will commence after 90 days from the date of draw (which could take a month or even more after the closure of the scheme) which practically means that even if there are 10,000 applicants for the plots (which is a conservative estimate), more than Rs 225 crores, deposited by nearly 9,850 unsuccessful applicants will remain blocked with GLADA for three to six months.

“Ironically, GLADA will earn a sizeable interest on this amount by way of term deposit with the banks while the unsuccessful applicants will not get a plot and also lose money, which otherwise, would have earned interest from the bank during this period.”

Bhandari said it was beyond comprehension as to why the GLADA authorities should encash bank drafts of all applicants rather than following the practice adopted by a few semi-government bodies like the Chandigarh Housing Board, which encashed the bank drafts of only the successful applicants. Bank drafts of those who failed to get allotment were returned. “This procedure is not only hassle-free and expeditious, but it also saves a lot of work load of the banks and the government agency.”

The communiqué sent by Public Cause further maintained that the time frame of up to 180 days for refund of earnest money (after which the unsuccessful applicants will get interest) is too much if the present era of IT regulation and e-governance is taken into account. With application of modern technology, the applications can easily be processed within 15 to 30 days and after holding the draw on or within this period, the earnest money of unsuccessful applicants can be refunded within a month.

When asked to comment on the issue, GLADA Chief Administrator AK Sinha told The Tribune that there was absolutely no intention to withhold the earnest money paid by thousands of people for allotment of plots for even a single day more than necessary. “The time frame of 90 and 180 days has been fixed to leave reasonable margin for unforeseen circumstances. But our sincere effort will be to process the applicants as speedily as possible, hold the draw of lot and commence the process of refund of earnest money to unsuccessful applicants which might take place much earlier than the stipulated period.”

On the procedure for encashing the bank drafts of only the successful applicants, he said though the suggestion was good and in the interest of the people at large, it being a policy matter, will be studied in detail and taken up at an appropriate level.

Ludhiana, August 20
Coinciding with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's 65th birth anniversary today, a district-level rally of students of various schools was held to celebrate Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Divas to create awareness among people regarding the use of non-conventional energy sources here. The rally was organised by PEDA.

Addressing the rally, Vikas Garg, DC, told the students about the importance of saving energy and using renewable sources. He stressed that the awareness on saving energy should be started at all levels. He appealed to the people for the maximum use of the non-conventional energy in their houses and business establishments.

He also said the use of non-conventional resources meant for saving on power costs. The rally passed through Bharat Nagar Chowk, via Bhai Bala crossing, and terminated at Government Girls School, Bharat Nagar.

The participating schools were Government Senior Secondary School (Boys) Jawahar Nagar, GSSS (Girls) Jawahar Nagar, and GSSS, SSS, Bharat Nagar. Rich tributes were paid to the departed leader on the occasion of his 65th birth anniversary by different organisations in the city here today.

The Congress committee and the Youth Congress organised a common programme which was chaired by Jagmohan Sharma, president of the District Congress (Urban). Addressing party workers, he said, “Rajiv Gandhi led the country on the path which connects it with the future."

Speakers also lauded the role of Rajiv Gandhi in the direction of simplifying the procedures for official paperwork and reducing tariff on importing machinery from abroad, besides others.

Prominent among others present included Rakesh Pandey, Amarjit Oberoi, Sameer Sharma, Harish Dua, Gurcharan Singh Saini, Joginder Joshila and Jagdish Gill among others.

Ramesh Joshi presided over a function organised by the Urban Development Cell of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.

He said Rajiv Gandhi laid the foundation stone of developments in the field of telecommunication and computerisation that the country was enjoying today.

The Terrorist Victims Association, Punjab, under the presidentship of Krishan Kumar Bawa and the Ludhiana Lok Sabha Club, under the chairmanship of Nirdosh Bhardwaj, organised separate functions to mark the occasion.

Amloh: The birthday of Rajiv Gandhi was celebrated at Aggarwal Dharamshala here today.

The function was organised by Pardesh Congress secretaries, Dr Swatantar Karkara, Nirmal Singh Lallon, Dilbag Rai Sood and organising secretary Jagtar Singh Manngarh. Advocate Ajinderpal Singh from Pradesh Congress was the chief guest of the function. Sweets were distributed on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Congress leaders said the party would leave no stone unturned to fulfil the dreams of the late Rajiv Gandhi, who was a great visionary.

Poet Kailash Amlohi, Municipal Council chief Lal Chand Garg, former council chief Gurdev Singh and Bhim Sain Lutava also addressed the gathering.

The District Youth Congress, under the leadedrship of district chief Sandeep Verma, celebrated the birthday of Rajiv Gandhi at Jinjran village of Amloh constitutency. Saplings were distributed among workers for plantation to control pollution.

Ludhiana, August 20
The promotion of a clerk-cum-typist to building inspector by Municipal Commissioner G.S. Ghuman has sent a strong wave of resentment among the corporation's clerical grade staff that feels the seniority is completely ignored in the decision.

According to information, on August 18, the Municipal Commissioner through his order stated that due to shortage of staff, he was promoting clerk-cum-typist Rony to the post of building inspector in the building branch.

Decrying over the commissioner's orders, the clerical grade staff have felt neglected as Rony was junior to more than 300 people on the seniority list.

The clerical staff said, "Rony joined in 1996 while we have been working since 1980s and we are blatantly ignored despite our good work record. There are 338 people working in the clerical department of the civic body and Rony is placed at 307 numbers, keeping his joining in mind."

They said, "The Punjab government has been directed by the High Court that the seniority should not be ignored while making promotions, but in this particular orders, laws have been completely violated. Besides, the local government has also passed various orders, revoking such promotions where seniority is ignored."

Appealing the commissioner to revert his orders, the clerical staff said, "If the commissioner fails to abide by the local government orders, we would be forced to knock at the doors of the judiciary." 

Ludhiana, August 20
Life is full of illusions and colours and so is Satya Paul's latest bridal line named "Maya". The line represents married life, full of colours and different concepts. Every bride deserves the utmost in elegance and sophistication.

Yet Satya Paul has much more to offer not only to the bride but also her family, with everything they would need for trousseau and the festivities. Forty lehangas are a part of this collection, which comprises different colours and concepts.

Puneet Nanda, a leading designer of Satya Paul, is in the city for the fashion preview of the Wedding Asia exhibition.

Talking to Ludhiana Tribune about his collection, he said his collection had been unusual and had even included printed and black and white lehangas for those who want to wear something special on their D-day.

"The multi-coloured lehangas represent the married life, full of different colours and aspects. The colours of the wedding denote happiness in all their tones, filled with sunshine of joy and rejoicing in richness of many materials used to enhance it. The techniques used are chinkankari, zardosi, gota and resham, all in a delicate and fine manner.

Materials used are lace, crystal and beaten metal that make the line one of the most exquisite wedding lehangas," quips Nanda.

Red is the forever colour for the weddings. "People, who want to try something different, try other colours and the market also offers them a huge variety, but "Red" is the colour for the wedding," he adds.

The collection of festive sarees is equally exciting with a mix of fine French lace saris, kanjeevarams and heavily embroidered saris in a variety of colours in modern designs that have an antique old world look and charm.

Puneet's collections are a reflection of the artist and art curator within him. Each piece of cloth is a canvass for Puneet, where he paints and designs all that influences and inspires him. In many of his works for the label creations are known to have been inspired by classical art form such as calligraphy, sculpture and many genres of art. The band was started by Puneet and his father on April 1, 1985. "We choose April Fool's day to start our line, because everybody in this world is fool," he laughs.

Ludhiana, August 20
Eminent designers participating in Wedding Asia 09 showcased their designer bridal wear and jewellery at the exclusive wine and cheese evening held yesterday. The star-studded show announced the arrival of the exhibition with all its sustained grandeur, pomp and enthusiasm, however, with freshness in the concept.

The show was choreographed by well-known fashion choreographer Vijay Roy. The famous models from the metros walked the ramp, showcasing the heavy bridal wear and jewelleries by the celebrity designers participating in the Wedding Asia 09.

"Wedding Asia 09" will be held on August 21 to 23 at Hotel Majestic Park Plaza.

Ludhiana, August 20
The strike by more than two lakh non-executives of BSNL today entered the second day. A call for the strike was given by the United Forum of Trade Unions in BSNL.

The BSNL workers are demanding an immediate wage revision, which should be revised every five years, and implementation of the promotion policy as agreed by the BSNL management.

The other demands include settlement of pay anomalies, fitment formula at 78.2 per cent, 5 per cent annual increment on the basic pay, merger of 50 per cent IDA for pensioners, allowance and perks on a par with executives. 

Ludhiana, August 20
Keeping in view the present health scenario, Ryan International School celebrated Cleanliness Week in the school from August 11 to 19 to promote healthy diet and healthy living. Various innovative ideas, activities and competitions were the attractions of the celebrations.

Tiny tots of the montessori section were informed about the importance of personal hygiene and healthy food through small skits. They were instructed about the benefits of certain food items and were told to include them in their tiffins. Use of hand-towels and paper soap was emphasised to keep the students infection free.

Ludhiana, August 20
A breezing knock of 75 runs by skipper Mankaran Hara steered the PAU Zone to score 72-run victory over the Jagraon Zone in the Inte-Zonal District Cricket Tournament (u-16) being organised by the District Education Department at Nankana Sahib Public School here today.

In the semifinal, batting first, the Ludhiana II Zone made 168 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Their skipper made a hurricane 75 runs off just 31 balls. His innings contained 6 sixes and five hits to the fence.

Other contributors were Mayank and Angad, who made 45 and 18 runs.

Chasing the target, the Jagraon Zone were out for 96 runs in 18 overs. The main scorer was Ishpreet Singh, who remained unbeaten on 32 runs.

For the winners, Angad and Amanvir chipped in with three wickets each after conceding 16 and 20 runs, repectively, while Sandeep scalped two victims for 18 runs.