Amritsar, September 13
A three-member committee, headed by Kamal Dalmia, has been constituted to seek relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court in case the Punjab government fails to redress the genuine grievances with regard to the power hike.

This was stated by spokesman of the industry H.S. Makhani here today, who described the collection of arrears as totally illegal, unconstitutional and against the normal ethics of law.

Condemning the recent power hike levied by the power tariff regulatory authority and the decision to collect arrears with retrospective effect from April 2009, Makhani said the industry was already reeling under severe power cuts which had jacked up the prices of the inputs due to the use of diesel generator sets, and now additional electricity levy would further add to its woes.

Makhani said associations across the state had unanimously decided to launch a peaceful dharna against this unlawful electricity tariff increase, which would prove ruinous for the industry.

The industrial association urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to withdraw the power hike with retrospective effect and work out an amicable solution by inviting representatives of trade and industry.

Pathankot, September 13
More than 200 residents of Bamial and Anial villages in the Narot Mehra constituency held a demonstration against the inaction of the district administration in tracing Sudesh Kumari (40) of Anial situated on the banks of the Ujj river which flows between India and Pakistan.

Sudesh Kumari was among the 32 people of different villages of the nearby areas of Bamiyal town who were on a boat ferrying passengers from different villages on both sides of the river. The boat capsized in the flooded Ujj on September 3.

Receiving information about the incident, the BSF authorities swung into action and brought the boat to the Indian side. The BSF authorities rescued 31 passengers, while Sudesh Kumari is missing.

Narot Mehra MLA Bishamber Dass assured the demonstrators and Romesh Chand, husband of the missing woman, that he was in touch with the district administration and the BSF authorities to trace the woman.

The protesters also marched through the bazaars of the town to express solidarity with aggrieved family. The two children of Sudesh Kumari also joined the protest

Dass said here today that he had also taken up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal seeking his help to trace the missing woman.

He said he was going to Chandigarh day after tomorrow to meet the CM and request him to take up the matter with the Union government as it was feared that the woman might have swept away to Pakistan territory.

Hoshiarpur, September 13
Inhabitants of Nangal Shahdeem village and some adjoining villages blocked traffic for about half-an-hour outside the residence of the SSP at Mall Road here today.

Placing the body of Neeraj Thakur (25) outside the official’s residence of the SSP, the villagers, including women, led by Raj Dulari (Neeraj’s widowed mother), demonstrated to pressurise the police to register a case against Jony, son of Bikram Singh of the Police Recruit Training Centre, Jahan Khelan, for allegedly killing her on September 11, 2009.

DSP (R) Jasbir Singh reached there and on his assurance that justice would be done, they lifted the body and the traffic was resumed.

Later Jasbir Singh took them to Sadar police station for recording their statements, but after reaching there, they took the body to the cremation ground on the plea that they would get their statements recorded after cremating it.

Jasbir Singh told The Tribune that Neeraj committed suicide by jumping from the overhead water tank of Singhpur village for which a case under section 306 of the IPC has been registered.

Neeraj Thakur’s cousin Deepika said Neeraj had a love affair with Jony and Raj Dulari knew about it.

She was ready to get her daughter married to Jony, but his parents were not ready for it. On September 11, Jony allegedly called Neeraj to Singhpur village where the latter’s body was later found.

Dulari alleged that Jony killed Neeraj and demanded registration of a case under section 302 of the IPC against him. SSP Parmod Ban said the police would act accordingly after investigations are over.

Hoshiarpur, September 13
To sensitise the senior medical officers and women health visitors about adolescent-friendly reproductive and sexual health services (ARSH), the Health and Family Welfare Department organised a workshop here.

Inaugurating the workshop, Civil Surgeon Dr S.K. Gupta stated that the number of adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years was increasing in the country and presently about 22 per cent population of the country fell in this age group.

The public health challenges for adolescents include pregnancy, excess risk of maternal and infant mortality, sexually transmitted infection and reproductive tract infection along with rising incidence of HIV, said the Civil Surgeon.

Due to entrenched patriarchal family and societal practices, adolescents did not express their reproductive and sexual problems. Due to lack of awareness, impeding adolescents did not come forward to receive such services.

Though legal age of marriage for female is 18 years, yet 43 per cent of the married females were below 18 years, said Dr Gupta, disclosing that as per the 2001 census, 20 per cent of 1.5 million girls less than 15 years of age were already mothers.

Special services would be provided up to the sub-centre level to adolescents in the district. Male and female health workers would provide counselling at sub-centres and primary health centres. Once a week, teen clinics would be organised for two hours, added the Civil Surgeon.

Nawanshahr, September 13
With a view to mobilising public opinion against the recent hike in the court fee, the District Bar Association organised a meeting with representatives of different political parties and trade and social organisations here on Saturday.

Representatives of the Congress used the platform to criticise the SAD-BJP government by listing its failures on different fronts.

A few advocates having allegiance to the ruling alliance said that the speakers should confine themselves to the issue of hike in the court fee only.

Representatives of the various political and social organisations, including Tarlochan Singh Soondh, former Congress MLA, Rana Kuldip Singh, Rajwinder Singh Lucky, presidents of the district units of the Congress and the Youth Congress, respectively, Daljit Singh Advocate, CPI (ML), and Satnam Singh Gulati, CPM (Pasla), among others, stressed the need for launching an agitation to press the state government for withdrawing the unprecedented hike in the court fee which ultimately would deprive the common man of justice.

The members of the DBA urged the representatives of the different political and social organisations to educate the masses regarding the ill effects of the recent hike in the court fee so that the stir could be converted into a mass movement.

Jalandhar: Lawyers of the state will observe a two-day strike and block traffic from Monday to protest against a steep hike in the court fee.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of lawyers of Punjab held under the chairmanship of the Jalandhar District Bar Association (DBA) chief Balwinderjeet Singh Lucky.

Representatives of the lawyers from almost every district of the state participated in the meeting.

Lucky said the protest would continue till the hike in the court fee was not withdrawn. He said the support of different other organisations would also be sought to intensify their stir. Punjab and Haryana Bar Council member Navtej Singh Toor was also present in the meeting.

Meanwhile, terming the amendment in the Court Fee and Stamp Acts as atrocious, members of the All-India Lawyers Union, Punjab, today said the move would affect scores of litigants who suffered injustice and oppression for want of funds.

President of the union Darbara Singh Dhillon said the increase is against the constitutional goal of inexpensive justice. “The increase from Rs 1.25 to Rs 50 for a simple application form was decimating,” he added.

Jalandhar, September 13
Traversing the world’s highest mountain peak, Mt Everest, this mountaineer of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) won the first Indian ascent from North Col-Tibet (China) expedition in 1996.

He has the distinction of becoming the first Indian to lead the first-ever successful expedition to Mount Everest from North-Col route.

ITBP Commandant Mohinder Singh was the leader of the team which went on for a 78-day climbing adventure to the Everest.

The mountaineer, who is also a member of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), would now go to San Francisco on September 18 to deliver a lecture on “adventure sports” during a meeting of the Punjabi Culture Association.

A function was held today at the ITBP camp during which Commandant Mohinder screened a 21-minute documentary on “The First Indian Ascent from North (Col)” to promote mountaineering.

The documentary is a peek into challenging expedition of the mountaineer and his team. Talking to The Tribune, Commandant Mohinder said earlier three Indian attempts had failed.

“Deans of the ITBP accepted this challenge and conceived the launch of the expedition from the Chinese side in 1996. It was a tough task and required a high degree of technical skill,” he added.

“The documentary would motivate and help the mountaineers to have a view of the highest peak,” he said.

“Before our expedition from the North-Col route, three Indian expeditions were beaten back. These expeditions were launched in 1991, 1993 and 1995 sponsored by the West Bengal government and undertaken by the Calcutta Mountaineering Association,” he said.

“The team led by him, comprising 25 climbers, including one from Mangolia and three women, created history by hoisting the National Flag,” he maintained.

The expedition members had a harrowing experience when three members, T. Smanla, Dorje Morup and Tsewang Paljor, died en route on May 10.

Candidates for Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Amritsar (rural) and Tarn Taran police districts had been asked to appear on September 23.

The candidates for Batala and Gurdaspur would appear on September 24. All Nawanshahr candidates and female applicants had been called on September 25.