Ludhiana, October 29
The finance and contracts committee of the MC today approved road construction works of over Rs 30 crore here today.

According to sources, discussions and arguments were witnessed during the meeting as the civic body had failed to lay quality roads.

The SE (B&R) has been asked to be careful while undertaking re-carpeting of roads and ensure that the work should be done on priority. A committee member, on the condition of anonymity, said: “There were around 200 items of road construction and he has been directed to see that every road is finished in time as per the agreement. Some roads were only partially re-carpeted last time.”

The SE has also been asked to start the work only after inspecting the road first and if it required fixing.

Senior deputy mayor Parveen Bansal, who raised the issue, said: “If there are certain roads that can do with patchwork, we should invest the money in some other road that is badly broken.” There was need to be judicious about the premix laying of a road, he said during the meeting.

The most important issue that rocked the meeting was maintenance of five state and national highways. The roads belong to the PWD and it has asked for these roads from the MC several times, but the civic body is not ready to hand these over. The MC spends crore of rupees on these highways, but every time the quality is questioned.

Apart from it, the F&CC also decided that extension of the Gill Chowk flyover to Pratap Chowk would be given only if the government provided funds for it.

The F&CC members were clear that the civic body was not in a position to take up this project considering its present financial status.

Ludhiana, October 29
It was the alleged rape of her 14-year-old daughter that forced her mother to kill her paramour.

This startling revelation came to light when the CIA-II police claimed to have solved a blind murder case with the arrest of three persons, including the woman and her son, from Shimlapuri.

The accused, Kajal, wife of Sulinder Singh, had been living with Narinder Kumar for the past decade and killed him as he allegedly raped her daughter.

Addressing a press conference, the SSP said Kajal’s son, Sahil (18), and his friend Sanjiv were also involved in the crime.

Sahil and Sanjiv dumped the body at a vacant plot near a rubber factory in the Industrial Area on September 18.

They also threw acid on the face so that people could not identify him.

DSP (Detective) Virander Brar said the identity of the deceased was established after grilling investigation, which lasted for a month.

Once the police managed to confirm his identity, the mystery surrounding the murder case started to unfold. After establishing that the trio was involved in the murder, the police arrest them from their houses last night, sources said.

During interrogation, they cracked soon and confessed to having committed the crime. According to the police, Kajal said Narinder had raped her daughter thrice. Sanjiv, who used to consider the girl as her sister, came to know about it and also told Sahil.

On September 13, they hatched a plan and served him food laced with sedative, after which he was in a delirium for three days. On September 16, when he showed some signs of recovery and threatened the three of dire consequences, they strangled him and kept his body in the house for a day. On the intervening night of September 16 and 17, Sahil and Sanjiv took the body on a handcart and fled after dumping it in a plot.

The accused were produced in court and were sent to police remand. The SSP said Daddua, a notorious criminal, was killed 10 years ago by Kajal’s friend, Darshna.

Ludhiana, October 29
Two NRI children Aman (10) and Manav (8) reportedly fell sick after consuming pizza from Dominos at Sarabha Nagar. After eating the pizza on the evening of October 17, they left for Chandigarh, but after an hour, both started complaining of severe pain in the stomach and suffered from acute diarrhoea. The children were taken to a hospital at Mohali, where doctors said it was a case of severe bacterial infection caused by the consumption of some bad quality milk product.

Iqbal Singh Sandhu, former senior town planner, Punjab, and grandfather of the children, said in a written complaint that he took up the matter with the manager of the outlet but was unable to get a satisfactory reply.

“We had ordered pizza from Dominos thinking that it was the safest food for the children, but it turned out be a nightmare. What is more disturbing is the fact that the manager of the outlet did not take the complaint seriously,” Sandhu rued.

The complainant then reported the matter to the Civil Surgeon, Dr Maninderjeet Singh, who assured that samples would be taken from the outlet. While talking to The Tribune, he said he inspect outlets selling pizzas, along with the Dominos outlet at Sarabha Nagar. “There have been complaints against bad cheese from various quarters and we will take samples from all outlets,” he said.

The manager could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Incidentally, the district health authorities in a recent raid at an Easy Day retail grocery outlet seized packs of expired cheese. The cheese packs bore a nine-month-old expiry date and were on 50 per cent discount.

There have been reports of rehriwallas selling pizzas with expired/synthetic cheese.

A gastroenterologist stated that bacterial infection from cheese was very common among children owing to their liking for junk food.

Jagraon, October 29
A case has been registered against 10 persons, including an NRI couple, for cheating a family in the name of granting immigration to Canada. The accused had cheated the family of whooping Rs 42 lakh.

Tehal Singh, in charge, Jagraon CIA staff, said Jagroop Singh of Baude village near Badhni Kalan in Moga district had alleged that Kulwant Singh of Jagraon and Charanjit Singh of Bassian village were cheating innocent persons on the pretext of sending them to Canada after marriage. He added that his relatives, Jagjit Singh and his wife, decided to get their son married to a Canadian girl for easy immigration.

A deal worth Rs 42 lakh was struck for sending his son Lakhvir Singh to Canada under a paper marriage case.

He added that his son got married to a Canadian named Anita on April 14 2008 after paying Rs 20 lakh. He paid Rs 15 lakh again a day after the marriage was solemnized to the accused. Rs 7 lakh was spent on the marriage that took place at Mehak Marriage Palace, Raikot.

After this, Anita left for Canada. She, however, returned to file the case with Canadian Embassy in India. The marriage was registered but on May 13, 2009, Anita told the consulate general of the Canadian embassy that she was already married to somebody and could not take Lakhvir Singh to Canada.

The police on the basis of the complaint booked the 10 accused under Sections 420 and 506 of the IPC. Those booked have been identified as Charanjit Singh, Jaspal Singh and Pardeep Singh, all of Bassian village, Prem Singh of Nangal village, Mohinder Kaur, Kulwant Singh of Jagraon, Harjit Singh and his wife Paramjit Kaur of Jalaldiwal, Anita and her husband Rinku (both NRI couple).

Meanwhile, seven persons, including an NRI and two women, were booked yesterday for cheating and luring a girl to take their son abroad after the marriage.

Gurwinder Singh of Toosa village near Raikot in a complaint lodged with the then SSP Ludhiana (Rural) alleged that the accused had cheated Rs 31 lakh from him. The complaint was lodged on August 26. In it he had stated that Parminder Singh, alias Kaka of Nathowal village near Raikot, the accused, along with Ramanjeet Pal Singh of Gill Road Ludhiana and Sukhwinder Singh of Jagraon runs a marriage bureau.

Sukhwinder Singh used to bring girls from Canada, get them married to Punjabi boys and send the couple to Canada once again. The money thus transacted was divided among the three and the girl in question. The accused had on March 2008 informed him that Sujain Bhatti, a Canadian citizen, was coming from Canada in April. The deal was struck at Rs 31 lakh. The accused met the girl in Ravinder Kaur’s house, who was Sukhwinder Singh’s sister. Both of them were engaged on May 2 and thereafter married off on 5 May. A sum of Rs. 27.5 lakh was paid to the accused. Rs 3 lakh more was spent on the interview and other activities. Sujain thereafter left for Canada. She never contacted him and not even attends the phone of embassy employees. The Visa was not granted on this basis to the complainant. Thereafter he came to know that the gang was in the business of cheating the innocent Punjabis.

The Jagraon SSP ordered a probe. It was found that a case was registered against Rarminder Singh of Nathowal, Ramneet Pal Singh of Ludhiana, Ravinder Kaur of Jagraon, Kulwant Singh of Jagraon, Dalbir Kaur of Ludhiana, Sukhwinder of Jagraon and Sujain Bhatti of Canada. under Sections 420 and 120B of the IPC.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 29
Terming the controversy over procurement and lifting of 201 variety of paddy from grain markets as a result of alleged differences between the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and the central procurement agencies, farmers of the area have urged the higher authorities to come to their rescue and enable them realise value their produce.

Justifying their action to refuse processing of the certain procured stocks, office-bearers of the Rice Shellers Association have demanded relaxing norms on discolour percentage and breakage of grains.

Sore over the alleged indifference of the administrative officers towards their harassment in grain markets, peasants of the area have urged higher authorities, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and chairman, Punjab Mandi Board, to come to their rescue and enable them realise full value of their produce.

“We are being penalised for following the recommendations of the scientists of Punjab Agricultural University, which we did with an intention to save the state from water management crisis. Now, when we have brought our produce in the market, procurement agencies and owners of rice shellers are not lifting our heaps,” rued Jaswant Singh of Jandali Kalan village, alleging nexus between the officials and the traders.

Jagjit Singh Ghungrana, former chairman the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation, alleged that the controversy had arisen due to the hostile attitude of central procurement agencies towards the PAU. Though the varieties invented and recommended by the scientists of the institute had helped farmers and the nation by increasing yield with simultaneous reduction in input cost, the authorities in central procurement and research agencies, envying success of the state university created a furore to destabilise the PAU, alleged Ghungrana.

Referring to the findings of the scientists, Ghungrana claimed that grains of the variety contained higher iron, manganese and antioxidant percentage, thus making it preferable medically.

Prem Chand Jain, an office-bearer of the Rice Shellers Association, held that the stocks were being rejected due to higher percentage of moisture and discoloured grains and not due to the variety reason only. Maintaining that there was higher percentage of discoloured grains and these were more susceptible to breakage, Jain demanded that the procurement agencies should relax norms in connection with the variety.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 29
While almost all SHOs are active in getting their police stations evaluated by social workers of their area, rank-and-file of the local police is worried about well-being of those visiting the place.

The building that houses the local police station has become unsafe for the inmates as well as the staff as walls have developed cracks and roofs of a few rooms have already caved in.

Giving two hoots about their own safety, the officials hesitate to entertain the visitors inside their rooms for the fear of any untoward incident due to the roof collapse.

The walls of two lockups have developed cracks, making it easy for inmates to flee. The plaster on the walls and bricks keep on falling, putting at risk the lives of cops, inmates and those visiting the police station for registering their complaints.

The condition of the SHO’s room, munshi hall, “maalkhana” and the barracks is worst. According to sources, the building has not been repaired for the past 20 years. The social workers and political leaders said the rooms and verandas had started deteriorating since long. “The waiting hall and the SHO’s room were constructed after the old rooms gave way,” claimed municipal councillor Ravinder Puri.

Senior officers like the IG have been visiting this police station, but it is still awaiting renovation.

The sources said besides accommodating anti-social elements during annual events like Chhapar mela, the police station had also housed a number of hardcore militants whose escape could have invited trouble.

Malerkotla DSP Gurpreet Singh Sikand said a proposal for the repair of the building had already been sent to authorities concerned. “We have written stating the urgent need to look into the matter. Though a communication in this regard is still awaited, we are hopeful that its renovation would soon start,” said Sikand.

Ludhiana, October 29
Taking a lead among all municipal corporations across Punjab, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation would soon introduce online bill payment for the city residents.

Under this system, residents won’t need to go the corporation offices and stand in queues for submitting their bills. Introduction of this facility would make payments just a click away, where residents can make online payment of the water, sewerage and house-tax bills.

The talks for the project are already underway with various banks and the facility would be introduced before December this year.

Confirming this Municipal Commissioner AK Sinha said: “Talks with the banks are already on for the introducing this facility that would help Ludhianvis in a big way and make the civic body more public-friendly.” Almost every deck is cleared for the facility and once the bank is finalised, resolution in F&CC would be passed for quick implementation. Revealing about the plan, the commissioner said, “Apart from online payments, another proposal for which the corporation has been working is inter-banking system under which residents can drop their cheques in their respective banks.” For example: If bank A has been authorized for online banking, it’s not compulsory that you have to go to its branches only. If you have your account in bank B, you can deposit your bill there itself and it would be credited into the corporation’s account.

Ludhiana, October 29
Manish Tewari, MP and chairman of the district monitoring vigilance Committee, today exhorted government officials to give effect to welfare schemes sponsored by the Central government in right earnest so that development projects could yield the desired benefit to beneficiaries.

Addressing a meeting to review the Centrally-sponsored welfare schemes at Bachat Bhawan here today, he took stock of the work being undertaken under various schemes like land conservation, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sarak Yojana, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NAREGA), Sarb Sikhia Abhiyan and rural water supply and issued relevant instructions.

Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg, asserting that welfare schemes would be implemented in letter and spirit, said 35,000 job cards had been prepared under NAREGA, and funds over Rs 4 crore had been spent on projects under these schemes.

Dwelling on the rural water scheme, Manpreet Singh Ayali, chairman of the zila parishad, said that work had been taken in hand on a Rs 55-crore project for the supply of safe drinking water to 175 villages of the district.

He further claimed that the zila parishad had taken the lead in the state for the work related to all round development of villages and disbursement of grants.

Officials of various departments, including soil conservation, education, rural water supply, PWD (B and R), provided details of development works and their status under various welfare schemes of the Central government.

Ludhiana, October 29
The three-day pulse polio programme being undertaken in the district concluded today.

A total of 4.16 lakh children were administered polio drops on the first two days of the polio eradication campaign.

The district administration had specially emphasised on the city slums during the pulse polio programme following the recent case of poliovirus infection, which had surfaced in one of the slums of Ludhiana.

The doctors at the dispensaries catering to the migrant populace in the city supervised the door-to-door administration of polio drops to the children between the age of 0 and 5 years.

Schools that extended support to the polio eradication programme welcome the health workers to give polio drops to the students under the age of 5 years.

The Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, in review meetings, had asked the medical officers to personally supervise the door-to-door campaign so as to ensure 100 per cent coverage in urban as well as rural areas of the district.

Ludhiana, October 29
Reality shows bring out the latent talent in youngsters and give them a platform to launch themselves in the world of singing in Bollywood.

These were the views expressed by three youngsters - Rohanpreet Singh, Sumedha and Vaishali Made - who have been in the top five of Zee TV’s reality show “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa”. The trio was in touch with the media in Ludhiana via video-conferencing today.

These youngsters are now going to battle it out in “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Mega Challenge-2009” starting October 30. This show will culminate in a finale on December 12 marking the 1000th episode of the longest-running reality show on television.

The show has eight teams from different states, including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata and Assam. The Punjab team has Tarun, Rohanpreet and Mitika.

Rohanpreet Singh made it to “Sa Ra Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs” in 2008 and was the first runner-up. Studying in Class IX at Shri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Patiala, Rohanpreet’s ideals are Sukhwinder Singh and Sonu Nigam. On being asked whether his studies suffer due to his participation in such reality shows, he admitted that they do suffer but said he was very fond of singing and this was a good medium to showcase his talent. “My grandfather, GS Sehgal, is my guru and I can also play the harmonium and the guitar,” he added.

Though originally from Chhatisgarh, Sumedha auditioned for the show from Ludhiana and made it to the top five. “This has opened the door to further success and I have now sung in Bhojpuri, Bengali, Punjabi and even Bollywood,”’ she says.

From a tiny village in Amrawati district of Maharashtra, Vaishali Made achieved success despite odds with the active support of her husband. “I funded my education with my own struggle and the support of my parents,” she added. A mother of a one-year-old child, Vaishali has also sung in many Marathi movies after she won the reality show.

Ludhiana, October 29
The Bhagwan Parshuram Brahmin Sabha, Punjab, has resented the alleged indecent remarks against Lord Parshuram in a book on Sikh religion, written by one Mohinder Singh.

Their anger flared up after the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) distributed 50,000 copies of the book in gurdwaras all over the state last year.

At a meeting of the sabha held here today, state president Dr Krishan Rai Sharma took strong exception to objectionable language made against Lord Parshuram in the book "kesh saada gaurav", which was published by the Dharam Parchar Committee of the SGPC.

Without mincing words, Sharma posed a direct question to SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar to let the Hindu community know the source of comments made about Lord Parshuram in this book. “If the SGPC does not approve of this blasphemous act, will Makkar tell the Hindu community if any action has been taken or proposed against the author for hurting the sentiments of crores of Hindus all over the world,” the sabha chief asked.

Ludhiana, October 29
With winters approaching, the time has arrived to give a facelift to your wardrobes. Winters are the time when one can flaunt in style with jackets, coats and pullovers.

The new season is based on colours like wine, purple, darker tone of peacock and the evergreen black. This year, the collections have come across in tartan and Scottish check prints in wool, fleece and tweed, which are used keeping in mind the style of the dress.

The other in thing this year is plenty of turtle and high necks. Keeping the trend of long length alive and emphasising on the latest colours for this season, short and long check blazers and long length twill overcoats will be hot this winter.

Madame has enthralled the women of the contemporary era with its designs and style, launched its autumn/winter collection-2009. The collection of casual wear has been named 'Icons' by Madame.

“An icon represents exclusivity and is something which is followed by others. This is why we have given this name to our collection," said Akhil Duggar, creative director, Madame. The collection is fresh and suave and is expected to create a stir in the market. “In autumn/winter collection, we have employed vibrant colours and follow the forecast of 2010,” he added. Simran Manchanda, a fashion-designing student, said: “Stoles will be in trend in winters as well. Carelessly draped woollen stole during winters look chic. “Long woollen skirts in tweed with high heels will be the fashion mantra of the college youth.”

“As women look for diverse clothing, we have tried to create something which is novel are sure that the collection which is cost effective also, would be well appreciated by the younger generation,” said Duggar.

Ludhiana, October 29
The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation once again failed to find any bidders for its auction of a parking lot in Old Subzi Mandi here today.

According to information, around four bidders turned up for the auction, but none of them was ready to pay Rs 11,02,500 as earnest money.

Finally, it was decided that Bhola and Company, whose contract expired in March this year, should be given extension till new party is found. The officials revealed that the company had to pay Rs 1.10 crore as the contract amount, which is valid for one year.

Ludhiana, October 29
Taking a strong note of the deputy commissioner’s failure to submit a report on the drinking water supplied to schools, the Punjab Human Rights Commission (PHRC) has asked the deputy commissioner to send a senior official not below the rank of ADC with the report on the next date of hearing.

Stating that no report had been submitted by deputy commissioner Vikas Garg except an undated letter addressed to the Ludhiana municipal corporation commissioner for sending information to the commission, PHRC member Baldev Singh said this letter had been sent three months late.

While seeking the report on November 19, the next date of hearing, the PHRC made it clear that if the deputy commissioner failed to comply with the orders, the commission would take legal recourse to get the report.

The PHRC had taken a suo motu notice of a news report appearing in these columns that water was unsafe for drinking at 28 government schools.

The deputy commissioner had been asked to submit a report and the steps taken by the administration for providing safe and clean drinking water to children on July 20.

The order stated that the deputy commissioner had neither bothered to intimate the commission about the steps it had been taking to supply proper drinking water to the schools, nor requested for extension of time.

The hearing in the case was adjourned to August 24 for the submission of the report. The deputy commissioner had then sought one month’s time from the commission.

He reported that a meeting of officials had been called and instructions issued to the administration for proper drinking water in primary and higher secondary schools.

Ludhiana, October 29
Three incidents of fire were reported from various parts of the city in the past 24 hours, causing loss of property worth lakhs.

A boiler blast took place at the Sahib Sant Industries near the Jalandhar bypass around 9:30 pm last night while work was going on at the factory.

The impact of the blast was so powerful that the roof broke. Factory owners and the management did not allow relatives of labourers and the media to enter the premises.

After stiff resistance by mediapersons, they were allowed to go to the accident site. Worried members of the families of the labourers waited outside anxiously.

Labourers working there were reluctant to speak anything, fearing job loss. Two fire tenders brought the situation under control in around an hour.

It was revealed that the blast could have been caused only if the machinery was working. Countering this, the owners said the machinery had been lying there abandoned for a long time.

Raghu Kumar, whose father worked there, said they heard a loud noise and someone told them that a heater blast had taken place, following which they rushed there.

Fire also broke out at a cardboard factory manufacturing boxes at Boss Factory in street number 4 on the Nurwala Road around 2 pm.

Neighbours said at least 200 persons were working in the building and work was going on at the time of the incident.

They sasid after they heard a loud noise, they rushed to the site and joined in in trying to reduce the flames.

Though the exact loss could not be ascertained, it was expected to be in lakhs. Two fire tenders reached the spot and the fire was brought under control in an hour.

Straw kept in the open caught fire in Shimlapuri around the same time. Two fire tenders doused the flames in about an hour. The owner said he suffered a loss of around Rs 50,000.

Mullanpur Dakha, October 29
The non-teaching staff of the GHG Khalsa College and the GHG Khalsa College of Education, Gurusar Sadhar, observed a one-day strike and staged a dharna today in response to a call given by the Punjab Private Colleges Non-Teaching Employees Union.

They demanded that their demands be met soon and raised slogans against the Punjab government, condemning its attitude.

They urged the government to implement the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission in toto and issue a notification in this regard.

Alleging discrimination, Balvir Singh Bedi, president of the local unit of the association, said the recommendations of the commission had been made applicable to the teaching community while the non-teaching staff had been ignored.

They threatened to intensify the agitation if their demands were not met. The local unit of the teachers’ union of the college supported them.

Ludhiana, October 29
Punjab’s Chief Election Officer Kusumjit Sidhu today asked officials to take the help of booth-level agents of political parties to ensure accuracy of electoral rolls in the district.

Stating that these agents acted as a watchdog, she said they helped the administration in ensuring that there were no discrepancies in voters’ lists as they kept a strict eye on their political rivals.

In her first address to the officials through videoconferencing, she told them though the schedule of revision of electoral rolls was yet to be announced, they should start making premilinary preparations so that they were not overburdened after the announcement.

Addressing the officials, she said they should speed up the appointment of booth-level agents to utilise their efficiency in picking discrepancies in voters’ lists.

Ludhiana, October 29
The English Literary Society of the Government College for Women organised an English creative writing contest here today.

Principal RK Aulakh presided over the function. Speaking on the occasion, the principal called upon the students to bring forth their imaginative streak and appreciated the efforts put in by the staff and the students. The topics of the contest were mother, beauty, relationship and spirituality-the bigger expert today. A total of 30 students participated in the competition.

Children in Ludhiana can’t play outdoor games due to the lack of grounds. They are forced to remain indoors. They are left with no opinion other than watching TVs or playing videos. This is turning them into couch potatoes. The only Guru Nanak Stadium does not allow every child to enter the premises for spending an hour or two in leisure. The colleges and schools, too, allow their students only. Even the parks are out of bounds for children as the management committees feel they would spoil them. The result is a dearth of playing space. To help children enjoy their childhood, the residents have come up with various ideas.

Instead of pumping their legs for sending a swing soaring into the sky, most of the children in the city are forced to spend their afternoons sitting passively in front of televisions or playing a video or a computer game created by someone else as administrators have failed to provide recreational facilities to sports lovers.

In various schools, instead of working off stress by running around the playground with their friends midway through the school, children are confined to classrooms by policies that have cut or eliminated recess to expand prep time for standardised tests. The increased emphasis on standardised testing has meant the reduction or elimination of recess period. Schools are even being built without playgrounds.

The city requires recreational facility management that must be held responsible for various types of facilities like recreational centres, water parks and pools, playgrounds, parks, fitness centres, sports complexes each with its own set of goals and challenges. Recreational facility management design, development, operations and utilisation provides students, children and new professionals with a basic understanding of recreational facilities and prepares them to perform the duties required that of a recreation facility manager.

Jagraon, October 29
The CIA staff of the Jagraon police has arrested two persons for selling duplicate CDs as well as X-rated CDs.

Inspector Jaswant Singh and his assistant Kuldeep Singh of Super Cassette Industries in New Delhi had approached the police, following which a raid was conducted.

The police raided the shop of Gulshan Kumar and Dukhia near the State Bank of Patiala branch at the Tehsil Road and arrested them, besides seizing 387 duplicate CDs and five X-rated CDs from their possession.

A case under sections 51, 52-A, 63, 66 and 68-A of the Copyright Act and sections 294 and 420 of the IPC was registered against them.

CIA in charge Tehal Singh said after the raid, many shopkeepers dealing in CDs absconded after closing shops, fearing police action against them.

He said activities of these shopkeepers was being monitored and action would be taken if they were found to be involved in any such activity.