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Security tightened ahead of bandh
Ludhiana, November 2 Sources said these steps have been taken “keeping in view the sentiments of the community”. City SSP SS Gill has directed all SHOs to stay on high alert. The city has been divided in 22 zones and 11 DSPs have been deputed with the task of monitoring these zones. Senior police officials are planning to install doorframe metal detectors at several key locations. These include religious places, crowded public places and educational institutes. In the meantime all vehicles entering the city are being thoroughly searched. There is a lot of police presence on the roads today. Gill said a high alert has been sounded in the city following which cops in civilian dress and quick reaction teams had been deployed at many places to keep an eye on “anti-social elements”. ‘‘If anybody is seen harassing the public he would be taken to task. We would not allow anyone to take the law and order situation into their hands”, the SSP added. It is learnt in the meantime the Sikh bodies have organised a meeting with various market associations to persuade them to support the bandh call. According to information, many associations have agreed to close down their shops in support of the call. Sources close to the police said officials have demanded deployment of more police personnel from the neighbouring towns as the present force is insufficient to tackle the law and order situation in the wake of festive season.
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Rlys gear up to prevent disruption of train traffic
Ludhiana, November 2 Even though the Sikh bodies had urged the railway authorities to keep trains suspended for the day, officials at the Northern Railway divisional headquarters maintained that was not possible. Talking to The Tribune on phone, additional divisional railway manager RS Ghera said, “We have appealed to the protesting organisations through village panchayats, public address systems at gurudwaras and other social and religious institutions to spare rail traffic during the bandh to prevent inconvenience to thousands of passengers and disruption of their travel plans”. "While movement of trains will continue according to schedule, at the same time we’re not taking any chances as far as protection of rail property is concerned. Adequate deployment of the Railway Protection Force has been made at all major train stations in the Ferozepur division, The Government Railway Police authorities have also been told to take all possible steps to maintain law and order," Ghera added. RPF and GRP officials based here said strict vigil was being maintained and nothing was being left to chance to ensure uninterrupted movement of trains. "We shall do our best to maintain rail traffic. Close coordination is also being maintained with the district police top brass to take care of any obstruction of railway tracks," they stated. Meanwhile, complete uncertainty prevails among city residents who have had their rail travel planned much in advance for November 3, for the simple reason that train reservation on short notice is not possible. Facing a dilemma whether to take the train tomorrow morning for New Delhi from where he is to take another train for Bangalore in the evening, as per his original plan, or to cancel the reservation and embark on the journey late in the evening, Rajesh Aggarwal, a city businessman, said the proposed bandh had wrecked his entire travel plans. |
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Circulation of fake notes on rise
Ludhiana, November 2 A manager with State Bank of India said on the condition of anonymity that the counterfeit notes were openly circulating in banks, markets and other places. He felt banks alone felt helpless in stopping their circulation. "No bank can afford to annoy their valued customers. If someone is found with fake notes we immediately cross the notes and ask the customer not to circulate them further. However, we do not confiscate them. Another problem is that if we lodge a complaint with the police, we will have to waste a lot of our time answering their queries", the manager said. He added a common citizen was not at all equipped to differentiate between a genuine and a high-quality fake currency note in circulation. Though it was not possible to get the exact figure of fake notes being circulated in the city, officials with various banks have confirmed the practice is prevalent. State Bank of Patiala controlling officer JS Jawanda, however, said banks always updated themselves with the latest guidelines put out by the RBI. "Banks do come across fake notes many times, but they immediately seek police help. Even if two notes are seized the police is informed about it. It is wrong to say banks adopt a lenient view on this serious matter", he said. A majority of fake notes were found to be of Rs 100, 500 and 1000 denomination. These days sake notes are also being circulated in kitty-circles. Sita Arora, an
organiser of a kitty worth Rs 1.5 lakh, said at one of their kitty parties a woman was handed over three fake Rs 500 notes. "As we were not aware of such a practice everyone had to pool in the amount (Rs 1,500) to be given to the kitty member. We have now made it mandatory that whoever brings this amount has to seal it in an envelope with the name of the member written on it. If any note is found to be fake at least we can ask the particular member", she said. |
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SSIs blame excise dept for ‘bogus bills’ scam
Ludhiana, November 2 Badish K Jindal, chairman of FASII’s Punjab chapter, told The Tribune that in Punjab under the VAT Act if any company had revenues of over Rs 5 crore, submitting online monthly data on sale/ purchase transactions was mandatory. "The main bogus companies, numbering five or six, had posted fake sales of more than Rs 200 crore each year. It’s not only strange but disgusting that the department did not even try to check their input credit which was in crores of rupees", he said. Badish added these companies were selling their bills for the past two years. "It is certain these companies were being shielded by the excise department itself. The latter had issued notices to over 1,000 innocent industrialists but not a single notice was issued to any excise department official", he alleged. Members of FASII were of the view that that, in order to save their skin, department officials, instead of taking any strict action against the prime suspects, were harassing those industrialists who had already submitted VAT to these companies. “If things moved like this the industrialists might feel it safe to transact without invoicing while doing business with the new companies, which means there would be huge revenue losses for the state exchequer”, they opined. The small-scale industrialists said in Punjab over 90 per cent of transactions were made through brokers or dealers. “It could be very difficult for a manufacturer to buy the material from any dealer as he may face a notice if the broker provided the material from the bogus company. The department is using this scandal as a weapon for delaying VAT refunds of the industrialists. Instead of harassing the manufacturers, the department should take the strict action against the real bogus bill culprits", asserted Jindal. |
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School being used for storing paddy
Khamano, November 2 “We’re quite upset over dumping of paddy at the school ground where stage level games are being held. This is despite the fact that the arhtiyas don’t have any written permission to store paddy at this ground,” said schoolteachers while talking to TNS. School officials said though they had made repeated requests to the higher authorities as well as villagers nothing had happened. They added the villagers refused to budge and had occupied nearly 70 percent area of the ground adjoining the grain market. The school authorities said as the ground did not have a boundary wall the villagers had occupied it without any any intimation. They stated the barbed wire fencing that the education department had put around the ground many years ago is now completely destroyed. “The cost of a new barbed wire fencing for the ground has been estimated at nearly Rs 30,000 and the school is awaiting funds for the same”, said education department officials. “So far the government has not responded to our request for the funds”, they added. Meanwhile, school principal Jasvir Singh said it would be quite difficult for them to clean up the school ground after the paddy or wheat season. “Children are bereft of playing activities as there is no other place in the school compound. This would continue for the next few days or so”, he added. The commission agents and other villagers, sitting in the ground with their paddy, said they had no option but to use this ground for dumping paddy for lack of alternative storage areas in the area. When contacted, Fatehgarh Sahib deputy commissioner Yashvir Mahajan said he would look into the matter. |
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Phew, these bandhs!
The call for Punjab bandh for Tuesday followed by another call for “rail roko” on November 6 for the same cause, but by different outfits, is nothing but a poor reflection on the state of governance and ineffective enforcement of laws of the land. The grievances of protesting groups may be serious enough to warrant such agitations, but it is the simple manner in which a few people hold the entire population to ransom is disturbing. Those calling for frequent bandhs and strikes never realise that travelling public plan their train journey much in advance. While some have to attend family functions, others need to appear in examinations or interviews. The protesting groups ought to realise that a call for bandh assumes menacing proportions for those who are stranded midway between their journeys or fail to reach their destinations on time in addition to causing losses worth crores of rupees to the country. Is somebody listening? Professional
obligations
A little infringement in law is permissible when it comes to the police, as their duty and “professional obligations” are inseparable. A journalist standing at a traffic signal could not help but appreciate a traffic policeman who didn’t spare a single motorcyclists/scooterist jumping the red light. The appreciation was shortlived as the traffic constable stopped a policeman in khaki carrying a domestic gas cylinder on a scooter. But as soon as the policeman on the scooter murmured his ‘boss’ name’, adding “Memsaab ne gas cylinder jaldi mangwaya hair kyunki sahib ke ghar par mehmaan aaye hue haien. Aagar der ho gayi to daant par jayegi”, the traffic constable not only gave him a pat on the shoulder but also gave him the permission to ignore red lights. Modern ‘jago’
Times have changed and so have the traditional artifacts. Though people try to follow traditional rituals these day, modern ways do creep in somewhere. When it comes to marriages, everybody wants ceremonies to be performed in line with rituals and customs. For instance, on boy’s marriage, “jago” is taken out at night. “Jago” is a metal vessel, on which lamps made from dough are fixed, which illuminate at night. Women of the family lift this vessel on their heads turn by turn. However, “jago” these days is made of steel vessel fitted with steel lamps bearing lights carrying a portable battery. “The traditional ‘jago’ was very heavy to lift and in addition to this women always complain of leaking ghee or oil from the vessel. The battery-operated ‘jago’ is risk-free,” feels a salesman from a shop at Meena Bazar. Hard-earned money
A working friend recently went to an ATM to withdraw money. After getting the cash, she was astonished to see the balance amount, which was around Rs 18,000 more than what she thought should have been in the account. She called her husband to ask if he had made any deposits. However, the husband told her that he did not even know her account number. She enthusiastically withdrew the money, keeping just Rs 2,500 in the account as balance. On her way home, she thought of making certain purchases but since it was the end of the month, she called up her office to enquire if her salary had reached her account. She was surprised to know that the pay had been deposited, this time it came two days early, much to her disappointment. After all, the bloated balance was nothing but her own hard-earned money! Phone(y) call
Recently, a senior IPS officer was lamenting at the people’s attitude who thought policemen had solution to every problem and could take anyone to task, whether it came under their preview or not. Narrating one such incident, the officer said: “I received a call in the middle of the night from a bus passenger asking me to nab the conductor as he had neither given him the ticket nor the balance of the amount paid. I told him to call the bus operator, asking why had he called me in the middle of the night.” The passenger replied that he had called the bus operator but he was not responding. When the officer told him that he could not do anything, the passenger said: “Fine, just scold him on the phone just so that he realises it’s a policeman on the other side and return the money and the
ticket.” Contributed by Kuldip Bhatia, Anshu Seth, Manav Ghuman, Shivani Bhakoo, Mohit Khanna |
NRIs on a shopping spree
Ludhiana, November 2 All leading brands and sophisticated dresses might be available to them in the UK, Canada or the US, but when it comes to wedding shopping, they cannot avoid paying a visit to their motherland. All leading stores in the city are packed with the foreign customers these days. Satinder Gill from the US is here these days for the wedding shopping of her son. She is all excited to buy the traditional outfits for her daughter-in-law. "The wedding is incomplete without a visit to India. I have been in India for 10 days and will be buying dresses and jewellery. Ludhiana is the best choice for buying traditional Punjabi dresses. Suits and sarees of every taste are available at the leading stores in the city," she adds. A salesman at a prominent store at Mall Road said these days, NRIs have flocked the market for wedding shopping. Dealing with NRI customers is easier as they have very limited time and take the decision quickly. Due to the paucity of time, they do bulk shopping in short time," he added. Annie Sidhu from the UK is here to shop for her wedding. Trying the lengha, she seems so excited. "I am born and bought up in the UK and have never worn such traditional dresses. I am really thrilled to wear these traditional Indian outfits. Bright and shimmering dresses will surely catch everybody's attention abroad," she chips in. Supreet is also excited about her wedding. She is not an NRI but was seen taking the help of an NRI customer at the store as she is getting married abroad. "I was trying to know the taste of the people abroad so thought of taking help from an NRI sitting next to me," she smiled.
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Asthma cases rise, thanks to stubble burning
Ludhiana, November 2 Stated Dr Rishi Bhardwaj working in a village dispensary near Phillaur, "Allergic bronchitis and allergic asthma are affecting children more than anything else followed by allergic rhinitis, bronchitis and eye allergies." He claimed that doctors after visiting schools during health check-up have observed that on an average around 30 to 40 per cent students in the class showed symptoms like cough, shortness of breath, frequent nasal symptoms, wheezing and asthma during this period of time .The physical condition of the children has an adverse effect on their ability to study and play. But it is the "repeated chest infections that decrease the immunity of children, leading to failure of child to thrive and tolerate stress which has become the major cause of worry among doctors, claimed Dr Bhardwaj. The warnings by agricultural experts and environmentalists that the process ruins the soil health and plays havoc with the health of residents besides creating environmental hazards have gone completely unheeded. A thick blanket of smoke engulfs the environs of Ludhiana and its peripheries as people burn paddy stubble in evenings. Weary of going to doctors, a large number of people go in for self-medication going by their previous prescriptions. Cetirizine is a class of allergy relief drugs called antihistamines that works by blocking histamine, a substance in the body that causes allergic symptoms. It provides relief from hay fever, seasonal allergy and allergy to other substances and is also used for treating running nose, sneezing, itchy and teary eyes but it has harmful affects if not taken under medical supervision. Physicians have to treat allergic patients who after consuming large doses of cetirizine complain of drowsiness, dry mouth , headache, sore throat , diarrohea, stomach pain , the side effects caused by the medicine.
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Solar tubewells serve no purpose
Mandi Ahmedgarh, November 2 The peasants of the area, welcoming the Deputy Chief Minister’s recent decision to give subsidy on the venture, have urged the authorities to make required amendments to the appliance in view of depleted water table and other factors of the environment. The photovoltaic solar tubewells (popularly known as PV tubewell), which were once installed with 90 per cent subsidy by the Punjab Energy Development Agency at fields of farmers of this part of Malwa, have stopped serving the targeted purpose of irrigating fields. Instead these are being used for charging batteries for domestic needs. Depleting water table and reduced output of the pumps were cited as major reasons behind non-acceptance of the innovation among farmers. Ajmer Singh Gill, a young farmer of Bhadewal village, had installed two photovoltaic panels to run a 2-BHP electric motor about 10 years ago. Though the farmer was told that the motor would be sufficient to irrigate 5 acre field, it partially succeeded in watering one acre field for a few years. “It worked till the water table was at depth of 20 feet, after which the efficiency of the tubewell fell steeply. Now we use the panel for charging batteries for domestive purposes,” said Gill, apprehending the system would not work under present circumstances when the water table has fallen many times. Welcoming Sukhbir Singh Badal’s decision to promote the concept of PV tubewell by announcing subsidies on the solar pumps, Bir Singh of Rachhin village demanded that necessary amendments should be made before installing panels in the fields. “In order to make the system successful, engineers should develop more effective and compact devises so that marginal and small farmers can make use of the innovation. The proposal, if becomes feasibly, will help us save electricity for other purposes,” argued Singh. He asserted that a large space was required for installing present model of the solar pump. Investigations by The Tribune revealed that Punjab had a good solar irradiance level and sunshine hours exceeding 3000 hours in a year. For this reason, the region holds a promise for tapping this eco-friendly source of power. Studies revealed that the amount of annual irradiance ranged between 130 watts per square meter to 160 watts psm which could generate around 1400 Kwh/m2 annually.
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Punjab Bandh
Ludhiana, November 2 While government schools will remain open tomorrow, the silence of private schools has left parents and students in the lurch. Clearing the stand for government schools, district education officer (DEO) Amarjeet Kaur, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune, said: “All government schools will remain open tomorrow and function as normal.” However, absence of clear directions from private school managements about the same has left parents in a fix whether to send their wards to school or not. Worried about the safety of their kids in case of any untoward incident in the wake of the bandh, anxiety could be seen writ large on the faces of parents of schoolchildren here today. Surinder Kaur, mother of a class VII student of Sacred Heart Convent, Sarabha Nagar, said: “We have not been informed by the school authorities whether the school will remain open or closed tomorrow. We are confused as to what to do.” Father of a class V student of Sat Paul Mittal, Sukhpal Singh added that he feared for the safety of the kids. “In case the situation turns ugly, like riots of May this year, the security of children will be at stake. I think schools should remain closed tomorrow.” Similarly, M Mahajan, whose son studies in Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, said: “We have no information from the authorities, so I will send my son to school. If the authorities make a last moment decision to close the school, he will come back, otherwise he will attend his school as usual.”
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Commuters reschedule travel
Mandi Ahmedgarh, November 2 Fearing inconvenience, a majority of commuters, including those travelling by bus and private vehicles, left for their areas of workplaces today. Meanwhile, the police department has called back policemen deputed on special duties and those who had proceeded on leave. Investigations by Ludhiana Tribune revealed that the state bandh call had spread panic among those residents who had planned journey for the day. Thousands of employees and traders who had been commuting between their residence and places of work were worried about reaching their destinations in time tomorrow. Dehliz Road resident MK Sharma, who is a bank employee and commutes between Ludhiana and Ahmedgarh by public transport, said he like many others had decided to stay with a relative near the place of work. “When we know that protesters can block traffic at any place and at any time, why should we risk reaching late at the office. Moreover, it is advisable to avoid unsavory situations,” said Sharma, adding that a large number of employees from Malaudh, Kup, Malerkotla and Dhuri had rescheduled their programme to avoid last-minute hiccups. Apprehending traffic blockades on highways on Tuesday, Manav Karir, director of Sanjivani Constructions, and Dr Punit Hind left for Ludhiana to stay at their temporary abodes today. They took their old cars instead of new ones, to avoid damage in case of some untoward incident during their return journey tomorrow. Investigations further revealed that a section of employees had proceeded on leave tomorrow. There were others who had left their places of residence after taking station leave on the last working day of past week.
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For traders, bandh means losses
Ludhiana, November 2 Traders said the "diplomatic" attitude by the government was uncalled for. They feel that the state government should have issued a statement of condemning the bandh and given assurance about safety and security to the public. But in absence of any such statement, the traders had left with no other option but to shut their shops
tomorrow. Mahinder Aggarwal, general secretary, Punjab Pradesh Vyopar
Mandal, said the traders felt insecured as neither the administration nor the police had ensured safety to them. "Even if we open our shops and protesters ask us to shut our establishments, what action will be taken against them? We will prefer not to put our life at risk if security is not provided to us. And to shut the business means losses worth several crores of rupees, not to the traders alone but also to state exchequer as well", said
Aggarwal. Sharman Kumar, a tailor sitting outside a cloth merchant showroom, Chaura Bazaar, said daily wagers were the worst hit due to forced closure of markets. "My daily bread depends on the wages I earn here. But everything will be closed tomorrow and there will be no orders for alteration. I am able to get anything between Rs 150-200 daily but there will be no earnings tomorrow", he said. The industry, meanwhile, maintain since they were not in favour of
bandh, their establishments will remain open tomorrow. President of the Knitwear Club Vinod Thapar said this was the peak period for hosiery manufacturers. The recession-hit industry was trying for its revival and such forced bandh calls would bring more losses. "Neither we have been conveyed by the government to close the businesses, so we will come to the factories as any other normal day", said
Thapar.
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Demands of PAU staff not taken up: Maur
Ludhiana, November 2 Addressing the meeting, D.P. Maur, former president of the PAU Employees Union and trade union leader, said the present executive of the PAU Employees Union did not take up the demands of the employees seriously with the varsity authorities. Mentioning the case of stenographers, Maur said when the executive council, led by Harbans Singh Mundi, president, PAU Employees Union, took over in 2007, they did not take up the matter with the authorities. "Consequently, financial benefits like annual increments with effect from January 1, 2008; January 1, 2009; ACP on November 1, 2006, and promotional increments of personal assistants have not been granted by PAU though their two years' term had expired," Maur alleged at the meeting. He further said the stenographers were suffering financial losses to the tune of Rs 4,000 per month while the retirees were forced to surrender benefits, amounting to Rs 3-4 lakh. "Other demands like filling of the post of steno-typists (over 150), promotion of steno-typist after 20 years' service, grant of promotional increment to the stenos redesignated on January 25, 1993, and abolition of proficiency tests have not been taken up with the university authorities by the executive council," said Maur. He added that the stenographers and personal assistants were frustrated due to the apathetical attitude of the PAU authorities. Present on the occasion were Paramjit Singh Gill, Som Nath Sharma, Dr Gulzar Pandher, Joginder Ram, Iqbal Singh Lalli, Jaswant Singh, Harish Katyal, Kuldip Singh, Gurinder Singh, Narinder Pal Singh Kainth, K.L. Gaba, J.C. Verma, KC Saluja, Ranjit Singh, Ravinder Mohan, Narayan Singh, L.B. Yadav, Harminder Singh, Parveen Garg, Vinay Tiwari, Narinder Pal Sekhon, Baldev Singh Walia, Mohan Lal and Jarnail Singh.
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From Schools & Colleges
Ludhiana, November 2 Dr Mukhtinder Singh narrated incidents from the life of Guru Nanak Dev to students. The celebration ended with distribution of “deg” and recitation of slogan ‘'Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh’'. NSS CAMP: A one-day NSS camp was organised at Malwa Central College of Education for Women, Civil Lines, on the occasion of Gurpurb. Camp in charges Dr Sukhdev Singh Sandhu and Mohua Khosla oriented students towards the value of social service. Dr Ravinder Kaur, college principal, also motivated the students about the philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev -- to serve the humanity. The students were told to follow the path of "work is worship". After the camp, the students recited gurbani. School opened: Bachpan, a play school for tiny tots, was inaugurated here today amid much fanfare. The play school is the first-ever scientifically designed play school for toddlers between the age groups of 2-5, informed Col Amarjit Singh (retd), managing director of the school. The school has a gymnasium, dining hall, doll house and ball room, informed Navtej Sawhney, school director.
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Misusing surgical practices to strengthen legal cases
Mandi Ahmedgarh, November 2 The person availing of the medical facility paid the bribe as he wanted to teach a lesson to his political rivals by implicating them in a false case. The doctor did not spare the party even as he allegedly charged Rs 8,000 for preparing injury report regarding head injuries sustained in the brawl. This is not a single incident of its kind. Depending on the severity of enmity among warring groups or individuals, a large number of doctors have reportedly been using surgical techniques to inflict friendly injuries by taking a settled “fee”. Probing a complaint lodged by Rajinder Singh of Chaminda village, Daljit Singh Kochhar, SMO at the hospital, had found Dr Avinash Jindal guilty of violating medical norms and ethics by facilitating preparation of misleading medico-legal cases and injury reports. However, Dr Jindal, pleading innocence, had maintained that the reports were prepared by a board of doctors and not him alone. Though the then civil surgeon, Dr Sat Pal Sharma, had forwarded the inquiry report to secretary, health department, for necessary action shortly after the submission by SMO in-charge Dr Daljit Singh, the physicians facing charges, allegedly under the patronage of a close associate of the Chief Minister, managed to hold back action. However, after persistent efforts of the complainant, the department transferred the suspect to Fatehgarh Sahib and issued a charge-sheet in the case. Further action is still pending.
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Dog Menace
Ludhiana, November 2 Varinder Bhakko, president of the Dr Kitchlu Nagar Residents Association, said the MP called him up telling him that shipping of stray dogs to her constituency was no solution. She told him to approach DC Vikas Garg and make him talk to the her. Maneka’s reaction came after Ludhiana Tribune highlighted the plight of residents, who have been suffering from stray dog menace and preparing to send these dogs to Aonla, Uttar Pradesh, the constituency of Maneka Gandhi. However, Bhakoo said: “If she is so concerned about the animals, she she should directly talk to the DC.” Bhakoo apprehended that the DC would not pay heed to their request and might not talk to Maneka. Meanwhile, expressing their support to the welfare association, some residents have said the dogs should be sterilised. Recently, Bhakoo, in a letter to the minister, had requested her to handle the stray dogs that had bitten over 20 residents in the past one month.
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Dhingan, Pappu new LIT members
Ludhiana, November 2 According to official information, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today cleared the file pertaining to nomination of 26 members to 17 Improvement Trusts in Punjab, including Ludhiana. The state government has forwarded the names of new members of the trusts to the Local Government, Punjab, for issuing a notification to this effect under the Punjab Town Improvement
Act. Naresh Dhingan, an activist of the Bhartiya Valmiki Dharam Samaj (BVDS), is close to Vijay
Danav, a senior dalit leader, and a known loyalist of Parkash Singh
Badal. After a vertical split in the BVDS last year, when Danav formed a separate body, Dhingan had sided with
Danav, and the nomination to the LIT is being seen as a reward for the dalit
leader. Pappu had lobbyed very hard, but could not get the party ticket to fill the vacancy in the civic body. According to SAD circles, he is said to be close to former party MP Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and chief parliamentary secretary Harish Rai
Dhanda, who represents Ludhiana South in the Punjab Assembly.
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Gurpurb celebrated with fervour
Ludhiana, November 2 Gurdwaras were bedecked with flowers and lights for the occasion. Devotees thronged gurdwaras since early morning. The bhog ceremony of Akhand Path was held in the morning, followed by kirtan. Ragi jathas from across the country had come to the city to recite kirtan. Kirtan darbars were also held in the evening, which lasted till late night. Community kitchens were organised for devotees as young and the old lent a helping hand to serve the sangat. Women remained busy preparing langar. In the evening, devotees visited gurdwaras to light candles and diyas. Gurdwaras across the city wore a festive look as they dazzled in the bright light of candles. At Gurdwara Dukhnivaran, devotees also lighted candles in the morning. Bouquets and sweets were offered by devotees. Residents later burst crackers to light up the festivities. Follow Guru’s teachings: Tiwari
Local MP and national spokesperson for the AICC Manish Tewari today exhorted people to follow the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev as these were more relevant today
than ever. Speaking at various functions in the city to mark Gurpurb, he said in today’s world of conflict and violence, the message of Guru Nanak of peace and brotherhood needed to be promoted and propagated. “Guru Nanak descended on the earth to rid people of the prevailing ills and exploitation in the system. He preached humanism to the world much ahead of others.” Tewari paid his obeisance at Gurdwara Dukhniwaran where he was accompanied by other party leaders, including Surinder Dawar, Nahar Singh Gill, Malkiat Singh Dakha, Sanjay Talwar and Pawan Dewan. He also partook of langar at
the gurdwara. Earlier, the local MP participated in celebrations at Gurdwara Rarra Sahib, Alamgir, Ghawaddi and besides other places. He also received party functionaries and other guests at his residence in Sarabha Nagar here, who had come to greet him. Kirtan by students
Mandi Ahmedgarh: Thousands of devotees from the town and surrounding villages participated in the Gurpurb celebrations here today. Massive illumination and bursting of crackers and fireworks marked the celebrations of the festival this year. Students and the staff of Guru Nanak Ayurvedic Medical College and the Guru Nanak College of Education, Gopalpur, celebrated Parkash Utsav on the college premises, where a kirtan was organised by students. Dr Balwinder Singh Walia called upon the students to
follow the teachings of Guru Nanak. The kirtan was organised under the aegis of the Pir Budhu Shah Seva Society and the Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee, Singh Sabha, at gurdwara on the Railway Road here. A religious procession was taken out from Guru Teg Bahadur Chowk, which passed through various parts of the town on Sunday. Celebrations were organised by members of various organisations. The Shree Ram Mandir Committee, the Bhartia Mahavir Dal and the Har Har Mahadev Sewa Dal organized langars for devotees participating in Nagar Kirtan. Bimal Sharma, Ravinder Puri, Dilshan Mohamand, all councillors and Sanjay Sood, adviser to Usha Sood, president, Municipal Council, greeted devotees on the occasion. Students and staff of MGMN Senior Secondary School, DAV High School, Kennedy Public School, Guru Nanak Kanya Mahavidyalaya, GHG Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Anand Isher Senior Secondary School Chhappar and the Government High School, Amarpura, participated in the celebrations. Stone laid
Amloh: Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary was celebrated with fervour here today. Panj Pyaras laid the foundation stone of a new building of Gurdwara Singh Sabha and planted five saplings on the occasion. A procession, led by Panj Pyaras, passed through the main bazaars to leave the message to follow the path of universal harmony shown by Guru Nanak Devji . Among others, market committee chairman Randhir Singh Bhambri, Youth Development Board chairman Gurpreet Singh Raju Khanna, Scheduled Castes Chairman Dalip Singh Pandhi also joined the celebrations.
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Turban tying camp at gurdwara
Ludhiana, November 2 "In today's modern time, youths are going away from their religion. They prefer trimmed hair. Turban is the pride of every Sikh due to which he stands out. Sadly, the young generation is going away from this tradition," added Amandeep Singh Gill, who conducted the camp. The responsibility also lies with the parents. Parents should encourage their kids to follow the path of religion and wear turban and maintain the sanctity of hair, he added.
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RIMT to host Conatus ’09
Mandi Gobindgarh, November
2 RIMT chairman Dr Hukam Chand Bansal will be chief guest on the opening day, which will see events like bhangra, gidda, war of DJs, besides others. Dr Narinder Bhargav, SP, Phillaur, will be the chief guest in the evening session. The second day will comprise folk dance, regional dance, couple dance, etc. with a “rock nite” in the evening, which will see live band performances by “The Local Train” and “21st Rebel Street”. RIMT joint chairperson Neena Bansal will be the chief guest in the evening. Amrinder Gill will perform on the concluding day, according to a press note.
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Sidhwan students excel in youth fest
Jagraon, November 2 The college students won 21 prizes in various categories of events. These included nine first prizes, two second and 10 third prizes. Over 500 students from 10 colleges took part in the festival. The college students won first prize in quiz, debate, collage, rangoli, kavishari and phulkari events, while they scored second position in tabla and histrionics. Principal Dr Paramjit Kaur and co-ordinator of cultural activities Nirmal Kaur felicitated the students for their performance.
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Convention by Punjabi sabha
Ludhiana, November 2 Two resolutions were passed in the convention. Firstly, it was demanded from the government that language tribunal should be set up and, secondly, it was passed that in Punjab, Punjabi should be made compulsory up to class twelfth.
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7 needy couples tie the knot
Jagraon, November 2 The society has been organising such marriages for some time with the help of donors. The marriages were solemnised as per Sikh rituals. The society also gave the newlyweds households goods, clothes and cosmetics costing Rs 50,000. A common kitchen was organised for the couples, relatives and guests. The programme, which started two days ago, was conducted with all religious ceremonies. Kirt Mahant and social activist Jarnail Singh were among those present at the ceremony.
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Child's foetus spreads panic
Ludhiana, November 2 According to the police, the foetus bore burn marks as well which indicates that someone even tried to burn it. A sweeper spotted the foetus and further informed residents and the police about the incident. In the meantime, the police has sent the foetus to civil hospital to distinguish its identity. — TNS
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RTI website launched
Ludhiana, November 2 Appealing people to use the power, he said, "We should use RTI against corruption without any inhibition and effort must be made to ensure that it is not misused for vested interests so that its sanctity is not underminded." It's a sacred and potent weapon that can help in a long way in sensitising the system and eradicating the corruption provided it is used in the right earnest. Organisation president Paul Sharma said the website contain information about RTI and its application and how to use it. Besides, activists can post their experiences and views to form consensus on various opinions.
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Marriage for Immigration
Jagraon, November 2 Baldev Singh of Kamalpura village, near here, in his complaint to the Moga police stated that he had fixed the marriage of his son Buta Singh with a Canadian girl through his relatives two months ago. The marriage was arranged through a group of eight persons and the deal was struck at Rs 20 lakh. Baldev Singh had arranged the amount by selling his 1.5 acre of agriculture land. It was agreed that Rs 1.5 lakh would be given before the wedding and the remainder soon after the marriage. On September 26, Baldev Singh and the marriage party reached Samrat Hotel at Moga to solemnise the marriage. Just before Anand Karaj, Baldev Singh decided to confirm the status of the girl in Canada and asked for the passport of the girl from Surjit Singh, the father of the girl. To their surprise, both sides learned that they were being cheated by the gang at the same time. Surjit Singh said his daughter was an Indian citizen and had done IELTS to go abroad. He said the mediators never told them that they were arranging the marriage presenting his daughter to be an NRI. Baldev Singh informed the police and complained against eight persons, including Charanpal Singh, Manjit Kaur, Ram Singh and Rajan. However, no complaint was made against any member of the family of the girl. The police is stated to have booked the accused under various sections of the IPC and started investigation. No arrest has been made so far.
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Dowry Cases
Jagraon, November 2 Lakhwinder Kaur, alias Harpreet Kaur, of Mohalla Kharadian, Raikot, stated in her complaint to the police that she was married to Ravinder Singh of Assi Kalan village, near Ludhiana, around two and half years ago. Soon after the marriage, her in-laws started harassing and assaulting her for bringing inadequate dowry. On October 23, she was allegedly assaulted by her in-laws. On learning this, her parents, Manjit Singh and Harbans Kaur, took her to the Raikot civil hospital. They later filed a complaint with the police. SHO Raikot Waryam Singh conducted an inquiry and found the allegations true and yesterday booked Ravinder Singh, his mother Jinder Kaur, his sister Nikki and Karamjit Singh under Sections 406 and 498A of the IPC. No arrest has been made so far. In a similar case, the Dehlon police booked six NRI members of an in-laws’ family for seeking dowry. Kamaljeet Kaur of Dhurkot village in her complaint to the police stated that she was married on August 22 last year to Rupinder Singh of Begowal village who had migrated to Canada. After marriage, she also migrated to Canada. There, her in-laws, including her husband, his mother Kulwant Kaur, brother Jagjit Singh, Amandeep Kaur, wife of Jagjit Singh, Pritpal Singh and his wife Baljinder Kaur (sister of Rupinder Singh) of Chokhi village near Delhon started demanding more dowry. They turned her out of their house on March 26 when she was eight months pregnant. They left her at the airport and handed her a ticket for India. She narrated the incidence over the phone from the airport to her sister who also lived in Canada. She took her along for the delivery and later persuaded Rupinder Singh and his family to take her back. Thereafter, in April they again turned her out of their house. She returned to India and lodged a complaint with
the police. The police after initial probe booked the six accused on Thursday under Sections 406 and 498A, IPC, after taking advice from the DA legal. No arrest has been made so far.
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RJD leader nabbed with opium
Ludhiana, November 2 The police has seized 250 gm of opium from district president of the RJD Narinderjit Singh, who resides in textile colony in Jamalpur. The SHO, Division No. 7, Balwinder Singh, said the leader was nabbed following a tip-off that he was taking opium in his vehicle. The SHO said cops stopped Natinderjit, who was driving a car with tinted windshield. The cop said many VIP stickers were also pasted on the vehicle. On spotting the vehicle, a cop indicated the leader to get down but instead of stopping, Narinderjit told the cop that he had a special permit, therefore, the cop had no authority to stop his vehicle. As per information, the leader even misbehaved with the police and expressed reluctance on frisking the vehicle. During a search, 250gm of opium was found lying on the rear seat of the vehicle. According to the police, the leader used to take opium from Uttar Pradesh and sell it in the local market. The police said he had links with many UP and Bihar drug peddlers.
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Scooterist killed in accident
Jagraon, November 2 The vehicle hit a scooter (PB 10 AY 0837) driven by Nachhatar Singh (35) of Achharwal village, near Hathoor
village yesterday. The driver of the vehicle managed to speed away after
the accident. The police has registered a case under Sections 304A, 279 and 427, IPC, on the statement of Baldev Singh, brother of the victim.
— OC
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