Jalandhar, March 19
Jalandhar will become the first city in Punjab to strictly implement traffic rules and impose on-the-spot and subsequent penalty on violators. The phased implementation of traffic rules would come into effect from March 21.

A notification in this regard was issued by Principal Secretary (Transpsort) D.S. Jaspal on February 3.

In the first phase, the traffic police has decided to take action against autorickshaw drivers carrying more than four children, two-wheeler riders without helmets, using mobile phones while driving and those car drivers not using seat belts.

Among other offences are jumping of red light, disobeying traffic signal, smoking while driving, triple riding on two-wheelers, wrong parking within the city area, unauthorised use of sun film, failing to drive vehicles at low beam and unauthorised use of red and blue lights.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Diljinder Singh Dhillon said, “Though we have listed 11 offences, to begin with, the focus would be on four main offences.”

Dhillon said the penalty for the first offence would be Rs 100, while it would increase to Rs 300 in the second offence and if the violation was done again, it would lead to subsequent fine.

“To make this initiative a success, we would soon set up a database to keep track of the defaulters for subsequent fine. A single-window system would also be set up at the traffic police station,” he added.

The traffic police has authorised officers of the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector and above to challan the vehicles for the offences under the notification, while the police stations have been divided into Zones I and II.

At present, the traffic police has 130 personnel along with PCR teams to implement the traffic laws. 

Hoshiarpur, March 19
Family members of Aman Sihra (18), son of Gurmukh Singh of local Indira Colony, along with residents of the area, blocked traffic in front of DAV College for about an hour this afternoon on the Hoshiarpur-Chandigarh road to express their resentment against the police for not taking any action against five accused allegedly responsible for drowning Aman in the Beas at Kaleshwar Mahadev in Himachal Pradesh on March 16.

Later, the police intervened and on its assurance for arresting the accused, they lifted the blockade.

Aman’s mother Sunita Dev and elder brother Tarlochan Singh told mediapersons that Aman along with his five friends, Keshav Kumar of local Bullanwari, Rohit, alias Happy, of local Balkrishan Road, Krishna Nagar, Sonu Pandit of local Clock Tower, Dagru of local Arora Colony and Delli of Fatehgarh, went to Kaleshwar Mahadev on March 16 morning for taking a holy dip in the Beas on the occasion of first Navratra.

All his friends returned in the evening, but Aman did not turn up. When his parents enquired about Aman, his friends said that they had dropped him near DAV College.

On March 17, the parents along with his friends lodged a complaint with the police about the missing of Aman Sihra .

They alleged that the police did not enquire whereabouts of Aman Sihra from his friends. Yesterday, they met the SSP of Hoshiarpur in this connection who ordered to send a police party to Kaleshvar Mahadev for investigation. In the night, the police party along with Aman Sihra’s parents reached Kaleshvar Mahadev, but remained unsuccessful in finding any clue. In the morning, the police party returned to Hoshiarpur.

Meanwhile, the Himachal police informed the family about the drowning of Aman Sihra today evening. Aman’s younger brother Harmeet Singh, who had stayed at Kaleshwar Mahadev, informed about the recovery of his body by the police.

They further alleged that Aman’s friends, after murdering him, tried to dispose off his body in the Beas. They demanded immediate arrest of all these friends.

DSP (Rural) Jasbir Singh said a police party was being dispatched to Kaleshwar Mahadev for getting the post-mortem examination of Aman Sihra’s body conducted and bring it to Hoshiarpur.

Jalandhar, March 19
The Department of Excise and Taxation today held a draw of lots for liquor shops in the district. The department had received 3,156 applications for approximately 540 vends in the district. It generated a revenue of Rs 161.66 crore.

As per the details revealed by the Deputy Commissioner, the department generated a revenue of Rs 85 crore against Rs 82 crore last year from the allotment of vends falling in the corporation limits.

Similarly, the department witnessed an increase of Rs 10 crore in the rural areas. The revenue remained around Rs 76.22 crore in rural areas.

HOSHIARPUR: The allotment of 264 country made liquor and India made foreign liquor vends by a draw of lots was made in the district on Friday. According to officials sources, it was proposed that the excise revenue would be increased by Rs 16.36 crore during 2010-11.

As many as 64 units of 264 vends were formed which were allotted for Rs 102.4 crore as against Rs 86.04 crore last year.

The Excise and Taxation Department has earned Rs 4,90,61,000 through the sale of 3,124 application forms for the allotment of 64 liquor vends.

NAWANSHAHR: The district fetched a revenue of Rs 55.96 crore from the 119 liquor vends for which auction was held here on Friday.

Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner Saroj Garg said the 119 liquor shops were divided into 28 groups, comprising 22 rural and six urban. Last year, the revenue earned from liquor vends in the district was Rs 46.35 crore.

TARN TARAN: The district has collected a revenue of Rs 16.67 crore from the allotment of liquor shops here. The revenue last year was Rs 13.63 crore.

Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner Parwinder Kumar said the department had received 4,344 applications as against 1,687 last year. An amount of Rs 5.35 crore was collected from the application fees which was only Rs 1.73 crore last year.