Jalandhar, March 23
The Punjab State Goods Transport Association has decided to go on strike on April 5 to lodge their protest against the diesel price hike, imposing of 9 per cent import duty on tyres, increase of tyre prices of domestic companies and frequent hike of toll charges.

Association president Bhupinder Singh Pandher said the truckers had decided to stop any ferrying of goods on April 5. He said the import duty on tyres that had been waived off till the past few years had been imposed again.

“Even the Indian companies have raised the prices of tyres. The price of a pair of tyres has gone up by Rs 4,000 in just one month. The companies have shot up the prices showing a shortage of tyres in the country,” he said, claiming that it was a farce.

Pandher said the members were fed up of paying multiple taxes. “We are paying road development cess, road tax, state permit, national permit and toll taxes. A trucker pays Rs 700 per day, Rs 20,000 a month and Rs 2.55 lakh per year. If the toll is increased year after year, we will end up paying Rs 5 lakh per year. The fate of a trucker is actually doomed,” he lamented.

Pandher also pointed out that tax had to be paid at three toll barriers of NHAI on the Amritsar-Delhi road. He said a recovery of Rs 29 crore, which was the actual target, had been made till February, 2008. He said since there had been an increase of 30 per cent in the number of vehicles each year, the recovery had already crossed Rs 570 crore, which is 20 times more.

He said the truckers were also worried by the increase in incidents of crime in the night. “We are not being provided the required security. The number of incidents of loot and murder on highways has increased over the past few years,” he claimed.

Sultanpur Lodhi, March 23
The district police claimed to have solved the blind double murder of a woman and her daughter within 72 hours with the arrest of her cousin today.

The police arrested Sukhdev Singh of Mewa Singh Wala on the charge of the murder Rajwinder Kaur (26) and her daughter Navleen (18 months).

Residents of Shalimar Garden in Delhi, Rajwinder was staying with her parents Amrik Singh and Aasha Kaur at Dada Quarters in Rama Mandi in Jalandhar as her husband Harjinder Singh had gone to Muscat.

The bodies were identified by Rajwinder’s parents as they had been kept at the mortuary of Sultanpur Lodhi Civil Hospital after their recovery from the fields at Mewa Singh Wala on Saturday.

Sultanpur Lodhi SHO Gurmeet Singh told The Tribune that a investigation had been initiated on the directions of Kapurthala SSP Ram Singh following identification of the bodies.

The suspicion revolved around Rajwinder’s cousin (bua da munda) Sukhdev Singh of Mewa Singh Wala itself. After his arrest, he confessed to have committed the crime, the SHO added.

Gurmeet Singh said the accused told the police that Sukhdev had developed extra marital relations with his cousin Rajwinder when he had gone to paint her maternal house in Jalandhar. Subsequently, he called her at his house at Mewa Singh Wala village. He took her to the fields of Jagtar Singh where he strangled Navleen after an altercation. Subsequently, he also killed Rajwinder by hitting her head with a brick.

Khatkar Kalan, March 23
The native place of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh was thronged with visitors as people came in large numbers to pay their tributes on his martyrdom day today.

The icon of the freedom struggle seems to hold special pull for youngsters who came in hundreds to pay their respects to the martyr. Sporting his trademark turban, the youngsters, including girls, raised slogans of “Inquilab zindabad”.

Hundreds of visitors had to return home disappointed as they could not see artifacts connected to the martyr as the museum was out of bounds for the public. People questioned the rationale behind the move as they had specially come from far-off places of the state to see the museum.

Security is a nuisance and the dignitaries should plan their visit in such a manner as they cause least inconvenience to visitors, rued Tarsem Lal, who had come from Ludhiana with his family.

Many like Bhupinder Singh of Nawanshahr said no proper arrangements for water or food had been made for people who turned up for the function. However, the only saving grace was the langar organised by a social organisation.

Our Correspondent adds from Hoshiarpur: The 78th martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev Singh was commemorated by various organisations here today. Separate functions were organised to pay tributes to the martyrs, who sacrificed their lives to liberate millions of Indians from the shackles of imperialism.

Activists of the Rashtriya Vikas Party garlanded the statues of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at DC Chowk paid tributes to them. A langer (community kitchen) was also organised.

Batala, March 23
Lockout by Batala industrialists entered the eighth day here today. The local industrialists have locked their business houses in protest against the alleged harassment and blackmail by labour leader Gurmeet Singh Bakhatpura of the Indian Federation of Trade Union (IFTU), Punjab.

Information and Public Relations Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan addressed a joint meeting of industrialists and traders in the Batala Club to sort out the problem.

He assured industrialists that they would be provided all possible help to run their industries and nobody would be allowed to create any hindrance in the smooth running of the business.

At the same time, he called upon the labourers to return to work, assuring them that they would be paid as per the government policy and labour laws.

Sekhwan said unscrupulous labour leaders would not be allowed to take the industries to ransom.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Jagdish Swahney also addressed the meeting and said persons like Bakhatpura, indulging in blackmailing and ransom, would be taken to task.

On the other hand, a parallel meeting by Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh was held here and its district president Davinderpal called upon the district administration to resolve the industrial impasse created with the locking of factories.

He appealed to the administration to accept the legitimate demands of labourers.

He demanded creation of fast-track labour courts for the early solution of labour problems.

However, a police party raided the house of Bakhatpura to arrest him on Monday night but he jumped from the roof of his house to save himself from the police, resulting in one of his legs being broken. Bakhatpura has been admitted in the local Civil Hospital.