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GLADA to crack down on illegal realtors
Ludhiana, June 8 The message on the boards asked people not to put in their hard earned money in these illegal colonies that will “not have any basic amenities”. Buyers will also not be able to obtain ‘no objection cetificates’ from relevant departments for getting water, sewerage and electricity connections, it added. Talking to The Tribune, GLADA additional chief administrator Indu Malhotra said it had come to the notice of the authority’s regulatory staff that certain landowners and estate developers were carving out plots for industrial purposes around existing industrial belts on the city’s periphery without obtaining any license or paying development charges to the competent authority (GLADA in this case). “This is in violation of provisions of the Punjab Apartment & Property Regulation Act, 1995”, she noted. "We’ve put up notice boards proclaiming these upcoming colonies as illegal. At the same time we have filed a complaint with the police to stop construction work, which is being carried out illegally. The process for obtaining revenue records of the pieces of land in question has been set in motion. Once these records are made available, GLADA will get criminal cases registered against the owners and developers of these colonies," Malhotra asserted. She said the practice of carving out industrial plots in an unlawful manner was “beyond comprehension and without any sound logic”. “Unlike residential colonies, the procedure for obtaining a license to develop an industrial cluster was very simple and hassle-free”, she added. "The developer or owner of the land that is intended to be developed as an industrial cluster has to seek permission from the industry department according to provisions of the Punjab government’s industrial policy. He should also obtain a license from the competent authority without payment of any license fee and pay nominal development charges for an approved industrial cluster”, Malhotra stated.
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Showers bring respite after weeks of heat wave
Ludhiana, June 8 The city recorded 3 mm of rainfall. The maximum temperature, which had soared to 38 degrees Celsius yesterday, came down by 11 degrees to 27.4 degrees today. The maximum relative humidity was 88 percent with the minimum relative at 77 percent. Dr KK Gill, a weather expert at Punjab Agricultural University’s meteorological department, said the showers were predicted in the latter’s forecast. “They are a result of western disturbances. Temperatures are expected to rise again as the week proceeds”, she added. School and college students are making merry, having come out of the four walls of their homes after a long time to enjoy the pleasant weather during the ongoing summer vacations. Powercom too has benefited from the sudden showers with a reduction in the load, which is otherwise very high during this time of the year. Airconditioners in commercial establishments as well as residential colonies were switched off even during the daytime. However, farmers are keeping their fingers closed for the hot weather to prevail as paddy transplantation is scheduled to begin on June 10.
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It’s all about power, revenue
Ludhiana, June 8 Minister for Local Bodies and Industries Manoranjan Kalia will meet Commissioners of all five municipal corporations of the state at Chandigarh tomorrow. Several other issues to generate the maximum revenue will also be discussed. As per an estimate, the Ludhiana municipal corporation spends about Rs 4 crore per month on electricity bills for sewage treatment plants, tubewells and streetlights, of which around Rs 1.5 crore is being spent on electricity bills of streetlights alone. According to sources, if energy saving devices are put up by all corporations, crores will be saved. The necessary equipment will be installed on contract by companies, which will pay 20 per cent of the amount saved to the corporation concerned. The issue of advertisements through tickers will also be discussed at the meeting. The department feels that corporations will be able to generate more revenue if advertisements are flashed through tickers.
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Pharmaceuticals are in, psychotropic drugs passe
Ludhiana, June 8 “The instant increase in the sale of capsules and tablets is because of their easy availability. Pharmaceutical stores across the city are enjoying the patronage of the health department and the police, leading to a rise in addiction among the youth,” said Jasbir Singh Mand, a social worker. In a majority of cases, the youths nabbed for snatching and vehicle lifting were found to be drug addicts. Police sources said ‘karyana’ and barber shops at villages sold capsules. SP Gurpreet Singh Toor had launched a crusade against drug addiction in Raikot and Jagraon areas. These areas were considered the worst hit by drug addiction. He believed that it started from overconsumption of liquor. He said those hooked to strong drugs often took medical drugs as substitutes in the wake of scarcity of opium and poppy husk. Outskirts of the city were adversely hit. Areas like Shimlapuri, Gill village, Haibowal Kalan, Salem Tabri, Focal Point, Rahon village and Baddowal had reported mushooming of chemists selling medical drugs. The bus stand and Jawahar Nagar were considered hubs of drug addiction. Tablets were being consumed at Jawahar Nagar, Kila Mohalla and Chhawani Mohalla everyday.
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Crude But Imaginative
Ludhiana, June 8 “I was encouraged by NRIs hailing from villages in the Doaba region as they got the best bargains for my paintings. I was more than willing to work for them as despite the cut, dollars helped me carry on,” he said. Contrary to his unadorned looks, he depicts serious concern for environment issues, human sentiments and teenage turmoil. From white stallions, through playful tigers, to cheetahs on the prowl, wildlife comes alive on canvas. The painting “Char wali gaddi” (4 o’clock train) is an interesting insight into teenaged love as one takes a look at a young girl waving to the driver of the train, moving on the track near her house. “The painter deserves credit for having captured the unmistakable glitter in the eyes of the girl,” commented Mandeep, a fine arts teacher at a local college. An English woman weaving on a spinning wheel in a Punjabi pastoral background is the work that emphasises on the artist’s close association with NRIs. Kainth’s younger son, a student of fine arts at Jammu, shares his passion for painting. He said, “I have grown up with paintings around me and have an obsession to paint.” He said “Mangetar da pind” (fiancé’s village) and burning fields in Punjab were the two paintings of his father which he liked the most. |
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Follow-up
Ludhiana, June 8 Though collection agencies maintain they have adequate security in place, in reality most of them break their own rules to cut down on expenses incurred on fuel and manpower, often putting the lives of their employees at risk. What is sadder is the fact that the police reportedly accords “preferential treatment” to these agencies. Even though there have been three snatching incidents involving the same firm, in one of which an employee lost his life, due to lack of proper security, CMS officials failed to learn lessons. In all these incidents employees were found to be carrying more cash than was prescribed, in violation of company clauses limiting the amount of money being carried. According to a CMS company clause, if the cash is more than the prescribed limit of Rs 3 lakh then it should be carried in a security vehicle. However, disregarding security risks, only a single employee - or, sometimes, two - carries a huge amount of cash and visit dozens of places, giving an open invitation to snatches and robbers.
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Bus turns turtle, 10 injured
Mullanpur Dakha, June 8 An arm of a 12-year-old boy was amputated in the accident. The Ludhiana bound bus (RJ 13 P 1717) had left Sri Ganganagar around 1 am and was to reach Ludhiana around 5 am when it met with the accident at Jodhan village at 4.30. The 25 odd passengers had a narrow escape as the bus was just inches away from the electricity pole with high-tension wire passing on it. The injured passengers got timely help as the bus had overturned just before the Jodhan Police station. SHO Inderjit Singh said he summoned the ambulance from Mullanpur Dakha and PCR vans operating on the road and within no time the injured were first sent to a hospital nearby for first aid and then to DMC&H Ludhiana. The driver of the bus also sustained injuries in the accident. The Jodhan police had to press the services of two JCB machines to clear the road for smooth flow of traffic on the road. Since the Ludhiana Bathinda road is blocked at Mullanpur Dakha because of under construction railway over bridge, there is a heavy traffic on this road. Tejinder Singh, a bus passenger of the bus, said the driver of the bus Amritpal Singh of Sri Ganganagar first consumed liquor at Bathinda and then at Barnala. At the time of accident he was in an inebriant state. Paramjit Kaur, another passenger, said the other passengers had asked the driver to drive slowly many times. She said the bus did not have any additional driver to meet eventualities. She said she had even asked the conductor of the bus Jagdeep Parsad to take a break as the driver was not fit to drive but the driver was adamant to reach Ludhiana at the earliest. Interestingly, many buses operate illegally on this route during night without a permit in the guise of tourist bus. These bused flouts all norms set by the transport departments.
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BSNL workers intensify stir
Ludhiana, June 8 Adding he said over 250 workers have been working as contractual labour with the BSNL for the past 5-15 years and during this period they have been denied minimum wages by the management. "Vast majority have not been issued the ESI cards till date and no deductions have been made towards payment provident fund for majority of these workers," he said. Taking cognizance of the agitation, which has drawn support from as many as 33 trade unions and social organisations, the Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana has formed a committee headed by ADC (D). Despite several meetings and assurances the workers have not been reinstated till date. "The agitation will be intensified and continue till the demands are not met with. A big rally will be organised on June 15 in their support," he said.
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Power supply hit as truck runs into pole
Ludhiana, June 8 As the pole hung precariously, quite a few PVC cables also got snapped, some falling on the busy road and posing a threat to motorists and other road users. According to residents, a complaint was lodged with the Powercom complaint centre, which made arrangements to cut power supply from the transformer to the pole to avoid the risk of electrocution. “As road users did not know if the PVC cables were live or not, motorists took a detour till the maintenance staff of Powercom arrived on the spot and removed the cables,” said Shiv Kumar, a shopkeeper. Model Town division SDO Gurdial Singh said power supply to the areas affected was restored temporarily before noon and staff was deployed to put a new electricity pole in place.
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Vigilance team visits city
Ludhiana, June 8 In another case, a complaint was lodged after an iron gate was removed from Zone C. The team also held detailed discussions with officials concerned. They will submit their reports to the department shortly.
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Family welfare camp: 110 cases registered
Ludhiana, June 8 Civil Surgeon Dr Satwant Bhalla inaugurated the camp in the presence of Dr KS Saini, district family welfare officer and Senior Medical Officer, Koom Kalan, Dr Nirmaljit Kaur. While those opting for family welfare operations were given incentives as per the prevailing rules, the paramedical staff and other motivators were felicitated by the Lions Club Goodwill. Meanwhile, the Welfare Society, Doraha, organised a training camp for ASHA workers of the area. Speaking at the occasion, Sat Pal Joshila, president of Block Samiti, Koom Kalan, exhorted the ASHA workers to promote institutional deliveries so as to cut down the mother and infant mortality rate.
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Summer training for engineering students
Mandi Gobindgarh, June 8 Trained instructors and practical trainers kits will provide students with the latest knowledge in the related fields through theoretical as well as practical sessions, said head
of the department Prof MS Gill. The training will be useful for students as they are going to get knowledge which can be helpful in their coming semester course subjects, he added. RIMT-IET principal Dr Harsh Sadawarti took the overall review on the course module that had to be given during the training. RIMT group chairman Dr Hukam Chand Bansal appreciated the overall effort by the department, which was helpful to enhance the knowledge of the students.
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Time crunch halts shed’s reconstruction
Ludhiana, June 8 Inderjeet Singh, owner of the building, alleged that he was being unnecessarily harassed at the hands of “irresponsible” municipal officials. He said, “The court had given three months time to construct the building but even after two years the construction work has not been completed as yet. This building was demolished in 2001 after the corporation declared it to be an illegal. But, I moved the sessions court, High Court and the Supreme Court but till date, officials have adopted a casual approach towards its completion”, said Inderjeet Singh. He added that the officials had not even bothered to measure the building for clearing the contractor’s bills. “Now, the contractor has stopped working,” he added. The two officials, who had made its estimate in December 2009, were recently suspended in the fake bill scam. The contractor was to be given Rs 15 lakh for constructing the shed whereas the owner claims that apart from it, many other areas had to be constructed by the corporation. “If we go by his choice, the corporation will have to spend another Rs 25 lakh (apart from the estimate) for completing the building. But the estimate passed is of about Rs 15 lakh. His claims are false”, said an official of the B and R department of the corporation. JS Mangal of the B and R wing, under whose supervision the construction is going on, said: “The building is 99 per cent complete. We are giving final touches to it. We have made similar shed, which was there at the time of demolition. Payments to contractor will only be made once construction work is completed”.
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Bhopal Verdict
Ludhiana, June 8 In a press note here today, party functionaries said the judgement proved that the government had subjugated interests and people of the country to multinational corporations by not making any effort to bring Warren Anderson, Union Carbide India Limited Chairman, to India. What was most disturbing was the stance of the judicial system as the death of more than 15,000 persons and turning many more destitute was punished with a meagre fine of Rs 5
lakh, they stated. Signatories to the press note, Kartar Singh Bowani, Arun Mitra, DP Maur and Ramesh Rattan, demanded that the decision be challenged in the higher court by the government and a proper case be prepared. The party sounded a note of warning that such a situation might recur as the government was out to instal nuclear power plants by making
provisions to put a cap on damages to please foreign companies.
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Govt fails to allocate land
for industrial clusters
Ludhiana, June 8 PD Sharma, president, Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the clusters were prepared by different associations and the government was to provide land for setting these up but it has failed to materilise so far, he said. While a few associations have unanimously agreed and even proposed the site for cluster development others are yet to reach a consensus on the issue. Joginder Kumar, president, Ludhiana Electroplaters Association, said many acres were lying vacant in Focal Points but government had not allocated any land for cluster development to them. “The government should give the land on priority for relocation of the industry. Those coming under red category should be shifted to these areas in a cluster. It was proposed to shift numerous polluting units in residential areas in a cluster. Focal Point Phase-VIII was proposed for relocating of the polluting units but the same land was given to big houses,” said Joginder Kumar. The electroplating cluster needs 30 acres but not even an acre has been allocated to them. “We have identified land in Phase-V which should be allocated to the electroplating cluster,” he added. Satvinder Kumar dealing with sewing machine industry said the sewing machine cluster needs at least 80 acres but nothing had been allocated to them so far. “Many units which are operating from residential areas will be relocated,” he said.
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Fake admissions in government schools
Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 8 Taking serious note of the malpractice, higher authorities in the state education department have warned defaulters of dire consequences. While teachers succeed in saving their posts by showing fake admissions, parents formalize admission for their wards in government schools and make them take coaching in private academies. There are others who aspire to improve percentage of their wards through unfair means. Investigations by the Tribune revealed that certain government and private schools, affiliated to the Punjab School Education Board had been making fake admissions to various classes for many years. Trend was observed more in rural schools than their urban counterparts. With intent to prevent their results from falling from standard, management committees and owners of private public schools were found to be hesitant to allow poor-performing students as their regular candidates in the board examinations. Being lured by government school teachers to facilitate copying during exams, parents of these students get their wards admitted there by paying extra amount for the PTA fund. Hundreds of students taking special coaching at private institutes in Chandigarh, Bathinda, Jallandhar, Ludhiana and Delhi were reported to have been admitted to one or the other government or private affiliated school in Punjab. Though the authorities had identified some institutes indulging in the malpractice a few years ago, the perpetrators were left scot-free. Majority of the students were related to bureaucrats and government school teachers. Higher authorities in the state education department have once again taken serious note of the menace. In a communication addressed to all district education officers ( DEOs) in the state, Director-General, School Education, Punjab, Krishan Kumar Bawa, has directed them to take stern action against teachers facilitating fake admissions.
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Plying of heavy vehicles despite ban
Doraha, June 8 The road on the bridge is rough and uneven. People have a tough time even crossing it. But, what needs immediate attention of the authorities concerned is the regular thumping of the heavy vehicles into these potholes, despite the fact that the bridge has been declared out-of-bounds for the heavy vehicles. “The authorities may be waiting for the road on the bridge to get a new look with four-laning work in progress but it might collapse even earlier, resulting in extensive damage to the life and property,” a motorist said. “It is really shameful that the authorities have not even bothered to get the road re-carpeted so as to reduce the risk of those commuting on it. It seems, they are simply waiting for the project to be completed. Even the mounds, on the bridge, from where the vehicles take a sudden turn, are broken and cry for an upkeep . The matters become worse when the heavy vehicles take almost an impossible turn from that particular point” another commuter said. These heavy vehicles not only block the traffic but are also a bane for commuters and those living in villages and towns nearby. To make matters worse the narrow bridge makes the passage of these vehicles and people difficult. The heavy vehicles remain stranded on the bridge for hours together, thus increasing the risk of it falling anytime. Rakesh Garg, executive engineer, PWD, however, said the bridge might have outlived its actual design life but it is yet safe from the structural point of view. “Moreover, we shall be abandoning this bridge altogether and an independent one will be constructed as a part of the four-laning project” he added. When questioned about the poor condition of the road he said repair work would soon be carried out.
Rakesh Garg, executive engineer, PWD |
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CARA team inspects kids’ home
Mullanpur Dakha, June 8 The Central government has now simplified the adoption procedure for the benefit of those willing to adopt abandoned children. Earlier the selfish hospitals, nursing homes and even NGOs used to sell the child to the childless couples in the name of adoption as the procedure was very complicated and these persons used to take advantages of the loopholes. To remove these and make the procedure more simplified, the CARA was introduced by the Central government and the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 enacted to safeguard the rights of the children.
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Dowry: Four of family booked
Jagraon, June 8 In her statement to the police, she stated that her in-laws had been harassing her for bringing more dowry. Some months ago, they started asking her to bring Rs 3 lakh from her parents so that they could buy a car. On June 5, her husband, brother-in-law Sarabjit Singh and in-laws Paramjit Singh and Mohinderjit Kaur thrashed her for not bringing Rs 3 lakh from her parents. She said her parents were not in a position to pay them such a big amount. She informed her parents, who came and took her to the Sidhwan Bet civil hospital. SHO Balbir Singh said when the hospital authorities informed them of the incident, SI Gurtej Singh was sent to record her statement. On the basis of her statement, the police conducted a preliminary investigation and booked the four under different sections of the IPC.
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Punjab State Boxing Championships
Jagraon, June 8 Giving details, chief organiser of the academy Prof Balwant Singh Sandhu said the boxers managed to bag two golds, one silver and three bronze medals in the boxing championship in various categories. Showing their expertise, Jagwinder Singh Chakar bagged gold in 34-36 kg category while Harjit Singh Chakar bagged gold in 44-46 kg category by defeating the boxers of Sangrur. Sukhbir Singh bagged a silver in 36-38 kg category by defeating the boxer of Mansa. Similarly, Karandeep Singh and Sandeep bagged bronze medal by defeating the boxers of Sangrur while Ranjit Singh bagged a bronze by defeating the boxer of Mansa. Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, Sandhu said till now the boxers of their academy had bagged 7 golds in the state-level championship and attributed this success to the promoter of the academy NRI SP Davinder Singh. The villagers and the fellow trainees of the academy on their return with the glorious victories felicitated the boxers.
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Hockey trials on June
12
Ludhiana, June 8 Thirty-two boys in the age groups of 14 and 18 will be selected for the summer coaching camp to be held from June 15 to 28 at the PAU hockey grounds.
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Inter-District U-19 Cricket Tournament
Ludhiana, June 8 Mohali's decision to bat first after winning the toss paid dividends as the home side were all out for 259 runs after 94.3 overs. The notable scorers were Jashan Sidhu (56) and Sunny Pandey (43). Gurinder Hara made 34 and followed by Abhinav Bhatia and Nitish who scored 31 and 18 runs, respectively. For the visitors, Sohrab was the star performer, who captured 6 wickets for 64 runs. Sirjan Sablok took two for 67 while Ravi Saini and Vir Kamal accounted for one wicket each after conceding 23 and 37 runs, respectively.
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Chaman Lal Cricket Cup
Ludhiana, June 8 This was Mahajan Juniors' second win. In their first match, they defeated the Coaching Centre by 67 runs on Sunday. The Mahajan Juniors made 154 runs in 27.2 overs with main contributions coming through Shubhendu and Shubham Dyal Singh, who made 37 and 25 runs, respectively while Lovish scored 21 runs. For the Pankaj Club, Nakul and Kashish claimed two wickets each while Kartik and Shubham scalped one victim each. Chasing the target, the Pankaj Club were played out for a paltry total of 50 runs in 12 overs. Brief scores Mahajan Juniors: 154 all out in 27. 2 overs ( Gokul Tiwari 11, Shubham Dyal Singh 25, Shubhendu 37, Rishabh 6, Kehsav 6 and Lovish 21; Nakul 2 for 14, Kashish 2 for 11, Kartik 1 for 16 and Shubham 1 for 25). Pankaj Club: 50 all out in 12 overs ( Shubham 7, Harman 4, Pulkit 5; Gokul Tiwari 2 for 2, Aayush 2 for 8, Lovish 1 for 1, Akshit Bharadwaj 1 for 3, Parth 1
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