Ludhiana, September 2
With the festival season drawing near unscrupulous traders from neighbouring states have again begun supplying synthetic ‘khoya’ (a kind of basically dried milk used for making sweets) to sweetmeat sellers in the city. Quintals of the adulterated stuff are coming by rail and road from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Despite having tried hard, the health & family welfare department has failed to reign in the khoya ‘smugglers’ and sweet shops, the reason being lack of cooperation by the police.

In October last year the department had claimed to confiscated 700 quintals of spurious ‘khoya’ in Ludhiana, which was kept in godowns located outside the city. However, it was unable to establish a clear link between the “seized” ‘khoya’ and its potential buyers.

MS Gill, who heads an NGO, People’s Forum for Transparency & Social Concern said: “We had met senior district health officials on the issue of the "seized” ‘khoya’. However, much to our shock, they said they were helpless as those bringing in the spurious ‘khoya’ smugglers did not enter the city but instead got down at other places while travelling by train and bus. They can only be nabbed if the police department is willing to extend its support”.

However, the health department has not conducted any raids at any of the city’s cold stores or milk chilling centres during the past two months, which has given the sweetmeat sellers a free hand to carry on using adulterated ‘khoya’ and ‘paneer’ (cheese) in the sweets.

A large number of cases of both mild and severe diarrhea and intestinal infections have been reported in the city’s hospitals. Doctors say most of them have been caused by spurious sweets as the synthetic and nonedible colours used in the sweets add to health problems.

When contacted district health officer Dr Jagpal Singh said: "I’ll soon have a word with the civil surgeon so that raids can soon be conducted on cold stores in the city and its periphery, followed by sampling of sweets at sweetmeat outlets. Thereafter cases under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act will be registered against those outlets where tests on sweet samples have failed”.

Ludhiana, September 2
Travelling from the city to Amritsar and Jammu via Phillaur could take a heavy toll on your pocket as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has increased the toll rates by 5-8 per cent.

Earlier, the cost of passing through the toll plaza at Phillaur was Rs 82 for car (one way) and Rs 123 (both ways). For heavy vehicles, it was Rs 146 (one way) and Rs 218 (both ways). Now, people travelling by car will have to shell out Rs 85 (one way) and Rs 128 (both ways) and the heavy vehicles will be charged Rs 149 and Rs 223.

The untimely increase in the toll rates has irked travellers. The toll plaza located at Phillaur on NH-1 is way to many shrines, including Golden Temple, Vaishno Devi and Mazaar of Baba Pir. The hike will affect the devotees visiting these shrines and the people who commute on this route regularly. Besides, this will also hit the flow of labourers from the neighbouring villages.

"It is for the second time that the toll rates have been hiked this year. We fail to understand the untimely hike. It is a burden on businessmen, traders and industrialists," said Mohinder Aggarwal, general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal.

Beopar Mandal has also shot off a letter to the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways in this regard and asked him to look into the matter.

Aggarwal said the increase in toll rates is also going to affect the inflow of labourers and workers in the city who daily commute to the city from the neighbouring villages. "Increased toll plaza rates will prove to be a deterrent in the flow of labour, which Ludhiana is already short of," added Aggarwal.

Suman, who is a regular visitor to the dargah of Pir Baba at Phillaur, said she visits dargah every Thursday. "The toll rates are increasing consistently. I have to pay Rs 128 one each visit. The fees is too much and those belonging to lower class now cannot even afford to visit the religious places due to exorbitant rates at the toll plaza," she said.

Ludhiana, September 2
Even after making a public announcement for the regularisation of illegal colonies carved out in different parts of the state up to 2007, the Punjab government is still to issue a notification for the same.

The government has failed to set the process in motion for according approval to over 3,000 colonies developed in violation of the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA).

With the regularisation of identified illegal colonies not in sight, colonisers and developers are taking advantage of the uncertainty prevailing in the real estate sector and more and more colonies are coming up all around the mega city.

The regulatory and enforcement authorities, including the Municipal Corporation and the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), are at best taking half-hearted measures to check the development of residential colonies and commercial complexes.

If the flurry of construction work and internal development works in a couple of colonies which The Tribune team visited at Humbran Road on Thursday is any indication, registration of a few cases under the penal provisions of PAPRA and putting up warning boards at a few illegal colonies in different parts of the city have not served as deterrents for developers. Even otherwise, those committing brazen violations either flaunt their political connections or use the money power to make the regulatory bodies close their eyes.

Developers of illegal colonies don’t care two hoots for the regulatory mechanism. In one such case, the boundary wall of one of the illegal colonies being developed in an area of more than two acres on Humbran Road were demolished last month. However, the boundary wall has again been constructed and structures which look like shops or shop-cum-offices are coming up along the main road.

Colonisers are also developing another illegal colony on the Humbran Road. Internal roads have partly been laid and streetlight poles have been erected along the road. The labourers at the site don’t know the name of the developer. However, some property dealers located in the vicinity indicated that the developer had not obtained licence from GLADA for the colony.

Sources in the real estate sector maintain that while the number of illegal colonies identified by GLADA till 2007 (for the purpose of regularisation as and when the notification to this effect is issued) stood at 325, the actual number of such colonies as on date would be more than double.

In other words, the regularisation of colonies developed till 2007 will not solve the problem of unplanned and haphazard growth as equal number of such colonies would be in existence in the time to come, posing similar problems to civic body, other development agencies and planners, summed up a major player in realty sector, requesting not to be identified. 

Ludhiana, September 2
Shopkeepers beat up two children mercilessly after they were allegedly caught committing a theft at a mobile phone store located in Simlapuri here today morning. The boys - both minors - were thrashed so badly that they fell down unconscious.

The incident took place during the afternoon when the boys, said to be children of migrant labourers living in the Brota Road area, reportedly tried to steal items at the store.

According to an area resident, one of the children initially pelted a stone at the store upon which the shopkeeper chased him. In the meantime the other boy took hold of a bag in the store and tried to run away. However, alert residents nabbed both children.

The police later arrived at the scene and dispersed the crowd that had collected. Though the cops tried to awaken the children by pouring water on them the latter remained unconscious.

However, the police did not apprehend the boys nor did it book the people who had thrashed the latter. The Simlapuri police station SHO said he had not as yet received any complaint in the matter.

The children reportedly regained consciousness after lying motionless on the ground for nearly half an hour and later went home. 

Ludhiana, September 2
In a major development, Station House Officer (SHO), Haibowal, Gurwinder Singh has been suspended for dereliction of duty.

Sources in the police said the SHO was suspended following charges of using vehicles of case property.

While giving details about the action, ADCP JS Sidhu said, “The police recently busted a gang of fraudsters, who used to take vehicles on loan by preparing fake documents and used to further sell those vehicles in the market. Though the gang was busted, the investigation was not conducted in the right manner and certain recoveries were not shown in the FIR, which led to the suspension of the SHO.”

The SHO has been suspended and sent to the police lines. Departmental inquiry has also been initiated against the SHO.

The police showed a recovery of over seven vehicles.

It is learnt that the SHO allegedly did not show the recovery of four vehicles, including Toyota Innova, Mahindra Logan, Suzuki Swift and Maruti WagonR, in the FIR.

Police sources said the relatives of the accused fraudsters brought the matter to the notice of senior officials, following which an inquiry was conducted and the SHO was suspended for the dereliction of duty.

Ludhiana, September 2
Janmashtami was celebrated with full religious enthusiasm and zeal by residents of the city today.

All temples in the city were decorated with lights, flowers and rangoli. The idols of Radha-Krishna were decked up beautifully and tableaus depicting various stages of Krishna’s life were also displayed in each temple.

Heavy rush of devotees was witnessed in all temples of the city, including Iskcon temple, Govind Gaudham, Krishna Mandir, Durga Mata Mandir and Laxmi Narayan Mandir.

Krishna Mandir at Model Town follows the tradition of bringing Radha-Krishna attires from Brindaban. The temple starts its preparations for the festival one month in advance. “We get the attires of the deities prepared from Brindaban, especially for this festival every year,” added main priest of the temple.

The main function in the evening included chanting of shaloks and mantras and distribution of parsad. Rocking the cradle of “Bal Gopal” is the major attraction during evening.

Ludhiana, September 2
Commuters have become inured to being stuck in interminable traffic jams on the city’s major intersections but the huge rush on the streets on a festival only compounds their ordeal.

Owing to the poor road infrastructure hundreds of commuters going to temples on ‘Janmashtami’ today were had to remain inside their vehicles for hours. To add to their problems, the haphazard deployment of traffic cops resulted in a complete bottleneck with vehicles stalling in almost every corner of the city.

At some busy intersections including Bharat Nagar Chowk, Bhai Bala Chowk, Dandi Swami Chowk, Ghumar Mandi more than four cops were deployed at each point while the others including those on Pakhowal road, Dugri road, in BRS Nagar and in the old city did not have even a single cop.

Blaming the mess on the traffic police’s inefficiency, Rajan Malik, a retired government official, said the police department should draw up a “foolproof” plan for traffic management in the city ahead of the festivals. "No vehicle parking should be allowed in the one kilometer radius of the temples situated on the main roads. Also, the congested market areas should be made one way during the festivals," he added.

The city, known for its affluence, has witnessed an exponential rise in population, which has resulted, vehicles being added to the city’s streets every day. However, the delay in construction of roads and flyovers within the stipulated time has resulted in complete chaos.

So much so that the administration has even failed to take notice of the unauthorized parking outside the showrooms/ shops which further restrict the access of vehicles on the roads during rush hours.

“To be caught up in a snarlup for over two hours not only is waste of precious time but also results in road rage, which is already on the rise among the young and the middle-aged”, said a banker.

Ludhiana, September 2
The Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) will pursue its agenda of development with launching major projects in many of its colonies in different parts of the city.

Stating this, LIT chairman Ashok Juneja informed that a meeting of the trustees, held here last evening, approved a large number of development works relating to acquisition of land for construction of a missing road link from the Pakhowal road to Lodhi Club road, construction of a community centre, installation of tubewells and submersible pumps, carpeting of roads, development of parks and maintenance of sewerage and water supply schemes in several colonies of the trust.

Giving details, Juneja told The Tribune that land measuring 3 kanal and 17 marlas was proposed to be acquired to provide the missing link between the Pakhowal road from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar side to the Lodhi Club road.

Further, nod had been given for construction of a community centre in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar at a cost of Rs 1.03 crore, installation of a tubewell at a cost of Rs 9.92 lakh, construction of a water tank for fire fighting at a cost of Rs 8.53 lakh, development of parks in blocks E and F at a cost of Rs 53.36 lakh and carpeting of 100-feet wide road at a cost of Rs 32.93 lakh.

Similarly, the development works approved for Maharishi Valmiki Nagar at the trust meeting included the carpeting of roads in blocks E and F involving an expenditure of Rs 24.77 lakh and Rs 37.29 lakh, respectively, installation of a submersible pump at tubewell number 2 (Rs 2.82 lakh), laying roadside interlocking tiles and rainwater harvesting in block E (Rs 9.18 lakh) and development of parks in blocks C, D and F at a cumulative expenditure of Rs 34.83 lakh. The proposal for the construction of parking and footpath in the commercial pocket in block J at a cost of Rs 9.71 lakh was also adopted.

According to Juneja, the LIT would spend Rs 1.38 crore for maintenance of sewerage and water supply schemes in Rajguru Nagar, Sant Isher Singh Nagar, Rajguru Nagar, Maharishi Valmiki Nagar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.

Other issues that the meeting deliberated upon and approved were imposition of rent on half-a-dozen religious shrines, which had been constructed at the trust land more than 10 year ago, and another in Rajguru Nagar, re-employment of part-time sanitation workers in different schemes, providing uniforms to Class IV employees and providing jobs to kin of deceased employees on compassionate grounds.

The trustees proposed a reserve price of Rs 21,000 per square yard for 52 unallotted plots with an area of 100 to 171 square yards each in an abandoned pocket of 2.25 acres in the 24-acre scheme of the trust near Punjab Agricultural University. It was further decided to seek permission from the state government to dispose of these plots by open auction, Juneja added.

Ludhiana, September 2
A total of 51-member delegation, representing the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) led by Dr LS Chawla, participated in the World Congress of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).

The convention was held at Basel, Switzerland, recently.

The congress called for a nuclear weapon convention to abolish nuclear weapons by 2020.

While appreciating the vision of US President Obama and Russian President Medvedev, the congress expected that this would soon be put into practice to make the world nuclear weapon free.

About 750 delegates from 40 countries attended this mega event.

The congress also expressed concern at the continuously degrading environment and demanded that more developed countries must take effective measures to reduce the carbon print.

A total of 45-member delegation met the US Ambassador in this regard to impress upon the urgency of the situation and hoped for initiatives by the US.

Dr Arun Mitra, general secretary, was elected to the international board of IPPNW.

Ludhiana, September 2
Three teachers from the district have been selected for the prestigious National Award 2009-2010, to be conferred by President Pratibha Patil on Teachers’ Day.

The trio of teachers, including Kusum Lata, Sukhdev Singh Rana and Leela Rani, would be honoured in Delhi on September 5.

For Kusum Lata, who is serving as science mistress in Government Model Senior Secondary School, PAU, for the last 30 years, the awards have always remained a regular feature.

She was earlier awarded with the State Award in 2003 and brought laurels for the city, as a teaching aid prepared by her was declared first in the north zone exhibition held at Pragati Maidan in Delhi last year.

“But this one is special. Receiving a National Award is like a dream come true. I have always laid an emphasis that the students should grow up with a scientific bent of mind. I believe my continued dedication towards the subject has bore fruits,” said Kusum Lata.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development presents the National Award for teachers.

Leela Rani, other candidate for the National Award, is currently posted as the principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Thekewal village.

She has spent nearly 30 years in teaching and was honoured with a State Award in 2002.

The third recipient, Sukhdev Singh Rana is currently working as an officiating principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Markmajra.

Despite teaching, he had trained weightlifters of his school, who had won the national championship in 2009.

He was conferred with the State Award in 2005. “It is due to the blessings of my parents, well wishes of my staff and great performance of my students that I have succeeded in getting this award,” said Sukhdev Singh.

An act, choreography and dance performances marked Janmashtami celebrations in the primary section of Jesus Sacred Heart School in South city. It was a day filled with fun and spiritual revelation. The tiny tots inspired everyone to remember the message Lord Krishan gave to the world i.e., “Cleaning our outer persona and cleaning our inner self.”

Ludhiana, September 2
The Punjab Commerce and Management Association (PCMA) will confer the “PCMA Lifetime Achievement Award” on Dr SC Vaidya, dean University Instructions, Panjab University, Chandigarh, on September 4 at Punjabi University, Patiala.

This award will be conferred on him for his outstanding services and contribution to commerce and management education in India.

He became dean, University Instructions, in November 2008.

Dr Ashwani Bhalla, executive vice-president of the PCMA, told the lifetime achievement award is given to extraordinary personalities, who have done remarkable work in the field of commerce and management education in the region.

Earlier this, the award has already been conferred on Dr RP Hooda, Vice-Chancellor of MD University, Rohtak, and Dr Sunil Gupta, Vice-Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.

Ludhiana, September 2
It seems that the much-hyped FM radio education programme would not see the light of day.

The ambitious radio project, which began in 2008 and continued for only five months, is currently non-operational.

The education department spent over Rs 2 crore to purchase radio sets, but these audio systems are now kept as showcases in elementary and primary schools of the state.

Education department officials, who claimed that radio education would change the face of teaching in the state, did not even bother to take the feedback of the project.

A primary schoolteacher said the education department had to discontinue the programme after students lost interest in it and termed it dull.

Besides, the lackadaisical attitude and mismanagement of the education department led to an abrupt end of the programme.

However, Director-General School Education (DGSE) had earlier said the department would again launch the programme in August.

But the ongoing statewide protest by ETT teachers has once again stalled the project.

It is learnt that around 12,000 ETT teachers, who are currently working under the zila parishad, refused to follow the orders of the DGSE and categorically told the education officials that they would not allow their students to listen to the radio programme till the time their demands were met.

It may be recalled here that in 2008, 13,449 primary schools of the state received a grant of Rs 1,500 each for installing a radio system in their school. A total expenditure incurred on this was Rs 2 crore.

The radio programme was broadcasted from August 27 and continued till December 2008. Earlier, the programme was aired from Jalandhar, but later it was broadcast from Patiala.

Jagraon, September 2
An ex-serviceman reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his gun at his house at Kamalpura village near here yesterday.

The deceased has been identified as Gurcharan Singh who had retired from the Army around two years back.

The police has booked Gurcharan’s wife and his brother-in-law for abetting suicide on his father’s complaint. However, no arrest has been made so far.

According to the police, Gurcharan shot himself with his .12-bore gun following marital discord.

Investigations revealed that Gurcharan Singh was living with his wife Amarjit Kaur and the only son Gurpreet Singh (13) at Kamalpura for the past two years.

The couple used to quarrel over petty issue and Gurcharan had allegedly started consuming liquor on regular basis during past few months.

Failing to adjust with the changed circumstances, Amarjit Kaur started living at her brother, Billu’s, at Sudhar village. She also lodged a complaint against Gurcharan with the women cell of the Ludhiana (Rural) police at Jagraon.

Last Saturday, Amarjit and Billu came at Kamalpura and took away some valuables and documents pertaining to the service record of Gurcharan. His ATM card was also allegedly taken away. Upset over sequence of events, Gurcharan ended his life.