Ludhiana, March 12
Two aspiring doctors sustained injured after armed assailants stormed a hostel of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in the wee hours today.The incident took place at around 3 am. At least five youths brandishing swords entered the hostel of DMC Hero Heart Centre and attacked Amit Kapoor and Rajiv Sharma, both MBBS students of the 2008 batch.

Both Rajiv and Amit rushed towards their hostel to save themselves. The assailants chased, entered the hostel and attacked them with swords.

The drama continued for nearly 10 minutes, but no one dared to intervene. Security guards deployed at the entrance of the hospital were completely dazed and dumbfounded by the attack.

One of the guards said, “We aren’t superheroes. How can we stop a person, who is carrying sword, with a baton?”

“Both students have sustained multiple deep cuts inflicted by sharp edged weapons,” a spokesperson of Dayanand Medical College said.

While Amit was being operated upon for injuries sustained by him, condition of Rajiv was stated to be stable.

The news of two MBBS students attacked with swords spread like a wildfire and girl students seemed terrified.

Besides injuring the two MBBS students, the assailants also smashed windowpanes of vehicles parked on the hospital premises.

Police post in charge of Dayanand Medical College, Kamaljit Singh, said both MBBS students had to an eatery near the railway station. A few miscreants entered into a heated argument with them and exchanged blows while they were having food.

A few friends of the miscreants also reached the spot. Sensing trouble both students ran towards the hospital. The assailants chased and attacked them with swords inside the hospital.

No case has been registered against the assailants till the filing of this report.

Ludhiana, March 12
A clash between riot victims and sanitary workers of the Municipal Corporation over the issue of shifting of a garbage dump from Urban Estate, Dugri, was averted today.

Riot victims led by Surjeet Singh protested against sanitary workers’ move to dump garbage in a residential locality. Sanitary workers told them that they were following the orders of senior officials in this regard and refused to budge.

They asked the riot victims to bring fresh orders else they would continue to throw the garbage at that particular place. This irked the riot victims, who entered into heated arguments with sanitary workers. The situation in the area became tensed following this incident. The police team reached the spot and helped in defusing the tension. 

Ludhiana, March 12
The reel life Veeru of “Sholay”, climbed a water tank to get his demands fulfilled, but fortunately in real life noted film star Dharmendra did not have to do much to get an FIR lodged against land grabbers. The city police booked three persons for usurping 670 square yards belonging to macho man of yesteryears.

SHO of the PAU police station, Beant Juneja, said Mohammad Kadim and two of his accomplices had been booked for usurping the land belonging to Dharmendra. The case was registered following the direction of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police JS Sidhu, the SHO added.

Ghanshyam Lotey, a close friend of Dharmendra, had lodged a complaint with the police in this regard. No one has been arrested so far. Lotey, who has the power of attorney of the property located in Haibowal, had alleged that Kadim and his men tried to take illegal possession of the land belonging to Dharmendra.

The police swooped into action and foiled Kadim’s plan. It was found that Kadim had allegedly got a fake power of attorney prepared and got Dharmendra’s fake signatures on it. On the bases of these documents he prepared a registry and staked his claim on the property.

Kadim allegedly stole the original power of attorney, which was in Ghanshyam’s name, from the revenue record.

JS Sidhu, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADCP) III, said: “We have registered the case on the basis of prima- facie evidence. The probe is not over yet. We are investigating the matter in detail.”

Sources in the police department have also indicated towards the involvement of an employee of the revenue department, who helped Mohammed Kadim in preparing fake registry and also assisted the accused in stealing power of attorney from the revenue records.

The accused have been booked under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC. 

Ludhiana, March 12
Deterorating relationship between mother and son came to the fore with the police proving that it was the mother who had conspired along with her paramour to get her son killed. The boy’s body was found from a vacant plot located near the Jassian road yesterday morning.

Cracking the case within 24 hours, the police arrested Manju Devi and her paramour Mohammed Shamshad for killing 10- year-old Shubham.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Yurinder Singh said: “Both accused confessed having committed the crime. The two suspects, Jatinder and Prince, who were detained for questioning by the police, were found to be innocent.

They were picked up following a complaint lodged by Anil Kumar, father of the deceased.

“Anil told us that he had recently fought with Jatinder and Prince. After which they shifted to another quarter. But during the course of investigation both of them were found to be innocent. We started the investigation afresh and found that accused Mohammed Shamshad used to visit Manju’s house in Anil’s absence. We detained Shamshad for questioning. The accused soon cracked and admitted to have committed the crime. But what surprised us was the involvement of Manju in getting her son killed,” SHO Salem Tabri Gurdev Singh said.

Iqbal, one of the victim’s friends, was instrumental in getting the case cracked. He claimed to have seen the accused who had abducted Shubham. He was taken to the police station to identify Prince and Jatinder.

But Iqbal confirmed that they were not involved in abduction and subsequent killing of Shubham. Iqbal gave physical description of the accused to the police, which matched with the physique of Shamshad.

Illicit love between Manju and her paramour Mohammed Shamshad led to killing of Shubham, who had spotted them in a compromising position.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Yurinder Singh said they met eight months ago and fell in love. Both were working in a factory and were living in a migrants’ quarter located close to each other.

Manju married life was unstable as her husband Anil Kumar used to work till late night in the factory. According to the police, Shubham had seen his mother and Shamshad in a compromising position. “Both suspected that Shubham might tell his father about it. Thus, they decided to eliminate him,” Gurdev Singh, SHO, Salem Tabri Police Station, said. 

Ludhiana, March 12
In a shocking incident, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Jagpal Singh and the District Food Inspector were abused and threatened while they were trying to take samples from a grocery store in the Janakpuri area of the city.

Not only did the merchant stop the team from entering the store but also called goons who even threatened to thrash the officials.

The incident took place when the District Health Officer along with his team tried to enter Pawan Karyana Store to collect samples of food items. The storeowner called a few goons who went to the extent of catching the District Health Officer by his collar.

Dr Jagpal Singh immediately called up Ludhiana Civil Surgeon Dr Satwant Bhalla, who in turn sought police team from Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh to assist them in doing their job.

The police officials instead of supporting the team sided with the storeowner and asked the DHO to amicably resolve the issue and leave the spot.

Unable to bear humiliation, the DHO said, “I am seeking transfer. If the department fails to transfer me from Ludhiana, I will submit my resignation. It is impossible to work in a place where one has to bow before goons. The police instead of supporting us sided with anti-social elements.”

They had been trying to collect food samples so as to check “adulteration” in Ludhiana.

But the DHO alleged that they had failed to garner support from the police department on more than one occasion. 

COMMUNITY

BUDGET HOPES
Heavily taxed industry awaits breather
With the Punjab Budget to be announced on March 14, Ludhiana’s industrialists have pinned their hopes on state finance minister Upinderjit Kaur to give them some relief. The Central Budget has failed to live up to the expectations of the industry, especially with the levy of central excise duty. Tribune staff correspondent Manav Mander takes a look at the wish list of the industry from the forthcoming state Budget

After receiving no incentives and funds in the central Budget, the local industry has pinned its hopes on the Punjab Budget, to be presented by finance minister Upinderjit Kaur on March 14. The industry expects the finance minister to announce some funds and grants for its upgrade.

“The Punjab Government has been ruthless in levying taxes on the state’s industry on an unprecedented scale. It is unfortunate that after giving such a raw deal to the industry, it is being given false sympathies. This may ultimately result in a huge loss to the industry as the issue may get tangled in politics,” says PD Sharma, president of the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Last year, the state government increased the duty on power from a a high of 10 per cent to 13 per cent. The industry cried hoarse but to no avail. The total cost of power in the state is the highest in the country.

In the face of acute shortage of power, the state government levied entry tax on power generators, making the captive power costlier. The price of diesel increased due to higher VAT and refund of credit on diesel against input.

The price of furnace oil, which is is widely used in the industry, has also gone high. The Union Government has already been silent on the high price of furnace oil charged by oil companies as it is the byproduct of the main distillation. The state government went ahead with hiking VAT on the oil. The cries of the industry have fallen on deaf ears.

“There are some interesting facts, hitherto unknown, about duty on power. Duty on electricity in Punjab had been very nominal. It remained 11 paisa per unit for over two decades. The government in 2003 put the duty on ad valorem basis, initially at 5 per cent. Shortly, it raised it to 10 per cent. The real intention of the state government became clear when it empowered itself by getting authority from the state Assembly to increase the duty up to 25 per cent,” says Gurpargat Singh Kahlon, president, Auto Parts Manufacturers’ Association.

Only recently, the state government has raised VAT on bicycles. Now it is shedding crocodile tears over central excise.

After passing unanimous resolution in the Assembly, it becomes incumbent on the state government to give relief on all aforesaid levies.

For the industry, electricity duty should be made VAT-able. All entry taxes should be done away with. VAT on furnace oil should be reduced to zero as it is widely used in the industry.

Taxes & Subsidies

l With the increase in VAT from 4 to 5.5 per cent, VAT receipts have been enhanced to a total of over 30 per cent. As the industry is in recession, VAT may be reverted back to the level of 4 per cent

l EDC charges are a big burden on the industry. In areas where the government is not providing any sewerage, water supply or other industrial facility, the charges may be abolished

l VAT refunds be made online

l Subsidies be provided to the MSME sector in form of registry charges

l As Punjab faces locational disadvantage, exporters must get freight subsidy from the government

l As the PSIEC and local bodies have failed miserably to maintain Industrial Areas, a consolidated fund needs to be created for the welfare of the Industrial Areas

l The Centre is giving huge grants under several MSME schemes but the state government has failed to provide its share. The state government needs to get its act together

l Benefits of NAREGA be extended to industrial parks so that workforce can be engaged in Industrial Areas for their maintenance

Samrala, March 12
A minor girl of nearby village Baghour fell into an open well, but was evacuated from it with great difficulty. The well is located in the populated area of the village.The girl identified as Simrandeep Kaur, daughter of Rajinder Singh, was playing with others when she suddenly fell into the 60-foot deep well.

Children who were playing with her immediately raised an alarm. Villagers brought a big rope with the help of which the girl’s father went inside the well. After struggling for sometime Rajinder caught hold of the girl and rescued her. The girl was taken to a private doctor who declared her fit after first aid.

The villagers have urged the administration to get the well covered so as to avoid any untoward incident. 

Ludhiana, March 12
The Municipal Commissioner has rapped officials of the Building and Roads (B&R) branch and a contractor for the mess after detecting irregularities in the multi-crore project of covering the drain from Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran to Shingaar Cinema.

Municipal Commissioner AK Sinha along with Additional Commissioner MS Jaggi, Superintendent Engineers Arun Sharma and VP Singh, BJP councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetu, senior BJP leader Pran Nath Bhatia and a few other officials inspected the site of the ongoing project to be completed at cost of Rs 22 crore today. As the embankment constructed for conducting the work broke once again in the morning and water entered the construction area, irked Sinha enquired from the contractor and officials why steps had not been taken for removing water from the area. He asked the officials as to why they are not monitoring the work properly despite the fact that Rs 1 crore has already been sanctioned to the contractor for it. “How can the construction work be carried out without removing the water from the area,” Sinha asked?

The Commissioner also examined the construction material being used by the contractor for carrying out the work. On finding that some materials were not as per the specifications approved by the civic body, he asked the contractor and MC officials to submit the bills related to the purchase of such materials so that a documentary proof regarding the quality of material could be ascertained.

The Commissioner warned that he wouldn’t even hesitate to issue show cause notices to them if the work was not done in a proper manner. Sinha also asked officials of the civic body to ensure that the ambitious work is executed in a proper manner. “I want complete transparency in the entire work and no compromise with quality of material being used,” Sinha added.

He said as the work was started recently so shortcomings would remain. However, he said the aim of his visit was to ensure that the work gets completed in a proper manner. 

Doraha, March 12
“The Punjab Human Rights Commission and National Human Rights Commission have handed over a number of labour laws violation cases to the Punjab government, but to no avail,” said Dr Gopal Krishna Ayer, former head, department of sociology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, during a

two-day national seminar on “Violation of Human Rights of Migratory Labour in Punjab”.

The seminar is being organised by the postgraduate department of political science at Guru Nanak National College.

Dr Gopal said, “The bonded labour is made to work in inhuman conditions. Those who are debt-ridden are the worse affected.”

“Various NGOs are working in this direction and have brought in constructive changes,” he added.

Avinash Rai Khanna, Member of Parliament, was the chief guest. He said one should work individually as well as collectively to preserve the rights of labourers, especially in Punjab. He presented a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to the college for development work.

Prof Dr Jagmohan Singh, general secretary, Association for Democratic Rights, said, “Human rights are indivisible and complementary to each other and cannot be dissociated from each other. The government has failed to preserve the rights of migrants who have helped rehabilitate the shattered economy of Punjab.”

Prof Balwant Singh Pangli, general secretary, College Management Committee, welcomed guests. Tarok Singh Jaggi, joint secretary, College Management Committee, and director Jaswant Singh Gill were also present on the occasion. Director of the seminar Dr Narinder Singh Sidhu proposed the vote of thanks.

Ludhiana, March 12
Education Minister SS Sekhwan’s recent announcement to recruit around 850 teachers in separate government colleges in the state has been appreciated by the teaching fraternity. Teachers said since the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) was a constituted body, with its members coming from various backgrounds, recruitments must be made through the PPSC only, as transparency was needed while making fresh recruitments.

Sekhwan made the announcement at Government Mahindra College, Patiala, recently.

He said more than 850 posts at government colleges in Punjab would be filled by constituting committees.

These recruitments would be made on a contractual basis, he added. “But we feel that recruitments must be made through the PPSC and the government should tell the commission about the criteria to be adopted while making fresh recruitments,” said Prof Jaipal Singh, president Government College Teachers Association, Punjab.

Feeling “cheated” at a time when fresh recruitments are being made after 15 years in Punjab, guest lecturers serving in different colleges of the state rued that they would suffer in the absence of experience certificates. Manjit Singh, serving at a government college in Ludhiana, said for the past four years, he had been serving in the college hoping that one day, he would secure a permanent job.

“We are teaching at par with permanent teachers, who are getting monthly salaries to the tune of more than Rs 60,000. But we are given just Rs 7,500 per month. Our experience must be counted while appointing fresh teachers in colleges. If new appointments will be made and fresh ones will be preferred, we will be disappointed and disgusted. That means all these years, we have been exploited by the state government,” rued the teacher.

Former Senator Tarsem Bahia said the government must plan to recruit new teachers before commencement of the next session (July/August). “Colleges need to have good teachers, as higher education is at the receiving end. Bright and deserving candidates must be given a chance while making fresh appointments,” said Bahia. 

Ludhiana: The national exhibition-cum-training workshop on “Plant and machinery for horticulture, vegetable and floriculture” concluded today at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). More than 300 farmers hailing from different states attended the workshop. PAU VC Dr Manjit Singh Kang said the university had an excellent rapport with farmers who reposed their faith in the university for its technologies. He said the university reoriented its programmes keeping in view the feedback from farmers.

He said green revolution could only be possible due to improvement in technology, service sector and public policies.

The keenness to receive the PAU recommendations and hard work of farmers also contributed towards the green revolution, said Dr Kang.

He added that with the growing population, the demand of food grain production would increase from 234 million tonnes to 276 million tonnes by 2021.

Dr PK Singh, deputy director, NHB , said the board supported programmes in production, post-harvest handling and processing of farm commodities for which subsidy ranging from 20 to 40 per cent was given. — TNS

The 61st annual convocation of Arya College was held on Saturday. Chief guest on the occasion was Justice Mukaundakam Sharma, Supreme Court of India.The function started with lighting of the traditional lamp. Ashok Paruthi, president of the college management, welcomed guests and other dignitaries, including Sudarshan Sharma, president, Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Punjab.

Dr TL Joshi, principal of the college, read out the annual report and enlisted achievements of the college. He applauded teachers and students for bringing laurels to the college by winning 29 medals in the Zonal Youth Festival of Punjab University and inter-zonal youth festival. The chief guest conferred degrees on 450 graduates and postgraduates belonging to arts, science, commerce, computer streams. Dr Justice Mukaundakam Sharma appreciated the role of Arya Pratinidhi Sabha in spreading the light of knowledge in and around the city which was an important educational centre of the state. He said in the present global scenario there was a need to set up more educational institutions like IIMs and IITs. He added that the educational institutions should lay emphasis not only on imparting knowledge to students, but also on the development of personal qualities and morality.

Jagraon, March 12
A 42-year-old man, who was driving a scooter (PB 25 A-0626), died after being hit by an unknown vehicle last night. The accident took place at the railway overbridge on the Tehsil road at around 7.30 pm.

The deceased has been identified as Kulwant Singh, alias Kala, a resident of Mukandpuri Mohalla. Kulwant was a tailor by profession. Family members said Kulwant had gone to deliver cloths of one of his customers in a nearby village on his friend’s scooter.

He was returning home when an unknown vehicle hit him at the railway overbridge. The impact of the collision was such that Kulwant

Singh died on the spot. Both arms of the victim also got dislocated after the accident.

A few passersby informed the police about the accident. The police impounded the scooter and took the body in its custody. The traffic on railway overbridge remained disrupted for more than 30 minutes following the accident.

The police handed over the body for a post-mortem examination at the local civil hospital. The body was later handed over to Kulwant’s relatives.

A case has been registered against unidentified persons at the bus stand police post on a complaint lodged by the victim’s wife. Kulwant is survived by his wife and five children, including three girls. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 12
Despite the administration promulgating Section 144 of the CrPC near examination centres, curbing the use of unfair means seems to be a tedious task for the officials concerned.Directions regarding restriction on appointment of tainted teachers as superintendents and invigilators seem to have gone up in smoke as such elements are yet to be identified.

Parents of students appearing in second semester examination of classes X and XII being conducted by the Punjab School Education Board have started approaching invigilators.

Contrary to the claims made by the authorities, some teachers known for their role in facilitating copying during exams have managed to get duties of their choice this year too.

Though the DCs and SSPs are usually asked to provide necessary security arrangements to facilitate the smooth conduct of exams every year, the administration is rarely provided with lists of examination centres falling under the jurisdiction of various sub-divisions and police stations.

The trend disappointed several teachers whose results were affected adversely due to the practice.

ADC Ludhiana SR Kaler and Yurinder Singh Hayer, Deputy Commissioner of Police, have banned the gathering of more than four persons near examination centres falling under their jurisdiction.

Orders under Section 144 were promulgated after the additional secretary, education department (branch 3), informed the administration that sanctity of the examination system could be disrupted due to uncontrolled gathering of parents and relatives of students near examination centres. 

Ludhiana, March 12
To ensure proper monitoring of the ongoing de-silting of the main sewerage system of the city, officials of operation and maintenance (O&M) branch conducted inspection of the ongoing work here today.

The city has a maze of 160-km-long main sewerage line and 850-km-long branch line that caters to the needs of over 70 per cent of its population.

During the rainy season each year, the city witnesses complete chaos due to excessive waterlogging. The main reason is the lack of de-silting of the sewerage system in most parts of the city.

In order to give relief to the residents, municipal corporation’s O&M branch has set a deadline of June 30 this year for its staff to clean the main sewerage system.

The corporation has deputed its staff and machinery for the work and asked its staff to ensure that the work is completed before the advent of the rainy season so that the residents do not face inconvenience.

In order to ensure that the work is conducted in a proper manner, a team of the O&M branch, led by superintendent engineer (SE) VP Singh today conducted an inspection of the sites where the work is going on.

The officials checked the machinery and asked the staff if they were facing problems in conducting the work. The SE directed the staff to ensure that the entire work was conducted in a proper manner. He also warned them against laxity in conducting the work.

Talking to the TNS, VP Singh expressed satisfaction over the ongoing work, adding that it would be completed by June-end.

He said the work was being conducted in an efficient manner and that the city would get benefit from it.