The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Unsafe buildings standing tall in the city Municipal Corporation fails to vacate these after tenants move court Puneet Pal Singh Gill Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 12 Even after one person died and numerous others sustained injuries after a dilapidated building recently collapsed in Amritsar, there continue to be many such buildings in the city which continue to endanger the lives of those residing in them. Most of these buildings are situated in the old city areas. Officials of the building branch of the Municipal Corporation claim that most of the landlords are fighting a legal battle with tenants. “We have already issued notices to demolish these buildings, but they (occupants) move court and in some cases even manage to get stay orders. Harpreet Ghai, Assistant Town Planner (Zone A), said the civic body had found eight such unsafe buildings after surveying the area. “At least 40 persons are living in these buildings. The tenants, who are staying there since decades and paying rent, which is like peanuts, are not willing to vacate them. We can’t take action against them as most of the cases are in court,” he added. Not only these buildings are at risk of collapsing, but those living in the neighbourhood are also at risk. This can be gauged from the fact a large number of people have been knocking at the doors of the civic body officials for taking some concrete steps. “We are often flooded with requests from owners to raze these buildings. When we do so, tenant either gets a stay order from the court or tells us that they are already fighting a case in this regard. Later on, we find that the owners come up with such requests only to get their properties vacated,” Ghai added.
	Rakhis through ‘breakfast mail delivery’ today Anupam Bhagria Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 12 Brothers, who are still waiting for rakhis sent by their sisters through post need not to worry, as the department of posts will deliver “rakhi post” even tomorrow morning through “breakfast mail delivery”. The rakhi special mails will be delivered before afternoon tomorrow. Disclosing this, RL Meena, senior superintendent post offices, Ludhiana, said, “Keeping in view the sanctity of this festival, we have planned it. We will collect all rakhi special mails from the rail mail service (RMS) centre through our vans this evening and postmen will deliver it tomorrow morning.” About 170 postmen working in the delivery post offices, including head post office, Miller Ganj, Rajguru Nagar, Model Town, Focal Point, central post office and PAU, have been called up at the head post office and will deliver this special post. PC Paul, senior postmaster, head post office, Ludhiana, said, “These postmen will deliver rakhi special post first and then report back to their post offices concerned. From there they will go back to their respective beats for delivering routine posts.” Earlier, the department has also installed special letter boxes at these post offices for posting rakhi special mails.
	City wears festive look on Rakhi eve Hemdeep Kaur Ludhiana, August 12 On the eve of Rakhi, the city markets bear a festive look. From sweet shops to gift shops, all have been decked up and are also crowded with buyers. As this is the festival of exchanging gifts between a brother and a sister, women folk are seen busy while shopping today. Unlike last years, people prefer to buy a packing of sweets and dry fruits than sweet boxes. Shamanpreet Kaur, one of the buyers at a sweet shop, said, “Sweets are not hygienic, so I am going to buy dry fruits this time.” Making a difference from others, Heena, a college student, said, “My brother loves to paint, so I have purchased a kit of paints and brushes for him, along with chocolates.” Greeting cards, especially for Rakhi, also marked their presence in the market. Cards embedded with bright and beautiful rakhis are in full demand. Ruby Rana, a city resident, said, “I am not interested in sweets as most of the sweet shop owners provide sweets of low quality. I prefer to buy chocolates and bakery products, as I cannot compromise with the health of my brother.” Residents are more excited with the fact that after many years, this is a long weekend on the eve of Rakhi. Aprna Sabbarwal, a student, said, “I feel elated as I will spend three days with my family members. I am busy in shopping for my brother today.” Schoolchildren are also equally ecstatic. Sumeet Aggarwal, a Class X student said, “This is the first time that our school has declared holidays and I have planned a day out with my parents and sister.”
	MC’s digger breaks BSNL pillar box Jaswant Shetra Jagraon, August 12 To remain surrounded by controversies seems to have become the habit of the municipal council, which found itself in trouble after an earth moving machine of the civic body deployed to dig up a road for fixing interlocking tiles at the Old Grain Market here broke the pillar box of BSNL. As per information, the incident took place last evening when a ditch machine was digging up a road for fixing new interlocking tiles at the main entrance of Old Grain Market. According to the BSNL authorities, the pillar box got badly damaged. The authorities said the pillar box broke because of the carelessness of the MC contractor and ditch machine operator. Moreover, the MC officials did not inform the BSNL officials about the incident. The authorities came to know about it only after complaints of a large number of consumers started pouring in. The BSNL employees have started the repair work. Holding the MC officials responsible for the inconvenience caused to the consumers, Mall Singh, SDO, BSNL, said it was due to the carelessness on the part of the MC officials that around 500 consumers were put to inconvenience. However, Mall Singh said he had taken up the matter with the MC president, who had assured him of paying all expenses. “The MC officials did not even send any communiqué to us before digging up the road near the pillar box. Even if the box was damaged by mistake, they should have at least informed the department about it,” he added. The SDO said it might take a couple of days to resume the service as the underground cables were damaged. MC president Baldev Krishan Dhir was not available for comments.
	Jagraon-mallha road’s re-carpeting gets nod Jaswant Shetra Jagraon, August 12 The Punjab Chief Minister’s office has given a go-ahead to the re-carpeting of the Jagraon-Mallha link road. Tenders have been floated by the Punjab Mandi Board. The news of the approval of the construction work of the 11-km long stretch came as a relief for residents of more than 12 villages, including Mallha, the native village of District Planning Board chairman and former SAD MLA from Jagraon Bhag Singh Mallha. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had to intervene to get the orders issued. While hearing a petition filed by an RTI activist and general secretary of the Universal Human Rights Organisation Iqbal Singh Rasoolpur, the court, through a notice sent to the Punjab CM’s office, issued strict instructions to the state government to get the work done. Congress MLA Gurdeep Singh Bhaini had raised the issue in the Punjab Assembly recently saying the road was in a bad shape and needed repair. The state government on the other side had claimed that the work had already been started following which Assembly speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon had instructed Punjab Agricultural Minister Sucha Singh Langah to inspect the site immediately and submit a report. Rasoolpur said, “The indifferent attitude of the authorities concerned had delayed the work.” Meanwhile, sources said as the Assembly elections were nearing, the government wanted to cash in on the development works.
	Bhangra sums up children’s festival Gurvinder Singh Ludhiana, August 12 The fluidity, ease and panache of their bhangra performance would make anyone feel proud of them. The wide smiles and exuberance on their faces during the performance was evident and infectious. On the concluding day of the three-day International Children’s Festival of Performing Arts at Guru Nanak Bhawan last night, the bhangra performance by dance trainers from Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Sri Lanka, Germany, China, Finland, Ukraine and Vietnam came as a pleasant surprise for the audience. Dressed in Punjabi attire, the performance won the artistes a loud applause. All agree that they love the dance. They learnt bhangra during their stay in Chandigarh. “You can’t perform it, if you don’t enjoy it,” said Anna Kvelde, a dance trainer from Latvia. Heidi Miikii from Finland said she enjoyed the dance. Singing a few lines of “Mehndi Mehndi Mehndi, gidde vich nachdi” got Heidi a loud applause from a packed auditorium. She says she is definitely going to teach bhangra when she goes back to Finland.
	Students make rakhis Ludhiana, August 12 Students of Guru Nanak Girls College participated in a rakhi-making competition organised by the department of fashion designing. Sequins, stones, beads, decorative threads and weaves were used by students. Principal Dr Charanjit Mahal appreciated students. Rupiner Kaur stood first, while Dilpreet Kaur and Kamaljeet Kaur secured the second and third positions, respectively. Party for newcomers A party for freshers was organised by the departments of computer applications and business administration of Khalsa College for Women, Civil Lines, Ludhiana. Seniors welcomed their juniors by presenting various traditional dance performances. The gala event consisted of a Sufi performance by students of BCA-I. BBA students presented a choreography on “Say No to Drugs”. A fashion show was also held. — TNS
	Motivation takes another govt hit, says industry Levying of external development charges Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 12 Central and state governments may be luring entrepreneurs to set up industries outside the municipal limits so that the environment can be protected, but the Punjab government seems to de-motivate them by levying taxes on this trend. It has come up with a unique proposal to tax industries located outside municipal limits. Industrial units have been asked to pay Rs 5 lakh per acre as external development charges. It has abolished change-of-land-use charges, replacing it with this new tax. The president of the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PD Sharma, criticised the move. He said the state government had come up with yet another tax. “Industrial units outside municipal limits have to pay Re 1 per square foot per annum. The amount will be huge at the end of the year and industries will be badly affected,” he said. Tax discrimination was proving disastrous for industries in Punjab, he added. He claimed that there was no rationale behind most of the policies of the state government, which had been evolved to squeeze the industry. Under the new manufacturing policy of the Government of India, environmental and labour laws would be relaxed for units located in national investment manufacturing zones. Many states had started working on developing these zones. “The global economy is likely to suffer due to developments in the US and Europe. The Indian industry will have to face stiff competition in pricing. If governments keep burdening industries instead of lessening load, the results may be disastrous,” he said. Badish Jindal, president of the Federation of Punjab Small Industries Associations, said if such additional taxes were levied, it would be difficult for small and medium entrepreneurs to survive. “They will have to pay double for power connections. They will have to pay for pollution control. Service and labour outside MC limits will also be expensive. The levying of such taxes shows that the state government is in no mood to help the industry,” he rued.
	Lost mobile complaint window shut down Charanjit Singh Teja Ludhiana, August 12 The “lost mobile complaint window”, which was opened by former Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh three months ago at the Community Resource Policing Centre (CRPC), has finally been shut down. The police was able to track as many as 60 lost and stolen cell phones in the past three months after registering complaints, but the move has not gone down well with the residents. Since a number of cell phones are lost and stolen in the city, the residents have always been looking towards the police for help. Sources said the new Commissioner, who took over the charge recently, ordered the closure of the window stating that they were not getting enough response. The window was opened in May this year. The complainants were required to fill in a form with details of missing cell phones and the phone number. The police would call up the complainant after tracking the cell phone number. Police Commissioner Sharad Satya Chauhan said: "I am new to the place. I cannot say any thing about the window's success without analysing the data. We are mulling over shifting the window to all Suvidha Centres. We are going to start the trial at these centres soon.
	SGpc poll SAD denies ticket to member of Ramgarhia community Puneet Pal Singh Gill Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 12 In a major disappointment to the Ramgarhia community, the Shiromani Akali Dal has denied a party ticket to one of its members for the upcoming Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee elections. Out of total five seats, the Akali Dal has fielded urban Sikhs from three seats and Jatt Sikhs from two seats. A large number of people from the Ramgarhia community are settled in the city. Most of them are involved in business and industry and there are several areas where 90 per cent of the population comprises Ramgarhias. Areas such as the Gill road, Partap Chowk, Dholewal, Dashmesh Nagar, Janta Nagar and others have a large number of Ramgarhias. Earlier, three persons from the community namely Giani Bhagat Singh, father of Ranjodh Singh, president of the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademy, Mohinder Singh Panesar, a leading businessman, and Sukhwinder Kaur Sokhi, wife of Akali councillor Jagbir Singh Sokhi, have remained as SGPC members from the city. From the Ludhiana (rural) constituency, the Shiromani Akali Dal has fielded Charan Singh Alamgir, a Jatt Sikh. Similarly, another Jatt Sikh, Balwinder Singh Bains, who is the elder brother of Youth Akali Dal district president and councillor Simarjit Singh Bains, has been fielded by the party from the Ludhiana City South constituency. Similarly, urban Sikhs fielded from the city are Avtar Singh Makkar from Ludhiana City West constituency, Rajinder Kaur from the Ludhiana City West (women reserve) constituency, Kanwalinder Singh Thekedar from the Ludhiana City East constituency. Manmohan Singh Ubhi, prominent industrialist of the Ramgarhia community, said their community had contributed a lot to the Sikh religion. “Everyone knows that a majority of Ramgarhias are ardent followers of Sikhism and the denial has come as a big blow. The Akali Dal should have kept this thing in mind that with their decision, our community would be hurt,” lamented Ubhi. Commenting on this issue, Cabinet Minister Hira Singh Gabria, who belongs to the community, stated that people from the community had applied for the party ticket, but the candidates were finalised by the party high command. “Yes, there is no candidate from the Ramgarhia community due to some unavoidable circumstances. I have personally spoken to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal about it and he has assured me that we will co-opt the members of Ramgarhia community after the SGPC elections,” clarified Gabria. Sources within the Akali Dal said an independent candidate from the Ramgarhia community had been fielded by Gabria in the Ludhiana City South constituency, from where Balwinder Singh Bains is the party’s official candidate. But Gabria denied to have fielded any independent candidate for the elections.
	Teachers demand release of arrears Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 12 The Government College Teachers’ Union observed a two-hour strike here today. SCD Government College staff protested against the Punjab government and raised slogans. On the call given by the Government College Teachers’ Union’s state body, teachers protested to release their 43-month arrears. The Punjab government has meted out a stepmotherly treatment towards the teachers by not paying arrears, as all other state governments have paid 40 per cent arrears to their employees. The Punjab government is adopting double standards in implementing the University Grant Commission’s notification,” said Prof Ashwani Kumar Bhalla from SCD Government College. “By not recruiting new permanent teachers, the government is harassing ad hoc teachers. The government is paying them less salaries, so deserving candidates are unemployed. With this government’s negligence, education and students are suffering,” he added.
	2 chemist shops raided Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 12 On the directions of Dr HS Bali, Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, officials of the health department yesterday raided two chemist shops at Transport Nagar and seized habit-forming drugs. Disclosing this, district drug inspector Sanjeev Garg said, “I along with Dr Puneet Sidhu, a medical official at the Civil Surgeon office, raided two chemist shops at Transport Nagar. From Grover Ayurvedic Medicine and Cosmetics Centre, we seized 19 types of psychotropic drugs, which include 30,000 tablets, 940 capsules, 235 injections and 19 cough syrups.” The other store raided was Malwa Medicine, but the team could not find any habit-forming drug.
	Dilemma persists over ‘Aarakshan’ release Puneet Pal Singh Gill Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 12 Theatre owners are still in dilemma over the release of the movie “Aarakshan” in city theatres. A seven-member committee, which submitted its report to the Chief Minister today, said they were for the ban on the movie in the state. Vijay Danav, chairman, Scheduled Caste Welfare Board, informed that the committee members held a meeting at Chandigarh this morning. “It was decided that the government should not let this movie run in theatres of Punjab. I saw the movie last evening and found many parts objectionable. I can assure that if this movie is released in its present form, it might affect peace of our state,” said Danav. However, city residents, who were unaware of this development, kept pouring in with inquiries about the movie in the cinema halls, where the movie was to be released. “As we had already pasted posters of this movie outside our cinema hall and other parts of the city, people thought that the movie might get released today after getting clearance from the seven-member committee. But till now we have not received any information and that is why, we would not be exhibiting the movie in our theatre,” said a theatre owner. Brajesh Soni, manager, Waves Cinemas, Ludhiana, informed that they received many queries about the movie today. “People kept inquiring about the movie on reaching the multiplex as well as over the phone. But we have told them that until we get the permission to release the movie from the state government, we would not go ahead with the movie,” informed Soni. A city resident, Ibna Bhathal, who had gone to Waves Cinemas, rued, “When the movie can be released in the rest of the country, then why not in Punjab? People opposing such movies should understand that movies should not be taken seriously that they affect our lives. I am sad that I am not able to watch the movie today,” she said. Vijay Danav informed that he again got a call from the Chief Minister’s office this evening. “I have been called for another meeting with senior officials and lets’ see what decision the government takes now,” said Danav.
	One shoplifter nabbed, two flee with 40 trousers Mohit Khanna Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 12 An alert salesman nabbed a woman shoplifter, while her two accomplice managed to flee with 40 trousers from a cloth store located opposite Grain Market near Shivpuri Chowk here today. The incident took place this morning when three women posing as customers entered the cloth store. While one woman kept the salesman busy, other two fled with trousers. The salesman sensed a foul play when the trio suddenly tired to leave the cloth shop. The salesman asked the women to show their bags. Sensing trouble, the trio tried to flee from the shop. While two women managed to give salesman a slip, the third suspect was nabbed. The trio belongs to a gang of notorious shoplifters of Ganna village located near Phillaur. The suspects have been identified as Usha, Kanta and Anki. While Usha has been arrested, hunt is on to nab Anki and Kanta. The salesman said the entire shoplifting episode was caught on close circuit television (CCTV) camera installed in the store.
	district scan Ludhiana Scan Rally by Roadways staff on Aug 16 The Joint Action Committee of the Punjab Roadways employees, which met here today under the presidentship of Manjit Singh, convener of the JAC, flayed general manager of the local depot for acting in a vindictive manner against the union activists. The employees stated that rather than responding to the charter of demands presented by the action committee, the authorities had posted several trade union leaders in other depots. According to Manjit Singh, the employees will hold a gate rally on August 16. Community centre row The joint action committee set up to save a community centre in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar here has maintained that the election to the welfare society conducted by a section of the ruling group was unlawful and unconstitutional. Convener of the JAC Jaswant Singh Gill said the person elected as the so called president of welfare society was not even a primary member, and not a bonafide resident of the locality. The action committee will hold a meeting on August 14. Maha panchayat by textile workers Accusing owners of textile mills of exploiting workers and denying due wages and other service benefits, the Textile Mazdoor Union will convene a maha panchayat here on August 14. Convener of the union Rajwinder said the prices of essential items had gone through the roof and the textile workers were finding it difficult to make both ends meet. — TNS