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MC Demolition Drive Puneet Pal Singh Gill Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, March 9 Taking note of illegal encroachments as well as PUDA Act violations that have come up in the city after 1995, the Municipal Corporation would be demolishing all structures that are within 5 metres from the main roads. The civic body has identified around 2,500 such violations in various parts of the city and notices have been served on violators. The demolition drive may face tough resistance not only from area councillors, but also newly elected MLAs. Ranjit Singh Dhillon, SAD MLA from the Ludhiana East constituency, said that he, along with other MLAs, would raise the issue with the Chief Minister after the swearing-in of the “It’s not only an issue of Ludhiana, but of the entire state. Moreover, the people of my constituency, who would be affected by this demolition drive are going to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court very soon. But one thing is sure that I will always stand by my area residents,” he claimed. MC Commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi said the violators, who failed to reply to the notices sent to them, had been sent notices once again. “We have started sending them notices from today and all the notices would reach the residents by the end of this week. The violators have been given three days’ time for submitting their replies. After the deadline, we will scrutinise all the cases and a final list of violators would be prepared by March 22. After that, we will start the demolition drive,” Jaggi said, claiming that fresh notices had been issued so that no person could claim at a later stage that he was not given a chance to submit his reply.
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Flesh trade racket busted
Ludhiana, March 9 SHO of the Basti Jodhewal police station, Jatinder Singh, said today that Balbiro (45), the mastermind, was running the flesh-trade racket from her house at Iqbal Nagar, Tibba Road. “Since Balbiro was into the profession for the past several months and everything was being done at her home, it seems her family, too, was aware of the racket,” SHO added. The police has also arrested Simran (20), a divorcee and resident of Halwara, Kajal (29) and Asha (28), both residents of Amritsar and Patna Sahib, respectively. Kajal and Asha were married. Kajal had an eight-year-old son out of the wedlock. “These two women had left their homes,” the SHO added. “Two men- Gurdeep Singh, a resident of Toka Mohalla, and Himmat Singh, a resident of Jaswant Nagar- were also arrested by the police during the raid,” the SHO added. The women used to charge anything between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 for running this illegal trade. |
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Bank manager booked for fraud
Ludhiana, March 9 Amandeep Singh Brar, SHO, Division Number 4,said Davinder Singh of Ms Shabnamz, Ghumar Mandi alleged that a fraud of Rs 1.60 crore was committed against him by the then branch manager of UCO Bank, near old DMCH, Dandi Swami about three years ago. "The complainant alleged that the huge amount was transferred from his account by the bank manager Baldev Singh in March 2009. The bank manager is now posted in Phagwara. We are recording the statements and the accused will be arrested after preliminary investigations are complete", said Brar. |
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244 challans issued on Holi
Ludhiana, March 9 Barring a handful of four-wheelers, a majority of challans were issued to violators on two-wheelers. Challans were issued against those not wearing helmet and for riding pillion. Those without documents were also challaned on all major roads of the city. Traffic in charge Naveen Kumar said 44 wrongly parked four-wheelers were towed away. A private company, which has been given a contract by the traffic police, charges Rs 500 to tow away a vehicle. “A sum of Rs 11,600 was generated during the challan drive yesterday,” he said. A traffic policeman at Fountain Chowk said on the condition of anonymity that for the past more than a month, the traffic police had been acting tough with violators. “We have been given instructions to challan each and every traffic defaulter. Residents are influential, and if we stop them, they try to make us talk to our seniors or other bigwigs on mobile phones, but we don’t talk to anyone and ask them to show the documents. We have also noticed a change for the better. Now residents feel scared driving two-wheelers without helmet,” he added.
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Brick-kiln workers’ strike hits supply
Ludhiana, March 9 Ashwini Sood, senior vice-president, Brick Kiln Owners’ Association, Ludhiana, said today that, “There is shortage of bricks in market. We are only burning the bricks these days. Rest of the work has been put on hold due to the strike.” “The workers have put forth exorbitant demands which are not possible to be fulfilled. We are suffering huge financial losses and in addition to this construction activities being carried out in Ludhiana district is also suffering,” said Sarabhjeet Dhillon, general secretary of the association. Another member of the association said the
workers had taken leave on Holi. They haven’t returned to work since then. “They are in habit of sending demand charter after a few months. We are suffering huge financial losses due to the strike. The construction activity has come to a standstill due to this,” he added. |
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Increase in freight charges irks industry
Ludhiana, March 9 President of the Federation of Punjab Small Industries Associations, Badish Jindal, said: “Punjab sells 80 per cent of its production to other states. Thus products made in Punjab will become costlier for other states. The exports will suffer, as Punjab is a land-locked state. Due to this, the steel prices will increase by 2 per cent, which are already high in Punjab as compared to other states.” Jindal said: “This step, it seems, has been taken to boost the economy of West Bengal as it boast of natural resources like steel and coal; is s nearer to the coast.” The hike in freight of coal will cause the rise in the cost of power generation. This will have adverse impact on thermal power plants to be set up in Punjab. The increase in the cost of power generation will add to the manufacturing cost. Jatin Gandhi, an exporter, said the hike in freight charges would adversely affect exports from the state.
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Ludhiana, March 9 According to information, the complainant, Vijay Kumar, said in his statement to the police that on March 3, he received an SMS from a number (98140-34546), that read: “Since you have saved a handsome money (sic), a share must be provided to us in the form of gold biscuits of 2 kg. You have got time till 11 am. Do not inform the police about it as your son has to go to the school and we are keeping an eye on your activities. Khuda Hafiz”. Vijay Kumar told the police that again on March 4, at 7.15 pm he received an sms, saying: “Vijay Kumar, in case your answer is positive then you must hold a green cloth in the hand outside your shop and if it is no (the answer) then ...Khuda Hafiz!”. — TNS
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Rural schools cry for attention Jaswant Shetra
Jagraon, March 9
In most of the schools located in rural areas, especially in primary schools, only one or two teachers are left to handle all responsibilities, including the duties of clerical staff. In such a situation, the students are made to do odd jobs of Class IV employees. The infrastructure in government schools at villages like Sadarpura, Sangatpura, Bangsipura, Janetpura, Tihara, Parjian Biharipur, Gorsian, Talwandi, Gidarwindi, Pamal, Ramghar, Dhapy and several others is literally falling apart. While some of these schools lack infrastructure, others do not have teaching and non-teaching staff. Sources said the schools had not been renovated for years. “The poor cannot afford education of their wards in private schools. In such a situation they are forced to enrol their children in government schools which lack facilities,” said Sohan Singh Salempuri, a social activist, who has been running from pillar to post to get the schools in rural areas upgraded. Bet area has a thick population of people living below poverty line. “The government’s claims of raising the educational standard of rural schools are baseless. The residents of these villages have been demanding improvement in infrastructure for several years but their pleas have not been heeded,” added Sohan Singh. The state of affairs is such that some classrooms have collapsed while others are near collapsing. Due to which students are forced to study in the open whether it is summer or winter. Block education officer Mohinder Singh said rural schools lacked infrastructure and adequate staff. “I have written to the education department a number of times to provide funds for upgrading infrastructure in rural schools, but the department has offered no assistance for improving the situation,” he stated.
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Youth creates ruckus on College Road
Jagraon, March 9 As per information, the girls had walked only a few metres from the college when they were stopped by the youth, who was carrying a knife. He demanded money from them. On seeing the girls in trouble, some nearby shopkeepers came to their rescue and thrashed the accused. They then informed the police about the incident. The police said it was trying to verify the credentials of the accused so that it could approach his family. Earlier, too, the accused had created ruckus in the area when he had pelted stones at some other persons near the level crossing on the Sherpur Road.
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Demand for diesel cars goes up
Ludhiana, March 9 A salesman at one of the car showrooms said it had seen a 30 per cent rise in monthly queries for diesel cars in the past few weeks. “The anxiety among buyers about the diesel tax has increased the demand of diesel variants. We have a waiting period of nearly six months,” said a salesman. Mahindra’s Verito as well as SUVs like Xylo and Scorpio and Toyota’s Etios and Liva are in great demand these days. The tax fear has attributed to the rise in demand of these cars. Rashmi, who recently bought a Renault Pulse, said they opted for the car as it had “ready delivery”. “Earlier, we thought of buying Toyota Liva but since it had a long waiting period we opted for Pulse which had ready delivery. We do not want to waste money on tax due to which we changed our car choice. The immediate availability of the car has played a key role in our purchase consideration,” she stated. There has been a perceptible change in the last three to four weeks in the buying decisions of consumers. Another salesman dealing in Tata cars said due to skyrocketing petrol prices, people were opting for diesel cars and this was the main reason behind the long waiting period. “Those, who were planning to buy a car in the next six months, have preponed their plans,” he added.
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New stamp on former CM of Madhya Pradesh
Ludhiana, MARCH 9 Born in 1925, he graduated in technology and after completing law degree, he participated in Quit India Movement in 1942. He was the founder editor of Mahakoshal, the first Hindi daily from Raipur. First elected as an MLA in 1857, he retained the seat next six terms. After being elected as the state irrigation minister in 1967, he became the Chief Minister of MP for three years consequently and became an MP in 1999. Known for his contribution towards irrigation, he worked for the development of agriculture, tribal welfare, urban planning, development and environmental conservation. He made special efforts for expansion of canals, rural electrification, recognition and protection of rights of farmers over land, distribution of surplus land to the landless in the state. He was the first to introduce pre-entrance examination. He introduced the concept of social forestry in his state in 1975. It is the seventh stamp released this year. “I just love collecting personalities,” said Kanwar, a philatelist. Another avid collector said it was the fifth stamp on a personality. “I know about these personalities. So I am not only cultivating my hobby but learning about personalities as well,” he added.
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Letting their hair down on Holi
Ludhiana, March 9
The day began with excitement for many as they were wished good morning with a friendly “gulal-teeka” and colour, while some were chased out of bed by the friendly splash of colours until they had the water and colour bash outdoors. The boys went all out covering one another with colour from head to toe. Some just pushed up the accelerators, whizzing through the streets in droves of vehicles just to have fun, others whistled through the streets with beating dhols on two-wheelers. "Holi for us is to have wild fun. It is one festival that lets you celebrate with abandon," said Sunil, a resident of Model Town. The celebrations were on till the evening, as people threw gulal and splashed coloured water with water guns and buckets. Children smiled cheekily as they threw water balloons on the passersby, bringing smiles on the faces of the targets after the initial anger. "This is one day when we can enjoy and nobody takes offence. This is the spirit of Holi when we celebrate together and everyone plays with anyone. This really is so special about the festival," said 19-year-old Ashish. The festival was celebrated with fervour at some of the clubs like Lodhi Club as well. In some areas, the residents collectively celebrated dancing to the tunes of Bollywood Holi songs, jiving on the beats of DJ while playing Holi.
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Celebrating with flowers
Ludhiana, March 9 The depleting ground water table in the state has been a cause of concern for many years now, with many blocks of the state declared black zones by the state government. Even in the city, the ground water has gone down by a few feet and the environmentalists have been urging the government to take some steps in this regard. Dr GS Hira, who retired as additional director research (Agriculture) from Punjab Agricultural University and is a resident of Canal View Apartments, HIG Flats, said that they had started celebrating Holi with flowers around five years ago. “Earlier, the youth and children of our locality wasted several litres of water on holi. Besides, synthetic colours were also used on the occasion. That is why, one day, we decided that from now on we would not waste water or use synthetic colours for celebrating Holi. And now, be it senior citizens or youth, all of them gather and celebrate Holi by using flowers and flower petals ,” informed Hira. Manmohan Singh, vice-president of Canal View Apartments Welfare Society said that ground water was fast depleting. “And our city residents waste lakhs of litres of water on Holi. People should keep it in their mind that if they waste water like this, the coming generations would suffer. I hope that the city residents take a cue from us and start contributing their own bit for this social cause,” said Manmohan Singh, a retired deputy excise and taxation commissioner. For conserving water, the residents of this locality have also installed grass-paver tiles instead of interlocking tiles along their roads. With the help of a grass paver tile, one can save a lot of rainwater as the water seeps into ground and does not accumulate on the road.
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Ailing child needs financial help
Ludhiana, March 9 He was examined by Dr Harinder Singh Bedi, head, cardio vascular and thoracic surgery at Christian Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana. Bedi said that due to abnormal flow of blood Abhijit’s heart was getting damaged. He has developed what is called severe pulmonary artery hypertension. If not operated in time, the condition could become irreversible and fatal. Abhijit’s father currently works in a wire-making store house and earns around Rs 3,000 per month. Abhijit’s family is in dire need of financial assistance. Anyone who wants to donate for his treatment can send donations in the name of ‘Christian Medical College andHospital, Ludhiana ‘with “Master Abhijit, CMC Unit No C7363846 “, written at the back of the cheque.
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5-year-old succumbs to injuries
Ludhiana, March 9 Ram Parsad said, on March 7 he was standing outside his home at 4:30 pm when a motorcyclist came and hit his five-year-old daughter Anita, following which she was injured. Afterwards she was admitted to Cancer Hospital where she succumbed to the injuries. The number of motorcycle was PB 28 E 9272. The Moti Nagar police has registered a case against the unidentified motorcyclist under Section 279-304 A of the IPC. The police is investigating the case. — TNS
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PAU employees union hold protest rally
Ludhiana, March 9 While Amritpal appealed to the government that if they wanted the development of the state they would have to help farmers of Punjab who were facing crisis. Senior vice-president Manmohan Singh and PAU fourth class workers union presindet Avtar Singh Guram appealed to the employees to get ready for future struggle. — TNS
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Nodal officer nominated
Ludhiana, March 9 Krishan Lal Kakkar, Fire Safety Officer, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, has been nominated as the Sub-Nodal officer for Ludhiana and Nawanshahr. They will look after the works related to the disaster management work, on being called by the administrative authorities concerned. — TNS
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Bains brothers meet Majithia
Ludhiana, March 9 Confirming this development, Simarjit Singh Bains said it was a normal meeting. “Bikram Singh Majithia had sent a message that he wants to meet us. I known Majithia since long and we went to meet him due to this. But we have not taken any decision as yet,” he added. “But we will take decision in this regard before the swearing in of the next government on March 14,” added Simarjit Singh Bains. SAD sources said Sukhbir Badal had come to the city on March 4. He met the Bains brothers and discussed the possibility of them rejoining the party or giving outside support. “During that meeting, both brothers, who were once blue eyed boys of Bikram Singh Majithia and Sukhbir Singh Badal, had categorically told Sukhbir that they would take decision after the results were declared,” said sources.
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sahnewal airport Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, March 9 Air-India flight had initially hit the rough weather due to its poor operational record and poor response from residents. The flight used to get cancelled due to poor visibility. Flight timings were changed from November 23, after the weather changed. Now, the people have started availing this facility. Amrik Singh, Manager, Air-India, Ludhiana Airport, said today that the airline was operating a 46-seater aircraft. The absence of a DVOR device, which helps in landing and take-off of the aircrafts in poor visibility, was creating hurdle.
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From Colleges
Ludhiana: A book on "Jassa Singh Ramgarhia" - biographical work in English on the life of the 18th Century Sikh General, written by historian Dr Prithipal Singh Kapur, former pro vice-chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, was released here on Friday at Baba Gurmukh Singh Auditorium of Ramgarhia Girls College.
Chief guest Dr. Jaspal Singh, Vice Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, released the book that delves into a bygone era and comes up with interesting facts related to the life of the Maharaja. Principal, Dr Narinder Sandhu, Dr JS Grewal, former vice-chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; Dr. Indu Banga from the department of history, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and renowned historian Dr. Kirpal Singh and writer Piara Singh Bhogal were also present there. The guests shared their views on the life of Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, the founder of the Ramgarhia Misl, and the most daring leader of the Khalsa Panth in the 18th Century. He contributed to the growth of the Sikh rule in Punjab after Banda Singh Bahadur. On the occasion, a documentary film on the life of Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia by Ranjodh Singh, president, Ramgarhia Educational Council was also released in the DVD format. BBA students secure
top positions
Kapil Sahni, a student of BBA (2010-2013) batch of Punjab College of Technical Education (PCTE), Ludhiana, has bagged the first position in the second semester university examinations conducted by Punjab Technical University (PTU), Jalandhar. Divya Kalra of the same batch has also bagged the second position in BBA second semester university examinations. Dr KNS Kang, director general, PCTE Group of Institutes, said that Kapil had also secured top position in the first semester university examinations. Kapil Sahni topped the university with 81.5 per cent; he obtained 489 marks out of 600. Divya Kalra secured second position in the university. she obtained 480 marks out of 600 with 80per cent. Farewell
Farewell was given to students of M.Sc.-II at Guru Nanak Khalsa College. Gurbir Singh, president, Guru Nanak Education Trust and principal Dr Charanjit Mahal presided over the function. To add colour to the occasion, the students presented an entertaining cultural programme. The senior students gave compliments to their teachers. Dr Charanjit Mahal gave away the prizes. Music society
Under the guidance of Dr Nimita Sharma and professor Anita Sharma, the music (vocal) department of Government College for Women on Friday organised the annual music society. Gurminder Kaur, principal, Government College for Women, was the chief guest of the day. The function commenced with Saraswati vandana followed by three competitions i.e. paper reading contest, Indian classical vocal contest and the musical quiz contest. Firstly there was a paper reading contest with a view to inculcate the spirit of subjectivity and confidence in the minds of the students of music department. In order to explore the myriad aspects of music, the department also organised a musical quiz contest. The results of the competition are as follows: Paper reading contest B.A I: Nishu (first), Amandeep Kaur (second), Anuradha (third) and Monika (consolation). B.A II: Anjali (first),Shubhra Jain (second),Jasminder Kaur (third) and Prabhsharan Kaur (consolation). B.A III: Isha Pawar (first), Priyanka Dhir (second), Kiran (third) and Bhawna Handa (consolation). Indian classical vocal contest B.A I: Jaspreet Kaur (first), Komalpreet Kaur (second),Rupinder Kaur (third) and Navneet Kaur (consolation). B.A II: Deepak Rani (first),Shubhra Jain (second),Ishpuneet Kaur (third) and Jasminder Kaur and Manpreet Kaur (consolation). B.AIII: Isha Pawar (first), Anureet Kaur (second), Ayushi Daula (third) and Bhawna Handa and Nandini (consolation). Musical quiz contest Team Ma: Isha Pawar, Shubhra Jain and Komalpreet Kaur (first). Team Ga: Anureet Kaur,Manpreet Kaur and Jaspreet Kaur (second). Team Re: Bhawna Handa,Jasminder Kaur and Rupinder Kaur (third). Team Sa: Ayushi Daula,Rajwinder Kaur and Deepak Rani (consolation). Students bring laurels
Students have brought laurels to Ludhiana Group of Colleges, Chaukimann, situated on the Ferozepur Road by bagging excellent result in December 2011 semester examinations held by Punjab Technical University. The students who topped the institution in various streams of B.Tech., MBA, MCA, BBA and BCA were felicitated at a special function organised here. Harpreet Kaur of MCA (first semester) has secured first position by scoring 90 per cent marks in the university examination. In MBA (third semester), Varinder Kaur topped for the third consecutive time. Similarly, in MBA (first semester), Kuljinder Kaur came up to the expectations by getting first position with 85 per cent marks. In B.Tech computer science and engineering stream, Navneet Kaur scored a hat-trick by remaining on top in the third semester consecutively. Amandeep Kaur stood first in the electronics and communication engineering stream. Harmanjot Kaur and Harpreet Kaur secured top position in BBA and BCA (first semester) exams respectively. Randeep Singh and Navneet Kaur were awarded as they topped in BCA and BBA (fourth semester) results. — TNS
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Four-year-old Abhijit, son of a couple living at Tibba Road, Ludhiana, needs financial help for medical treatment as he is suffering from a large hole in the heart since birth.