Ludhiana, May 30
Fortyfive-year-old Sheelo, a resident of Amarpura, is on one-month pilgrimage to Pakistan, unaware that her 22-year-old daughter, son-in-law, daughter's in-laws and two small grandchildren died in an accident near Ramban, a few kilometres from Srinagar, here today.

The victim Rekha (Sheelo's daughter), married to Vijay Kumar of Hoshiarpur district, had come to Ludhiana to meet some relatives along with her in-laws yesterday. Little did they know that they were travelling for the last time. Their tempo-traveller fell into a 1,000-ft gorge and 13 persons lost their lives.

Rekha's cousins Dimple and Shammi said Rekha, Vijay Kumar, their two children, her in-laws Mohan Lal and Kalo Devi and sisters-in-law Jyoti and Asho died in the accident.

"They were all here yesterday and we spent the day together. Today, they started their return journey in a tempo-traveller and met with an accident near Ramban. God has played a cruel joke with us, especially our aunt Sheelo, who is away to Pakistan. We have not been able to contact her. And we don't know how to break the news to her. Our aunt is a widow and will not be able to bear this shock," said an inconsolable Dimple.

"Our community moves in groups. They were going to Srinagar to sell products when the fatal accident took place," said Shammi.

Ludhiana, May 30
All 400-odd mini buses will not operate in the district tomorrow in support of Bharat bandh. The Ludhiana Mini Bus Owners Association held a meeting in this regard today and bus owners from Jagraon, Sarabha, Haibowal, Dehlon, Raikot and Samrala have also decided to support the bandh.

Everyday thousands of people, mostly from rural areas and villages of the district, travel in the mini buses to different parts of the district. Jasbinder Singh Grewal, president of the bus owners' association, said: “There has been an increase in the prices of petroleum products, which also affects our business as the prices of tyres and other things go up.

“All our office-bearers and private mini bus operators have agreed to support the call for bandh. We don’t want the public to suffer, but we have no option. Residents should make alternative travelling arrangements tomorrow.”

The BJP and its allies in the NDA have called for a Bharat bandh tomorrow. The bandh is to protest the steep hike in petrol prices and demand a rollback. The bandh is also to demand that the government initiate immediate measures to relieve the common man from inflation.

Ludhiana, May 30
In view of the Municipal Corporation elections, the District Transport Office (DTO) has postponed its auction of fancy registration numbers from June 1 to June 15. Most of the DTO staff is involved in election duties.

District Transport Officer Manpreet Singh Chhatwal is also the returning officer of several wards of the city and is now busy with the scrutiny of the nomination papers.

The withdrawal of candidature and allotment of symbols is yet to take place and that will keep the staff busy.

Chhatwal said the auction of fancy registration numbers of PB 10 DD series was scheduled for June 1, but due to the elections, the auction would now be held on June 15 at Nehru Sidhant Kendra. Those interested in the auction could deposit their demand drafts of the required amount along with their applications at the District Transport Office by June 13, he added.

Ludhiana, May 30
Taking cognisance of a revision petition filed against the order of dismissal of petition seeking the registration of a case against former DGP (Jails) Shashi Kant, the Additional Sessions Judge adjourned the matter for August 3. Senior police officer Shashi Kant had recently given sensational statements regarding the nexus between the drug mafia and politicians in the state.

Razau-din Saifi of Saawan Vihar Colony had filed a petition under Section 156(3) of the CrPC for the registration of a case against the DGP Jails for "knowingly" not disclosing the names of "big fish" involved in the smuggling of drugs. The complainant said intentionally not disclosing such information was an offence under various sections of the IPC.

Earlier, Judicial Magistate Amarinder Pal Singh had dismissed the petition with the observation: "It appears that the petition was filed in order to gain publicity". It had further observed that the petition lacked territorial jurisdiction. Moreover, if the FIR would be registered based on media reports without investigation, there would be chaos in society, the judge remarked while dismissing the petition.

In his petition the complainant had mainly drawn upon news items, in which the DGP had reportedly stated that he knew who were the persons behind the drug trafficking in the state.

The complainant had stated that such an act of a public servant in concealing the names of "bad elements" was dangerous and could result in the death of innocent people and ruin the future of the youth.

Ludhiana, May 30
After apprising defaulters in the city about traffic rules, it is now the turn of higher-ups, advocates and politically well-connected people to obey traffic rules as the police is going to initiate a tow-away drive at the Mini Secretariat soon. To save the public from inconvenience and harassment due to wrongly parked vehicles at the Mini Secretariat, the traffic police will mark yellow lines and ensure that vehicles are not parked outside the line in a haphazard manner.

Commissioner Police Ishwar Singh said the drive had borne good results and about 60-70 per cent of traffic on busy roads had been controlled due to the strict approach adopted by the department.

"By adopting such measures, we just want to provide relief to the public, who faces problems due to traffic congestion and regular jams. The tow-away drive, initiated by Ludhiana, will also be replicated in other districts of Punjab to make the movement of traffic smooth," said the Commissioner.

ACP Traffic Navin Singla said efforts were on to bring more traffic compounds. "At present, all vehicles are taken to the Police Lines. But now, we are looking for suitable places at different zones so that vehicles are towed away and taken to those zones. The department is going to add more recovery vans, including huge vans. Trucks or buses stranded on roads can also be towed away using these vehicles," he said.

On an average, 70 to 90 vehicles are towed away daily in Ludhiana. Former ACP Traffic Swapan Sharma said the three-month drive had brought desirable results in areas like Ghumar Mandi, College Road, Mall Road, Rani Jhansi Road, Malhar Road, Ferozpur Road and Pakhowal Road.

"These areas were too congested, but now vehicles can move smoothly as vehicles are not parked wrongly on the roads. The ones that are wrongly parked are immediately towed away. At the Police Lines, the defaulters show the documents of the vehicles, pay the fine and take away their vehicles, which earlier was a tedious process," said Sharma.

Ludhiana, May 30
Major issues

Parks in the area are ill-maintained. These have been encroached upon by vendors.
In the absence of parking lots, residents park vehicles on roadsides.
Encroachments on roads are a common sight.
Stray animals roam freely in the area.
Garbage dumped on roads put off residents.
Residents say the councillor is not approachable.

COUNCILLOR Speaks
All roads have been re-carpeted. A few tubewells have been installed in the area to tide over the problem of irregular water supply. Our ward is one of the best wards

— Ruchi Jain, councillor

reSIDENTS Speak
The area is far better as compared to other wards. The officials concerned should carry out an anti-encroachment drive in the area

— Sham, a resident

The area lacks green belts. Parks should be developed in vacant plots in order to beautify the ward

— Shubm, a resident

Statistics

Major Areas:

Sham Singh Road, Major Gurdial Singh Road, Rani Jansi Road, Rakh Baag, Club Road, Mall Road, College Road and some parts of Gumar mandi

Population: 25,000

Voters: 8,000

Ludhiana, May 30
Traffic congestion is one of major problems in Ghumar Mandi.

Due to the absence of parking space in the market, people park their vehicles, especially cars, on adjoining streets.
Stray animals roam freely in several parts of the ward.
Loose electricity wires are a threat to the lives of residents.
Garbage dumps in the area need to be properly maintained. Litter should be lifted on a regular basis from the area.

COUNCILLOR Speaks
Crores of rupees have been spent on development projects. Six new tubewells have been installed in the area. Defunct streetlights have been replaced. Rose Garden has been spruced up. It is because of my work that I have been winning from the area for the last two terms in a row

— Gurpreet Gogi, councillor

reSIDENTS Speak
There are no major problems in the ward. The councillor has performed his duty well. Most of the roads are in a good condition 

— Raman Sharma, a resident

Even though Ghumar Mandi is one of the biggest commercial areas of the city, it leads to traffic congestion in the area. 

— Sumit Anand, a resident

Statistics

Major Areas:

Ghumar Mandi, Maharaj Nagar, Gobind Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Prem Nagar, New Prem Nagar, Hathi Complex, Maya Nagar, Sant Nagar, Rose Enclave, Daler Nagar, Jaswant Nagar, Dyal Nagar, Major Shivdev Singh Marg, Rose Garden and Labour Colony

Population: 5o,000

Voters: 14,000

Ludhiana, May 30
Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari and Deputy Commissioner Police Ashish Chaudhry have imposed a ban on carrying weapons, arms, explosive material till June 10.

Tiwari said the municipal elections were scheduled for June 10. To conduct elections in a smooth an transparent manner, no one (except for Army Personnel, Para-Military Force, Police Force in uniform and the ones who are authorised to carry weapons as religious symbols) will be allowed to carry deadly weapons, explosive material, arms and sharp-edged weapons till June 10.

DCP Chaudhry said assembly of five or more persons would be banned on June 7 and 10 and on the days of counting of votes. Besides, holding of demonstrations and protest rallies would also be prohibited on these dates. The orders, however, would not be implemented on weddings/cremations, he added.

"During the elections of nagar councils/municipal corporations, anti-social elements can try to disturb peace, besides causing damage to life and property. The ban has been imposed to maintain law and order," the DCP added. 

Jagraon, May 30
The construction work of Raikot Road, Jagraon, has been delayed due to lack of funds. About six months ago the construction work on this one kilometre stretch began. However, the authorities concerned have failed to complete the task till date.

Sources said that Rs 1.37 crore has been spent on this road so far. The Punjab Mandi Board, which has undertaken the construction work, has now asked for another Rs 40 lakh from the MC to complete the road.

Confirming this, MC President Baldev Krishan Dhir said the mandi board has demanded Rs 40 lakh for the completion of the work. Dhir said the council has already written to the higher authorities of Local Bodies Department for approving the funds.

The Punjab Mandi Board Secretary, Gurmail Singh, said the cost of the work has increased due to constant delay. “We have demanded more funds from the MC and once the funds are provided, the work will resume,” added he.

Moreover, a small portion of the road that was completed about one month back has already developed cracks. This suggests that the contractor might have used substandard material during construction of the road.

Background

Originally the construction work was undertaken by the Municipal Council, Jagraon. However, six months ago the work was taken over by the Panjab Mandi Board, following the allegations of embezzlement of funds and use of substandard material against the MC.

The Punjab Mandi Board awarded the contract of the work to a contractor after floating tenders. Interestingly, while the contractors of local MC had offered to complete the work at a cost of Rs 87 lakh, the contractor of Punjab Mandi Board on the other side was awarded the contract at the value of Rs 1.37 crore.

Ludhiana, May 30
Panjab University's instructions to the government colleges to appoint staff on regular basis for professional course like Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) is proving hard for the government-run colleges in the city.

Both the courses are already being taught at SCD Government College but BBA was yet to be started at Government College for Women from this year.

Panjab University has shot a letter to both the colleges asking them to appoint regular staff for both the courses failing which the courses will be scraped from the colleges.

The inspection team, which has recently visited the GCW before giving its nod to commence BBA in the college, has put a halt to the same and asked the college to appoint regular staff for the course.

Principal of GCW, who is also the officiating principal of SCD Government College, Gurminder Kaur, said, "The University has asked us to appoint regular staff for both the course while we have staff on contractual basis for these courses. These courses are already underway at SCD College whereas we wanted sanction for BBA in GCW, while BCA is already taught in GCW," she said.

She also said, "Appointing regular staff is not in our hands. Under this circumstance it will not be possible to start new batches for these courses in government colleges. However, the classes in progress will not be disrupted. We have written to the university regarding this and hope our problem will be solved since appointing regular staff is not in our hands," she said. 

Jagraon, May 30
Some unidentified persons have stolen the sword from the hands of Rani Jhansi statue situated at Tehsil Road, Jagraon.

Interestingly, this place is monitored by police officers during the day and by the guards of community policing officers (CPO) during the night.

The residents of the town feel very insecure after this incident. “The thieves have not even spared religious places. Now the sword of Rani Jhansi has been stolen which is the symbol of pride for the city residents. If such incidents are taking place at public places, then the security of houses and shops is at the mercy of God,” said Jagdeep Singh, a retired teacher.

Confirming the theft, SHO Jagraon (city) Surinder Singh said, “We have questioned the CPOs deputed in the area but they know nothing about the incident.” He, however, said the police has been looking into matter and hoped that the culprits would be behind the bars soon.

Recently, some unidentified persons had broke open the golak of Guru Nanakpura Gurduwara Sahib near Mori Gate and decamped with thousands of rupees.

About one week after this incident, the thieves also broke open the golak of Peer Baba Lappe Shah Dargah situated in the old city area.

The police officers who are deployed for preventing such incidents have themselves fell prey to such incidents. The thieves have stolen money, other valuables and even uniform from the house of a constable deployed at Jagraon city police station.

Ludhiana, May 30
The Congress Worker Forum will get ‘battery torch’ as election symbol for the ensuing Municipal Corporation election.

Disclosing this, Varun Mehta, convener of Congress Worker Forum, said, "State Election Commission, Punjab, has told the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development)-cum-Additional District Electoral Officer that the ‘battery torch’ symbol may be allotted to the Congress Worker Forum."

Mehta said ADC (D) has asked them to issue authority letters to the candidates for getting this symbol. He said," I hope we will get this symbol tomorrow."

Mehta said we will contest elections for providing basic amenities to people and for completing the half done developmental works at the earliest.

The Congress Worker Forum has fielded as many as 20 independent candidates under its banner. It comprises Congress workers who are not happy with the distribution of tickets to kith and kin by the congress party. 

Ludhiana, May 30
Executive engineers of the water supply and sanitation department, Punjab, convened a general body meeting here yesterday.

During the meeting, Yadwinder Singh Dhillon was elected president of the Executive Engineers Forum, department of water supply and sanitation, Punjab, while KS Saini was elected senior vice-president. Paramjit Singh was named vice-president, RP Gupta became general secretary while NP Singh and RK Jhally were elected secretary and financial secretary, respectively.

Other office-bearers include RL Dhanda, MS Malli, Rajneesh Garg, Kulbir Singh Dhanju, Ravinder Kumar, Ritesh Garg and JJ Goel.

Samrala, May 30
Sohan Lal (55), a resident of Dhilwan village, was bludgeoned to death last evening. In a statement to the police, his wife Jagir Kaur alleged that her husband was at home when two persons of the village came to their house and started taking bricks from their yard.

When Sohan Lal tried to stop them, he was attacked with an iron rod on the head by the accused identified as Darshan Singh and his son Sukha. Fearing serious injuries sustained by Sohan Lal, the accused rushed him to the Civil Hospital at Samrala, where he was declared brought dead.

Machiwara, May 30
Machiwara police has arrested a person and seized 1.5 kg charas and a pistol from his possession.

SHO Harjinder Singh said a police party laid a naka near T Point Gurdwara, Kirpan Bhet. They spotted a person who was carrying a bag in his hand. He was intercepted by the police. The police seized 1.5 kg of charas and a 9mm pistol from the bag.

The accused was identified as Gurjinder Singh Golu, a resident of Malerkotla road, Khanna. The SHO also gave information that Gurjinder was a proclaimed offender and was wanted in several cases at Khanna, Amloh and Moga area.

A case was registered against him under the NDPS Act and he was presented in a court at Samrala from where he was sent to four day police remand. 

Dehlon, May 30
The police has arrested a youth of Sayan Kalan village for allegedly carrying a country-made pistol.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Gill Gurpreet Singh Sikand said Raghbir Singh aka Mappi of Sayan Kalan was carrying a pistol with the intention to create panic during ensuing civic body elections. A 3315 bore pistol, four live cartridges and motorcycle were seized by the police team led by Mohamadd Sadiq.

The preliminary investigations revealed that the pistol had been bought from a manufacturer from Ram Pur district in UP. The accused paid Rs 1,500 to buy the pistol and also paid an equal amount to the supplier for carrying the weapon to Sahnewal. The accused had received the pistol from Sahnewal about six weeks ago. — OC

Ludhiana, May 30
Friends Club of Doraha and Grewal Academy of Kila Raipur entered the last four stage in the Prithipal Singh Memorial Seven-a-Side Hockey Festival being organised at Jarkhar village on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road.

Both the team won three out of four league matches in the senior section to secure nine points each. The event is being jointly organised by the Mata Sahib Kaur Hockey Academy, Jarkhar, and Ludhiana Sports Welfare Association.

In their last league encounter, Friends Club warded off strong challenger, Sant Fateh Singh Club of Dholan, by scoring 8-6. The two sides were tied 3-3 at half time.

For the winning side, Sukhjit Singh scored three goals while Harjinder Singh chipped in with two goals. Sangram Singh, Ravinder Singh Kala and Prem Singh accounted for one goal each.

Jaswinder Singh, Ravinder Singh contributed two goals each for the Sant Fateh Singh Club while Kulwinder Singh and Joga Singh sounded the board once to read it 8-6.

In another match, Grewal Academy managed to defeat Jarkhar Seniors by 5-4 score. Jarkhar Seniors, who gained lead, when Harminder Singh put his side ahead in the 10th minute. They increased the lead five minutes later through Pargat Singh (2-0).

Kila Raipur players reduced the margin in the 27th minute when Narinder Singh found the target. Three minutes later, Narinder again struck to neutarlise the lead (2-2).

Jarkhar Seniors surged ahead in the 33rd minute as Manminder Happy converted a penalty corner into a goal to make it 3-2. However, Grewal Club levelled the score in the 40th minute through a field goal scored by Jaswinder Singh.

Gagandeep Singh of Jarkhar Seniors scored a superb field goal in the 45 minute to put his side into the lead.

Kila Raipur outfit pressed hard for the equaliser and eventually succeeded in their endeavour in the 49th minute. In the very next minute, Kila Raipur's Jagga dodged past rival's defense to roll the ball into the goal post that sealed Jarkhar Seniors' fate.