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Girl’s abduction
Dynamic Group levels corruption charges against MC officials
Yearender - Art and culture |
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3,458 killed in road accidents in state till Sept: Survey
Annual reunion of KV-I’s old students celebrated with gaiety, fervour
Residents hold candlelight march, seek women’s safety
Patwaris organise dharna
Man commits suicide
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FIR registered after 14 days
Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, December 24 Despite the family members approaching the SHO concerned for the registration of an FIR, requisite action eluded them. This was despite the fact that the SHO of the Maqsoodan police station was instructed by senior police officials to lodge an FIR. Both the girl’s father Maheshri and mother Lalit Devi hail from Purnia district in Bihar. Talking to The Tribune, Maheshri, father of the girl, Sulekha (13), said, “On the afternoon of December 10, I and my wife had gone out to work and when we returned, we found our elder daughter missing and the younger one Shikha (10) hurt.” “We learnt from our younger daughter that Sulekha had forcibly been taken away by Parmod, a youth who stays in the same area,” he added. Parmod also stole Rs 20,000 from their house, he said. On December 11, Maheshri made a complaint at the Maqsoodan police station, but no FIR was lodged. The family approached the DSP, Kartarpur, Jasvir Singh Rai, who issued both verbal and written orders to SHO Jaimal Singh on December 14. When no action was taken till December 20, on December 21, Lalit Devi, the mother of Sulekha, submitted a self-declaration to the SHO regarding the case. But when there was still no response, they approached the SSP (Rural), Joginder Singh Haier, on December 21 itself to intervene in the case. The SSP directed SP (Operations-Rural), to examine the case, take necessary action and report back to him. But queries from SHO Jaimal Singh, on the next day (December 22) again revealed that no FIR was lodged. Kashmir Singh Ghugshore, an activist of the Pendu Mazdoor Union, who has been supporting the family to pursue the case, said when he met the SHO on December 22 and asked him to register an FIR, the SHO replied, “Parcha darj karan naal kehri larki vapas aa jani hai (the girl is not going to come back by lodging an FIR).” Talking to The Tribune today, DSP (Kartarpur) Jasvir Singh Rai said, “I had received a complaint from the couple and the main problem was that they did not have a birth certificate of their daughter. Even as they said their daughter's age is 13, we got to know that it is 18. We have also been told that the girl went with the boy of her own accord.” Answering on when the FIR shall be registered, he said, “I have received an affidavit (declaration) given by the family today and within an hour, the SHO will lodge an FIR.” The SHO, Jaimal Singh, when contacted, said, “I have lodged the FIR.” When asked when he lodged it, he said, “Today.”
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Dynamic Group levels corruption charges against MC officials
Jalandhar, December 24 Before walking out of the meeting, a senior member of the group, Sharwan Grover, stated that if the MC officials started recovering the existing house tax from education and other institutions of the city in a sincere manner, there was no need to impose property tax, which would put extra burden on the poor, Dalits and the underprivileged. Grover asked why the annual house tax of nearly Rs1.8 crore had not been recovered from DAVIET since its setting up in 2001. Alleging underhand deal, he said the MC issued a notice under Section 103 of the MC Act, 1976, for the recovery of the house tax this year only after the matter was raised following
the revelation in the information sought in this regard by RTI activist Ajay Sehgal. Grover said, “The MC collects lakhs of rupees as revenue by giving various parking lots to contractors, but why it had given a huge portion of land of Burlton Park to DAVIET for parking without charging any fees?” He asked why not even a single penny was charged from Nikku Park being run on three acres at the posh Model Town for the last 30 years. He also raised question why the Country Inn hotel was allowed to run without getting any completion certificate and why no parking fees was charged from the same hotel. "Had the MC recovered the existing tax in an honest manner, it could have collected a huge amount for ensuring various development works in the city and there would not have been any need to impose property tax,” he added. After raising various questions, Dynamic Group members Sharwan Grover, Sushil Rinku, Bal Kishan Bali, Baldev Singh Dev, Amarjit Kaur Major, Simranjeet Singh Banti, Gurwinder Kaur Mintoo (all Congress councillors), Kanwaljit Kaur Gullu and Amit Dhall (both independents) walked out of the meeting in protest. The councillors demanded that the responsibility should be fixed on someone for not collecting a huge amount of taxes. When asked, Suresh Kumar said the matter of not collecting house tax from DAVIET would be look into. Later, the remaining Congress councillors, led by the Leader of Opposition in MC, also walked out of the meeting in protest against the imposition of property tax. On the other hand, welcoming the move of imposing property tax, CPS KD Bhandari and Mayor Sunil Jyoti said a meagre amount of property tax would not put any major burden on the residents. On the contrary, it would ensure the participation of the residents in operation and maintenance of basic facilities like potable water supply, proper roads, streetlights and sewerage system. |
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City witnesses another year of artistic highs and lows
Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, December 24
While some promises brought results, others proved to be hollow statements. While officially, in present times, Jalandhar isn't really known as the art hub of Punjab, but when it comes to cultural importance in the region and associations with great names in Indian music, literature and cinema, Jalandhar never fails to assert its importance on the art map. The high points of the artistic experience for the city this year were the delightful visits by two of the reigning Khans of the Hindi film industry this year, both of whom came for the promotion of their respective films. The greatest loss this year was in terms of the demise of many great artistes of national and international fame, all of whom were either born or deeply associated with the city at some point or other during their artistic journey. In terms of the growth of local theatre and fine arts, there has been great qualitative growth, but in terms of quantity or regularity, the city artistes have still far to go. Both art and painting/sculpture/other fine arts events in the city were extremely limited this year. Like always, Virsa Vihar continued to wear deserted look for most part of the year, with very few exhibitions or workshops breaking the dreary monotony of its facade. Despite administration statements raising hopes once or twice, there has been no fillip to artistic activities in the city. Adieu to legends
With the demise of legends like Satguru Jagjit Singh, Pandit Ravishankar, Yash Chopra, Rajesh Khanna, Dara Singh, Jaspal Bhatti and Kartar Singh Duggal, fans and art lovers in Jalandhar had to part with many artistes. These were the people, who did not just made legendary contributions to music, cinema and arts, but also gave direction and support to many in the city. Many of these great names had Jalandhar firmly embedded in their minds till their last breath and were known for their philanthropic activities and kind gestures made for city individuals and institutions. It wouldn't be wrong to say that many of the elders and guides of the city responsible for strengthening its artistic foundations have now parted with it and left the onus on their young scions and followers to carry forward their lessons. Cinema stars visit city
Shahrukh Khan paid a visit steeped in nostalgia to the city, accompanied by his leading ladies Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma in film "Jab Tak Hai Jaan". The "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" team visited Yash Chopra's alma mater Doaba College right before the release of Chopra's last film. It was one of the moments Jalandhar would never forget. Next came the perfectionist Aamir Khan visiting the city to share his precious insights before the release of his thriller "Talaash", accompanied by director Reema Kagti. Jalandhar showered love on both the Khans, who visited the city for the first time, toppling over each other to catch a glimpse of them during two jam-packed press conferences. Their visits also marked 2012 as a rare year when Jalandhar figured on the film-promotion list of the reigning Khans. Art
While the sparkling visits sure left the city happy, in fine arts the city didn't have much to offer this year. The number of painting exhibitions that took place in the city this year can be counted on fingertips. Sadly, not more than five to six exhibitions took place in the city in the past 12 months. There was one controversy, however, when some women took off artist Vimal's nude painting saying his paintings offended their sensibilities. He carried on with the exhibition, but only after sticking a more sober image on his exhibition poster outside. Theatre
This year six independent plays were staged by local groups. Like always, the local Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall authorities deserve a pat on their backs to have hosted the majority of plays from thetare groups across Punjab and the country. Among others, legendary playwright Probir Guha's theatre group from Bengal presented its play at the hall during Mela Ghadri Babeyan Da. Playwright Neeraj Kaushik presented two of his plays for a theatre-starved audience. Author and theatre person Sathya Saran's poignant theatre act "Ten years with Guru Dutt" staged at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts and local group YUVA's "Dance of life" were the heart stealers this year. Legendary theatre person Nadira Babar also came to the city's Lovely Professional University with her comic act this year. The year will end with the much-awaited Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan. While a classical dance workshop just ended at the local BD Arya Girls College, a sculpture workshop by Lalit Kala Akademi is presently on at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts. A painting exhibition by students has also begun at Virsa Vihar. |
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3,458 killed in road accidents in state till Sept: Survey
Jalandhar, December 24 The facts came to light in a national media workshop on road safety, being organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), recently. On an average, about 11 persons receive injuries every day in the Punjab road accidents, indicating that 55 per cent of which took place due to drunken driving and overspending. It was also found that 40 per cent of the fatal crashes had occurred in six places, including Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Mohali and Bathinda. Amit Arora, National Professional Officer, Road Safety and Injuries Prevention, WHO, disclosed that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways records had shown an increasing trend in the number of road accidents and fatalities in Punjab from 2008 to 2011. In 2008, the Punjab roads witnessed 5,115 accidents in which 3,206 persons were killed. 3,668 persons lost their lives in 5,570 accidents in the very next year while the number came down in 2010 with the death of 3,542 people in 5,507 accidents. In 2011, again 4,931 persons died in 6,513 accidents. The graph showed that 55 accidents were because of drivers’ fault, 5 per cent were due to the weather conditions while two per cent, each, were attributed to the fault of pedestrians, defected roads, defected motor vehicles and fault
of cyclists. However, 32 per cent accidents had occurred because of other reasons. Taking a note of the rising deaths in road accidents, the WHO had introduced a pilot project ‘Road Safety -10’ in Jalandhar in 2010. As per the city (traffic) police records after the introduction of the project, there is a sharp decline in the road accidents and the deaths. In 2010, the city roads witnessed 177 fatal crashes, claiming 185 lives. The rate came down drastically with 79 fatal accidents in 2011 in which 80 people were killed. Till October 31, only 73 people died in 72 road accidents, said Gaurav Yadav, Jalandhar Police Commissioner, who also attended the workshop. Among the others, who spoke on the workshop, include eminent journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Ashwani Kumar Sinha, Dr Gayatri Arun from the Department of Psychology, IP College for women, Delhi University, and others. |
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Annual reunion of KV-I’s old students celebrated
Jalandhar, December 24 The celebrations took off with the members paying tributes to brave soldiers, who were the students of the school, and had laid their lives while serving the nation. A patriotic song was recited in memory of such soldiers, including Sq-Ldr Anuj Vaid, Lt Sachin Khindria, Maj GPS Bindra, Lt Col Sanjay Gaur and Flying Officer Vijay Aggarwal. The old students moved to the assembly ground and participated in the school prayer. The awards’ ceremony was conducted by Secretary KJS Pannu and Nidhi Prashar. As many as five gold medals were awarded to the students of the primary wing, including Sukhneet Kaur, Shaganpreet Kaur, Amandeep Kaur. The best in music medal was bagged by Naindeep Singh and the best in drawing medal was won by Satish Kumar. Harjinder Hira Gold Medal was bagged by the ‘Best Speaker’- Rohit Sharma, Lt Sachin Khindria Gold Medal was cornered by the ‘Best in Computer Applications’ - Shubham Pandey while Major GPS Bindra gold medal was bagged by the ‘Best in Sports’ - Jaspreet Kaur. Dr Swaranjit Gold Medal was won by the ‘Best in Medical Stream’ - Arshdeep Kaur. Air Commodore MS Singha Gold Medal was won by ‘Best NCC Cadet’ - Damanpreet Kaur. Sq Ldr Anuj Gold Medal was won by ‘Best in Non-medical’ - Kanika Arora. Old Students Association Patron Gold Medal won by the ‘Best in Humanities’- Gurjit Singh. The Old Student Association President Gold Medal was cornered by the ‘Best in Commerce’ - Ranjana. The all-rounder best student was awarded with a Old Student Association - Indo Asian Trophy to Prabh Simran Kaur. The Dronacharaya Award was won by the ‘Best Serving Teacher’- Vanita Parsheera (vice-principal) while, the ‘Puran Sewa Puruskar’ went to Ravinder Singh - the lab assistant. The main feature was the presentation of the ‘Samman Patra’, which was presented to the old teacher SL Verma. The honour included a shawl, a citation and a cash prize of Rs. 20,000. Others, who attended the function, included Brig MS Kohli, Brig Satish Sangwan, Col Varinder Dayal, Jaspal Singh from Canada, Sarabjit Atal from USA, Harjit Singh from England, Vivek Sondhi, HK Sikri, JC Babbar, Kuldeep Duggal, Rajinder Bindra, Indra Bhatia, Dr Mohinder Singh, Dr Rohit, Dr Varinder Minhas, Sangeeta from Australia. The members of the executive committee included, Prof DK Joshi, KJS Pannu, Parag Vaidya, Gurnam Singh Multani, Amandeep Singh, Jagdeep Walia, Mala Prashar,Mandeep Atwal, PP Singh, PS Gill, Som Dutt, GS Gill.
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Residents hold candlelight march, seek women’s safety
Jalandhar, December 24 Several intellectuals, most of them being youth, gathered outside the Geeta Mandir in the Model Town locality. They organised a signature campaign against the heinous crime before taking out the candlelight march which
culminated at the same place after passing though various areas, including Model Town Bazar and Prakash Nagar. The participants, who were carrying placards, condemned the incident. One of the protesters, Vandana of Urban Estate, told The Tribune, "Ladies feel insecure, especially during the nights in various parts of the country. Women and girls safety should be ensured by implementing existing laws as well." Vandana, who also runs a school, further said, "I will be organising a camp soon to impart training to the girls, thus enabling them to protect themselves in case of any eventuality." Another protester Advocate Nakul Kohli said, "Law should be amended to extend minimum punishment for rapists to life-term and death sentence." Urging the Union government to work in the direction for minimising vulgarity on TV programmes and films, he admitted that the display of vulgarity had corrupted minds of the adolescents and youths. The intellectuals gathered at Model Town for the protest, which was initiated by Pallavi Shahi, a
local resident. Advocates submit memorandum to SDM
A group of young advocates, led by Arjun Khurana and others, submitted a memorandum to SDM Isha Kalia, demanding safety of girls and women in the country. |
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Patwaris organise dharna
Jalandhar, December 24 Kuldeep Singh said, “As nothing concrete has been done to provide justice to patwaris even after a month of their recent meeting with the DC, a protest was held to support our demands.” The district president further said the General Provident Fund (GPF) of seven years from 2003 to 2009 was also not deposited. Most of the patwaris were not provided the 4-9-14 promotion policy benefit, he added.
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Man commits suicide
Phagwara, December 24 Peddler held
The police has arrested a drug peddler, identified as Happy Kumar, resident of Lakhpur village and seized 200 gm of intoxicant powder from him. He was arrested at a naka near Nasirabad village on Saturday, the police said. |
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