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MC plan on hoardings in city
‘My stepfather beat me and my mother’
Gurpreet’s mother, siblings, too, suffered mental impairment
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Woman cop, lensmen named accused
3 of burglars' gang arrested
Gaiety Marks Lohri Celebrations
Health dept issues advisory to keep swine flu at bay
Jewellery worth Rs 16 lakh stolen
Bank branch inaugurated
NRI Sabha poll: Three candidates in the fray
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MC plan on hoardings in city
Jalandhar, January 12 As per the fresh directives of MC officials, in accordance with the new Punjab Outdoor Advertisement Policy 2012, no hoarding will be allowed at any site for more than a week and no organisation will be permitted to erect any billboard more than a week prior to the scheduled event. The MC officials have also decided that advance booking for the purpose would have to be done by the sponsor or organiser by making a token payment of Rs 100 per week
per hoarding at the MC Suwidha Centre. Giving the detailed plan, Mayor Sunil Jyoti said that 15 locations had been chosen for the purpose. He said it had been decided that only one of the five or four spaces at each site would be allowed to an organiser on the first come-first serve basis. “Any organiser can get a second space at the same location reserved, but it would be given out only if a space remains vacant. No one will be allowed to put up a third hoarding at the same location,” he clearly spelled out. The Mayor said the locations in the form of a map would be put on the official website of MC Jalandhar for anyone to check and online booking would start in due course of time. He said four to five fixtures would be erected from the MC side at each location, while the frames for the purpose would have to be brought by the organisers on their own. He added that the name of the printer would be compulsory for all hoardings, while the sponsors could put in their names in an 18-inch strip. ADCP Naresh Dogra also attended a meeting with the MC officials and said that FIRs would be lodged against those putting up illegal hoardings after January 16. Asked about the re-installation of a religious hoarding bearing the photos of politicians at an illegal site outside the tehsil complex, Commissioner Viney Bublani feigned ignorance. The same hoarding had been pulled down three days ago. |
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‘My stepfather beat me and my mother’
Jalandhar, January 12 While the woman, Gurpreet Kaur, has been lodged at the State Protective Home for women in Basti Gujan, her tale has taken a new and tragic turn with her 16-year-old daughter Mahima's allegations that harassment meted out to her mother by her stepfather Harcharan Singh, a resident of Rairangpur in Orissa, is largely the reason for her present state. Going by Mahima’s statement, Gurpreet was once a rich gold merchant’s wife living a privileged life, but her first husband’s demise and her eventual remarriage to a "callous" man caused events to take such an unfortunate turn. Originally married to Pawan Kapoor, a gold merchant from Meerut, Gurpreet Kaur shifted to Bhadrak (Orissa) after her first husband’s death and later married Harcharan Singh in 2010 shifting to his residence at Rairangpur. Mahima said Bhadrak was one of the places that her father (Pawan) had his trade at. Mahima alleged that two to three months after her mother’s marriage to Harcharan, he began harassing and beating both Gurpreet and Mahima. Mahima said while many relatives had asked her not to remarry, but Gurpreet, concerned by the extreme financial strains after her first husband’s demise and the worries to educate her daughter, opted for the second marriage. “My father (Pawan Kapoor) was a wealthy man and in our first home we never fell short of money. My mother had never worked in our previous home since we had many servants. She did not even know how to cook. But at the home of my stepfather (Harcharan Singh), she was suddenly burdened with a lot of work. If she or I refused to work, we were beaten up. My stepfather used to kick me to wake me up in the morning. Several times, he hit my mother so hard on her head that it started bleeding. He also broke her teeth once,” Mahima alleged. When asked why they never complained to anyone about the harassment, Mahima alleged, “My stepfather had taken my mother’s cell phone and we couldn’t call anyone. For a long time, my mother also voluntarily put up with the abuse and told no one because she hoped things would get better.” But when things got all the more worse, the mother-daughter duo finally ran away from Harcharan’s home one day, Mahima said. She said they stayed at various railway stations and it was at the Delhi railway station that Mahima called up her 'mami' (aunt, mother’s brother’s wife) and asked to go to her maternal grandparents’ home. “The beatings had done something to my mother and she began behaving strangely. It was getting difficult to put up with her too. I wanted to go somewhere safe, so I called my 'mami' (aunt) for help. She asked me to come to Jalandhar. While I tried to take my mother along, she refused to come with me. I then came to Jalandhar alone after spending five days at the Delhi railway station.” While Mahima said she came to Jalandhar in November 2011, she did not see or hear about her mother again until February 2012, when she turned up at her parents’ house one day. Mahima said her mother had been asking to go to a gurdwara or an ashram after coming to the home, but left again one day. It was only with the story carried in The Tribune that the family got wind of the whereabouts of Gurpreet again. Harcharan Singh was contacted on the number given by Mahima. When asked whether he knew where his wife Gurpreet was, he said, “Maloom nahi,” and slammed the phone. When contacted again, he said he was busy and could not talk. |
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Gurpreet’s mother, siblings, too, suffered mental impairment
Jalandhar, January 12 Tejinder’s wife has been down with pneumonia for about a month and has been admitted to a local hospital. Presently, Gurpreet’s father Mohan Singh, an auto-driver, is the only earning member for a family of nine people which include Tejinder Singh, his wife, their three children (one boy, two girls), Jaswinder Kaur (Gurdeep’s wife), her two children (one boy, two girls) and Mahima.
One of Jaswinder’s daughters (aged 20) has had to give up studies because they can’t afford to let her study more. And the family says, with an income of Rs 15,000 a month, her father-in-law Mohan Singh can’t even afford the treatment of Tejinder Singh or Gurpreet. Talking about Mahima, Jaswinder said she was in a bad state when she first arrived in Jalandhar, but now they hope to get her a good education as long as sources allow. An exceptionally brave and bright child, Mahima, who speaks good English, is presently in the ninth standard at a local school. When asked what she would like to become, she broke down, saying she would like to study further but knows she might not be able to study beyond 12th given the financial burden on her 'nana' ji (maternal grandfather). The family have a ancestral home in the Harnamdasspura locality of the city. Activist Amarjit Singh Anand said he would be taking up the matter of treating Tejinder Singh (who was also an auto-driver earlier but now stays at home owing to his bad mental health) with the district legal services authority (DLSA). The family says Tejinder’s health deteriorated due to worries after the death of his brother and the demise of Gurpreet’s first husband.
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Woman cop, lensmen named accused
Jalandhar, January 12 Shivali Kangotra, a student of local SD College, was allegedly forced to commit suicide after she was harassed by Balwinder Kaur in full public view on the railway road. Shivali had jumped before a running train at Domoria over-bridge near the railway station on August 30. The photographers Brijesh Kumar and Ravi, who were at the spot, allegedly clicked her photographs despite her requests not to do so. The issue was highlighted in the media following which the state government ordered Jalandhar Zone IG Gurpreet Deo to conduct an inquiry into the incident. In her findings, the IG held Kaur and the two photographers responsible for forcing the girl to take the extreme step. The inquiry report also mentions that the girl had threatened to commit suicide if her photographs were published in media. After going through the inquiry report, Principal Secretary (Home), DS Bains ordered to book Balwinder Kaur and the two photographers in abetment to suicide case. A case under Section 306 of the IPC was registered against them. The police said the case will come up for hearing on January 29.
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3 of burglars' gang arrested
Jalandhar, January 12 Acting on a tip off, the police laid a trap near the Gujja Peer road and intercepted three youths riding a motorcycle. During the search, the officials recovered 270 gm of narcotic substance from them. Additional Station House Officer, Division No. 8, Paramjit Singh said the trio had been identified as Kalu, Gagan, both residents of Kalia colony, and Karan of Azamgarh in Ludhiana. During questioning, the trio admitted to be the member of a 12-member gang operated by two Ludhiana-based brothers, Vinod and Pramod. Four members of the gang had already arrested by the Kartarpur police and were lodged in Modern Jail, Kapurthala, he said. They also admitted that they had been targeting industrial units for the past few years and decamping with raw material and finished goods, he added. After registering a case against the accused, the police has started investigation in the case. It had also laid traps to nab other members of the gang. |
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Gaiety Marks Lohri Celebrations
Jalandhar, January 12 Mayor Sunil Jyoti, who was the chief guest, was welcomed by college Principal Dr Atima Sharma. Other guests included ADCP (Traffic) Sukhdev Singh and Civil Surgeon RL Basan. The sansthan conveyed social messages to audience through a variety of programmes comprising choreography and one-act play. To mark the festive rituals, the first Lohri of the five newborn girls was also celebrated. Later, the college authorities celebrated the festival in a traditional way by singing cultural and folk songs and dancing around the bonfire. Sweets were also distributed among people.
Noble way of celebrations
Members of Student Welfare Association (SWA) of Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar, celebrated Lohri in a noble way with abandoned girls of Unique Home. Students of Apeejay made great efforts to brighten up the day of the inmates of the home by distributing sweets among them and performing bhangra and giddha on the occasion. The students also highlighted the importance of education for the girl child and empowerment of women in society. Principal Dr Sucharita congratulated Dean of SWA Roopali Sood and appreciated the zeal and initiative of students who have come forward for the purpose. They took a solemn pledge to always support and contribute towards the development of girls in the Unique Home. Kho-kho championship
Lovely Professional University is organising Association of Indian Universities’ North Zone Inter-University Kho-Kho (Men) Championship 2012-13, which began yesterday, on its campus. LPU Chancellor Ashok Mittal inaugurated the championship by hoisting the sports flags of the AIU and the LPU. Mittal was accompanied by Pro-Chancellor Rashmi Mittal, Vice- Chancellor Dr Ramesh Kanwar, international Professors Gillian Gourlay and Dr Devinder Sidhu from the University of Northampton, UK, and University of Wisconsin, Madison, US, respectively. The contingents constituting scores of sports officials, 240 players and 40 team managers/coaches from 20 universities participated in the march past during the colourful opening ceremony. Following the theme of the game ‘The Chase Begins,’ the championship will continue up to January 15. The inaugural day had eight of the 16 knock-out matches, whereas six league matches will be held on the last two days between the winner teams from the four pools. |
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Health dept issues advisory to keep swine flu at bay
Amritsar, January 12 Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon, Senior Medical Officer, Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Civil Hospital, said the symptoms of swine flu are usually like regular seasonal flu. He said a person if hit by swine flu might suffer from headache, cough, fever, loss of appetite, aches, fatigue, running nose, sneezing, watery eyes, throat irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. He said in chronic conditions, patient may suffer from pneumonia. District Family Welfare Officer Dr Ranjit Singh Buttar said one must be cautious and take precautions against swine flu. He advised that one should wash hands frequently with soap preferably with hot water. He said if hot water is not available, one should use any alcohol-based hand gel. He said a person should cover mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing and thereafter wash hands. Dr Buttar also advised against going near to others who might be down with flu. He said those with any of the symptoms must prefer to stay home and consult a doctor. The district health department has already ordered private hospitals to prepare isolated wards for such patients. The wards have been readied at the Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. Civil Surgeon Dr Yash Mitra has also asked the medical staff to wear masks to protect themselves from getting infected.
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Jewellery worth Rs 16 lakh stolen
Phagwara, January 12 Three unidentified young girls were seen in the shop who also purchased a nose ring from tghe jeweller. The police while watching the footages of the CCTV camera installed in the shop saw the three girls stealing the jewellery from her purse under the cover of their own dupattas. The police has registered a case and investigating the matter. |
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Bank branch inaugurated
Kapurthala, January 12 As a goodwill gesture, it will also facilitate villages, schools and other institutions from nearby areas. The bank will provide one ATM and modern banking facilities. Serving Army officers, jawans and staff members of the bank were among those present, said Naresh Vig, PRO, Defence. |
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NRI Sabha poll: Three candidates in the fray
Jalandhar, January 12 Hayre has already remained president of the sabha for the past two terms, each spanning two years. Since there is no bar of tenures held on the candidate, he has declared that he intends to re-contest for a third term. Hayre takes the credit of having inaugurated a plush office of the sabha and having got started NRI police stations. Former president of the sabha Pritam Singh Narangpuri, too, has plans to pitch in for the battle. He had been sabha president in 2004 at the time when the foundation stone of new office was laid. Also reportedly in the fray is Jasbir Singh Shergill who has been a candidate in previous elections. The exact picture regarding the candidature, however, would be clear only on January 16 and 17, the dates for the filing of nomination papers. While ADC Praneet Bhardwaj has been appointed as Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer, SDM-1 Iqbal Singh Sandhu is the Assistant ERO and Assistant RO. December 31 was the last date of availing membership and a list of 18,000-plus members of the NRI Sabha was put on the web the next day. Since the members will not be able to vote through their nominees and will have to be present themselves for the event, only 2,000 odd members are expected to cast their vote. Hayre said since there was a long gap of 25 days between the NRI Sammelan and NRI Sabha elections, most NRIs had gone back, as they did not want their work to suffer for such a long time. "Only a few would return or those who had plans to celebrate Lohri with their families are staying back," he said.
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Starting January 16, the Municipal Corporation (MC) authorities have plans to allow the installation of religious, social, sports, political and government hoardings only at 78 earmarked sites in the city.
Talking to The Tribune, Jaswinder said they hardly manage school fees for 