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Police to wait for the installation of CCTV cameras in city
HC refuses to show leniency towards truck driver
Restore afternoon water supply, residents tell civic body
Gang of timber thieves busted
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Residents oppose FIRs against youths
Edusat: ROT service in 244 schools in dist by May 15
Kartarpur SHO suspended, Maqsudan SHO changed
Association protests against FDI in retail, insurance sectors
Three more gang members arrested
State govt has ambitious plans to promote industry: Minister
Experts discuss rise in pollution, threat to natural resources on Earth Day
Bank comes to the rescue of
birds
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Police to wait for the installation of CCTV cameras in city
Jalandhar, April 22 Through the project, all important entry points and intersections of the city, including those from the Amritsar side, Ludhiana, Kapurthala and Nakodar, were to have cameras installed so as to track the movement of anti-social elements. The cameras were to be linked with a monitoring system to be established at the police control room, with a provision for the footage to be stored for at least three days. Important public places, including bus stand, railway station and market areas, having huge rush were, also likely to be covered as part of the project. Asked about the same, Commissioner Police Gaurav Yadav said he was told that the project would come to Jalandhar in the next phase for which the RFP had already been finalised. He added that all banks, religious places, hotels and shopping complex owners had already been told to install cameras on their own with orders passed under Section 144. ASI murder It was through the CCTV footage from cameras installed at Haveli restaurant that the four accused in the murder of ASI Gurdev Singh near Phagwara had been identified. There have been numerous cases where camera recordings have helped nail the culprits. Police officials also believe that cameras act as a deterrent against those intending to commit an offence. |
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HC refuses to show leniency towards truck driver
Chandigarh, April 22 Dismissing truck driver Vijay Kumar’s appeal against the State of Punjab and other respondents, Justice Paramjeet Singh has upheld the orders of his conviction and two years' jail term for causing death due to the rash and negligent act and other offences. The victims, on a religious trip, were returning to Patiala from Golden Temple, when the
accident occurred near Kartarpur on June 15, 2003. The police was told that Vijay Kumar, who was driving on the wrong side, rammed his truck
into the victim’s car at about 11 am. Victims Pritpal Singh and his wife Parveen Kaur died on the spot, while their children Manpreet Kaur, Chanpreet Kaur and Amandeep Singh were rushed to Kartarpur Civil Hospital. Manpreet Kaur and Chanpreet Kaur died on way, while Amandeep Singh was taken to Jalandhar Civil Hospital in a serious condition. The accused pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. Opportunity to lead defence was afforded, but he did not lead the defence evidence. Ultimately, the Trial Magistrate held the petitioner guilty after hearing the State and defence counsel, and appreciating the evidence on record. Feeling aggrieved, the petitioner preferred an appeal before Jalandhar Additional Sessions Judge who, too, dismissed the appeal and upheld the orders of conviction and sentence. Arguing before the High Court, his counsel
raised the plea of non-identification. In an attempt to substantiate his contentions, he relied upon the cross-examination of the complainant in the case. He submitted that the witness himself admitted that the driver ran away from the spot before he was apprehended. Rejecting the plea, Justice Paramjeet Singh asserted: “In my considered opinion, it was not necessary to hold test identification parade of the petitioner for the reason that he was duly seen, though for a short reasonable period, when after the accident he got down and ran away from the spot. So the contention with regard to the non-identification parade of the petitioner
is rejected…. “In the present case, it becomes clear that as a result of this fatal accident, four persons, namely Pritpal Singh, Parveen Kaur, Manpreet Kaur and Chanpreet Kaur, died and the condition of another occupant, Amandeep, was very critical and he was admitted to the hospital. Four lives have been lost in this case. “On the close scrutiny of the evidence, it
appears that the petitioner does not deserve leniency even in the quantum of sentence. I do not
find any illegality or impropriety in the impugned judgments. Consequently, this criminal revision is dismissed.” |
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Restore afternoon water supply, residents tell civic body
Jalandhar, April 22 Now their problems have aggravated as the Municipal Corporation Jalandhar (MCJ) cut down water supply by four hours a few weeks ago in the name of water conservation. While earlier the water had been supplied 12 hours from 5 am to 10 am, 12 noon to 2 pm and 5 pm to 10 pm, but the same was reduced to 5 am to 9 am and 5 pm to 9 pm. The residents and the opposition Congress have demanded to restore earlier water supply, especially during afternoon, to facilitate the general public in getting their routine works done without any difficulty. Demanding immediate restoration, a housewife Parvesh Rani of the Gopal Nagar locality said, “Though the MCJ officials state that the water is supplied from 5 to 9 in the morning and in the evening, but the same was interrupted during power cut. Secondly, she used to wash clothes and utensils during afternoon and it has become very difficult for her to do so as water is not supplied during afternoon and she could also not store much water for the same.” Local Congress leader Rajinder Beri also demanded that the MCJ should immediately restore water supply as water is the basic requirement of the residents. When contacted, Mayor Sunil Jyoti said, “The MCJ is considering to start supplying water during afternoon. Probably one hour supply will be done during afternoon after reducing the same during morning and evening timings.” To further queries, Sunil Jyoti said, “The eight-hour water supply a day is adequate as in a majority of metropolitan cities, water is supplied only for four-five hours. Moreover, the citizens should also bear the same as the MCJ had taken such types of hard steps only for conserving water as over 25,000 cusecs water is saved by reducing water supply from 12 to 8 hours a day and over Rs 25,000 per day are also saved by reducing the electricity bill in this way.” Earlier, the MCJ decided to reduce the water supply in February after Mayor Sunil Jyoti had visited the water treatment plant at Pholariwal. At the time of reducing water supply, Mayor said the volume of water supplied across the city by the MC was at least 30 million litres a day (MLD) more than the requisite norms. Ideally we should have been supplying 155 MLD, but we have been giving out 185 MLD. This is putting too much of a load on the treatment plant which has a capacity to treat 150 MLD now." The Mayor had visited Pholariwal along with Commissioner Viney Bublani, Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia and officials from the O&M department. The purpose of his visit was to assess the working of the plant, as it was being suspected that the plant was working below its capacity owing to which there was sewage clogging in certain areas of the city, including Kishanpura and Ikehri Pull.
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Gang of timber thieves busted
Jalandhar, April 22 Well equipped with modern tools, the gang was taking benefit of Sunday and was fearlessly committing the crime just next to the division office of the Punjab Forest Department in the city. Acting on a tip-off, two forest guards Sukhpal Singh and Ravinder Singh, who were on patrol duty, detained three persons while they were loading logs of "sheesham" into a tractor-trailer adjacent to the office of the Conservator of Forests, Jalandhar division in Maqsudan, at about 7.30 pm. The duo called their superior Laxman Singh, range officer, who subsequently informed Vishal Chauhan, divisional forest officer (DFO), Jalandhar. The DFO reached the spot and on the identification of the three, recovered the other wooden logs that they had stocked in a timber dump located in Chuggitti. The DFO Chauhan said the thieves had chopped off two fully grown "sheesham" trees from the government land with the help of electric axes and electricity generator. The wooden logs, branches and twigs were transported to the dump. During questioning, the accused claimed to be working for a wood contractor, Rakesh Kumar. They said their strength was nine. The nabbed
men were handed over to police officials at Police Division No-1, the DFO informed. The foresters also visited their other godowns and identified the stolen
wood they had stored there, said Sukhpal Singh, the guard. Acting on a complaint of Sukhpal Singh, the police arrested two workers of Rakesh Kumar, Lakhbir Singh and Sukhdev
Singh, the contractor. A case under Sections 379 and 411 of the IPC was registered against them. The police also laid a trap to nab Rakesh Kumar. Station house officer (SHO), Maqsudan, Balbir Singh, said the stolen wooden logs, two tractor-trailers, a generator set, electric axes, and other tools had been confiscated from them. |
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Residents oppose FIRs against youths
Jalandhar, April 22 The residents threatened to gherao the office of the Police Commissioner in case FIR against them was not withdrawn. ADCP Parminder Singh Bhandal, ACP Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu and SHOs of other police station reached the stop to pacify the protesters. The residents demanded that the inspector should be arrested for indulging in immoral activity, at which the police officials apprised them of his suspension and departmental inquiry initiated against him. Despite the protest, the police is working to identify and arrest all 15 persons involved in the incident. ACP Sandhu said all those who had attacked the then SHO Cantonment Dharamvir were on the run. “Efforts are on to nab them and bring them to task,” he said. Late in the evening,, the Bhargo Camp police arrested Chander Kumar, one of the arrested in the attack on inspector Dharamvir.
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Edusat: ROT service in 244 schools in dist by May 15
Jalandhar, April 22 While the ROT which are one-way transmitters, had initially been set up in 107 senior secondary schools in the district (in first two phases), owing to instructions issued by the DGSE in December 2012, it had been announced that ROTs would be set up in an additional 137 (all high) schools in the district. However, due to delays in the installation work of ROTs (due to several companies being entrusted with the task of installation) the work was going on at a snail's pace. The deadline for the final installation of all these ROTs had thus been fixed at May 15, 2013. While the first batch of the ROT services under Edusat had been started in 45 schools in the district in the year 2009, an additional 65 schools had been added a couple of years later. But owing to the new extension plans in December 2012, as many as 137 schools will be added. The process of installation is currently underway. The move will make a total of 244 district schools enabled with ROTs under the Edusat programme in the district by May 15. Notably, while there are a total of 262 (higher and senior secondary) schools in the district, about 18 schools are yet to begin receiving the ROT services under Edusat. Meanwhile, plans are also being mooted to increase the number of government schools which are receiving the SIT (Satellite Interactive Terminal) services as well. Presently, there are 33 government institutions (27 schools, 6 government colleges) enabled with the Edusat SIT services, which allows both teachers and students to interact with experts. The ROT services, in contrast, only allow the students to view the telecast by an expert during the Edusat session. Glitches While there is enthusiasm among schools owing to the plans, sources say the target is unachievable because the infrastructure in many of the given schools is very poor and they do not afford to start Edusat programmes unless proper classrooms or space is provided for the plans. Crumbling buildings and a dearth of rooms, they say, make it impossible for Edusat to be practically implemented in many of the city schools. Speaking to The Tribune on the issue, District Edusat Coordinator Jagtinder Sohal said, "We will positively achieve the target of installing Edusat classrooms in the district by the given deadline. In rooms with a shortage of rooms, libraries and additional space has been ensured. May of the schools are successfully running Edusat classes with state of the art equipment. While the present phase would see ROTs sicessfully installed in all 244 schools, plans are also underway to expand the SIT services as well."
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Kartarpur SHO suspended, Maqsudan SHO changed
Jalandhar, April 22 While SSP Rural Yurinder Singh Hayre confirmed having passed the orders, he chose not to share any reasons for the same. The other senior-rung officials, too, claimed that the changes made were on the basis of a performance review. They denied any link of the SHO Kartarpur with the alleged atrocities against Dalits in Kalyanpur village. The suspended SHO was then posted as SHO Lambra. While inspector Surinder Pal Singh has been posted at Maqsudan, inspector Surinder Kumar has taken over the charge at Kartarpur. Meanwhile, having assumed the charge today, inspector Surinder Pal Singh held a major drive, nabbing 10 persons in a drug and liquor haul case. Those arrested included Paramjit Singh of Bhogpur with 300 gm of drug powder, Kamaljit Singh of Jandu Singha with 320 gm of powder, Paramjit Singh of Sarala Kalan with 110 gm of powder, Kuldeep Singh with 200 gm powder, Kulwinder Singh with 300 gm of powder and Simarjit of Adampur with 100 gm of powder. The police has also arrested Balwinder, Satpal and Resham Lal of Bara Pind with the recovery of illicit liquor. In addition, one woman Manjit Kaur of Chabbewal in Hoshiarpur has been arrested with 110 gm of powder. Her scooter, too, has been recovered. DSP Jasvir Singh Rai said FIRs had been lodged against all 10 accused.
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Association protests against FDI in retail, insurance sectors
Jalandhar, April 22 Holding banners and placards, the protesters assembled in front of their office and raised anti-government slogans. While addressing the gathering, Surjit Singh, secretary of the association, claimed that the employees had been campaigning to create awareness among the common man about the ill-effects of the the FDI in the insurance as well as the retail sector. "With the decision, the foreign big corporate houses will control the small savings of the country and would utilise it for their own benefits. The FDI in the Indian retail sector will badly affect more than 5 crore medium and small shopkeepers and street vendors," Singh said. The association has also warned to observe a nation-wide protest for a day, if the government passes the Insurance Laws (amendment) Bill, 2008 in the current budget session of the Parliament.
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Three more gang members arrested
Jalandhar, April 22 ADCP (Crime) Harpreet Singh Mander said while two persons had been arrested yesterday, another member of the gang was apprehended today. He said each forged document recovered in the case, including 300 fake voter ID cards, was being checked, during which it had been found that most of them had correct name, address and other details, but the photograph used was changed. He said during investigation, no such case had come wherein such a fake document had been put to use. "Since there is no evidence with us of their misuse at any place, we cannot book those in whose names cards had been printed by the gang," he added. Mander also pointed out that investigation was being done as to find the involvement of any official, but till date no such link could be established. Asked as to how many cases of the misuse of voter ID card had come to him, he said there were just two, including that of the gang busted andthe Jalandhar Improvement Trust land acquisition case. The police had, on April 11, arrested seven members of a gang with the recovery of 300 voter ID cards, 15 fake ID cards of numberdars, 30 forged "fards", eight forged RCs, land registries, forged rubber stamps, a computer and printer from the accused, who reportedly functioned from a point near the tehsil complex. Commissioner Police Gaurav Yadav said a few cases had come to his knowledge wherein even Aadhar Card had been found to have been misused.
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State govt has ambitious plans to promote industry: Minister
Jalandhar, April 22 The minister was in the city to inaugurate the two-day job mela at CT Group of Institutions. The minister said the state government had plans to bring the industry of Punjab on par with the best of industrially accomplished states in the country. The government would work towards ensuring the best of facilities and sources to industrialists and making the state a haven for investors, he said. He said a database of land (to set up industries on) in the neglected Bet and Kandi areas of the state was being prepared to ensure that the people of the area did not miss the opportunities. Speaking on the issue of technical education, the minister said efforts were underway to ensure that the annual confidential reports made by various polytechnic colleges were prepared on the basis of the placements of students. However, the minister constantly remained evasive on queries regarding the issues of environmental degradation. Responding to queries regarding dead fishes in the Kali Bein, Joshi said, “The PPCB has adopted a strict stance on irresponsible industries and I believe the dumping of industrial effluence is on decline. We have set up various effluent treatment plants.” Speaking on the issue of the dearth of workforce, he said, “Though we have adequate qualified workforce, the requisites of a company remain to be fulfilled as the workforce is lagging behind in the area of skills. About 65 per cent population of the company comprises of youth. So, if skilled manpower is generated with the support of the youth, India can become a world power.”
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Experts discuss rise in pollution, threat to natural resources on Earth Day
Kapurthala, April 22 This was stated by Dr Surinder Singh Kukal, Director, School of Climate Change and Agro Metrology Department, Panjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana here today. He was addressing during a function, which was held under the aegis of Pushpa Gujral Science City (PGSC) in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, to mark the World Earth Day. He said “The air is being polluted everyday due to emissions from vehicles, industries and agricultural fields. The water is being polluted due to mixing of sewerage water from households and effluents from industries. Similarly, the soil is getting polluted due to addition of pesticides, toxic and harmful chemicals.” Speaking on this occasion, PGSC director general Dr RS Khandpur said, “Earth day is celebrate every year on April 22 to spread awareness among the masses on the issues related to environment . Acid rain, ozone depletion, haze, global climate change, crop and forest damage are the major effects of the pollution on environment. Hence, we should make all our efforts to control waste and not to throw it into the ocean or on the land.” Dr Khandpur said, “The Science City is making every effort to sensitise the public about ill-effects of pollution through exhibitions and other various programmes.” On this occasion, various competitions, including debate, craft-making, poetry and cyber art, were organised in which over 300 students from different schools participated.
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Bank comes to the rescue of
birds
Jalandhar, April 22 The mortality goes up in the absence of adequate water bodies in the city, which further reflects the declining affection of our society towards
the birds. In a formal function, organised by the SBI in the Basti Adda area, the regional manager of the bank, Vinod Kumar Singla, motivated the customers and apprised them of the benefits of the birds and their plight. He also distributed over 100 earthen bowls among the
bank customers. He said several birds die in summer due tothe shortage of water every year and appealed to the customers to use the bowls for birds during summer to feed birds.
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Vigilant foresters of this division unearthed a gang of timber thieves who were active in the city and countryside for the past couple of years last night.
Up in arms against hike in FDI in the insurance sector and decision to being FDI in the retail sector, members of the Northern Zone Insurance Employees' Association formed a human chain to protest against the Insurance Laws (amendment) Bill and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
(PFRDA) Bill today.
Kapurthala, April 22
