Jalandhar, December 7
It has been the worst nightmarish experience for this 24-year-old youth who, till last month, had big dream of making it rich in foreign land. Little did he realise that deceitful travel agents had planned to leave him half way and extorted more money from his family by keeping him in illegal confinement there. To escape from this confinement, the victim, Mandeep Singh, jumped off a four-storeyed building, got both his legs fractured and returned home just three days ago.

On his wheelchair, Mandeep, his elder brother Gurpreet Singh and relatives came to give their complaint against the travel agents with the Division Number 5 police, but the SHO was not there to take his complaint. SI Resham Singh, however, took their complaint.

Mandeep, who is a graduate in Arts and hails from Mohali, said he had read about a Jalandhar-based travel agent in an advertisement that appeared in a vernacular daily. He said his brother Gurpreet Singh had dealt with him all through during their sittings here for sending him to Canada.

Gurpreet said he had paid an amount of Rs 8 lakh to three persons in Jalandhar for sending his brother abroad. He said his brother had boarded a plane from Delhi on November 8 that was to first reach Bangkok. “We were told that he and one of the travel agents’ relative who boarded the same plane would get their Canadian visa reaching Bangkok. But just two days later, we started getting threatening calls,” the victim’s brother said.

Mandeep said he was taken via a boat to Malaysia, confined in a room, his phone, clothes and valuables were taken away and he was bashed up. “They kept me there for nearly eight days. They used to put a revolver on my forehead and made me call back home,” he even showed wounds on his arm and back.

He went on, “On November 18, I was given a meal and I managed a chance to reach the kitchen to keep my plate. There I saw a window. Believing that rather than being killed, I should rather commit suicide, I smashed the pane and jumped off the fourth floor. For two minutes, I had lost my consciousness. But soon I found the same persons had come down and were punching blows on me.”

He narrated further, “It was a sheer chance that a Punjabi man, who was passing by on his car, stopped and came to my aide. He took me to hospital, where I remained admitted for three days.” He showed his hospital documents and a police complaint got lodged there.

Mandeep said he then took refuge in a gurdwara. “I had already called my family about the incident who had then started the process of getting me back. I, too, had contacted the Indian embassy in Malaysia. The counsellor was kind enough to waive off my 14-day detention period, penalty and even provided me a free air ticket, ensuring that I reached safely on my wheel-chair back”.

His brother Gurpreet said Mandeep was yet to go for surgeries of his leg for fracture correction at Mohali, but before this, he wanted him to himself come present in Jalandhar before the police.

In city, they were helped by SAD leader Parminder Singh Kala. As they went around, they were in for another shock, as one of the accused travel agents in their case had already got a complaint further registered against two more persons for his personal safety.

ACP (West) RPS Sandhu said he was aware of the matter. “I will look into it more deeply and get the complaint redressed,” he added. 

Jalandhar, December 7
An autorickshaw ferrying passengers met with an accident near Doaba Chowk in which four persons were injured here today.

An inquiry officer from Division Number 3 said a cycle came between a mini-truck and an autorickshaw. The autorickshaw driver tried to quickly change side, but lost balance, ramming into another vehicle. A woman Vijeta was injured in the process, with her forehead bleeding. Three children, also riding the same autorickshaw, also sustained injuries and were shifted to hospital. No police complaint had been registered in the matter.

Earrings snatched

Two bike-borne youths snatched gold earrings from two women at gunpoint at Ashok Vihar colony near the Verka milk plant here this morning. The victims, Rita Chopra and Leela, said they had gone to fetch milk when two masked men snatched their earrings by showing them a revolver. Some PCR cops even tried to follow the miscreants, but to no avail. A case was registered at the Division Number 1 police station. Even as the incident had been captured on the CCTV, the identification of the youths could not be done, as their faces were covered. 

Jalandhar, December 7
Smokers in the city may have to run for cover from next week onwards to avoid being slapped with fine as the administration is on its toes to get the district declared ‘Tobacco Free’ by January 26, 2014.

As many as 385 offenders have already been challaned and a fine of Rs 37,300 has been collected. The administration has almost finished the first phase of the preparation for the proper enforcement of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COPTA) in the district.

“In the past few months, various efforts were taken to implement the COTPA in Jalandhar. Various awareness programmes were organised in schools, cinema halls and other public places. Enforcement of the COPTA was also ensured by removal of advertisement boards and glow sign boards of tobacco products. Warning banners (no smoking) against smoking in public were also put up,” said Varun Roojam, Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar.

A team of experts from the PGIMER, Chandigarh, is visiting the district by the end of this month to conduct a survey and opinion poll to verify the compliance of the COPTA in the district. Only if the compliance report comes out to be around 80 per cent or more, then only the district would be declared ‘smoke Free’ by the PGIMER.

To clear the litmus test of the PGI, the administration has taken stringent measures to enforce the effective implementation of COPTA in the district. All the department heads have been entrusted the authority to challan the offender found smoking in his respective office area by the head of the respective department. The health department has been entrusted to organise awareness lectures and exhibitions in various educational institutions.

“Smoking is very dangerous. It can cause lung and mouth cancer. That is why, we have decided to make the district smoke free at the earliest,” said Dr RL Bassan, Civil Surgeon.

The district administration is trying hard to make the district smoke free but is facing a lot of difficulty in running the awareness campaign as the Municipal Corporation has auctioned all the hoardings in 2007. Now, with only temporary banners left as the publicity solution, the Deputy Commissioner has now directed all the government departments to install them on their office buildings. 

Strategies of district administration 

* Display sign boards: Signboard displaying caption "No Smoking Area- Smoking here is an offence", of 60x30cm size, will be installed inside all the institutions (as mandated by law). All department heads have been entrusted with the power to issue challan on the spot if one is found smoking in his office area. The challan may range from ~1 to ~200.

* Book of court's challan issued: A book of the court's challan has also been issued to the department heads. If an offender refuses to take the normal challan, he could be issued a court's challan and the date and time of appearing in the court can also be written by the challaning authority. Then the offender will be bound by law to appear in the court on the specified date and time mentioned on the challan.

* Smoking Zones: Public places like hotels, clubs, cinema halls and malls can have a separate 'Smoking Zone' but no other service should be provided to them in that area.

* No sale of tobacco products near educational institutes: No sale of tobacco products on the premises and within the radius of 100 yards from the schools/ educational institutions and mandatory signage in this regard should be displayed prominently near the outer gate or the outermost wall of the schools.

* Banners on anti-smoke drive: Banners related to the anti-smoke drive to be displayed in important areas of the city like Jyoti chowk, BMC chowk, Nakodar Chowk and various cinema halls and malls.

Jalandhar, December 7
Dr Namrata Joshi, senior faculty member at the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, GNDU (Regional Campus), Ladhewali, has been awarded with the Nav Kiran Award at the 6th National Women Excellence Award-2013 for her contribution in educational field and women issues.

The sixth edition of the National Women Excellence Award was organised by the Yog Confederation of India on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, as a programme of North Eastern Council, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India.

Vikram Dutt, chairperson of the jury , Laxmi Thakur Singhal, National General Secretary, YCI, Alvina Qasim, COO Shri News, presented the awards to women from India and abroad.

Padamshri awardees, Shovana Narayan, Sharon Lowen, (dancer) and Kavita Ashok (social activist), were also awarded on the occasion.

Dr Kamlesh Singh Duggal, head of the department, congratulated Dr Joshi and said it was the achievement of the department as well. He said the department has made efforts to provide best atmosphere to the faculty for their research and development.

Dr Namarta Joshi dedicated her award to her parents, especially her late father, and family. She attributed her success to the support of the department and love of students. Rubal Kanozia, Ranjana Thakur and Praneet Brar were also present on the occasion.

Jalandhar, December 7
Amended notification regarding property tax may soon be issued as a former Punjab minister Manoranjan Kalia has taken up the matter with the local bodies' department.

Talking to The Tribune, senior BJP leader Kalia said, "I have spoken to local bodies' department secretary Ashok Kumar Gupta after it came to my notice that the owners of several houses and industrial units have been asked to pay property tax payable for commercial buildings."

Former local bodies' minister Kalia said Gupta had told him that the amended notification clarifying the issue would soon be issued for the benefit of citizens and various municipal corporations, municipal councils and municipal committees.

To a query, Kalia said, "The owner of Watkins Mayor Enterprises, Kuldeep Mayor, told me that the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, employees are urging him to pay property tax meant for commercial buildings as his factory was located on Nehru Garden road. I was surprised to know that he was asked to pay property tax payable for commercial buildings for his industry being run for last 40 years."

Kalia said, "Several citizens also brought it to my notice that they have been asked to pay property tax payable for commercial buildings for their houses. Actually property tax for commercial buildings is highest as compared to that for residential and industrial buildings. That is why, MC employees are asking all the buildings located in commercial areas irrespective of the fact whether there any house or industry is located."

When contacted, the owner of Watkins Mayor Enterprises Kuldeep Mayor said, "Several MC official have visited their factory premises and asked him to pay Rs 14, 52,000 as property tax whereas property tax for his factory should be around Rs 1.20 lakh. The MC officials are asking me to pay property tax meant for commercial building for his factory. My factory is located at present premises for last 40 years and I have also got licence for the same."

Kuldeep Mayor said, "I contacted senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia and I am hopeful that I and other industrialists and residents whose industries and houses are located in commercially declared areas will soon be provided relief as he has taken up the matter with local bodies' department." 

Jalandhar, December 7
Representatives of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Industrialists and Traders urged Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi to rationalise property tax for commercial buildings.

The JAC members met Joshi at the residence of Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) for cooperation Krishan Dev Bhandari's at Seth Hukam Chand Colony in the presence of Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner Manpreet Singh Chhatwal. Joshi was in the city to attend the marriage of Mayor Sunil Jyoti's son Raghav on Saturday.

On this occasion, state president of Vayapar Sena Ravindra Dhir questioned Joshi "Why Parkash Singh Badal led Akali-BJP government is imposing new taxes every other day on urbanites whereas power worth Rs. 6000 crores is provided free of cost to farmers. Why Badal government is not withdrawing the policy of free power to farmers to increase its revenue?"

Another JAC member Gursharan Singh got agitated when Anil Joshi did not make any assurance regarding reducing property tax on commercial buildings. CPS and Jalandhar north MLA KD Bhandari and MC Commissioner Manpreet Singh Chhatwal pacified Gursharan Singh.

The traders made two main demands during their meeting with Joshi, first was to reduce property tax on commercial buildings from current three per cent to 1.5 per cent and second was to extend last date for to deposit property tax from December 10 to December 31.

Jalandhar, December 7
Over 700 girls will participate in different sports events at a three-day event, DAV National Sports for Girls, at DAV University from Sunday.

"Teams from 12 DAV clusters from across the country will participate in the competitions. The players would exhibit their strength to bag positions in volleyball, handball, basketball, kho-kho, table-tennis, badminton, hockey, swimming, lawn tennis, judo, roller-skating, air rifle pistol, races and gymnastics," said Yashvir Singh, in charge, DAV National Sports.

Dr SK Sama, senior vice-president, DAV College Managing Committee, will inaugurate the events while Dr RK Kohli, Vice-Chancellor, and Dr Satish K Kapoor, registrar of the university, will award the winners of the first major sports event being hosted by the University since after its inception in August 2013.

Kapurthala, December 7
The police have arrested a woman with intoxicant powder yesterday evening. The police have recovered 520 gm of intoxicant powder from the accused. The police party led by ASI Sarabjit Singh nabbed a woman near the Jammu Palace and recovered 520 gm of intoxicant powder from her possession. 

The accused has been identified as Sunita. A case under Sections 22,61,85 of NDPS Act has been registered against Sunita. — OC