Ludhiana, December 20
Residents of five colonies developed by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), which were transferred for maintenance to the Municipal Corporation in March 2013 under the provisions of Punjab Town Improvement Act, are a harassed lot.

For the past nine months, all development works in the colonies have come to a halt, courtesy the proverbial bureaucratic red tape.

LIT had adopted a resolution for the transfer of Rajguru Nagar, Maharishi Valmiki Nagar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Sant Isher Singh Nagar and Bharat Nagar extension to the MC in March 2013 and the move was approved by the Punjab Government in June 2013.

However, the motion for taking over these colonies, adopted by the civic body, thereafter, was stayed for unknown reasons and the Local Government Department had ruled that the process of transfer of these colonies be kept in abeyance till further orders.

With no development works, even those of emergent and minor nature, being taken up, the residents of these colonies feel cheated. "LIT authorities have washed their hands of our colony and the MC cannot take up any work as per the directions of the state government," complained several residents of Rajguru Nagar.

In a memorandum submitted to the MC, the Rajguru Nagar Welfare Society (Block D) asserted: "Sanitation level in the colony is poor. To say the least, parks and other green belts are in a state of neglect, most of the streetlights are non-functional, complaints regarding sewerage and water supply are not being attended to and the condition of roads and internal street keeps deteriorating with each passing day."

MS Rai, president and SP Bhardwaj, general secretary of the society, maintained that the posh colony was being neglected. "The government should sort out the problem in a way that the residents are not made to suffer and routine development work is taken up either by the MC or the Trust," they stated.

MC Commissioner Rahul Tiwari stated that the fate of the five colonies of the Trust hanged in balance. He said the MC knew that residents of these colonies were suffering as no development works were being carried out.

Tiwari said he had written two demi-official letters to the Principal Secretary, Local Government, Punjab, and had also taken up the issue of these colonies with the department at a meeting held in Chandigarh yesterday. "The matter will be sorted out soon or at least the MC will be permitted to carry out works of emergent nature in the intervening period," he said.

Hanging in balance

LIT had adopted a resolution for the transfer of Rajguru Nagar, Maharishi Valmiki Nagar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Sant Isher Singh Nagar and Bharat Nagar extension to the Municipal Corporation in March 2013, but the process was stayed for unknown reasons.

Ludhiana, December 20
Weather God remains merciless and the rail traffic erratic. The railway authorities today cancelled three pair or trains operating between New Delhi-Amritsar and New Delhi-Jalandhar. Not only this, the diminishing occupancy in most of the trunk route trains, especially the elite ones, is also causing huge financial losses to the Railways.

Railway officials said 12497/12498 New DelhI-Amritsar-New Delhi Shane-Punjab, 12459/12460 New Delhi-Amritsar-New Delhi Intercity Express and 14681/14682 New Delhi-Jalandhar-New Delhi Intercity Express were cancelled as these trains were running late by more than four to seven hours.

Sources said as a result of erratic schedule caused by inclement weather, occupancy in two Shatabdi trains running between Amritsar and New Delhi in the morning and evening as also another Shatabdi operating on the New Delhi-Ludhiana-Moga section, had decreased significantly causing a big drain on the revenue of the Northern Railways.

It was also learnt that ever since the rail traffic went haywire, cancellation rate, both for the current booking and advance reservation, in the long route trains had also gone up with long queues of people waiting at the reservation complex to get their tickets cancelled.

Meanwhile, most of the long-route trains were running late by two to 10 hours. The officials said several trains, including 12413 Ajmer-Jammu Puja Superfast express (10.40 hours), 13049 Howrah-Amritsar Express (7.55 hours), 15663 Guwahati-Jammu Amarnath Express (9.30 hours), 15307 Katihar-Amritsar Amrapali Express (5.40 hours), 14674 Amritsar-Jaynagar Shaheed Express (3.10 hours), 15209 Saharsa-Amritsar Jansewa Express (3.40 hours) and 12203 Saharsa-Amritsar Garib Rath (7.20 hours), were running late while many other express and passenger trains were running behind schedule by an hour or two.

Ludhiana, December 20
Ludhiana district has earned a revenue of Rs 3.80 crore from the auction of vanity numbers in 2013. Last year, the amount generated was Rs 2.58 crore. Giving details, Anil Garg, District Transport Officer, said although auctions were conducted in the other districts, the craze for vanity numbers was unexplainable in the city.

Residents did not mind spending crores, when it came to purchasing the number of their choice.

Citing two reasons for the whopping revenue collection in 2013, Garg said in 2013, 13 auctions were conducted by the District Transport Department while in 2012, the department could conduct just five.

"Apart from that, the number of vehicles has witnessed a rise on city roads. A series is auctioned within a month. Earlier, it took the department two to three months to auction a series," said the DTO.

Employees at the DTO office said ever since the department had started the online process, the response was overwhelming. Lakhwinder Singh (name changed), who had opted for 0005 at one of the auctions by paying over Rs 1 lakh, said if the number was eye catching, people believed the vehicle belonged to some VIP. "It gives a kind of satisfaction," said Lakhwinder Singh. 

Ludhiana, December 20
It was a double whammy for the 22- year-old acid attack victim as she was reportedly dumped by the groom. The victim's mother said the boy's family had given Rs 5,000 at the time of admitting the girl to the hospital.

"Since then, they (groom and his family) neither called nor visited the hospital to enquire about the health of my daughter. My daughter is not at fault. The woman (estranged wife of the groom's elder brother) orchestrated the acid attack to settle scores with the groom," lamented the girl's mother. In a compassionate gesture, police personnel have agreed to donate their one-day salary to the victim.

The move was taken after the Commissioner of Police, Nirmal Singh Dhillon, offered his one-day salary to the victim.

Soon the word spread in the department and the other police officers, too, offered help.

The Commissioner had arranged an air ambulance for the girl, who was to be flown to the National Burn Centre in Airoli near Mumbai. "We cannot force anyone, but the officers on their own are coming forward to help the victim," said Dhillon. The victim belongs to a humble family. Her father is a barber in Barnala and barely ekes out a living. Treatment cost can be taken care of but what about the miscellaneous expenses. The family needs financial security and we have contributed our bit," Dhillon.

Ludhiana, December 20
Ludhiana-based Hi-Bird Bicycles, manufacturer and exporter of bicycles and eco-rickshaws, introduced battery-operated e-rickshaws on Friday. The company has put in an effort to provide pollution-free mode of transportation in the city.

Ludhiana, December 20
The district administration wants a ban on the sale of Chinese string. Raids are being conducted by teams, constituted by Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal. The DC has shot off a letter to the Home Department, Government of Punjab, to frame a law punishing those selling or buying Chinese string.

Chinese string causes harm not only to birds, but also human life. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

He said he had proposed a heavy penalty (up to Rs 2 lakh) on people selling the glass-coated string.

Pigeons and birds get entangled in kite strings and die. Razor sharp glass powder cause harm to human life.

As the plastic thread, produced in China, had taken over the conventional cotton thread and the sale had witnessed an upward trend. There was a growing concern among residents, with birds falling prey to the lethal string. The plastic thread is considered far stronger than the conventional cotton thread and is considered dangerous for humans and birds. In the absence of stringent law to curb the menace, the sale of the string is going unchecked.

The DC said: "It takes time to come up with a law. Raids will be conducted to nab the culprits." 

Samrala, December 20
The Samrala police have arrested a woman drug peddler with 80 kg of poppy husk. The accused has been identified as 42-year-old Charno, a resident of Ganga Nagar Basti, Samrala.

Ludhiana, December 20
Providing a perfect opportunity for Indian and foreign companies to exhibit their products and services, interact with buyers and sellers, Engineering Expo-2013 got off to a colourful start on GLADA grounds today.

The expo was inaugurated by PWD Minister Sharanjit Singh Dhillon. This was followed by the exhibitor’s directory by Minister for Industries and Commerce Madan Mohan Mittal.

Companies manufacturing machine tools, accessories, process machinery and equipment, material handling equipment, hydraulics and pneumatics, automation and instrumentation, electrical and electronics, light and medium engineering, safety and security and packaging machinery have displayed their products in the expo.

National programme officer, UNIDO, Deepak Ballani said: “Though we are contributing about 16 per cent towards the national GDP, we need to raise the production matching the global standards.”

The nut bolts displayed at the expo resembled gems. Golden and silver nut bolts managed to catch every visitor’s eye. 

Jagraon, December 20
Representatives of various political parties and organisations held a protest march against the property tax under the banner of the Joint Sangharsh Committee in Jagraon.

The protest march commenced from the Municipal Council Park near Jhansi Rani Chowk and passed through various areas of the town before concluding at Old Grain Market.

The protestors raised slogans against the SAD-BJP alliance government in Punjab and urged the government to roll back the property tax.

“The residents of Punjab have already been facing lot of problems because of inflation and anti-people policies of the state government. Now the SAD-BJP government has imposed hefty property tax on the urban properties which has made the lives of people living in urban areas more tough,” said the general secretary of Inqulabi Kendra Punjab, Kanwaljit Khanna.

The protestors called upon the city residents to take part in a rally to be organised by the Committee on December 23 at Municipal Council Park, Jagraon. 

Shakti Sharma took oath as the chairman of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation in Chandigarh on Friday. The industry has hailed Sharma’s appointment as he was aware of the problems of the MSME sector. 

Sharma has also served the industry as the general secretary of the Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association for more than 15 years and served a term as the national general secretary of Federation of Association of Small Industries of India. Sharma is also the chairman of the disciplinary panel of the BJP. — TNS

Ludhiana, December 20
Three-day wedding exhibition Wedding Asia, December edition, started today. Organised at Park Plaza, the exhibition has fashion labels and designers displaying couture, ethnic and bridal trousseau, jewellery, home décor, footwear and fashion accessories.

Apart from those from the city, most of the fashion and lifestyle labels were from Delhi. Designer and lifestyle collections from different fashion labels from Chandigarh, Indore, Mumbai, Pakistan, Jaipur, Jammu etc were also on display.

Fancy invitations and packages of various kinds were displayed at the exhibition. Wedding invitation and fancy wedding boxes were also part of the collection. "Fancy boxes are much in fashion and the ones displayed here are very innovative and different," said Ritu, who visited the exhibition.

Different kinds of tea and chocolates along with special packaging were displayed with Celeste. "Different flavours of tea were especially created for gifting purposes," said a representative from the brand. Jewellery by many fashion labels were displayed at the exhibition. Designer jewellery brands, including those dealing with ethnic jewellery, diamond jewellery etc displayed their collections. Many of the labels had models who were displaying their fashion collections and accessories. Some of the brands were presenting exclusive collections.

"We give out our jewellery pieces exclusively in an area. Only one designer piece of a particular design is sold in a city so that our wearer can maintain exclusivity as nobody will have the same design," says Babita from Bobie's Samridhi Jewells.

Although, exhibitions are organised frequently in the city, the residents have an insatiable appetite for fashionable clothes and attires, said Hina Juneja, a resident of Civil Lines. 

Ludhiana, December 20
Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, senior vice-president and spokesperson of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) today slammed the Central Government for allegedly excluding Jat Sikhs from the OBC reservation of the Jaat community. “Our party condemns the move of the Centre and demands that all Jatt Sikhs living in different parts of the country should be made a part of the reservation,” said Ramoowalia.

Ramoowalia said that about four months ago, the Central Government had constituted a committee from the Indian Council of Social Sciences.The panel had selected six states for the reservation, which included Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and now three more states - Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttrakhand were included. Ironically, Hindu Jaats have been included in the reservation, but Jatt Sikhs have been excluded. Even Punjab state, which has a majority of Jatt Sikhs has been excluded by the panel formed by the Centre government,” he alleged.

Jagraon, December 20
A Dalit youth reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in Safipura village, near Sidhwan Bet, last night. The deceased was identified as Sukhwant Singh (25), a resident of Safipura village. Sources said the deceased was under depression.

On the basis of the statement given by the victim’s father, Bhajan Singh, the police have registered a case against Harwinder Singh of the same village.

In his complaint to the police, Bhajan Singh alleged that Harwinder Singh allegedly developed illicit relationship with his married daughter. “Harwinder did not stop meeting my daughter even after her marriage, as a result her husband deserted her. Upset over his sister’s illicit relationship, Sukhwant ended his life by hanging himself from a tree last night,” said Bhajan Singh in his complaint.

A police team led by Jagraon (Sadar) station house officer (SHO) Bikramjit Singh visited the spot this morning. The police handed over the body to the family after post-mortem at the Jagraon Civil Hospital.

The SHO said the police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against Harwinder Singh.

The accused was absconding till the filing of this report. Investigations were on, said the SHO. 

Ludhiana, December 20
Thieves struck at a shop located in Aggar Nagar and decamped with 110 inverter batteries worth Rs 7.5 lakh. The incident came to light here this morning when an area resident informed Joginder Singh, owner of the shop, that the shutter of his shop was uprooted.

Without wasting time Joginder Singh reached the spot. He was shocked to find the shop empty. He further informed the police about the incident. The police is suspecting that the thieves may have struck during midnight and used some vehicle to transport the stolen material. 

Ludhiana, December 20
Swindlers duped two migrants and snatched Rs 26,000 from them from outside a bank in the Salem Tabri area here today. The incident took place here this afternoon when Raju and Amit were visiting the bank to deposit cash.

Soon, two youths stood close to them and asked for a pen.

Raju handed over the pen to them. Due to heavy rush in the bank, Raju and Amit decided to stand outside the bank.

The two swindlers followed Raju and Amit. While pulling out a pen from his pocket, one of the swindlers threw a bundle of fake currency note on the floor and when Raju and Amit bent to collect the bundle, the snatchers snatched the bag and fled the scene. 

Ludhiana, December 20
Over five persons were injured, including a man who lost his arm, following a clash that took place in Sector 32 on the Chandigarh Road.The incident occurred due to a dispute of the management committee of a gurdwara.

Kulwinder Singh, alias Rimpa, and Raju, were injured in the clash and rushed to Civil Hospital. Rimpa lost his arm in the clash. The other three were discharged following first- aid.

They alleged that Satnam Singh Shunty, who is th political secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak committee (SGPC) chief Avtar sibgh Makkar, along with his accomplice allegedly attacked a member of gurdwara of Sector 32.

The Division Number 7 police reached the spot and initiated investigation.