Jalandhar January 4
Terming the sale of illicit liquor in the city a reason behind the revenue loss to wine contractors, the Jalandhar Wine and Beer Merchant Association has asked the Police Commissioner of Jalandhar, Ishwar Singh, to rein in those smuggling illegal liquor in the city.

The association will soon submit the list of liquor smugglers to the city police for requisite action.

Rajinder, president of the association, said the Police Commissioner had asked them to submit the list of the suspected liquor smugglers. The police would take strict action against them if the allegations were found to be true, he added.

Alleging that the unabated sale of illicit liquor was responsible for a dip in the liquor sale through organised wine shops, Rajinder said every month, they were bearing a revenue loss of several lakhs.

"Jalandhar city has 270 wine shops and every day all wine shops are facing a revenue loss of near Rs 4 lakh. It means, on an average, our revenue loss is more than Rs 1 crore," the association president said, demanding that the police should take immediate steps to curb the illegal sale.

The association has also identified the areas where illicit liquor is being sold without any police checks, including Qazi Mandi, Rama Mandi, Nurpur Colony, Dhal Mohalla, Industrial Area, Beas Pind, Alawalpur to name a few, the president claimed.

The association representative claimed that liquor smugglers had been selling liquor at a low price than the fixed minimum retail price, hence causing a dent in the sale of wine shops.

The Qazi Mandi area is the most notorious area, known for the sale of illicit liquor and other drugs, but the city police have not been paying any heed to the issue.

Jalandhar January 4
A six-month-old child was mysteriously stolen from a house in the Bashirpura locality here this evening. The child’s mother is suspecting a migrant woman, who used to visit her house, to be behind the incident.

The incident has put the city police on its toes, as they launched a drive to find the child. The police also informed various railway station authorities across the state about the incident.

Rikhi Ram, a migrant labour and the father of the missing child, said her wife Sunita was alone in the house when the child was stolen. “My child was sleeping in the house and I had gone to a nearby shop to buy vegetables. The moment I returned home in a few minutes, I found my child missing,” the child’s mother alleged, with tears rolling down her cheeks.

The woman held that she suspected the role of a migrant woman behind the incident. “I still remember the woman, who visited my house several times to convince me to sell my child to her, but I never paid heed to her,” she said. She said the woman seemed to be aged around 50.

The woman said the suspect was forcing her to sell her child because she couldn’t give birth to a male child. Last time, the woman had visited her house about three months ago, she said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Central) Jasbir Singh Rai said he had sounded alert at the railway stations of Punjab, Haryana and Jammu. The city police was also searching the child in and around the city, adding that the suspected woman’s sketch was also being prepared.

Jalandhar, January 4
Burglars seem to be on the prowl in Jalandhar, as four houses were burgled in Quilla Mohalla last night.

The miscreants decamped with cash, valuables and clothes worth several lakhs from the houses.

Manchan Sehgal, a house owner, said his family members were sleeping in the house when the thieves decamped with Rs 40,000 and other valuables from the house.

“When we woke up in the morning and found our room door locked from outside, I called up my neighbour, who opened the door. I was then shocked to see the broken safe where cash and valuables were kept.”

Similarly, Naresh Thaper, Yashpal and Jaspal of the same locality alleged that thieves had locked them in the room and decamped with valuables from the house.

After the incident, the locality people staged a protest against the failure of the police in maintaining vigil in the locality.

Jalandhar, January 4
Sajan Kakkar, a city resident, has topped Delhi University by scoring 86.5 per cent marks in the third semester of B Com. Currently studying at Sri Venkateshwara College in Delhi he has made a hatrick for the third time.

He has topped the Delhi University for the second time. The first time he topped it was in his first semester of the same course.

Sajan has also scored a 100 out of 100 in mathematics and accounts this time.

He has topped the course across 48 colleges under the Delhi University.

Born and brought up in Jalandhar he pursued his 10th from the Innocent Hearts School here.

Talking to The Tribune from Delhi about his achievement, he said the key was organising a proper study schedule where he took care that he studied for a set number of hours every day without fail.

“In school I used to study for four hours a day and in college I have extended it to six to seven hours. Regular studies and the blessings of God and my parents have helped me attain this aim,” he said.

While Saajan’s father Krishan Lal is a Jalandhar-based industrialist, his mother Anju Kakkar is a house wife.

Speaking about their role in his studies he said, “My mother has been very particular about both me and my sister scoring well always. She has woken up nights to ensure that we study properly.

On the other hand, my father has been very supportive of both of us - me and my sister Palak - and has always motivated us to do our best and has gone out of his way to ensure the things we need.

While Saajan is now taking coaching at Delhi to prepare for the IAS exams, his parents wish that he should join the family business in Jalandhar since he is known to have a special streak for business.

“Right now I am preparing for the IAS but in future I will drift where destiny takes me,” he says.

Jalandhar, January 4
One person was killed, while three of his family members sustained serious injuries in a head-on collision between a tipper truck and a car at Nijjar village near here this morning.

The deceased was identified as Jaskaran Singh of Dyal Nagar here, while his father Kuldip Singh, mother Kuldip Kaur and sister Rajneet Kaur sustained serious injuries.

The accident occurred early in the morning when the victims were heading home after meeting their relatives in Malian Kalan village. The moment they reached near Nijjar village, a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction rammed into their car.

Police sources said Jaskarat sustained grievous head injuries and died on the spot, while his family members were rushed to a private hospital. The injured were declared out of danger.

The errant driver was identified as Baljinder Ram of Udopur village and efforts were on to nab him.

Phagwara, January 4
Two persons reportedly committed suicide by jumping before moving trains near the Phagwara railway station last night.

GRP post in-charge Pawitra Singh said that a Banga resident, identified as Vikas Chopra, who was under mental stress, committed suicide by jumping before Malwa Express near village Chack Hakim while another migrant youth, identified as Ram Krishan of Tikamgarh in MP ended his life by jumping before another train near Satnampura rail bridge last night. — OC

Jalandhar, January 4
As many as 110 food business operators (FBOs) got themselves registered during a license and registration camp held at the local Nauhrian Mandir Chowk, Gur Mandi here today.

While it is mandatory for all food businesses to get themselves registered or seek licenses before February 14, a team of food safety officers from the local civil hospital conducted the mandatory registrations for these business operators in a camp which saw vend and dhaba owners flooding to get themselves registered.

The camp saw registrations for all kind of food entrepreneurs, including grocery store owners, fruit juice vendors, fast food joint owners, snacks sellers, dhaba owners, oil sellers, sweets sellers and even food vend and kiosk owners.

All the FBOs require to get their vends registered or licensed before February 14, failing which they can be penalised leading to imprisonment up to six months and/or penalty up to Rs 5 lakh.

Civil Suregon Dr R L Bassan, District Health Officer Dr Balwinder Singh, Food Safety Officers Dr Harjot Pal, Sukhrao Singh and Rashu Mahajan were present on the occasion.

Phagwara, January 4
The latest integrated 25 and 50 meter shooting range was inaugurated yesterday at Ranjitgarh Rifle Club, Phillaur, by Additional DGP (HRD & CP) SK Sharma who also holds the charge of Director, Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur. SPS Parmar, who is the DIG-cum-Joint Director of the Academy, was also present on the occasion.

The shooting range is equipped with the latest gadgets and is among the best in the country. Ranjitgarh Rifle Club, Phillaur, was established in 1996. It is affiliated to the Punjab Rifle Shooting Association, which is the further affiliated with the National Rifle Association of India.

The newly established shooting range will be utilised to host competitions at the district, state and national level besides coaching camps. It will play a significant role in honing the talent among the police personnel in shooting.

The new integrated shooting range has been built at a cost of Rs 75,96,700 including the cost of new pistols and rifles. The work has been completed under the supervision of the Secretary, Rifle Club, who happens to be the Deputy Director (Outdoor), Davinder Singh Dhuri.

Those present on the occasion included the deputy directors and other officials of the PPA and also prominent shooters of Punjab. The top shooters of Punjab were also felicitated on the occasion. They included national and state champions like Amanpreet Singh, Akshay Jain and Karan Partap Singh.

The newly inaugurated facility has been dedicated to the shooters of the PPA and Punjab.

Bathinda, January 4
Policemen at the cantonment police station who acted swiftly to nab thieves in a house are likely to be honoured at a government function on January 26.

Advocate Shivcharan Chahal who called up the police at 3 am on January 1 today met Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Bhullar and apprised him of the swift action taken by the cops. "The police came into action and within minutes of calling, were at my doorstep,” Chahal said.

Chahal's pet was barking at midnight on the night of the New Year. When he came down from his first floor to enquire, Chahal found thieves loading household material from a house situated in front his residence.

"I shouted at the thief who replied that he was leaving the rented house and was now shifting his belongings,” Chahal said. Sure that there were no tenants in the house, Chahal ordered the man to be there and came back with his licensed revolver.

"My mother shouted at me from the first floor and confirmed that the man in question was a thief. She encouraged me not to be afraid and warned the thief that her son (Chahal) was a sharpshooter,” the lawyer said.

With revolver pointed at the theif’s head, Chahal took out his cell phone and called up the police and the police siren was heard within a wink of an eye, he said.

The police's swift action, he said, was quite appreciable. The thief would have surely slipped away as they were more than four in number.

SSP Gurpreet Bhullar confirmed sending the name of cops for appreciation. He said the lawyer informed him about the good work done by the policemen at the Cantonment police station.

All thieves were later arrested by the police along with the stolen material.