Jalandhar, June 9
Sukhwinder (60), who was rounded up by the CIA wing of the Jalandhar rural police for interrogation into a heroin smuggling case from a Amritsar hospital yesterday in the morning, died in police custody last night.

The deceased, a goldsmith by profession, was a resident of Kot Harnamdas Mohalla, Sultanwind Road, Amritsar. Following his death, the victim's family members said the truth would come out only after the post-mortem. They, however, said the police had not informed them before picking him up from the hospital.

Rajinder Singh, the deceased’s brother, alleged, “My brother was suffering from diabetes and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Amritsar. Yesterday in the morning, cops in civil dress came to the hospital and rounded up my brother. When his wife tried to inquire about it, the cops said they were shifting him to some other hospital. When he remained missing for several hours, we lodged a complaint with the Majitha police."

Rajinder said they came to know about Sukhwinder from the Jalandhar police after he died.

Link with smugglers

Notably, following the arrest of five smugglers with four kg of heroin, Rs 40 lakh in drug money and three cars on June 7, the victim's name had appeared during the investigations. To interrogate him, the CIA wing had picked him up from the hospital. A policeman said they had not even interrogated him before. It seems that he died due to cardiac arrest. The moment he was taken to the Civil Hospital, doctors declared him dead. After Sukhwinder died, the SSP, Jalandhar, wrote to the Deputy Commissioner, who further wrote to the District and Sessions Judge, urging him to depute a judicial officer for an investigation into the incident. Gursher Singh, Civil Judge, Junior Division, has been deputed to carry out an investigation.

Jolt to drug case probe

• Sukhwinder (60), who was rounded up by the CIA wing of the Jalandhar rural police for interrogation into a heroin smuggling case from a Amritsar hospital on Sunday, died in police custody on the intervening night of June 8 and 9
• Following the arrest of five smugglers with four kg of heroin, Rs 40 lakh in drug money and three cars on June 7, the victim’s name had appeared during the investigation Had Sukhwinder been alive today, he would have exposed the names of other drug smugglers
• A senior police official said the victim was a history-sheeter. Several cases of smuggling had been registered against him in the past Suspense over sewage treatment plants persists

Jalandhar, June 9
Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi who visited the city today said the two pending sewage treatment plants (STPs) shall be made functional by July 15 and in the first week of August.

Work on the two sewage treatment plants in Jalandhar have been stalled for many years now for lack of funds.

However, those in the know are still sceptical about the claims given the year-long wait for funds.

While both the STPs were announced in 2008 and 2011 under the NRCP and UIDSSMT schemes, a total of over Rs 169 crore (spent on both the schemes with share from the Centre and the state government) is yet to be received by the MC.

While Rs 22.59 crore (Rs 3.60 crore from the Centre, Rs 2.35 crore from the state government and 16.64 from the Urban Local Bodies) are required for the UIDSSMT Phase II scheme, Rs 147.46 crore (Rs 63.87 from the Centre, Rs 65.82 crore from the state government and Rs 17.77 crore from the Urban Local Bodies) is required for the NRCP scheme.

The Centre paid its initial share, but the non-payment of funds by the state government and the remaining share from the Centre is holding up the progress of the STPs.

Speaking on the issue of funds, Joshi said, “If we have given a deadline for the STPs, we will make sure the funds arrive within the deadline because we know work can’t proceed without funds.”

Three of the city STPs are primarily being awaited - the first at the leather complex - which was inaugurated by noted environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal after months of delay a few days ago. The others are the 25 MLD STP at Jaitewali village and the 10 MLD STP at Bambianwali village.

With the 50 MLD STP at the Leather Complex inaugurated, Joshi today said the other two at Jaitewali and Bambianwali shall be inaugurated on June 15 and in the first week of August, respectively.

Meanwhile, sources said the project might exceed its deadline. MC insiders even say that July 15 is just a tentative deadline for the Jaitewali plant and since Bambewali includes only the Paragpur and Brring villages, it isn’t even an immediate consideration right now.

The 25 MLD plant had been started under the UIDSSMT scheme (phase I and II) in 2008, whereas the 10 MLD STP had been started under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in 2011 (a river conservation plan) envisioned by the UPA government during the previous tenure of the Akali government.

Meanwhile, even as Joshi formally made the announcement regarding the Jaitewali STP becoming functional soon, the first indications of this had been given on Saturday when the Sewerage Board Chairman Vinod Sharma along with Mayor Sunil Jyoti visited the site on Saturday.

Superintending Engineer, Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, PS Jaggi, said, “We had initially thought it would still be some time before the funds are released but recent indications are that it might come soon. We are extremely hopeful about the completion of the Jaitewali STP by July 15 this year.” 

Jalandhar, June 9
The opposition by the Safai Mazdur Union is likely to stall the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Project. While door-to-door garbage lifting was to start in Jalandhar in the days ahead, members of the union, led by its president Chandan Grewal, gheraoed Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi. They demanded that the project should be run by the MC instead of the JITF Urban Infrastructure Limited as it would create jobs for the safai karamcharis who are already engaged in garbage collection.

The MC has planned to begin the project from July 1. But after Grewal threatened to intensify the protest, officials of the Local Bodies Department and the Corporation went into a huddle.

The project, which was approved by the Finance and Contracts Committee on July 27, 2011, could not be executed owing to opposition from some quarters. Initially, the company delayed the project but soon a series of protests began. Initially, dairy farmers of Pholariwal had demanded that the land near their dairies should not be acquired for the projects as they feared that it would impact the health of their cattle. Now, safai karamcharis are leading the agitation for the past two years.

Earlier, due to a strike by the safai karamcharis, garbage was not lifted for 10 days in the city. Their protest had led to the stalling of the budget session of the Municipal Corporation.

Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal had personally met Chandan Grewal, seeking his support. Superintending Engineer (O&M) PS Jaggi said the senior officials have been informed of the issue. MC Commissioner Manpreet Singh Chattwal was busy in a meeting to discuss the issue in Chandigarh. — TNS 

Jalandhar June 9
The Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) are yet to act on the pleas of traffic police to remove hundreds of poles pitched on the roads in the city. Sensing no feedback from the departments concerned, the traffic police has served them reminders seeking immediate action.

Notably, in April this year, the traffic police had written to the abovesaid departments asking them to remove the electricity and telephone poles pitched on the roads as they were obstructing the smooth flow of traffic. In a letter addressed to the PSPCL, the traffic police personnel had stated that due to the ongoing work on the six-laning of National Highway-I, traffic remained disrupted near the PAP, Rama Mandi and BSF chowks. One of the reasons which crippled the flow of traffic is the power transformer installed near Rama Mandi chowk by Powercom. If this transformer is removed, the flow of traffic can be improved.

Similarly, the letter by the traffic police also mentioned that there were several electricity poles on the road leading toward Hoshiarpur, one of the reasons for the traffic jam. The letter pointed out that these poles can become the cause of fatal accidents any time.

In a letter addressed to BSNL officials, the traffic police stated that there were several telephone boxes which were put on the city roads, thus hindering the smooth flow of traffic. If these boxes are removed, the flow of traffic on the roads can be improved, the letter pointed out. The traffic police was of the view that after these electricity poles or telephone boxes were pitched on the roads, it became easy for the rehriwalas and shopkeepers to encroach upon the road. Due to these encroachments, many city roads have turned into narrow streets, said ACP (Traffic) Dalbir Singh.

Dalbir Singh said instead of acting on the letter of the traffic police, the Powercom had shot off its reply in which it asked the traffic officials to tell the MC to submit the charge for shifting the electricity poles. 

Jalandhar, June 9
Though Jalandhar lad Lovedeep Dhingra made the city proud by bagging the second position in the country in the AIPMT this year, there are a number of students who secured top positions in the all-India level examination. Lovedeep was congratulated by the CM for his achievement.

Interestingly, as many as 48 students of the Akash Institute in Jalandhar have succeeded in the exams. Bisman Singh, who secured the 18th rank in the test, is the only student who is not from the Akash institute. As many as 48 students from the institute have cleared the exam.

Harkaran Shergill (22), Kanav Khanna (36), Lakshay Chopra (177) and Anmol Chopra (491) are all among the students who received coaching from the institute.

Harkaran Shergill, son of city-based advocate Iqbal Singh Shrgill, has achieved the fifth position in the state. Harkaran's father said he was extremely happy on his son's success. "We were expecting that he would be among the top 100 students but he secured 22nd rank, which is beyond imagination. Harkaran had worked hard to secure the position and I am extremely happy for it."

Harakran is presently away in Faridabad but his father said he must be having a party there. Both Harkaran and Kanav Khanna are students of Apeejay School, Jalandhar.

Kanav had made headlines during the CBSE Class XII results and topped the CMC medical exam. 

Jalandhar, June 9
As the mercury is on the rise, commuters at the Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Inter-state Bus Terminal are preferring AC buses. Though there is no dearth of private AC buses, Punjab Roadways has only a few of them.

Sources at the Punjab Roadways depots No.1 and 2 said despite a high demand for Punjab Roadways AC buses, only a few permits have been issued for the same. In total, there are 33 AC buses in the Punjab Roadways' fleet. These buses ply on various routes, including Jammu, Amritsar, New Delhi and Chandigarh. As per the information, in spite of repeated requests, new permits are not being issued.

Officials also struggle to secure permits from other states. Earlier, Punjab Roadways buses used to go upto Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi but now in the absence of permits, it has been stopped. Meanwhile, private buses have the permission to go up to the airport.

The lack of political will is hampering the growth of Punjab Roadways. Many private transport companies belong to politicians. On the other hand, the condition of Punjab Roadways AC buses is deplorable. Therefore, commuters prefer private AC buses.

Darshan Singh Gill, general manager of Punjab Roadways depot No.1, was not available for his comments. 

Jalandhar, June 9
The meeting of the Finance and Contracts Committee, which was scheduled for tomorrow, has been put off for now. Though the agenda of the meeting had already been circulated, Mayor Sunil Jyoti said the meeting was cancelled as Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had called him for a meeting at Chandigarh tomorrow.

The meeting was called to clear various development projects. Rs 580-crore worth projects under the JNNURM were also to be discussed at the meeting. There are other important matters such as the installation of tubewells that are awaiting clearance. All eyes were set on Mayor Sunil Jyoti and Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia.

They are at the loggerheads for the the past 20 months with the latter blaming the former for not doing anything to wipe out corruption. Bhatia and Deputy Mayor Arvinder Kaur Oberoi have lodged a complaint with the Vigilance Department, alleging corruption in the Rs 13-crore road patchwork project. The Mayor is vehemently defending the project for over two months now. 

Jalandhar, June 9
With the temperature touching 45 to 46 degree Celsius mark, a number of residents daily make a beeline to the taps in their area in the scorching heat because they are not getting water. Irate residents have also held a dharna. While the illegal connections are a big problem in the proper supply of water, those abiding by the law ask why they should suffer. While the work of laying new pipelines is pending in various new colonies, several old ones are reporting new problems or the supply of impure water.

The reduction of groundwater level is an added problem that the MC has to contend with. A big chunk of the old sewerage pipeline is yet to be laid and until the nod from the Centre and the state comes, residents have to grapple with the supply of impure water, especially in congested areas.

Jalandhar, June 9
The music of the upcoming Punjabi film "Punjab 1984" was released today by leading actor Diljit Dosanjh. A presentation of White Hill Productions and Basic Brothers Productions, the film is slated to be released on June 27. The film is written and directed by Anurag Singh. It has been shot at various locations in the surroundings of Amritsar.

Speaking about the film, Gunbir Singh Sidhu, the film's producer, said the narrative is based on a mother's pain and a son's struggle. The story is about an unknown village, barely a kilometre away from the India-Pakistan border, where an old woman has been going to the main police station for the last one year. Her day passes sitting outside that police station. This woman is Satwant Kaur (Kirron Kher) and she is searching for her son, who went to work in the fields one day and never returned.

Sidhu said the film has not been made to earn profit. The only purpose behind making this film is to tell the story which has not been told before.

The producer said the film was his dream project. A lot of preparation and hard work was needed for the project. "Since the story is from 1984, an era which disrupted so many Sikh families, we did a lot of research before taking a decision to produce the film. The audience will love Kirron Kher in this non-glamorous avatar. This character is totally different from what she has been doing in Bollywood films. She is the life of the film," said Sidhu.

Speaking on the occasion, Diljit Dosanjh said the film was not politically motivated. However, the incident of 1984 and its aftermath has been discussed in the film through the love of the mother and son. "The film is not a communal film. It depicts the era from 1984 to 1986 in Punjab," he said.The list of music directors has some renowned names like Gurmeet Singh, Nick Dhammu, Jatinder Shah and Gurmoh. Veet Baljit, Raj Ranjodh, Jagvir Sohi and Dr Tejinder Harjit have penned the lyrics. Out of the five songs, Diljit Dosanjh has sung four.

Diljit Dosanjh said the music required for the film did not have to be commercial. "Since the subject is very serious and the film does not get lighter at any turn, the music will help the story to proceed. Each and every lyric has been written with full attention to the story. Anurag Singh himself is a part of the music production. One song from the album 'Ammi Udeekdi' has been penned by him only," said Diljit Dosanjh.

Dinesh Aulakh of Speed Records said the music of the film is making waves. So far, two songs from the movie have been released. One is "Rangroot" and the other is "Channo". Both have been sung by Diljit Dosanjh and are getting a wonderful response. 

Jalandhar, June 9
The farmers of Mand area as well as the Abadkar Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, today alleged that the farming land, made fertile with their hard work, is being taken away from them by the SAD-BJP government.

At a meeting presided over by Gurnam Singh Sangherha, the committee secretary, Pargat Singh Jamaray said after decades of hard work, the farmers of Mand area have converted infertile land into fertile farming land. However, the SAD-BJP alliance government in Punjab wants to take away that land on one excuse or the other as the notices for the auction of the same land have been issued again.

State Secretary of Jamhuri Kisan Sabha, Kulwant Singh Sandhu, said instead of helping the farmers, the government is assisting the land mafia in grabbing the land. He demanded that the cultivators should be given the right to land, which has been cultivated by them for long.