The ministry should upgrade infrastructure before introducing bullet trains.— Khem Chand Gupta, a passenger

The Railways hiked the fare, but forgot to improve the quality of food. Things have gone from bad to worse.— Papinder Singh, a resident

The Railway Minister called for wi-fi, Internet and short message service, but such facilities won’t tide over day-to-day problems. We want more trains.— Harman Preet Singh, a student

There should be a direct train connecting the city with Patiala, Bathinda, Moga and Hoshiarpur. More trains should be introduced on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh route.—Vipul Kumar, a resident

The hike in rail fare has disappointed many. There seems to be no respite in sight. The budget is not as per our expectations.— Amarjit Singh, a businessman

Ludhiana, July 8
Six months after the brutal murder of 25-year-old Rahul Verma, the police is still groping in the dark.

Rahul’s family members said five Police Commissioners had changed since the time of murder.

“By the time, the new Police Commissioner begins to investigate the murder case, he gets transferred, “ said Manik Verma, Rahul’s cousin.

He said Rahul’s sister Priyanka, who survived the murderous attack, was stabbed six times on the head while Rahul was stabbed 19 times.

“The assailants after stabbing her multiple times took her to be dead and stuffed her in a cupboard,” said Manik.

Priyanka would have died due to blood loss and suffocation, had her mother not stepped on the DVDs scattered on the floor and slipped.

“While getting back on her feet, she placed her hand on the cabinet and it opened. Priyanka was found lying on the cabinet. She was then rushed to the hospital,” revealed Manik.

Priyanka reportedly said she was talking to her fiance when the door bell rang.

“As Priyanka was talking over phone, she told Rahul to look at the gate. When Rahul did not return, she went to look outside. In the meantime, two masked youths entered the house. They first snatched the mobile phone from Priyanka and smashed it. Then they stabbed her and stuffed her in the cabinet,” said Manik.

While not ruling out robbery, the family members said the killers had fled with Rs 1.5 lakh in cash and gold ornaments.

Rahul Verma was killed at his house in South City on January 12, barely 10 days before her sister’s marriage.

Ludhiana, July 8
Assistant Town Planner (Headquarters), who was recently given the charge of Zone D, has been relieved. Monica, ATP, Zone B, has replaced Kamaljit Kaur. Speculations are rife that ‘political pressure’ led to the change, but the ATP maintained that there was nothing of the sort.

ATP Kamaljit Kaur joined the office (Zone D) on June 26 and yesterday she had issued notices to 10 illegal buildings in Zone D. Sources in the department said a number of illegal buildings had mushroomed in Zone D.

Since most of the violators are well-connected, officials often choose to ignore such constructions.

Ludhiana, July 8
The Civil Hospital is short of staff and nurses are forced to work for more than 12 hours a day.

This reminds us of Florence Nightingale, a nurse, who spent her night rounds giving personal care to the wounded, establishing her image as the 'Lady with the Lamp.' In the absence of Class IV employees, the nurses are unable to deal with the heavy rush of patients.

If one goes by the norms set by the government, the hospital does not need more nurses. Senior medical officer Dr RK Karkara said they had 51 staff nurses and according to the prescribed norms, the nursing staff is sufficient. He stated that they needed more nurses as patients from Ludhiana and neighbouring towns visited the hospital. “We require 20 nurses,” said Dr Karkara. According to the Indian Nursing Council norms, every three beds should have one staff nurse. But in reality, one staff nurse at the Civil Hospital has to take care of at least 45 patients.

Lobey Kalyan, member, Punjab Nurses Association, said they were made to work for over 12 hours every day. “One nurse is taking care of 45 patients. There are no Class IV employees and sweepers. Things have become difficult,” she said.

Another nurse said, “We are facing a tough time. Work stress has started taking a toll on our health. We can’t take leave and are made to work like machines.”

“How can one smile when things are not working?” asked a nurse. 

Ludhiana, July 8
Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) seems to be confused as on the one hand it is asking consumers to get their unauthorised load regularised under the voluntary disclosure scheme, which has now been extended till July 31, 2014, while on the other the power utility has intensified its drive to detect cases of power theft and bring those defaulting consumers to book who have not come out to get their unauthorised load regularised.

Officials of the enforcement wing of the PSPCL said in the course of the drive to inspect connected and sanctioned load of domestic, non-residential (commercial) and industrial consumers, nearly 5,000 connections were checked across the city and elsewhere in the central zone. Penalty notices of more than Rs 2.14 crore have been issued to the consumers for using unauthorised load.

Similarly, 64 cases of power theft were detected where power was being stolen by the consumers. A penalty of Rs 47.81 lakh has been imposed in the cases. Details of thefts have also been sent to the Anti-Power Theft police station for registration of cases against the accused.

“The Anti-Power Theft police station of the PSPCL has registered cases against five persons who were found stealing power and had failed to subsequently pay the penalty imposed on them,” the officials said.

Ludhiana, July 8
The Mandi Gobindgarh industry called off their 48-hour strike later in the evening after getting an assurance by the Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Badal.

The industry went on strike and raised its arms against the Excise and Taxation Department for fixing 750 units for per tonne consumption and charging VAT at the rate of 2.75 per cent. Industry rued that without issuing any notification, the department has fixed consumption of power according to per tonne. Mandi Gobindgarh houses nearly 75 furnace units, 40 foundries and more than 300 re-rolling mills

Gopal Krishan, secretary of the Mandi Gobindgarh Induction Furnace Association, said they have called off the strike after the Deputy Chief Minister assured that the matter will be looked into. The issue was blown up after raids were conducted at four units located at Mandi Gobindgarh. Three units submitted the desired VAT amount on electricity consumption while, one refused to submit the amount, which resulted in agitation.

“We will not pay any tax until the department issues notification. Anything cannot be fixed by the department on its own. It should first be notified before making it applicable,” said Krishan. No norms can be fixed regarding electricity consumption for induction furnace but still the department has fixed 750 units for production of one tonne, he added.

Excise and Taxation Commissioner Anurag Verma said they have been holding deliberations with the Mandi Gobindgarh industry from the past three to four months. It was only after discussions that it was decided that the VAT rate will be decreased from 4.95 per cent to 2.7 per cent.

“All this could not have been decided at our level and it was the decision of the cabinet. Now that VAT rate has been decreased, they are raising hue and cry over the power consumption according to per tonne,” he said. 

Ludhiana, July 8
Congress councilors, under the leadership of Hem Raj Aggarwal, met Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria this evening to apprise him of the difficulties being faced by them due to incomplete works in their wards.

Aggarwal said development works worth several crores of rupees were pending, but contractors seemed least bothered to accomplish the given tasks.

The councilors accused a BJP leader, who is also one of the contractors, of not starting the work. They asked the Mayor to blacklist him.

Officials present at the meeting said a notice had already been served on the contractor concerned and he would be blacklisted if he did not accomplish the tasks.

The councillors also alleged that contractors having political links were not serious about completing the works as they knew no one would take any action against them. The Mayor listened to all councillors and assured them all the grievances would be redressed.

Gohalwaria told the officials to make sure that ongoing works were finished as soon as possible. He said new work orders should not be given at present.

Among those who attended the meeting were Parminder Mehta, Rakesh Prashar, Dr Jaiprakash, Varinder Sehgal, Manpreet Grewal and Jarnail Singh.

Ludhiana, July 8
Despite the officials’ assurance that the core banking system (CBS), which was scheduled to begin at the Head Post Office (HPO) on June 23, would start in a couple of weeks, there is no clarity on when it will start finally.

The inauguration of the system at the system was delayed due to discrepancies in the data of account holders.

While the CBS has been started at Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Khanna in the state, the local post office is still awaiting directions from the circle office.

The new Senior Postmaster at the HPO, SP Pahwa, said he had not received the new date for the inauguration of the system from the circle office.

An official of the Postal Department said the post office had a huge database to take care of and things were being sorted out by the central server team at Mysore, the IT firm and the department, all working in tandem.

“Any small problem faced by any of these teams stalls the work. It is taking time as there is a huge amount of data to deal with,” he said.

Residents awaiting the introduction of the system, meanwhile, are a disappointed lot. Ravinder, a resident, said he had been hearing about the CBS for a long time.

“It has been over a year since I first learnt that the post office would open a postal bank offering full-fledged banking services. But it has taken too long to begin,” he said.

“It would be a boon for those who already have their accounts with the Postal Department,” he said.

Ludhiana, July 8
Teams of the Health Department today inspected fruits and vegetables being sold by roadside vendors in Sherpur and Dhandari Khurd areas of the city.

During the checking, carried out on the directions of Senior Medical Officer Dr Parwinderpal Singh Sidhu under the supervision of Dr Bhupinder Singh, overripe and rotten fruits and vegetables were destroyed.

The department also conducted an awareness drive on diseases spread during monsoons at various localities. Residents of Dhandari Khurd, Muslim Colony and Sherpur were advised to maintain proper hygiene and wash their hands regularly.

Pamphlets and chlorine tablets were distributed among them. 

Ludhiana, July 8
With the monsoon eluding the region, there seems to be no respite from beads of sweat running down the face and drenched shirts in the prevailing hot and humid weather.

“This is the worst weather,” says Arushi, a resident. “One cannot move out during the day, and in the evening, too, the air remains warm,” she says.

“It’s easier to manage in winters, when we can wear thick clothes to keep ourselves warm while venturing out. But, outside the air-conditioned rooms, this hot and humid weather is unbearable,” says Arushi.

Dr LK Dhaliwal, head of the agro-meteorology department at Punjab Agricultural University, said there were no signs of rainfall in at least next four days.

The maximum temperature during the day was reported to be 39 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature was 28.8 degree Celsius. The morning humidity touched 62 per cent, which was 42 per cent in the afternoon.

“The weather gods are showing no respite. Weathermen are projecting a weak monsoon. In this hot weather, I have increased my liquid intake, gulping down cold drinks and water every half an hour,” says Pramod Sikri, a resident.

Some residents have pushed their outdoor chores to either early morning or late evening.

“I used to go shopping during the free hours in the afternoon, but now I either go in the morning or after sunset to avoid the hot weather,” says Sakshi Ahuja, a resident.

Deepinder, a student, who goes jogging in the morning, says he tries to get back before sunrise.

“As soon the sun comes out, it becomes unbearable with all the sweat,” he says.

Ludhiana, July 8
Soon, taxpayers will get updates on the status of their income tax refunds and processing of certain tax statements through SMSes and e-mails.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has made it mandatory for people to fill in their mobile number and e-mail address while filing their income tax returns.

“The I-T Department’s central processing centre at Bangalore will send a communication to the taxpayer on the status of refunds. The taxpayer will also come to know if there is any discrepancy in the returns filed. The aim is to stay in touch with the taxpayer as is done by credit card firms and banks,” said a senior I-T official.

“The new move will make a huge difference in addressing taxpayers’ grievances. At present, the status of refund becomes clear only after we receive it,” said Damanjit Singh, a taxpayer.

The CBDT has stated that once the user validates his or her e-mail ID and personal mobile number, the system will automatically send a one-time password to validate these.

As per a new amendment, one mobile number or an e-mail ID can be used as the primary contact by a maximum of 10 user accounts, instead of four user accounts as fixed earlier.

“Changes have been made to ensure that family members and related business concerns (not exceeding 10 separate users) not having personal e-mail ID or mobile number can be covered under a common e-mail ID and mobile number,” said an I-T official.

In general, however, taxpayers should have a unique e-mail ID and mobile number registered with the department, said the official.

Taxation Bar Association general secretary Jatinder Khurana said since one e-mail ID or mobile number cannot be used by more than 10 accounts, it would pose a problem tor tax consultants and people who file returns for various family members.

Khurana said the 24-hour password limited the scope for a person to communicate it to the consultant filing his or her tax return.

“Also, taxpayers who do not have a mobile number registered in India may face problems in authenticating their accounts,” he said.

Another I-T expert said: “Chartered accountants usually give their own e-mail address and mobile number while filing returns of all their clients, and they are allowed to make changes in their clients' details as and when required. Such a privilege can also be misused."

The I-T Department has urged taxpayers to complete the validation process at the earliest for smooth filing of returns.

Ludhiana, July 8
Students faced inconvenience due to the alleged poor arrangements by the authorities of Government Girls College (GCG).

The cut-off list of BA was put up in the college, here today.

A large number of aspirants came to check their status of admission for 480 seats of BA in college.

Boys also assembled on the premises to know the status of admission of their friends and relatives. There was no queue system. The girls had to struggle to catch a glimpse of the notice board.

Eve teasing was also reported from the venue.

“It is strange that college authorities displayed the list only one notice board only. The list should have been displayed on some other notice boards as well for the convenience of the students,” said a student.

While the cut-off marks to take admission in BA stood at 83.77 per cent. Students scoring 98.20 per cent also got admission in the same class.

Meanwhile, SCD Government College also released the cut-off list for BSc (non-medical) and MCom. The cut-off to take admission in BSc (non-medical) is 83.787 per cent. While the cut off marks for MCom is 67.67 per cent.

Ludhiana, July 8
A general body meeting of the PAU Pensioners’ Welfare Association was held today at Students’ Home Auditorium.

The meeting was attended by more than 200 members. Dr BS Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University gave presentation on the occasion.

The Vice-Chancellor explained the achievements of his tenure in research, teaching and extension as well as in financial makeup.

While giving vote of thanks to the Vice-Chancellor, the president of the association, Sukhdev Singh, appreciated the efforts of the VC for getting requisite funds to clear the arrears of the pensioners. He also requested the VC to release the remaining minor arrears such as LTA, old age allowance etc. The Vice Chancellor gave assurance to arrange payment of these arrears as early as possible.

Regarding the opening of drug shop at PAU, the Vice-Chancellor said the matter has already been decided and necessary instructions will be issued shortly. 

Ludhiana, July 8
Passed out students of Teja Singh Sutantar Memorial Senior Secondary School applied for re-evaluation and obtained the copies of the marked answer sheets under the Right to Information Act.

Due to disparity in checking by the examiners of the Punjab School Education Board, a number of students got less marks in Class XII examinations, following which they applied for re-evaluation. After applying for revaluation, marks of students increased from 5 to 30 in one subject. The principal of Teja Singh Sutantar Memorial Senior Secondary School, Gurbachan Singh Grewal, said students scored above 90 per cent in all subjects but got less than 60 per cent in chemistry subject. Some of the students also filled RTI and got the photo copies of the marked answer sheets.

“It was strange that the examiner had not checked the papers properly. Some of the answers were even not checked,” said the principal.

After the re-evaluation, four more students attained spots in the state merit list.

Notably, school’s maximum number of merits in the state is 26. Grewal said, “Students have suffered a lot due to negligence of examiners and board officials. They had to spend money on the process. Due to their mistake, students could not get admission in the colleges as per their capability. The PSEB should follow the CBSE pattern to check the answer sheets .” 

Ludhiana, July 8
The knitwear industry has proposed to start industrial short-term training courses at the National Institute of Fashion Technology.

The initiative has been taken considering the shortage of skilled labour in Ludhiana textile, knitwear and shawl industry.

The Knitwear Club has also written a letter to Prof (Dr) Vandana Bhandari, Dean-Academic, National Institute of Fashion Technology, in this regard.

Vinod Thapar, chairman of Knitwear Club said textile, knitwear and shawl industry, said, “Producing a single garment involves a number of processes that require human involvement at all points. We have proposed the short-term courses at the NIFT. Implementation of the skill development programme at both the operator-level and supervisor-level for textile industry has been the need of the industry for long. We require short-term training programme for computerised flat knitting, circular knitting, and weaving machines with the basic qualification of at least Class XII for both boys and girls.”

“We need short-term courses for screen printing, laser printing, and digital printing as well. Printing is the latest trend,” said Thapar.

Short-training courses for the final inspection of garment with different structures such as dimensional inspection, faults, visual appearance and packing process is also the need of the hour. With the implementation of these short-term courses, the problem of shortage of labour will also be tackled. We assure that the industry will provide premises for these short- term courses, said secretary Charanjiv Singh.

Ludhiana, July 8
GADVASU students continued with their dharna today. Less number of the striking students was witnessed today. In the evening, students organised a candlelight march, which started from the campus to Kips Market and Sarabha Nagar.

Students said they were forced to adopt all such measures as the state government was not in a mood to listen to their just demands. Students have been demanding government jobs.

Khanna, July 8
The Maloud Police, under the Khanna Police, have registered a case of negligence of duty against three of its policemen posted with Maloud police station.

According to the information, an alleged accused, identified as Surinder Singh, a resident of Doraha village of Ahmadgarh, escaped the Maloud police station due to the negligence of the three policemen on duty. The policemen have been identified as ASI Sukhbir Singh, havaldar Gurjant Singh and home guard Dalbir Singh.

The SSP, Khanna, Harsh Bansal, alleged that Surinder Singh was being taken out from his cell, when suddenly he pushed the police officials away and managed to escape. Bansal said a case has been registered in his regard and further investigation is on.

Ludhiana, July 8
A day after a 12- year- old girl levelled rape allegation against her classmate, the District Education officer, Gurjot Singh, visited Government High School, Sunet, and raised doubts over the veracity of the victim's statement.

The girl had told the police that the 13-year-old accused forcibly took her to a washroom on the school campus and raped her.

Speaking to The Tribune, the DEO said: "The victim has stated in her complaint that the accused forcibly took her to the boys' washroom where she was given sedatives. The boys' washroom is located across the ground towards the primary section. It is strange that no one spotted the girl while she was being forcibly taken there."

Gurjot said if the victim was administered some pills, the teachers must have noticed it.

On the day the victim was allegedly raped (July 5), she had distributed sweets among students stating that it was her birthday. However, as per the school records, the girl's birthday falls on March 5.

"It is a shocking and highly deplorable incident. My sympathies are with the girl and her parents. The teachers have acted responsibly by immediately informing the victim's parents. But, why did the victim's parents fail to report the matter to the police on the same day?" questioned the DEO.

Samrala, July 8
Bar Association, Samrala, has opposed the terms and condition of a notification that every chamber will be occupied by two lawyers. An urgent meeting was held by the association in this regard.

The term and condition added is against the ethics of an advocate and it will create a serious obstruction in the discharge of professional duties of a lawyer, especially for those lawyers who are practicing at the District and Sub-Divisional level. Members present in the meeting opposed the term and condition of the notification and demanded that the Punjab government should immediately withdraw the same.

The bar associations of Punjab have also been requested to hold protest on the issue and observe no work on July 9. A memorandum will be submitted through Deputy Commissioner/SDM to the Government of Punjab for the withdrawal of the term and conditions of the notification at the earliest.