Amritsar, October 29
A massive manhunt has been launched by the police to nab the notorious gangster, Jagdeep Singh Jaggu, whose name has figured in the recent murder of another gangster, Sanjeev Nayyar, alias Babba.

Day before yesterday, the police had laid a seize in a Ranjit Avenue area following a tip-off that he was roaming in the area. However, he managed to dodge the police party. In a major breakthrough, the police have managed to arrest his accomplices and a close aide today, who used to give him shelter after his escape.

Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh himself took up the cudgels and motivated the police force to arrest him. Aulakh has made special teams for Jaggu’s arrest. A police official said that slowly but steadily, the police teams were closing in on the notorious criminal, who had become a headache. “Hopefully, we will manage to arrest him in the coming few days,” he said.

Jaggu was still out of reach of the police. Earlier, he managed to slip away after a brief encounter in the rural belt in mid September. The police have arrested an Uzbekistan national from his car at that time. Exactly, 10-day after he along with several accomplices were involved in firing incident in the GNDU college campus at Verka in which two youths were injured and a week later he shot dead another gangster Sanjiv Nayyar alias Babba who was returning home after attending a marriage function.

Amritsar, October 29
In a major breakthrough, the police today claimed to have busted a gang of robbers and arrested a notorious criminal wanted in as many as 15 cases of different kinds, including attempt to murder, robberies, extortion etc. The accused are said to be accomplices of notorious gangster, Jadeep Singh Jaggu. They used to give him shelter after his escape.

Robbers, wanted in many criminal cases, who were arrested by the city police in Amritsar on Wednesday. photo: vishal kumar

Those arrested were identified as Amandeep Singh of Dhotia village (Tarn Taran), Ajaypal Singh of Jawahar Nagar, Kulwinder Singh, alias Lamba, of Saidpur village, Ranjit Singh Rana of Behal village (Tarn Taran), Jagatpreet Singh Jagga of Dhakka Colony, Goindwal (Tarn Taran).

Two of their accomplices who managed to flee include Malkeet Singh of Chananke village and Saba of the Mehta Chowk area. The police have recovered three revolvers (of .32 bore), two pistols of .303 bore, 15 cartridges, 50 gm heroin and Rs 3.30 lakh in cash.

A case under Sections 399, 402, 212 and 216, IPC, and Sections 25, 27, 54, 59 of the Arms Act and Sections 21, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against them at Maqboolpura police station. The gang was responsible for a murderous attack on two youths in front of Alpha Mall during the Diwali festival.

While giving details, Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said the accused were arrested following a tip-off received by the special cell that they were hiding in a park located near the industrial focal point.Immediately a raid was conducted and the culprits were nabbed. He said the gang used to extort money from people and give it to Jaggu. 

Amritsar, October 29
Notwithstanding the three-day hunger strike by the property dealers to compel the state government to issue the notification, the applicants did not show any eagerness to avail themselves of NOCs to get their properties in illegal colonies authorised today. It proved to be a storm in a tea cup as a handful of people approached the Amritsar Development Authority (ADA) and nobody turned up at the Municipal Town Planning office.

Senior Town Planner Hemant Batra said no applicant came to apply today for the NOC of the property within the Municipal Corporation limit. He said the response of the people would become clear in a few more days. According to the demand, camps would be organised in different parts of the city. Earlier, the MTP Department had collected Rs 27 crore and issued 18,000 NOCs. As many as 77 colonisers had also got approval for their localities.

The ADA received over 50 applications for NOCs. Earlier, the ADA had received about 15,000 applications for regularisation of properties and collected Rs 17 crore as regularisation fee. Of these, 11,000 applicants were issued NOCs while the remaining 4,000 were depositing the regularisation fee in instalments. The latter would be issued NOCs once the entire payment was deposited.

The notification’s impact was apparent on the number of registries being done at the local revenue office. Sources said the daily rate of registries had plummeted from over 200 per day to nearly 30 per day.

In the district, the Municipal Corporation is collecting the regularisation fee from the public within its jurisdiction and the ADA is doing so from the residents in the rest of the district.

Earlier, the government had extended the deadline for regularising the properties four times. This time, it issued the notification under the new Act.

A real estate expert Sanjay Joshi said the government’s move would provide succour to investors who invested heavily in properties and could not extricate themselves out of the resulting financial mess. They would be able to sell off their properties. He did not expect a boom in the property business in the near future, keeping in view the negative sentiment of the market. 

Amritsar, October 29
Though the Punjab School Education Board has announced that it will levy a charge of Rs 500 for correcting a mistake in forms being submitted for appearing in the finals of Class X and plus two examinations, parents of the students have demanded that the fine must be imposed on schools and not on the students.

The education board has made the entire admission and registeration process online from the previous academic session. Under this all kinds of private schools affiliated with the board were given links to upload the entire data and the same data is printed on the forms.

It is learnt that the board gave three opportunities to correct the uploaded information to the schools. Even then, administration and societies of many schools approached the board to offer them another opportunity to correct some mistakes. At this, the board gave them the fourth opportunity but some of these schools again pleaded for some time to correct the mistakes.

It prompted the board to introdcuce a charge of Rs 500 per correction.

Parents of school-going students said a constant rise in the admission fee and now correction charges in forms would make education unaffordable for the lower-middle income groups. Moreover, they said the mistake was on the part of the schools and their staff and they could not be held responsible.

Amritsar, October 29
Two unidentified miscreants tried to rob a local resident in the Namak Mandi area here today. However, with the courage shown by the victim, Dr KP Singh, the robbers could not succeed in their attempt and fled. But in the scuffle, KP Singh got his hand injured. He filed a complaint with the Gate Hakima police in this connection.

Talking to this correspondent, KP Singh said that he had arrived his home at around 2 pm. At around 2.15 pm, the accused knocked at his door. He said the accused, with covered faces, gained entry on the pretext of delivering some parcel, adding that he got suspicious and asked them to stay out. However, they pushed him and entered the house. He said the accused put a knife on his stomach and started threatening him. However, KP Singh showed courage and caught hold of the knife and entered into a scuffle with the robbers. He also raised the alarm, following which the neighbours started gathering outside his house. Alarmed over the development, the accused fled leaving him injured.

KP Singh said he had submitted a complaint with the Gate Hakima police. This has again raised a question mark over the law and order situation in the city, he said. 

Amritsar, October 29
Though the share of the bicycle, an eco-friendly and a highly economical mode of transport, among the various modes of transportation is on the wane, its riders are scared of rampant thefts of their bicycles.

Amritsar, October 29
The stretch over the newly constructed Batala road bypass is gaining notoriety as one more person was killed today in a collision between a car and a truck.

Rajwinder Singh of Sahiya Wali village was killed in the accident that took place in the morning. The Swift car, in which the victim was travelling, rammed into a stationary truck.

Incidentally, the accident took place on the same stretch of road on which two persons had already lost their lives while several others sustained injuries in various accidents.

It was on the morning of October 15 that a Lancer car and a truck had a head-on collision. Though no loss of life was reported, occupants of the vehicles received injuries. Its impact could be gauged from the fact that the truck had turned turtle while the car got badly damaged.

In another incident on the same stretch, an ASI and his wife were crushed to death while three others were injured in a head-on collision between their car and a private bus on September 25.

Recurrent accidents on the stretch show that there is no check on violation of traffic norms and vehicles generally ply on the wrong side of the road to save fuel and take a shortcut.

Apart from the regular traffic, a huge rush of school and college-going students is witnessed on this road. Colleges of Global Institute and DAV International School are located near this road.

Commuters are tempted to drive at a high speed on the newly built and wide road. However, when they see the traffic coming from the opposite direction, they get confused, which results in accidents.

The bypass road was constructed to facilitate easy connectivity for the commuters travelling from Amritsar to Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.

Many daily commuters are perturbed over the wrong approach of several commuters as they violate traffic norms and put their lives at risk.

Global Institutes vice-chairman Dr Akashdeep Singh has already written to the police authorities to draw their attention to rampant traffic violations and accidents that take place on the stretch on the bypass road. He said accidents took place due to the negligence of the commuters, who drive their vehicles on the wrong side to take a shorter route. A number of accidents had occurred since the road became motorable sometime ago, he added.

ADCP (traffic) Dhruman Nimbale said he would comment on the matter after going through the details of the accidents. 

Amritsar, October 29
In order to provide transparent, efficient and corruption-free governance, the Right to Information (RTI) Act has to be implemented in its true letter and spirit. This was stated by Chief Information Commissioner, Punjab, SS Channy at a meeting with officials of various departments here today. He laid stress on highlighting the importance of this Act and generate more awareness regarding it.

Under this unique system, a person of Indian nationality can seek any information after paying a nominal fee of Rs 10, provided the information sought does not harm the interest of the nation in any way. The information sought must reach the applicant within 30 days.

Addressing his first meeting after taking over as the Chief Information Commissioner, Punjab, Channy said to ensure the smooth functioning of the RTI, the public authorities could appoint public information officers and assistant public information officers at sub-division and sub-district levels.

He emphasised that it was the responsibility of government servants to provide correct information sought by any resident immediately while exercising his rights reserved under the RTI. He also asked them to ensure the proper implementation of the Act keeping in view the larger public interest. “Justice has to be delivered instantaneously,” he added.

He directed officials to make adequate arrangements to provide the information within a stipulated time frame. He warned that any laxity on their part causing delay would not be tolerated. Besides, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat, officials from the Departments of Local Bodies, Municipal Corporation, Improvement Trust, PWD, Mandi Board, Education, Food and Supplies, District Development and Panchayat were also present at the meeting.

While briefing Channy during the meeting, officials of various departments said from April onwards, as many as 5,655 applications were received out of which 5,145 were disposed of within the fixed time frame till date. “The pending 510 applications are also in the process and will be sorted out at the earliest,” said Bhagat.

Earlier, Channy paid obeisance at the Golden Temple. Prominent amongst others present on the occasion include Bhupinder Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Baldev Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner (D), Jasbir Singh, Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Vimal Sethia, SDM, Baba Bakala, Rohit Gupta, SDM, Amritsar 1, Rajesh Sharma, SDM, Amritsar 2, Lovejeet Kaur Kalsi, DTO, Amritsar, Narinderjit Singh Pannu, DSSO, and other prominent officers of the Amritsar district. 

Amritsar, October 29
Uppal Neuro Hospital organised a “Continue medical education and public awareness” programme to mark the World Stroke Day, here today.

Dr Ashok Uppal, a neuro surgeon and organising chairman of the programme, said lectures were delivered, discussions and interaction sessions were held during the programme. Five hundred delegates, including neurologists and doctors from allied facilities, participated in the event.

Dr Uppal said the entire programme was aimed at creating awareness about stroke and its timely prevention by using advance technologies available. He said general public was also invited on the occasion. NGOs, Rotary clubs and senior citizens also took part in the event. Artistes presented a stage show “Stroke live” on the occasion.

Stroke had been rendering many residents handicapped. It was affecting people of every age group, said Dr Uppal. There was a need to change the life style and exercise regularly in order to avoid stroke, he said, adding that diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure were among the reasons for the stroke. 

Amritsar, October 29
The Rights Awareness International Society, an NGO, handed over its charter of demands to Dr SS Channy, Chief Information Commissioner of Punjab, who was on a visit to the city, here today.

Chairman of the NGO, Parbodh C Bali, said their aim was to give an account of deficiencies prevalent in information offices here and suggestions to improve the RTI process. He said the new government had been stressing on converting files into electronic format by ending the paper version.

“We emphasised that as per the pattern adopted during the Supreme Court proceedings, the process should be made paperless. The PM too has given strict instructions that no heaps of files should be found littered on office desks, shelves, window sills and even on top of air conditioners. The office space should not remain cluttered,” added Bali.

He said the CIC was also requested to ensure arrangement of free booklets on the RTI, which should be available in offices as well as at counters of all district and sub-division level Suvidha Centres.

“We requested that there should be e-registration of information seekers on the official website, besides making provision for filing the RTI application online. Even the notice of hearing, adjournment dates and interim etc should be made available online so that a registered applicant can access information anytime to know the status of his or her case. The facility of online search of history of all cases should be there so that an applicant can trace all orders by just one click,” he added.

Channy was also requested to give directions to make arrangement for canteen at RTI centres, which could offer eatables at subsidised rates. 

Amritsar, October 29
The Municipal Corporation has evolved a strategy to recover tax dues from defaulters after holding a meeting with various revenue generating wings of the civic body. MC Commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal has given officials concerned a target of recovering Rs 2.5 crore within four days. The MC has reportedly asked the Building Department to generate Rs 1.5 crore, whereas the House Tax, Property Tax, Water and Sewerage Departments have been asked to collect Rs 50 lakh each within the fixed time frame.

The Commissioner said he would himself monitor the recovery of taxes, which were the only source of income for the cash-strapped MC.

The MC has identified 2.6 lakh units which have the liability to pay property tax. Around 60 per cent of the residents are yet to pay their dues. Earlier, officials of the MC were expecting to recover Rs 40 to Rs 50 crore till March this year.

Superintendent Pushpinder Singh said according to the self assessment formula, Rs 21.53 crore was collected as property tax from 1.4 lakh units till March this year. From April onwards Rs 2.25 crore was realised as tax.

House tax in charge, superintendent Vishal Vadhawan, admitted that the tax recovery was slow. The MC had started the process for tax realisation more rigorously, he added.

“As many as 150 notices have already been issued to the defaulters. Earlier, we had given notices to 87 unit holders, out of which 62 have cleared their dues, but the recovery is slow”, he said.

Officials said a massive drive was being chalked out to recover property tax from commercial and residential units after penalising them. The defaulters were being charged 50 per cent penalty along with 18 per cent of rate of interest applicable from April 1 till the date they cleared their dues. Most defaulters were from the residential sector.

Amritsar, October 29
A group of unidentified armed robbers took away huge quantity of iron material from an under construction school building in Majhupur village falling under Jhander police station in Amritsar rural belt.

The miscreants tied labourers and bundled them in a temporary room before committing the crime. The incident occurred on the intervening night of October 27 and 28

In a complaint, Prabhjot Singh, a resident of Green Avenue, stated to the police that he had purchased seven acres land out of which he was constructing a private school on two acres. He had kept huge quantity of iron rods, shuttering plates and other material worth lakhs of rupees at the site as the lintel of the building was to be constructed.

Prabhjot said yesterday he received a call from one of the labourer working at the site informing him that around 14 persons, who were armed with sharp edged weapons, had barged into the building with a truck and taken away 32 bundles of iron rods, 97 shuttering plates, a gas cylinder, four mobiles of labourers and Rs 7,000 cash from masons.

Investigating officer (IO) Sukhwinderjit Singh said there was no clue about persons involved in the crime. He said the police was taking help of informers. Armed robbers woke up sleeping migrant labourers, tied them with clothes and bundled them into a room, said he added.

The incident came to light when one of the labourers managed to free his hands after the miscreants had left. He rushed out of the room, borrowed a mobile from a farmer and informed Prabhjot about the incident, said the IO.

A case under Sections 382, 379, 341, 323, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC had been registered in this regard. Further investigations were under progress, said the investigation officer.