Big rush of tourists at rafting terrain along the Ganga

Rishikesh, April 5
With the summer season peaking and the annual examinations of schools over, suddenly a huge rush of tourists is being witnessed at the rafting terrain along the Ganga river in Rishikesh.

Such is the rush that the whole rafting route from Kaudiyala-Shivpuri to Muni-Ki-Reti is abuzz with colourful rafts and enthusiastic rafters.

Not only is the river route witnessing congestion but also the Rishikesh-Sringar Garhwal-Badrinath highway stretch till Kaudiyala is witnessing traffic jams as rafting companies' vehicles fetching rafts and tourists are plying in large numbers to and from on this route.

If this is any indication, then in the coming days in later part of this month, when the world-famous Char Dham pilgrimage yatra of Shri Badrinath, Shri Kedarnath ,Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines along with Hemkund Sahib gets started, then one can imagine the huge rush on this route.

In the past couple of years a large number of rafting tour agencies have mushroomed in this area that is one of the finest rafting routes in the whole country,often regarded as a paradise for rafters.

Notably, the 36-km stretch from Kaudiyala to Rishikesh has more than 30 camping sites with a levelled flow of Ganga water making it quite safe and convenient for rafting experience. Not only domestic but a large number of foreign tourists also throng this rafting zone, which is closed during monsoon season as the water level and flow is quite high during this period.

As this is the peak season for the rafting business, tourist flow is bound to increase here, which the administration should ensure proper facilitie.

Meanwhile, the Forest Department has started a drive in this rafting zone to ensure that no illegal rafting or activity takes place in this forest area. Forest Inspector Rakesh Chand told TNS that impromptu drives are being carried out to check rafts without number plates being sailed in the river.

He added that in the past, too, several rafts were seized and many rafting operators tried to ply non- registered rafts to escape various taxes.

Anirudh Rawat, a rafting agency owner at Tapovan, who has been into this business for the past five years, said that taking into account the huge rush being witnessed this season, they are expecting record turnout of adventure-loving tourists.

While Deepak Bhatt of Rafting Association said that they are already getting bookings and inquiries in bulk, particularly from corporates, educational institutes and foreign firms for which they are acquiring new rafts and equipment to meet the demand.

Cameras help nab 200 thieves in Golden Temple

Amritsar, April 6
With the CCTV cameras in place for almost a year now, the SGPC authorities have succeeded in curbing thefts and nabbing the culprits in around 200 such cases at the Golden Temple complex, the shrine being a hot spot for thieves due to the inflow of thousands of pilgrims daily.

Of the cases cracked till date, a majority are that of theft of mobile phones and wallets. The area where most of these thefts are reported is Dukhbhanjani Ber, which holds a great significance for devotees who wish to take holy dip in the “sarovar”.

Equally prone to thefts is the Lachi Ber, which is situated right next to the Darshani Deorhi. The spot witnesses a huge rush of devotees in the peak hours as the entrance and the exit route to the holy shrine are located on its either sides.

Onkar Singh, CCTV project incharge, said there were instances when they even caught hold of the thieves on the spot. In other cases, the guards on duty were shown the footage of the thief who is caught as soon as he steps into the complex next time. He said they have also nabbed minor children who were involved in perpetrating thefts. “Recently, we caught a boy aged below 15 for stealing Rs 5,000 cash and a mobile belonging to a devotee.”

They have also identified a couple of women committing thefts on the premises, but they were yet to be caught. “Nabbing them is a tricky job for our male employees and, therefore, we are thinking of seeking the services of female SGPC employees to catch them,” he said.

Apart from cash, valuables and mobile phones, the cases of garment theft have also been reported.

With the rush of pilgrims increasing with the onset of the summer vacations, the CCTV staff is gearing up to deal with the likely spurt in theft cases, the signs of which are already visible.

Onkar revealed that around 10 to 12 incidents of theft were reported on April 2. “With the people wearing lighter clothes, it became easier for pickpockets to steal a wallet or a mobile,” he added. According to him, they also conducted raids in the complex on Saturday night and check the antecedents of the suspected persons. Whether the installation of CCTV cameras has helped curb the criminal activities at the shrine, he replied in affirmative.

SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh admitted that the project had been quite fruitful. “We keep on reviewing its progress and will install more CCTV cameras wherever needed,” he said. He also felt the need for enhancing the recording capacity at the facility, which is only a few days at present. “We will initiate necessary measures in this regard in near future,” he added.

The SGPC has a separate wing of employees who man the CCTV control room that is set up near the Akal Takht. Apart from them, nine guards, dressed in civvies, are equipped with walkie-talkie sets of which eight are deployed in different parts of the complex while the remaining one is at the control room to give them the directions. There are six control room operators who man the facility round-the-clock. These operators and guards work in eight-hour shifts.

Facts and figures

• 127 CCTV cameras installed in the Golden Temple complex
• 101 are outdoor box CCTV cameras
• 11 CCTVs have distant zoom feature that can turn 360 degrees
• 1.5 crore rupees is the amount spent on the project
• 9 guards equipped with walkie-talkie sets man the premises round-the-clock
• 8 LCD screens, besides other software, installed in the control room having 6 operators

Salient Features

• Cameras can capture colour images even at night and come with tilt-zoom and range-adjustment features
• There are also infrared CCTV cameras with night vigil facility
• Installed in front of the Akal Takht, ‘parkarma’ verandahs, all four “chhabeels” in the ‘parkarma’, “gathri ghar” (baggage room), jora ghar (shoe-deposit centres), ‘kara parshad’ counters and the room where cash offering is counted
• Software will not only facilitate identifying any unclaimed object lying in the complex but will also sound an alarm if somebody jumps into the “sarovar”
• However, no CCTV camera has been installed on the causeway starting from Darshani Deori to the sanctum sanctorum.

Why the need

• Attacks on religious places and threats to blow up the Golden Temple
• Cases of pick-pocketing and garment thefts on the premises
• Instances of children going missing during their visit to the shrine.

Moga offices mock at Service Act

Moga, April 6
The Right to Service (RTS) Act to provide time-bound service is in force in the state for four months, but the common man in Moga still faces hardships in the routine work in government offices.

Although application forms for arms licence are available at the Suvidha Centre set up in the Mini-secretariat, the employees there do not give the form until one obtains a written approval from the Deputy Commissioner (DC). Sometimes, it takes days to meet the DC, according to many complainants.

Rajinder Singh, a local resident, downloaded the arms licence form from the district administration's website, but the Suvidha Centre employees refused to accept it. The staff argued that none of the public utility forms available free of cost on the website was acceptable.

One has to pay at least `20 for an application form even if it is downloaded from the administration's website. At the District Transport Office, the story is just the same. A nexus between the contractor/employees of the Suvidha Centre and agents is giving rise to corruption.

US students take pledge against dowry

Patiala, April 6
An awareness seminar for students was held at the Queen’s Colden Centre, New York, by the Panthic Sikh Society and the Sikh Student Federation. Dr Harshindar Kaur from India was the keynote speaker at the programme.

Talking to The Tribune over phone from New York, Dr Harshindar Kaur informed she delivered a factual talk about female foeticide and underlined the reasons goading the people to indulge in this social evil. She exhorted the young to shun the practice of dowry and offered a petition against the dowry system to be signed by willing youngsters.

Surprisingly, boys were more enthusiastic and signed the petition in large numbers. The signed petitions were added to the petitions signed in Canada, Europe, England and India. They would be submitted to the UNO.

ILLEGAL MINING IN ROPAR

District mining officer suspended

Chandigarh, April 6
The Punjab government today placed under suspension the services of Bhola Singh Brar, Industries and District Mining Officer, Ropar and Mohali, for his alleged failure to check rampant illegal mining of sand and gravel.

Ludhiana Industries and District Mining Officer Vishav Bandhu has been transferred in Brar’s place.

The action has been taken following an exposure of large-scale illegal mining of minor minerals in the river beds of the Sutlej and Suar in Ropar district. Principal Secretary, Industries, AR Talwar, confirmed Brar’s suspension on the charges of dereliction of duty and for his failure to check illegal mining.

The mining officer of Mandi Gobindgarh, Mukesh Khanna, has been transferred to Ludhiana.

Following the publication of the news report in these columns, the Ropar administration, led by Deputy Comnmissioner GK Singh and SSP JS Aulakh got into action and over the past four days, they have been surveying the area and booked all those involved in the illegal mining.

The district administration has registered over 50 FIRs against those involved in the illegal mining, booked as many people, besides sealing 52 stone crushers that have come up in Ropar district without the requisite permission from the state government and for involvement in crushing of gravel lifted from the river bed and other places that have not been categorised as legal quarries.

The Tribune, in its issue dated April 2, had highlighted how the “mining mafia” has set up more than 20 new crushers in two villages of Agampur and Suhara in Ropar district along the Sutlej. More than 600 trucks ferry sand and gravel from these two illegal mining sites daily, doing business worth more than Rs 4.5 crore a day. The illegal miners also pay “royalty” to their political bosses in order to carry on their clandestine operations.

MOGA DSP MURDER CASE

DSP’s cellphone a vital evidence against accused

Ludhiana, April 6
The tightening of security during the Assembly elections in the state had rendered Harwinder, Pritpal and Umesh penniless. This came to light during investigation into the gruesome double murder of Moga DSP Balraj Singh Gill and Monica Kapila. The duo was found brutally murdered at a farmhouse near Hambran road in the district.

To make a quick buck, the trio decided to steal cars, as their fourth accomplice Hassanjit had assured them to help in selling stolen vehicles.

The police got a vital clue that could help the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in establishing that the trio was behind the dual murder.

The SIT found that the accused were using the phone of the victims by removing sim cards. During their visit to Naina Devi they clicked pictures from the mobile phone belonging to DSP Gill. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashish Cahoudhary said, “The date and time of pictures clicked by mobile phones would be a clinching evidence in the case.” In order to make the case foolproof, the police recovered the weapons in presence of naib tehsildar-cum-sub-registrar (West) Balwinder Singh. A wristwatch was recovered from Pritpal and the keys of Toyota Innova and Chevrolet Optra had been recovered from the possession of Umesh and Harwinder.

The police said that after committing the double murder the accused fled towards Gurdaspur. There they tried to dispose of the vehicle, but failed to do so. Further, they sold a gold ring to a jeweller located in Mullahpur.

Sources said that in order maintain transparency, Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh today directed Addition Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP-IV) to probe the case. The accused were today sent in police remand till April 9.

Chain of events

• The suspects, police said, waited outside farmhouse and when Balraj was locking the gates, one of the suspects hit him on his head with an iron rod.
• The DSP fell but soon regained conscious and entered the farmhouse. The DSP challenged the assailants while Monica started screaming for help, which panicked the suspects.
• While two assailants kept attacking Gill, the third hit Monica several times with an iron rod. She tried to hide in a bathroom, but the suspect chased and attacked her.
• One of the suspects also sustained injuries and his blood soaked hand got printed on Monica’s trouser.
• In order to remove evidence, the suspect removed Monica’s trouser and dumped it. Now, the police is trying to located the trouser as it is also a vital evidence.
• As the DSP was in an semi-conscious state after the attack, the trio deciced to eliminate him and hit an iron rod on his head and slit his throat later.

Suspect’s kin cry foul

The family members of the three suspects claimed the trio had been falsely booked in the case.

Jeevan Singh, elder brother of Harwinder Singh alias Binder, said that his brother was made “victim of some conspiracy”.

Moga DSP murder cracked

DSP BS Gill

Ludhiana, April 5
The arrest of three killers of Moga DSP Balraj Singh Gill (46) and Monica Kapila (38), has brought major respite for the city police department.
The special investigation team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashish Choudhary, who was being targeted for not solving the case, was beaming with a sense of achievement. The police was also at the receiving end for the character assassination of the duo. Though, from the day one, the police was suspecting the involvement of petty criminals behind the double murder, yet as the days passed the police began to lose focus and started probing contract killing and personal rivalry angle as well.
Besides questioning over 2,000 youths living in Hambran and the surrounding areas, the police grilled Sanjay Agnihotri, owner of the farmhouse, Narinderpal Singh, a friend of the slain DSP, and an Assistant Commissioner of Police-level officer for not sounding an alert on time.
Vandna Arora, a close friend of Monica, was also grilled by the police, as she knew about Monica's intimacy with the DSP, but she kept the matter under wraps.
The police was receiving brickbats from all quarters for failing to crack the mystery. The police had tried everything written in the criminology book, but success was eluding them.
Not only the city police, even senior officers posted in other districts, including, MF Farooqui, DIG (Ludhiana range), and team consisting the SSP, Jagraon, and the SSP, Khanna, were also conducting a parallel probe in the case.
Several police officials visited the farmhouse to collect evidences so that they could solve the murder mystery.
“The SIT team led by DCP Ashish Caoudhary deserves special appreciation. The team had burnt the midnight oil to crack the case. The officers had worked very hard to crack the blind murder mystery,” said Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh. 

Sequence of events

February 1: Moga DSP Balraj Singh Gill and Monica Kapila killed at a farmhouse in Golf Link
February 2: DSP cremated, police launches massive hunt to nab the criminals
February 3: Monica cremated, husband and woman friend probed. DSP’s friends, cook and security guards questioned.
February 4: Police forms teams, visits Himachal Pradesh
February 5: Cars of Balraj and Monica recovered from two different locations
February 6: Police starts working on a theory of robbery killing
February 7: Massive combing operation launched in Hambran, Noorpur Bet and surrounding villages
February 8: Police allegedly rounds up few suspected youths with criminal background
February 9: 25 persons probed in the case.
February 11: Technical experts from Delhi called to crack the case
February 12: Hardeep Dhillon, Additional Director General of Police (Administration), conducts a meeting to check the progress of the case
February 13: ADGP visits the site where the murder took place and asks a volley of questions from the investigative team
February 14: Doctor, alleged to be the paramour of Monica and an acquaintance of DSP Gill, probed in the case. Found innocent
February 14 to 22: One-hour meeting of the SIT team, headed by DCP Ashish Chaudhry, conducted daily to discuss the development of the case
February 23: Two SIT teams formed to probe the case from different angles.
February 24: The case became more mysterious after it was discovered that another woman frequently rang up the DSP
February 25: Police launches fresh probe in the case to find out the antecedents of the woman who used to call the DSP
March 7: SIT regrouped to from a strategy. Fresh probe launched
March 18: SIT sends communiqué hinting Makhan Singh, main accused of Barnala ASI’s murder, had murdered the DSP and Monica
March 19: SIT takes U- turn, claims Makhan Singh has no involvement in the case
March 23: Ishwar Singh replaces Ishwar Chander as the new Commissioner of Police
March 24: Family of DSP meets The police Commissioner
March 25: Police Commissioner reviews the progress in the investigation conducted in the case
April 2: One accused questioned in connection of murder case. The statements does not corroborate
April 3: Intelligence team follows the movement of the suspect
April 5: Police picks up three accused on grounds of double murder. The trio confess to have killed Monica and the DSP