Stating this at a press conference here yesterday, Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh Bir said a novel scheme was being started to encourage tree plantation in the city.

Bir said that saplings would be given to the schools under the scheme besides metal plates which would have the name of the child. The name of the tree and the date on which it was planted. He said school children as well as schools doing commendable work in this drive would be honoured on Republic Day. The DC also announced that the children memorial chowk would be demolished and that traffic lights would come up in its place. He said this was being being done to remove congestion in the adjoining area.

He said it has also been decided to introduce dividers on the road from Fountain Chowk to Leela Bhawan Chowk and from Leela Bhawan to the 22-number railway crossings. He said that a divider would also be constructed from Sheranwala traffic lights to the divisional commissioner's office. The DC said officers would sit in their offices on Mondays and Thursdays between 12 pm and 1.30 pm to listen to the grievances of the people.

3 held for cheating
Gurdaspur: The local police have busted a gang of cheats who used to deceive rice millers and other businessmen of their goods and consignments.

SSP Varinder Kumar said, here today, that Tasbir Singh and Avtar Singh alias Nihang, both residents of Shahoor village, were arrested yesterday by a police party when they were unauthorisedly unloading 88 quintals of rice, which they had lifted from M/s Krishna Rice Mills, Kapurthala, for transportation to Kandla (Gujarat), at Kahnuwan road, here yesterday.

Their third associate, later identified as Manjit Singh alias Manga, brother of Tasbir Singh was absconding.

The SSP added that they had trucks and used to pose as genuine transporters of rice and other goods. They used to put a false registration number plate on the truck. Instead of delivering the goods to businessmen or persons for whom they were meant, they used to sell it in the markets of Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts, the SSP added.