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| Saturday, August 5, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Gloom, anger mark the bandh in city LUDHIANA The demonstrations were marked by slogan shouting, besides the burning of effigies of the Pakistani military ruler Gen Parvez Musharraf and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah. It was gloom and anger that prevailed all over in an otherwise vibrant city. The busy markets wore a desolate look with all the shops and other business establishments remaining closed. Work was also affected in the banks, insurance and government offices, schools, colleges and Punjab Agricultural University here. Although private vehicles plied in the city, the public transport was affected by the bandh call given by a number of political and other organisations. The work in district courts also remained suspended today as the lawyers too joined the bandh. A massive demonstration was held at Clock Tower area with hundreds of protesters shouting slogans against Pakistan for abetting terrorism in the state. The demonstrators criticised the Jammu and Kashmir and the Central Governments for failing to provide security to the Amarnath pilgrims, which helped the terrorists to succeed in their design. Protest demonstrations were led by different parties, including the BJP, the Congress, the Janata Dal and the Nationalist Congress Party. All demonstrators converged on the Clock Tower. Over a dozen effigies of General Musharraf and Dr Abdullah were burnt by the protesters. They also set afire the Pakistani flag. The protesters were unanimous in their condemnation of the killing of innocent pilgrims by the terrorists in Kashmir. They asked the government to take serious note of the situation and ensure that Pakistan stopped cross-border
terrorism. The demonstrators were also joined by several sadhus in saffron. Addressing the demonstrators, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Jyotishpithadhishwar Swami Madhavshram, while condemning the barbaric act of the terrorists, sought destruction of all terrorist training camps in Pakistan. He said the Indian Government should launch an attack on Pakistan. He pointed out, as long as India did not take stern action against Pakistan, terrorism would not end in Kashmir.The Shankaracharya said, Dr Abdullah should resign on moral grounds for his failure to provide security to the pilgrims and others in the state. He said in case he did not step down voluntarily the Centre should dismiss him. He did not appear satisfied with the performance of the Central Government either. He regretted that the Central Government was proving to be very weak in combating the challenge to the integrity of the country. The Shankaracharya said a government which was not strong enough could not provide security to its citizens. He exhorted the government to launch an attack on Pakistan and deter it from committing mischief against India. The Shankaracharya said anger and resentment was prevailing high among people across the country as it was unprecedented in human history that unarmed pilgrims had been targeted in most barbaric manner. The District Youth Congress led by its president Pawan Dewan took out a rally from the Congress office here. After passing through various parts of the city it concluded at Clock Tower, where the Congress activists burnt the effigies of General Musharraf and Dr Abdullah besides setting fire to Pakistani flag. Mr Dewan also submitted a memorandum addressed to President K. R. Narayanan to the Deputy Commissioner. The memorandum while condemning the barbaric act of terrorists blamed the "ill advised policy of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre " for the entire situation. It also criticised the Central Government for agreeing to the peace offer by Hizbul Mujahideen which it said was hoax. Besides demanding the dismissal of the Abdullah government and the resignation of Union Home Minister, Mr L K Advani from the union cabinet. Several other orgnaisations also organised separate demonstrations against the killings. The Indian Muslim Council held a protest demonstration in front of Jama Masjid in the Field Ganj area. Addressing the demonstrators, president of the council Attequr Rehman demanded that Pakistan should be declared a terrorist state. The demonstrators passed a unanimous resolution. While expressing sympathies with the bereaved
families, they sought the dismissal of the Abdullah government, Rs 10 lakh compensation for each of the victims and adequate security arrangements for the Amarnath pilgrims. In separate statements secretary of the Janata Dal (Secular) Ludhiana Pandit Sagar Rayal, Punjab convener of the Yuva Rashtriya Janata Dal Vijay Mahajan, Mr Rashpal Singh, district president of the Nationalist Congress Party. also condemned the killing of the pilgrims in Kashmir. The Young Lawyers' Welfare Association also held a meeting a demanded that the central government should take immediate and strong action against the culprits. The Ghumar Mandi Shopkeepers' Welfare Association and the Mochpura Supreme Shawl Association also condemned the killing and demanded sufficient security for the Amarnath pilgrims. |
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PUDA introduces computerised LUDHIANA These observations were made by the Punjab Housing and Urban Development Minister, Mrs Upinderjit Kaur, also the Chairperson of PUDA, while addressing a function after inaugurating a computerised single-window system facility in the local PUDA office in the urban estate on the Chandigarh road here today. The facility, extended to customers and to simultaneously become operational at Patiala, Jalandhar, Bathinda and Amritsar, would ensure that people did not have to move from desk-to-desk to pursue their routine matters. With the help of the software, developed in-house by PUDA, the clients would be required only to deliver their application at the single-window counter and would immediately get a computerised receipt, clearly stating the date by which the required papers would be ready for delivery. Mrs Upinderjit Kaur, while highlighting a number of ambitious projects chalked out by PUDA, said that the focus would be on the development of infrastructural facilities in major towns of Punjab in a big way. In particular, S.A.S. Nagar, and Ludhiana would have five-star hotels and multi-super speciality hospitals under this plan and initial work had already been taken up on these projects. The minister indicated that the state government had approved, in principle, a plan for private participation in the housing sector through joint ventures. The housing sector needed massive investments and the government intended to raise the required money by encouraging private participation. She further announced that PUDA had undertaken the construction of district administrative complexes (DACs) at various district headquarters in the state and work on proposed DACs at Sangrur, Patiala, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala would commence soon. The Minister of State, Mr Ranjit Singh Balian, emphasised the need for improvement in the quality of work in the development of new residential colonies and commercial centres. He said those found guilty of lapses and compromise in quality would be sternly dealt with. The Chief Administrator of PUDA, Mr K.B.S.Sidhu, observed that unauthorised growth of colonies had to be checked and the entire process of urban development had to be properly regulated. He said PUDA had been entrusted with the job of ensuring optimum use of vacant government land all over the state and work in this direction had already been taken up at many places. The process would make available adequate resources for infrastructural development. The minister unveiled a commemorative sign board naming the Samrala Road urban estate as ‘Master Tara Singh Nagar’ after the veteran Akali Dal leader. She also handed over the papers of a residential plot to Mrs Kamaljit Kaur, the widow of Naik Paramjit Singh of Gill village in this district who was killed in the Kargil sector. Earlier, Mrs Upinderjit Kaur laid the foundation stone of the new Puda complex on the Ferozepore road. According to the ACA PUDA, Mr G.Ramesh Kumar, the new complex, estimated to cost around 2.26 crore and to be built on a plot measuring 1.50 acre, would house all PUDA offices in the common building and would be completed within one year. |
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Liquor cartels to
end price war LUDHIANA According to sources, a meeting of representatives of both the groups was convened here last night by the excise authorities to resolve the issue. At the meeting both sides vowed to stick to the vend rates to avoid competition. It may be mentioned here that Ludhiana Tribune had broken the story of open sale of liquor by the roadside at slashed rates by the Garcha group a few days ago. A bottle of country liquor was being sold for Rs 50 as against the vend price of Rs 80 and a bottle of IMFL (Bagpiper) for Rs 100 as against the vend price of Rs 150. The Excise authorities had swung into action following the exposure and challaned a number of vends belonging to both the groups. However, observers feel that if the rates were adhered to by the vend contractors, smuggling of liquor in to Ludhiana from Chandigarh and elsewhere was likely to pick up. |
‘Declare Pak
a terrorist state’ LUDHIANA, Aug 4 — Members of the District Taxation Bar Association (Sales Tax), Ludhiana, observed a bandh today in protest against the gruesome killings of Amarnath pilgrims and others in J and K on Wednesday. At a special meeting held here today, the association expressed grief and condolence to the bereaved families and urged the Centre to abolish Article 370 immediately. The meeting which was presided over by Mr Mangal Sain Grover also called for the dismissal of the National Conference government led by Dr Farooq Abdullah and imposition of President’s rule in J and K. At another meeting Senior Youth Congress leader and an activist of the All-India Anti Terrorist Front, Mr Yogesh Dewan, today strongly condemned the massacre of Amarnath pilgrims, migrant labourers, children and women in Jammu and Kashmir in the name of jehad by Pro-Pakistan terrorist outfits. Terming the massacres as acts of cowardice, he said that by doing this Pakistan was alienating itself more and more from the international community and behaving like an enemy of humanity. He said the Indian Government had proved to be a total failure to prevent such acts of
brutality. The government cannot shed its responsibility by blaming Pakistan’s ISI and Pro-Pakistan outfits for bomb blasts and massacres in the country. To protect the life and property of citizens was the sole responsibility of the government but it had failed to do so, he added. The government was so adamant that despite such gory incidents it was keen on continuing the farce of Samjhauta Express and the Delhi-Lahore bus service whereas these were being used for anti-India activities. Mr Dewan said that internationally also the government had failed to command the desired response to tackle cross-border terrorism. He demanded not only the suspension of the most favoured nation (MFN) status given by India to Pakistan but also the resignation of Home Minister L.K. Advani and the dismissal of J and K Government. He also urged the USA to shed its double standards and declare Pakistan a terrorist state. He expressed concern over the British government’s decision to issue export licences for the supply of defence equipment to Pakistan. |
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Dalit families get residential plots LUDHIANA A large number of original allottees had expired during the intervening period, with their dreams of owning the promised piece of land, remaining unfulfilled. Mr Talwandi announced that the cases of the remaining Scheduled Caste families would also be got expedited at the earliest and the plots would be given out of another 9 acres of panchayat land, available exclusively, for this purpose in the village. The beneficiaries thanked the SAD(B) leader and the village Sarpanch Gurmukh Singh. Addressing the function, Mr Talwandi said the SAD-BJP government in Punjab was fully committed for the welfare of Dalits and other weaker sections of society. During the last three years, the state government had spent more than Rs 2000 crore on implementing various welfare schemes for them. He claimed that it was only the SAD-BJP government in the country was providing a shagun of Rs 5100/- on the marriage of the daughters of Scheduled Caste families and according priority to the improvement of environment in Dalit colonies. Further, the built-up houses, at a cost of Rs 50000 each, were being provided to each houseless Dalit family in the state. Lambasting the Congress for its anti-poor policies during the past 50 years, Mr Talwandi said that it was a matter of shame for every Indian that the country was amongst the few poorest countries of the world. He said the Congress government had committed the biggest blunder by signing the GATT agreement, which would further ruin the shattered economy of the country. He accused the Congress for adopting wrong education policies, which had produced a large number of educated unemployed youth and claimed that the Punjab Government had completely revamped the education system and a large number of vocational training programmes had been introduced. Efforts were on, he added, to divert unemployed youth towards industrial sector by providing liberal interest free loans to set up their own ventures. Mr Gurmukh Singh, Sarpanch of the village, thanked Mr Talwandi on behalf of the people of the village for providing grants of more than Rs 4 lakh for the pavement of streets and construction of drains. |
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S.N.
Ranade award for
U.S. Sadana LUDHIANA The award carries a cash prize of Rs 31000/-, a citation and a silver memento. It has been instituted in the memory of late S.N. Ranade, one of the pioneers of the micronutrient industry in India. Dr U.S. Sadana is presently working as Professor of Soil Sciences in Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. He has to his credit many research papers published in national and international journals, specially on soil-plant nutrition with stress on micronutrients. He has also participated in seminars and conferences held in Australia, England, France, Germany, Japan, spain and many other countries. His area of specialisation is ‘Chemical equilibria and transformations of micronutrient in soils under submerged conditions and efficient management of microutrients deficiency in rice-wheat cropping system’. |
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Jawan cremated with full honours LUDHIANA Before the cremation, Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, Mr Gurcharan Singh Galib, MP, Mr Bikramjit Singh Khalsa, MLA, Mr Malkiat Singh Dakha, ex- minister, Mr S.R. Kaler, ADC, Capt S.N. Kumani from AD Brigade, Capt Banipal and Wg Cdr M.S. Randhawa, Deputy Director, Sainik Welfare, laid wreaths on the body and paid their tributes. Sukhdeep Singh, the son, along with his grandfather, Malkiat Singh, lit the pyre. Havaldar Jaswant Singh is survived by wife, Jaswinder Kaur, and son, Sukhdeep Singh. Mr Sandhu informed that the incentives and facilities as per the announcement of the Punjab Government for the Kargil martyrs, including ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh, a plot or Rs 5 lakh, and government service to one member of the family would be provided to the martyr’s family at the earliest. A memorial would also be built in the village in his memory, the Deputy Commissioner further announced. |
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Youngsters gear up for Friendship Day Some things in life are things you cannot buy Like the ray of sunshine that comes everyday Like the crystal clear waters of the ocean, that kiss the bay. Some things in life are cherished till the very end Like true friendship and the warmth of a true friend. Ludhianvis, basically the youngsters, are all set to celebrate Friendship Day. School and college-going students can be spotted at gift shops buying gifts for their friends. Gift shops are stacked with attractive gift items, greeting cards and ‘friendship bands’. A new variety in greeting cards, in the form of a booklet of 12 to 15 pages, has arrived in the market this time. Every page of this greeting card is tastefully illustrated and carries a quotation on friendship. Even the ‘friendship bands’ have been revolutionised with time. Earlier only hand-knitted bands were available and they were tied with a knot. Now metallic bands with transparent beads and “Tweeties” in the centre are more in demand. “This time we have introduced special chocolate packages for Friendship Day. I have ordered for new stuffed toys with friendship quotes on them,” said Mr Gulbir Garewal, a gift shop owner. “More girls than boys are buying gifts for their friends”, he further informed. Most of the youngsters are ready with their plans. While some girls are planning to go out for a lunch, others want to go out for a movie. “We will watch Salman Khan’s latest release, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega,” screamed a group of collegiates in chorus. But Anuradha seemed a bit unsure, as this time Friendship Day falls on Sunday and she would have to make some excuse to her parents for going out with her boyfriend. If it had been a college day, she could have spared some time in the college hours. Seema has decided to use the Internet for celebrating Friendship Day. She has already sent greetings through bluemountains.com since the site gives the option to select the greetings and also notes down the date in advance on which it has to be sent. She is relaxed as the cards will automatically reach her friend’s desk at the right time. There are others like Anshu Jain who believe that Friendship Day is just one day of the year and she will enjoy her friends’ company just like on any of the 365 days of the year. |
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Boat Club cries for attention LUDHIANA All this while, it was not in a functioning condition because the bed and banks of the lake had developed cracks and water had begun seeping into the ground. Now, after the Municipal Corporation has repaired the lake, the boats bought for sailing have been rendered unfit for use as these had been lying unattended for the past couple of years in a corner of the garden. Six colourful pedal-boats offering a joy-ride for two or four persons have suffered irreparable damages as these were stationed in the open . Holes have emerged in the floor of some boats lake and the seats made of wood have been broken. Purchased a few years ago the money invested in them has thus gone waste as these could never be taken into the water. Sources said now the MC would have to buy new boats as the cost of repair of the existing ones would be almost equal to that of the new ones. The lake body is filled with dirty water and the abandoned sight of the boats also acts as an ugly spot for the beautifully landscaped garden. The Children’s Boat Club was constructed in 1979 and inaugurated on November 14, 1979, to mark the celebrations of the International Year of the
Child. It had always remained a prestigious project not only for the Rose Garden authorities but also for the regular visitors to the garden. After functioning in a normal manner for several years, the small lake developed problems. Due to erosion of soil and burrowing by rats and other animals, the banks of the lake developed cracks and even holes.Similar was the fate of its bed. Five months ago, the repair work was undertaken. Plastering of the banks was done and the floor was also repaired. However, due to the non-availability of the boats the repair work has not been of any use. Dr Jaswinder Singh Bilga, Executive Engineer (Horticulture) MC, and in charge of the Rose Garden, while acknowledging the problem said he had joined last year only and got the repair work of the lake done. H e said the rush of people at the boat club had increased in recent years due to which there was need of widening the lake. He assured that the boat club would start functioning shortly. He said the MC may also buy new boats and was in consultation with experts on the issue. |
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FLAVOUR OF THE WEEK The first week of August started ominously with the news of killing of residents along with innocent pilgrims of Amarnath Yatra. Though the incident took place in J and K, yet strong tremors of this incident were felt in Ludhiana too. Mr Gul Singh of the city lost his life in the carnage.The news had spread like wild fire and there were widespread protests against this mayhem. The city remained closed in protest against killings given by a number of organisations. Shopkeepers had downed their shutters and educational institutions remained closed. The mood of the people was subdued. Markets remained deserted. Practically every third shop had 'sale' sign displayed offering very good bargains. Maybe, the lowering of the prices would show a spurt in selling. However, with raakhi around the corner, the shops selling raakhis glittered with very attractive, showy raakhis. The prices started from Rs 10 onwards. The designers raakhis were available at certain outlets at exorbitant rates. Teej, a function of women, for women, and by women was celebrated in almost all ladies clubs and even in educational institutions. The schools and colleges had organised mehndi and rangoli competitions. This festival is mainly for the newly married women, who after their marriage return to their parents house to celebrate with their friends. They wear green clothes, green glass bangles and very pretty jewellery. Teej without jhoolas is unimaginable. The new movie 'Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega' opened in two theatres. It has become a fashion to keep long names and to copy freely from the foreign movies. The theme of this movie is also a love triangle. The movie has some freshness for its unusual cast. Rains have been very erratic. There has not been really a heavy downpour. It has been drizzling off and on. But little bit rain also makes the roads muddy and unwalkable. The prices of vegetables and fruits have been varying. The apples both from HP and J&K have entered the market in a big way. The rehris are decorated with red and white, green and red, and golden delicious apples beckoning people to buy them. Shiv bhakts are regularly going to temples, some even bare foot. This religious fervour made some of them go to Amarnath Yatra and Hardwar. Friendship Day falls on August 6. Though a Western concept, it has caught the imagination of youngsters all over India. Card shops are loaded with variety of cards on this theme. The shops also have stocked friendship bands and small knick-knacks to be given as small token gifts. The florists will do a roaring business on that day and boys may also try to give the flowers to girls some times forcibly. The week had more downs than ups and let's hope the next week would bring some cheer. — AA |
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Course for young farmers LUDHIANA The main objective of the course is to provide integrated system of training embracing all important fields of agriculture i.e field crops, horticulture crops, animal science, farm management, farm power and allied enterprises. After getting training, a large number of farmers have proved to be progressive farmers and have become model for others. Welfare camp The Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension, College of Veterinary Science,
PAU,will organise an animal welfare camp, in collaboration with the Punjab Animal Husbandry Department and a local organisation, at Bhullar Hari village in Sangrur district on August 5. Experts from the department, including Dr K.B. Singh, Mr H.K. Verma and Mr P.S. Bansal, will examine and operate the animals free of cost. The experts will also deliver lectures. Meeting The Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry will also organise a meeting with the Punjab Dairy Farmers Association (PDFA) on August 10 at PAU. Experts from different departments will deliver lectures on "Importance and deficiency disease of minerals" ;"Artificial insemination" ; and" Bloat and impaction - causes and remedies". The problems of dairy farmers will also be discussed during the meeting. |
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Shop gutted LUDHIANA However, the exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained. |
Workshop on statistical process control LUDHIANA, August 4 — A workshop on statistical process control and process capability was organised by the CII (northern region) here today. Statistical process control is a method of monitoring processes and process variations. The purpose was to identify causes for process variations and resolve them with the prime objective of continuous improvement for piece-to-piece consistency. Process variables include rework, scrap, inconsistent raw materials and downtime on equipment. Dr B.N.Nauhria, Professsor and Head of the Department of Production Engineering, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, elaborated on the causes of process variations and on how statistical tools could be used for structuring measured data which could then be used for controlling and improving dimensional performance. Mr N.P. Chandok, Manager, QA, Hero Honda Motors Ltd., and Mr R.K. Mehta, Buyer Coordinator, Escorts Ltd. made case study presentations on the successful implementation of OPO techniques at their respective organisations. Wg Cdr (retd) J.S. Keith, Chief Consultant, Dataviation Software Consultants, made a demonstration of “Six Sigma process capability” at the workshop. The workshop was attended by representatives from industry in this part of the region. |
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A touch of technical magic LUDHIANA There are several cases where digital mixing is alleged to have been used for all the wrong purposes. A model once claimed that her face was attached over someone else’s nude body and that she had never been in that pose. Even the former SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, once alleged that he had never been to Nirankari Bhavan and the picture showing him intermingling with Nirankaris was produced digitally. But Sonu mixes the images only for weddings and other occasions. Every photo album which is produced now-a-days has at least 10 to 12 pages which have computerised effects on them. These generally include the first few pages where names of the couple along with occasion date, and venue are given, and the pages of other ceremonies like sangeet, sehra bandhi, doli and reception. In addition, there are other pages where the background in a picture is changed, reflections are added, colour and light effects are introduced and entire or a part of the image is rotated. A black and white picture is made coloured and a coloured one is given different tones. Earlier some very simple effects were given manually by simple cutting and pasting, and also at the time of developing the pictures. Sonu belongs to a business family. But he decided not to join his father’s business. Instead he took an informal training in computerised effects and started with his own business some seven months back. He now has contacts with several studios of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir who want some computerised effects in the photo and video albums that they produce at the time of weddings, birthdays and other ceremonies. Sonu has an Amiga machine which helps in video mixing as well. It helps in animation and in introducing special effects in the video. Names of the family members that appear in the video are added by this machine. These names are given special effects like shadow, outline and other patterns. They are made to move on the screen. The pictures of gods and godesses are also animated in the video. Sonu converts the video cassettes into video CDs as well. Even the wedding photographs can be converted into CDs. Sonu also designs watches with pictures of the couple pasted on the dial. |
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