L U D H I A N A

Crime rate in city on the rise
Unplanned use of ground force to blame
Ludhiana, Nov 7 — The crime graph in the city has continued to show an upward trend during the past couple of days, courtesy the lack of planning in deploying the working ground staff. Though there is acute shortage of the actual ground force, with only 508 Head Constables and 2385 constables, it is alleged that the problem in manning the innumerable entry and exit points as well as keeping in check the burgeoning floating population in the city lies more with making the best use of the available strength at the ground level.

More and more migrants taking to crime
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — Increasing involvement of migrants in heinous crimes, including murder, kidnapping, abduction and rape, is a major cause of concern for the police here. Between January 1 and November 5 this year, there have been at least 17 cases of murders involving migrants and 10 of kidnapping, abduction and rape.

No erosion of BJP electoral base in Punjab: Kohli
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — The BJP general secretary and in charge of Punjab affairs, Mr Om Parkash Kohli, today claimed that there was no erosion in the electoral base of the party in Punjab and propaganda to this effect was politically motivated by opposition parties to create confusion. 

Govt agencies ‘not buying paddy’ 
KHANNA, Nov 7 — No purchase of paddy is being made in Asia’s biggest grain market Khanna by government procurement agencies since October 18 and farmers are being forced to sell their produce at the terms of private traders and millers.

Petrol station scam
PAU panel for transfer of staff
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — The controversy over the filling station at Punjab Agricultural University selling adulterated petrol has taken a new turn with the fact-finding committee constituted by the Vice-Chancellor recommending the transfer of employees manning the filling station.

Trader fined for selling substandard soft drink
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — In a significant judgement aimed at stopping the sale of substandard articles, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum here today directed Raghav Traders, Focal Point, to pay a penalty of Rs 10,000, along with costs, to a consumer for selling a substandard bottle of a soft drink to him.

Closing hole in heart sans surgery
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — Mrs Pritam Kaur 55, was denied visa by the Canadian High Commission as the doctors had found a hole in her heart. She could get the visa only after getting her ailment treated. It was shocking for her to learn about the disease which she was told she had right from her birth.

A library with only 100 members THE Municipal Corporation Library is housed in one of the Municipal Corporation buildings on the Gill road. First of all there is no board, so one has to wander into different directions and after climbing number of broken stairs one can locate the library. In front of the library one can see hordes of people standing.

A view of the Municipal Corporation Library in Ludhiana.

• Protest against beef sellers
  
  

LUDHIANA CALLING PADDY farmers across the state may be too upset and distressed, obviously for the poor prices they got for their rich produce. But they do not seem to be too depressed to give up the fun in life. Recently a group of farmers drove straight into the bar of a leading hotel, claiming itself to be the only five star in Ludhiana to celebrate whatever they had got from their produce.

COMMUNITY

Demonstration fields to be set up 
Ludhiana, Nov 7 — To promote the diversification and reduce at least 20 per cent area under wheat cultivation, the Department of Agriculture, Ludhiana, will establish demonstration fields on all main roads of the district, said Dr Gurcharan Singh Rajajung, Chief Agricultural Officer, while addressing a gathering of farmers at the block-level farmers' training camp held at Chuntta village.

Parking turns into cricket ground 
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — The parking place of Bhadaur House turns into a cricket ground every Sunday. Scores of young boys can be seen playing cricket oblivious of cars parked in the area. The reason is simple — there is no playing ground within a radius of four-five km.

Tips for potato growers
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — The experts of Punjab Agricultural University have given important tips for the care of potato crop during November. Farmers have been advised to rogue out virus affected plants from seed plots. Second dose of 85 kg urea per acre, should be given and the dose of urea should be increased to 115 kg per acre in case of light soils. 

PAU advice to cane growers 
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — Scientists of Punjab Agricultural University have advised the sugarcane growers to spray the crop with 500 ml of thiodan 35 EC or 350 ml folithion/sumithion/acothion 50 EC in 150 litre of water per acre if they observe the attack of sugarcane pyrilla and white fly.

A tete-a-tete with Bhupinder & Mitalee
AFTER finishing her performance, Mitalee came and sat among the audience. Talking to her, revealed a very friendly person. She said, “I love coming to Punjab for my in-laws are here.

Return of the native 
LALTON (Ludhiana), Nov 7 — ‘‘Kya khabar thi inqilab aasmaan ho jayega, Yar dostoon ka milna naseebe dushmanan ho jayega’’, laments 88 year old Munshi Wali Mohammad who is currently on a visit to his native village here, about 15 km from Ludhiana. He articulates the pain and pathos of the partition which made hundreds and hundreds of friends to part ways at the time of country’s partition in 1947 just because they did not belong to the same religion.

Non-removal of garbage irks residents 
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — The non-removal of garbage from near the Life Insurance Office, Urban Estate Dugri road, is causing heartburning among the residents of the area. In the absence of an earmarked location for the disposal of house-hold waste or of garbage bins in the area, residents are using an open ground near the LIC office for throwing litter and garbage. However, the PUDA authorities do not lift garbage regularly due to which the whole ground has become litter-infested.

Khanna residents’ problems discussed
KHANNA, Nov 7 — The Director, Local Bodies, Punjab, Mr J.B. Goel, held a meeting with the local MLA, Mr Bachan Singh Cheema, and the Municipal Councillor at rest house here today to discuss the water supply and sewerage problems faced by residents of Khanna.

CRIME

Four of family booked for fraud
LUDHIANA, Nov 7— The police has booked four members of a family on charges of criminal conspiracy, for allegedly giving a bogus cheque to Jaswinder Singh and threatening him.

BUSINESS

‘Indo-US cooperation has great scope’
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — Renowned US-based non-resident Indian Jassie Singh feels that there is great scope for cooperation in business between the United States and India. Mr Jassie, shot into prominence after hosting a dinner for the US President Mr Bill Clinton and his family on September 23 at his residence in California.

SSIs seek better deal 
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — In a meeting of the Ludhiana Small Scale Manufacturers’ Association, it was decided that a memorandum would be sent to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, stressing the need of devising such policies that would give a boost to their businesses.

EDUCATION

140 science models displayed at contest
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — Nearly 140 science models were on display at a district-level inter-school contest organised at RS Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, here today. The winners at the tehsil-level contests had displayed a variety of working and non-working models on any one of the five themes. These included information technology, transport and communication, industry, energy and food, health and nutrition.

HEALTH

Homoeo treatment for family discords
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — Conflict or ‘power struggle’ among mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law has defied solution for ages and has predictably produced some lighter moments in television serials or in popular literature. A local study circle which discusses diseases and their remedies on the first Sunday of every month held a talk by Dr K. N. Sharma yesterday on “Management through homoeopathy of power struggle between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law.”

SPORT

Volleyball tournament
LUDHIANA, Nov 7 — Guru Nanak Khalsa College (GNKC), Killianwali, Baba Shian Singh Gill Government College (BSSGGC), Sidhsar and Government College (GC), Karamsar easily reached the semifinals on the first day of the Panjab University Inter-College (boys) Division B Volleyball Tournament, which started here today at the Government College for Boys.