The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Another ‘Dabwali’ waiting to happen?
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 29
A devastating fire in a marriage palace here last night has once again brought into focus the inadequate fire-fighting measures taken in marriage palaces, highrise buildings and even government offices. Looking at the dismal scenario one feels that another tragedy, a la Dabwali is waiting to happen.

While a major tragedy was averted yesterday not because of any fire-safety measure adopted in the Vijay Palace but because there was no party going on in the building premises. The fact that the fire-fighters had to tear down a huge wall of the palace in order to control the fire, speaks volumes about the provision of exits or entrances for meeting any eventuality.

According to officials of the Fire Department, the fire was caused due to the bursting of an LPG cylinder, when the cooks were making preparations for today’s party in the kitchen. The fire spread from the kitchen to other parts of the palace and soon termed the inner rooms to ashes.

According to Mr Kartar Singh, Chief Fire Officer of the city, the fire-fighting squad had a hard time dousing the fire, as the access to the palace was only from the front gate. He said that the building had no other gate or emergency exit at the back and the squad had to demolish a wall of the palace to put the fire off at the rear.

It is worth mentioning here that the building plans are approved by the Municipal Corporation Town Planning Cell. This fire incident has raised eyebrows on the working of this cell as the building was constructed without having any provision for rear exit. And all these years since construction of the building no objection was raised by any official.

Intriguingly, none of the skyscrapers in the city, including the government buildings, hotels and commercial complexes have ever been checked for fire-safety measures. Builders of these buildings, mushrooming all over the city now, do not bother to leave space for the mandatory fire safety requirements in order to exploit every inch of the area.

Enquiries have revealed that most of the marriage palaces and high- rise buildings in the city have not taken the mandatory No-objection certificate from the Fire Department which is a must for all such buildings. The fact was admitted by Mr Kartar Singh.

He admitted that he could not provide the list of such buildings, as the office did not maintain a list. He also admitted that though the Fire Safety Act extends to the municipal limits of Ludhiana, but no exercise has been conducted to certify whether the buildings abide by the mandatory legal requirements. He said that he had joined here a year ago only and was not in a position to say anything about his predecessors.

He also said that nobody was sure whether these buildings had the essential fire-extinguishers. He said as per his knowledge, most of the fire-extinguishing cylinders had not been refilled by the owners since their instalment.

While the entire city has been shaken by the fire incident, the administration is yet to wake up from its slumber. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Aggarwal when contacted, said that he was yet to ascertain whether the owner of the palace had an NoC or not.

‘No rift between BJP, SAD’
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 29
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Minister, Balramji Dass Tandon today said that there were no differences between his party and the Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal on the issue of seat sharing for the forthcoming elections to four municipal corporations in the state. He also disclosed that the alliance was already negotiating seat adjustments with the Bahujan Samaj Party at all the four places.

Mr Tandon, while talking to reporters, claimed that the alliance between the BJP and the SAD-B was as strong as ever. He expressed confidence that the alliance will win all the corporation elections and the workers of both the parties were working hard for it. He said seat sharing will not be a problem since the leaders of both the parties were in total understanding with each other.

While supporting any move to weed out corruption from the system, Mr Tandon, however, criticised the Congress government for selectively targeting people under the pretext of corruption. He pointed out had the government been really serious and impartial in probing corruption, it should not have included the five-year Congress regime between 1992 to 1997 as “everybody knows that corruption had crossed all limits during that time”. In fact, he pointed out, the Punjab Public Service Commission Chairman, Mr Ravi Sidhu, had been appointed by the Congress government led by Mr Harcharan Singh Brar.

The senior BJP leader also sought to play down the differences within his own party. He claimed that this was simply a disinformation campaign launched by the opponents and vested interests. “Our leaders and workers have no time to indulge in dissidence as they are busy in connection with the corporation elections”, he claimed.

Mr Tandon, who served as a minister for local bodies during the regime of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, claimed that the alliance will seek votes for the “phenomenal and widespread” development carried out during the last five years. “It is for everyone to see what we have done...the development speaks of its own”, he claimed, while expressing confidence to win the local bodies elections.

Controlling mobs: cops on the offensive
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 29
Stung by criticism of police failure to control a violent mob in the wake of a macabre killing of an 8-year-old child on Chandigarh-Ludhiana road last week, the district police has decided to be offensive against such an unruly crowd in future and started special training of cops to meet such an eventuality in the future.

One such gruelling practice session of the cops was held at the Police Lines today early morning. Hundreds of police personnel armed with batons, teargas shells, masks and bamboo shields confronted a mob, who were also police personnel dressed as civilians. Stones were pelted at those in uniform, who not only saved themselves from incurring injuries, but went on the offensive to control the mob.

Highly-placed police sources said the police was practicing controlling a mob and other police techniques every Monday for the past couple of months. But ever since the violence occurred outside the Vardhman police station, the mode of training has changed. Now the impetus is to be on the offensive. “Earlier the police remained defensive and used to buy time to control the mob. Now the scheme is to disperse the mob immediately,” revealed a senior cop to the Ludhiana Tribune.

“Use weapons where lathis are required ’’ is what a senior police official told the practicing cops at today’s session. The message was to adopt step 2, when the first step was required. The official mentioning the burning of police vehicles and injuries to the cops, said in no circumstances would such ‘laxity’ be tolerated again. The official also said that the way the police was made to retreat by the mob last Wednesday, had brought a bad name for the Ludhiana police. The pockmark has to be removed, was the general feeling of the cops.

The training session also included as to how would the cops confront the mob from various directions and control them by dividing them. The cops were also trained on how to talk with representatives of a violent mob. The main line of training however, remains on how to disperse the mob at the earliest and to save police property and men.

The Ludhiana police is, incidentally, the only one in the state to organise regular training of the cops. The cops learn such measures in the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy Phillaur, but it was observed that the cops need retraining after some period to brush up the techniques.

The training also assumes significance as the cops have been at the receiving end of mob fury for the past several years. The main violent incidents witnessed in the recent past were blocking of Jagraon overbridge by residents of Islam Gunj in order to protest against police failure to catch a serial child-killer, blocking of GT road by residents of Chowni Mohallah, attacking the Haibowal police station over an alleged custodial death and blocking of Ludhiana, Jagraon road in protest of the killing of a youth allegedly at the hands of a Police Inspector, Gurmeet Pinki.

Exporters’ delegation returns disappointed
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 29
A delegation of the cycle exporters, which had gone to China's cycle show in Shanghai, returned yesterday with mixed experiences. The four-day cycle show was held from April 17 and attracted more than 5 companies from different parts of the world, and thousands of buyers and sellers.

According to Mr Rajinder Jindal, president, Engineering Exporters Association of India (EEAI), about 30 cycle and cycle part exporters from Ludhiana participated in the show. He said: ‘‘We had gone with a hope to get export orders from the buyers but were disappointed due to reduced prices by the Chinese suppliers. It has put more hurdles in the way of Indian exporters.’’

He claimed that at present the international prices of bicycle components were at the rock bottom level but the cost of production has gone up substantially in the domestic market, especially due to an increase in the steel prices by approximately Rs 1,000 per metric tonne.

Despite a cut in the interest rates, the Indian rates were still much higher as compared to capital cost of other competitors in the international market. The recent proposal to impose 4 per cent excise duty on components would further aggravate the situation, he said.

However, Mr R.D. Sharma, Managing Director, Safari Cycles, felt that though the Chinese manufacturers had reduced their cost of production, the Indian manufacturers were still competitive in the higher segment.

He said: ‘‘The average monthly wages of a worker in China are $ 100 or about Rs 5,000 as compared to Rs 2000, average wages in India. But their labour productivity is five to six times higher than ours due to better technology and mass production. The Indian exporters have received better response this year.’’

Mr S.C. Rahlon, president, Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), admitted: ‘‘Despite a decrease in the cost of production in China by at least 15 per cent over the past year, we still have an edge, but the Indian Government would have to support the exporters to maintain our edge.’’

Mr Jindal maintained that a delegation of the exporters would soon meet the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to demand the release of capital subsidy pending since June 1996, and to exempt sales tax on export items.

He said that a delegation would also meet the Union Commerce Minister to apprise him of the problems of exporters like high transportation cost from dry port to sea ports.

Trade unions for holiday on May Day
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 29
The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (Labour Cell) and the Indian National Bank Employees Congress have urged both the Union Government and the Punjab Government to announce a holiday on the International Labour Day on May 1 under the Factories Act 1948 and the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 to enable the industrial workers, government employees and the work force in the banks and insurance sector to observe the Labour Day and pay homage to the martyrs.

In a joint statement here Mr Balwant Rai Kapoor, president INTUC, Punjab, Mr Shiv Kumar Gupta, general secretary, INTUC, Mr K.R. Tripathi, president, INBEC, Mr Sunder Lal Mehta and Mr Hans Raj Gagat, secretaries, PPCC Labour Cell, have asked the government to review the decision of the previous government regarding curtailment of bank holidays on festivals like Holi, Baisakhi, Mahavir Jayanti, martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, International Women’s Day, Dr Ambedkar Jayanti, martyrdom day of Udham Singh and martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev.

The trade union activists have demanded restoration of all holidays for banks and insurance sector at par with the state government employees.

Meanwhile, the Moulder and Steel Workers Union and its associate trade unions took out a torch light procession commencing celebrations to observe May Day in the union office in Labour Colony on Gill Road here. The procession, which commenced from Gill Road, passed through Street No 12, Dashmesh Nagar, Arjun Nagar and Chet Nagar.

Addressing the participants, Mr Vijay Narayan, president of the union and other speakers exhorted the workers to participate in May Day celebrations and make the programme a success.

Prayer a day keeps ammo depot away
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 29
Several villagers of Jagraon sub-division, who are on one of the proposed alternative sites for the Baddowal ammunition depot, have been exploring every possibility, even divine intervention, to ward off the trouble.

Some villagers of Kaunke Kalan, Sawadi, Talwandi Kalan, Virk, Shekhpura, Garuhe and Morrkarima have organised akhand paths in gurdwaras to seek divine protection for their land and property. Villagers of Kaunke Kalan were the first ones to organise such prayers as the village is on the second proposed alternative site.

Villagers await the next move of the district administration on this issue and seek hope in reports that shifting of the depot is not certain. Some news reports had mentioned that, while the district administration had selected three alternative sites in the district, the depot officers had told it that there was no move to shift the depot. Sources said villagers didn’t know whom to trust when even local revenue officials were busy taking land estimates to prepare for the shifting.

The Army authorities had issued notices to persons living within 1,000 m radius of the depot and asked them to move out and stop all construction in this zone. In 2001, four marriage palaces were demolished for violating the Army orders.

Later, villagers demanded immediate shifting of the depot after some fires. Villagers said it was the depot and not they who should be shifted, a demand supported by people of Ludhiana, who, too, are scared of future fires in the depot.

MC staff also favour octroi
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 29
The Punjab Municipal Workers Federation (INTUC) has hailed the verdict of the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the abolition of octroi and has further asked the Punjab Government to reimpose octroi duty immediately, to save local bodies from insolvency.

In a letter addressed to the Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, the federation president, Mr Tarsem Lal and other office-bearers have observed that the decision to do away with octroi, taken by the then SAD-BJP government was politically motivated. “The move was aimed at pleasing a small section of traders at the cost of the development in towns and cities.”

According to functionaries of the PMWF, defect of the erstwhile ruling combine in the assembly elections was a virtual referendum against the unhealthy and short-sighted decision of abolishing octroi duty. “The urban population had seen through the real intentions of the BJP while rejecting the uneconomical, unwise and ill-mooted decision. Not only this the architect of the move, the then Local Bodies Minister, Mr Balramji Das Tandon also had to taste defeat.”

Mr Tarsem Lal further remarked that in abolition of octroi, the local bodies were denied of their biggest source of income and the retrograde step had adversely affected the development activities in towns and cities. In the octroi - less regime, the civic bodies were made to depend upon the government, even to pay salaries to their employees and developmental activities, including those related to basic civic amenities, had been put on the back burner.

COMMUNITY

Never ending woes of PSEB consumer
Manoj Kumar
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 29
The local officials of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) do not seem to have learnt any lesson despite the fact that the District Consumers Court has imposed heavy penalty and passed many strictures against them for harassing consumers in a number of cases over the past one year.

Dr S.B. Pandhi, a local businessman, in a letter written to the Chief Engineer, PSEB, Mr J.S. Grewal, has alleged that some of the officials of the board were threatening the consumers that they would be implicated in power theft cases through meter tempering and breaking of seals if they declined to grease their palms. Relating his tale of harassment at the hands of such officials, he said,‘‘My electricity meter was replaced on April 17 after repeated complaints of frequent sparking in 25-year-old meter. The old meter was packed and sealed in front of me by the staff mentioning that all seals were intact, and the meter was sent to the ME lab for routine checking. The meter was again opened by the ME staff in front of me on April 24 for checking.’’

He claimed that the seals were broken in front of him in the name of internal checking of the meter, however, nothing was found unusual. He said, ‘‘I was shocked when I was asked to sign a blank paper to prove that meter seals were broken. However, after my loud protests in front of the public, the officials changed report by cutting the word ‘all seals broken’ to ‘one seal broken.’ I declined to sign the report.’’ Later, he complained to the Chief Engineer, he said, who assured him to conduct an inquiry on Monday.

Dr Pandhi questioned the reports of the ME lab, saying that though the seals were intact in his case, but how one could expect a seal of thin metal wire to remain intact after a gap of 20-30 years. It was just a ploy to extract money from the innocent consumers.

He disclosed that it was a fact that the mechanical meters of the boards used to slow down after a span of 10-12 years, but the consumers were asked to pay for this technical fault. The move of harassing consumers, he said, has reached alarming proportions in view of the fact that the board is now replacing all the old meters byelectronic meters.

In his complaint, Dr Pandhi pointed out that he had voluntarily applied for the conversion of his domestic connection to commercial one, however, the officials charged an extra amount for the increase in load, considering that his previous load was 0.5 kw and not 5 kw, the actual one. He claimed that due to the inefficiency of these officials, he had suffered heavy losses, along with his neighbours, as number of their electrical appliances had been damaged due to frequent increase in voltage from the newly installed transformer in their neighbourhood. Despite repeated complaints no action has been taken, he said.

He urged the board authorities to take strict action against the guilty officials otherwise he would be forced to approach the court. He also alleged that the average minimum charges were not calculated on the basis of average electricity consumption over the past one year, rather highest reading was shown as the average reading, in some cases. Mr J.S. Grewal, Chief Engineer, assured him that an inquiry would be conducted in this case.

Social interaction meet-2002 organised
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 29
The social interaction meet-2002 organised at Master Tara Singh College proved to be more of a platform for publicising the feats of the college instead of discussing social issues as suggested by the topic. Not only was the audience and mediapersons left confused about the actual motive, even the Municipal Commissioner, Mr R.L. Kalsia, did not mince words in identifying the ambiguity of the topic and passed on the buck to the chief guest, Mr Rakesh Pandey, Minister for Printing and Stationery whom he asked to interpret the topic.

The Principal, Dr Madanjeet Kaur Sahota, welcoming the guests, informed the audience that from this academic session, the University Grants Commission had permitted to start a computer application course as an elective subject. She said, "About 80 per cent students from the economically weaker sections of society studied in their college. Mr Swaran Singh, president of Master Tara Singh College, had always helped these students. The students have been provided with free books. The college was fortunate that Two professional courses, fashion designing and information and technology, have been allotted to the college."

Mr Kalsia, commenting on social issues, said, "A huge deficit of 16 lakh females in the male-female ratio is mind boggling. It is a matter of shame that the prevalent female foeticide in Punjab would create a great imbalance in society. Students from this college should bring about a change in the mindset of the people."

He also said that the dowry system had assumed monstrous proportions and it was time that young girls and boys pledged to get married without dowry. If dowry was done away with, parents would not think of daughters as a burden. All education and degrees were useless if one was caught in the dragnet of drugs, he told students while asking them to beware of drug abuse. He further said that fashion designing was good, but it was not good to be slave to fashion. One should avoid extreme consumerism, he added.

Mr Pandey shared with students his memories of the college.

FAUJI BEAT
Pakistan achieves mastery in one-upmanship game
Pritam Bhullar

WHEN our 2 Corps moved close to the border but well within the Indian territory in the first week of January, Pakistan raised a hue and cry and protested to the American government that we were about to launch an offensive against it. Having detected the movement of our tanks in the forward areas and adding Pakistan’s apprehensions to it, George Bush warned us, nay cautioned us, putting it diplomatically, to desist from our offensive designs. This made us so jittery that we sent GOC 2 Corps packing. And this was the end of our “imaginative war”.

Now after four months, let us ask our government three simple questions: One, don’t we take all the relevant factors into consideration while planning our strategy? Two, why did we move the entire Army to the border, as never before, if we were not serious about launching an offensive? Three, was this “one act play” drama a political gimmickry?

Interestingly in the past few weeks Pakistan Army has constructed additional observation posts and concrete bunkers along its border and deployed tanks and heavy artillery close to the border. Pakistan Rangers have also built new cemented observation posts along the entire Punjab border. Why are we keeping this information under wraps? Why haven’t we protested against Pakistan’s sinister designs to America? How come that whether it is Agra summit, war diplomacy or cunning, Pakistan always scores over us? It seems we cannot match Pakistan in its one-upmanship game.

Reunions and raising days

Gorkha regiments of the Indian Army, because of having a smaller number of battalions, have combined training centres such as 14, 39 and 58 Gorkha Training Centres (GTCs). The 14 GTC is located at Subathu in the Shimla hills. Both the regiments i.e. 1 Gorkha Rifles and 4 Gorkha Rifles (GR), have five infantry battalions each.

An old customs that has travelled down from the British days is the celebration of raising days and reunions. While the raising day is celebrated annually on the day when a regiment was raised, the reunion of a regiment is held at a much larger scale after every four or five years. These are the occasions when the serving and the retired soldiers, some of them in their 80s and their families, meet the reminisce about their war time experience and the good old days.

The British officers who served in the Indian Army still come all the way from the UK to attend the reunions of their old regiments, irrespective of some of them being octogenarians.

The motto of 14 GTC is “Kaar hunu bhanda marnu ramro” (It is better to die than to be a coward). 1 GR celebrated its raising day on April 24, while 4 GR celebrated its raising day on March 11 and its reunion in 1998. Both the regiments were raised in 1815 and have an impressive array of gallantry awards.

Cockeyed planning

“When the Indian Army came here in July, 1987, the Tamil people welcomed it joyously because they expected it to bring peace... The Indian Army rained bombs on us and caused the disappearance of many young men”, said Gaya, deputy leader of the LTTE women’s wing, while addressing a large gathering near Batticoloa in Sri Lanka on April 19.

This reminds one our “ill-conceived” peace keeping mission in Sri Lanka, in which we suffered about 1400 soldiers killed and three times as many wounded. We went into Sri Lanka in July 1987, to bring peace to the island but we left in disgust after turning friendly Tamils into our bitter foes. This bitterness cost us the life of a former Prime Minister.

In December 1971, we liberated Bangladesh at a heavy cost thinking that we would befriend the newly formed country. Today that country is far from being a friendly neighbour. In the surrender of Pakistan Army in erstwhile East Pakitsan, we took 93,000 POWs. Ironically, our poor diplomacy forced us to release them unconditionally.

In October, 1947, we almost lost Kashmir valley at the hands of the tribals who were heavily backed by the Pak Army. But when our Army chased them out of the valley after suffering heavy casualties and was well on its way to liberate the entire Kashmir, including what is now called PoK, our diplomacy again let the Army down and the rest is history.

Will our policy makers ever mull over the harm that they have unhaltingly perpetrated on the country?

Tributes paid to social worker
Our Correspondent

Amloh, April 29
Tributes were paid at a Bhog ceremony on Sunday to Mr Jagjit Singh Dhumi, a renowned social worker and progressive farmer in the area, who passed away a few days ago at Sounti village, a kilometre from here. He always came forward for the help of the poor. His two sons, Pargat Singh and Nirbhai Singh, have been elected sarpanches of Anian and Sounti, the adjoining villages respectively.

Mr Jagjit Singh Randhawa, State Minister for Public Health, Dr Harbans Lal, State Minister for Forests, Mr Sadhu Singh, MLA Amloh, Mr Surjit Singh Rakhra, MLA (SAD) Samana, Mr Balwant Singh Shahpur, former MLA (SAD) Amloh, Mr Baldev Singh Mianpur, president Bharti Kissan Union, Mr Hari Singh, circle president (SAD) Amloh, Mr Zora Singh, political secretary, former Finance Minister, Mr Kuldeep Singh, political secretary to Public Health Minister, were among the persons who paid tributes to the departed soul.

Mr Sadhu Singh, MLA, announced the upgradation of Sounti School from Middle to High standard and Anian village’s primary school to Middle standard. He also announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh, one lakh for each school, for the construction of Dhumi Yadgari Hall. The Dhumi family, through the Public Health Minister Jasjit Singh Randhawa, distributed Rs 1 lakh for Sounti Middle School, Rs 1 lakh for the local gurdwara, Rs 11,000 for the Sounti Primary School wing, Rs 11,000 for a temple, Rs 11,000 for a mosque for Anian village, Rs 11,000 for primary school, Rs 11,000 for Shiv Mandir, Rs 11,000 for Baba Biram Samadh, Rs 11,000 for Bharti Kisan Union and Rs 21,000 for the gurdwara at Anian village.

Later, while talking to mediapersons, Mr Jasjit Singh Randhawa, State Minister of Public Health, said that the Public Health Department was going to launch a scheme to provide pure drinking water to the people in the state and steps would be taken to control the pollution spreading through ‘kutcha’ latrines.

Goraya tailor’s name in Limca Book of Records
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 29
Pawan Kumar Kailey (32), a Goraya-based tailor, has got his name entered in the Limca Book of World Record 2002 for designing and stitching a trouser that can be worn in 10 different ways.

Pawan, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune, said that with the detachable parts on several buttons, one could wear it like a normal trouser or a pair of shorts or convert it to jacket or shirt.

His other amazing creativity is a set of 35 jackets that he has designed. Each jacket is made of four different printed parts by opening back and front buttons. Each jacket thus makes eight combinations (4x2). He said,‘‘Take a pair and you can make 32 combinations (4x4x2). Take three of them and make 128 combinations (4x4x4x2).Go on and you can combine 35 jackets into 9800 combinations (35x35x8)’’.

‘Rich Dalits should forego reservation’
Our Correspondent

Ahmedgarh, April 29
Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, Member, Parliament, warned that if prosperous Dalits did not stop discriminating against their own brethren then the basic motive of reservation would be defeated.

While addressing a function organised by the local doctor Bhim Rao Ambedkar Society to observe Dr Ambedkar’s birthday on Sunday, he stated that communalism of any kind was dangerous for society. He blamed the educated Dalits for worsening the problems. He alleged that after reaching higher positions by virtue of the reservation policy propounded by Dr Ambedkar Dalits forgot their less fortunate brethren and did not let the fruits of reservation reach the downtrodden masses. He appealed to the Dalits to learn various vocations to earn livelihood instead of seeking white-collared jobs. Mr Dullo blamed the teachers, including Dalit teachers, for not caring about Dalit students. He inspired the economically well-off section of SC and BC classes to forego their claims in favour of Dalits from poor families.

TV shooting excites students, teachers
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 29
Alpha Punjabi Channel Team’s week long stay in Tagore Public School for the shooting of various episodes of its programmes added excitement to the busy schedule of the students and staff. Shooting of ‘Ekk Minute Diyan Khedan’ anchored by Joe Baath being telecast on Alpha Channel every Saturday at 8.30 pm attracted people and especially students of Tagore Public School.

Breaking the barriers of study schedules, students from various classes rushed to the school auditorium to participate in the programme as and when they were called. Children were crazy about the humorous style of the anchor Joe Baath.

The students were made to perform certain tricks in the form of games by in one minute. Many students were able to win exciting prizes. Even the staff of the school had the chance to participate in the various episodes of the programme ‘Sanjhi Peed’ which is telecast by the channel on Thursdays at 8 pm.

Issues like child adoption, importance of marriage, world of glamour, admission in public schools, were discussed among experts from different fields and the audience, consisting mainly of the school teachers.

All episodes were anchored by Sadhna Singh, an actress of the yesteryears. During this period the students had a chance to see how the TV serials were shot. The recently renovated huge auditorium of the school was turned into a Bollywood studio with paraphernalia like the huge cameras, studio sets etc. installed there, which were especially brought from Mumbai. The episodes shot here would be telecast on Alpha Punjabi Channel in the coming days under the names ‘Ekk Minute Diyan Khedan’ and ‘Sanjhi Peed’.

BUSINESS

UAE invites Indian investors to SAIF zone
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 29
More than 40 per cent of the companies out of about 750 companies, which have invested in the Sharjah Airport International Free ( SAIF) zone, are of Indian origin. There is great scope for the Indian companies to invest there, as the duty free zone provided an access to a market of 1.6 billion spread over Middle East, CIS, Africa and Asian countries. The business-friendly environment of the country assured all types of facilities to the companies engaged in manufacturing and services.

This was disclosed by Mr Saquer Rashid Al Quassemi, Deputy Director General of SAIF, here today. He was in the city to participate in a seminar, ‘‘SAIF Zone - A Gateway, where fortunes are made,’’ jointly organised by the (CII), Northern Region and Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mr Quassemi, said, ‘‘We are disclosed that the seminar was a part of the series of the awareness seminars to be organised at Jalandhar, Pune, Nasik and Delhi in the next few days. Though number of countries, including China have developed free economic zones, he said, but SAIF provided better facilities to them. It included inexpensive energy, competitive interest rates and visas for all staff.

Among others, Infosys, Godrej, Ashok Leyland and Zee Telefilms have invested in this zone. There was a great scope for the knitwear, auto-parts and agro-processing companies from Punjab, to invest there, he added.