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TOP STORIES

Police ‘hushes up’ 1.6 lakh robbery
Ludhiana, January 22
If the Ludhiana police had its way, this incident of robbery would never have come to light. Every attempt was made to complete all formalities like conducting of medical examination, taking of finger prints, pressing a dog squad and recording the statement of the victim within one hour, so that no one could get a wind of the incident in which Mr Pawandeep Singh, a local businessman, was robbed of Rs 1.60 lakh early today morning.

Subscribers up in arms against cable operators
Ludhiana, January 22
With the cable operators trying to jack up the subscription once again, subscribers in the city are unwilling to relent this time with many of them threatening to get the connections severed, even if it means doing away with watching their favourite serials on Star Plus and many other paid channels.

SUNSHINE AT LAST: After days of foggy weather, two friends enjoy the sun in a park in Ludhiana on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Factory worker turns saviour 

Ludhiana, January 22 A three-day-old child is dumped in a municipal corporation garbage bin in the dead of the night in biting cold. This is not a scene from a Bollywood movie as this reality struck the residents of the city, when the child was discovered from a garbage dump by a passer-by on Tuesday morning. Good samaritan: Rajan, a factory worker, with a three-day-old girl who was found abandoned in a garbage bin near Domoria Bridge in Ludhiana on Tuesday morning. — Photo Pradeep Tewari

KIDNEY SCAM PROBE
PCMSA sore over SIT’s action
Ludhiana, January 22
Members of the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) have resented the action of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the infamous kidney scandal and urged the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to direct SIT to take strict action against all influential persons at whose behest the kidney trade thrived unchecked since the enactment of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994.

AFDR for arrest of guilty in kidney scam
Ludhiana, January 22
The Ludhiana unit of the Association for Democratic Rights (AFDR) has demanded immediate arrest of all those involved in the infamous kidney racket, including doctors, politicians, bureaucrats, police officers and middlemen.

48 teachers to quit PCCTU
Ludhiana, January 22
Fortyeight teachers of Arya College in a signed statement said that they were deeply shocked at the prejudiced working of the PCCTU and have decided to disassociate themselves from the present set-up of the PCCTU and its intriguing functioning.

COMMUNITY

BKU opposes privatisation of PSEB
Ludhiana, January 22
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has opposed the government move to hand over the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) in private hands, saying the decision would damage the interests of working class small and tiny industries and the farming community.

Cong men prepare to celebrate R-Day
Ludhiana, January 22
Senior Congress leaders chalked out a programme to celebrate Republic Day at a meeting convened by the District Congress Committee (Rural), here today. The party high command had earlier directed party functionaries to organise a function on the occasion where the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, Mr Harwinder Singh Hanspal, would unfurl the National Flag.

Panthic bodies flay death penalty
Ludhiana, January 22
Various panthic organisations have condemned the death penalty awarded to Devinderpal Singh, the main accused in the Delhi bomb blast case. At a meeting held here this noon, Mr Darshan Singh Khalsa, a former Jathedar of Akal Takht, and Mr Charanjit Singh Channi, convener of the Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat, said the sentence has alienated the Sikhs further after the recent acquittal of one of the main accused in the 1984 genocide.

FCI ‘palledar’ union alleges harassment
Ahmedgarh, January 22
The local unit of FCI Punjab Food Agency Workers Palledar Union (Azad) has alleged that the local assistant manager of the FCI, Mr K.L.Verma was discriminating against them.

De-addiction centre celebrates anniversary
Ludhiana, January 22
De-addiction centre being run by the Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle celebrated its 3rd anniversary here today. The highlights of the programme were passing of a resolution, distribution of prizes and release of a C.D.

Batalvi study circle to launch website
Ludhiana, January 22
The Shiv Kumar Batalvi Study Circle International (SBSCI) at its special meeting held here today discussed the forthcoming literary functions being organised by them at Punjabi Bhawan, Ludhiana, on January 30, 2003.

READERS WRITE
Inadequate parking facilities
THE growing number of vehicles and inadequate parking spaces are the bane of the city residents with Ghumar Mandi, the biggest and the most prestigious business centre, the worst affected. The number of vehicles swells to an unmanageable limits during peak office and business hours.

Dispensing (dis)credit A whiff of fresh air

Violation of building bylaws Set your house in order first

Community centre inaugurated Ludhiana, January 22 An ultra modern community centre, constructed at a cost of Rs 40 lakh at Mandi Gobindgarh was inaugurated by Mr Sukhwinder Singh Bhambri, president, Municipal Council, at a function on Tuesday. The community centre has been named as Nasrali Community Centre after Nasrali village, which being a part of the town now, had donated land worth crores for the project.

CRIME

Businessman’s wife ‘commits suicide’
Ludhiana, January 22
A 28-year-old woman, Monica, wife of a hosiery manufacturer, allegedly committed suicide at her Mandir Wali Gali residence in Taj Ganj mohalla last evening. According to information, the husband of the deceased was at his factory, while her mother-in-law had gone to visit her doctor when the woman allegedly hanged herself from a hook in the ceiling.

PCR cops nab car thieves
Ludhiana, January 22
Two car thieves — Jaspal Singh Jassa and Kulbir Singh — were nabbed by two PCR policemen after a chase, while they tried to flee in a Maruti car stolen from outside the old courts.

BUSINESS

Steel price hike threatens SSI units
Ludhiana, January 22
The small scale industry (SSI) in and around the city was passing through a rough time with yet another hike in the prices of steel by around Rs 200 to Rs 250 per ton during January this year, besides a rise in other input costs. The price hike has pressed a panic button with most industry, especially the small-scale units, finding it virtually impossible to deal with the increased input costs.

‘No hoarding of LPG  by distributors’
Ludhiana, January 22
The Ludhiana LPG Distributors Association had vehemently denied that cooking gas scarcity in the city had been caused by illegal stocks being maintained by the distributors.

Preparations on for Republic Day

Ludhiana, January 22 With Republic Day just round the corner, preparations are on for a district-level function in the Government College for Boys, notwithstanding the chilly winds. The rehearsals are going on under the supervision of the DEO, Mr Bachittar Singh, and the SDM (West), Ms Bhawana Garg. Stands under construction for Republic Day celebration in the Government College for Boys have become a bone of contention. — A Tribune photograph

Kumud shines in declamation contest

Ludhiana, January 22 Students of various colleges today participated in a declamation contest held at Government College for Women. Students take part in cartoon and portrait-making competition organised as part of the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Old Students’ Association of Government College for Women in Ludhiana on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

GPS holds paper-reading contest
Mandi Gobindgarh, January 22
Gobindgarh Public School (GPS) organised a paper-reading contest on “drug addiction among the youth” in the school auditorium. Two students from each school of Khanna, Mandi Gobindgarh and Sirhind towns took part in the contest.

Seminar on English pronunciation
Ludhiana, January 22
Correct and reliable pronunciation of English words is essential for effective communication skills. To highlight this point of view, a seminar on English phonetics and pronunciation was held at the Government College for Science Education and Research, Jagraon, which was attended by more than 150 students of undergraduate and postgraduate classes.

CULTURE

Mangal goes gaga over new documentary
Ludhiana, January 22
“The films of today are flopping as they lack a soul and a good story line,” said Mangal Dhillon, a Bollywood actor. Mr Dhillon was in the city on his way to Barnala. He was excited over the completion of his documentary ‘A Day in the Golden Temple’.

HEALTH

Seminar on female foeticide
Doraha, January 22
“If old people of the house decide to give up the use of drugs and confess it before the members of the family, the young too shall start thinking on the same lines and society will be finally able to look forward to an improved special set-up.”

SPORTS

Punjab eves win softball title

New SHO takes charge
Sahnewal, January 22
Mr Gurbaj Singh took over the charge as the SHO of the Sahnewal police station, here today. He was earlier posted at CIA Staff, Ludhiana II. Mr Gurbaj Singh expressed concern over the rising incidents of crime in the area and assured the people that no culprit would be allowed to go scot free and miscreants would be dealt with severely.