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PSEB employees stage dharnas
Services hit on second day of strike
Ludhiana, May 7
Power services in the district were affected for the second day of the strike by PSEB employees. The appeal by the board management in various newspapers to call off the strike and warnings of invoking ESMA did not deter the protesters who did not report for work for the second consecutive day today.

Striking PSEB employees stage a dharna in front of their office in Ludhiana on Wednesday. — IV

Boy accused of killing stepmother caught
Doraha, May 7
A teenager boy, who is alleged to have murdered his stepmother on Monday at Majari village, 2 km from Payal, was caught by the Payal police today. Balraj Singh ‘Golu’, 18, is said to have admitted to killing Kuljit Kaur, wife of a former Sarpanch of Majari village. He will be taken to the court tomorrow.

Water, sewerage cess hike draws flak
Ludhiana, May 7
The decision of the Local Bodies Department, Punjab, to give effect to a phased increase in water and sewerage charges, both for domestic and commercial connections, all over the state has evoked sharp criticism from all sections of society, who feel betrayed in the face of the electoral promise of the Congress to provide these services free of cost to the urban population.

Fortnight gone, no roof on school
Hopes pinned on MP for grant

Ludhiana, May 7 Though it has been more than a fortnight since the roof of Government High School at Chowni Mohalla collapsed, no help has reached the school from either the government or any social organisation. All that has been done is a few visits by the education department officials and a few meetings of teachers with the VIPs. Students of Government High School, Chewni Mohalla, Ludhiana, sit in an open verandah after a roof collapse in the school. — Photo Pradeep Tewari

For once, they loved Mercury in May Ludhiana, May 7 The transit of Mercury across the disc of the Sun was watched with much delight here. Though many watched the rare phenomenon with bare eyes, no case of damage to the eyes was reported. The transit was visible last on November 15, 1999. Amateur astronomers viewing this celestial sight knew the dangers of direct viewing, so, they were using caution and looking through dark films.

A star gazer tries to behold the transit of Mercury through a film negative in Ludhiana on Wednesday. — A Tribune photograph

COMMUNITY

Councillor withdraws complaint, denies encroachment
Ludhiana, May 7
The Congress councillor from Ward No. 41 in the city, Ms Amrit Varsha Rampal, today said no encroachment had been made on the park in front of her house in J Block of Sarbha Nagar Colony.

Disabled to get more facilities  in government offices
Ludhiana, May 7
The administration will provide special ramps and toilets for the disabled in all government buildings soon. Directions have been given to the PWD to identify the government buildings, where ramps and special toilets for the disabled have not been provided so far. Funds to execute these facilities will be sanctioned under the Disability Act, 1995.

Minister clarifies on VCD issue
Ludhiana, May 7
Minister of State for Stationery and Printing, Rakesh Pandey yesterday claimed that his name was being dragged into a controversy in which he had no role. Referring to the photographs, in connection with the VCD issue, of some senior Congress leaders with Katty, released by the state BJP president, at a press conference here, Mr Pandey said the photographs had been taken at a social function which was attended not only by him but also several BJP leaders.

Canada increases immigrants’ quota
Ludhiana, May 7
The Canadian government has increased the quota for prospective immigrants by 10,000 for the year 2003. According to Mr Tej Parkash Singh, a representative of the Indo-Canadian Lawyers Association, the Canadian Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, Mr Denis Coderre, has stated that 2, 29,058 immigrants came to Canada in 2002 which is within the planned range of 2, 10,000 to 2, 35,000 immigrants, as announced in Parliament on February 8, 2001.

Uncertainty over fate of DCC chiefs
Ludhiana, May 7
The fate of the rural and urban unit district presidents of the Congress hangs in balance with the PPCC president, district Mr H.S. Hanspal, reportedly having recommended some names for the two posts. Both incumbent district presidents have been excluded from the lists.

PPCC cell units to be set up
Ludhiana, May 7
Mr Pritpal Singh Bishanpura, Chairman of the Panchayati Raj and rural development cell of the PPCC, has said a special campaign has been launched in the state to form district and block level units of the cell by May. This will help in mobilising party cadres for the coming panchayat elections in the state slated for June.

‘Women need opportunities, not reservation’
Ludhiana, May 7
There is a sense of deja vu among the people of the city after Parliament didn’t pass the Women’s Reservation Bill yesterday. Persons interviewed by ‘Ludhiana Tribune’ were of the opinion that it was unlikely that the Bill would be passed soon. 

Ramoowalia’s plea on travel agents
Ludhiana, May 7
The Lok Bhalai Party (LBP) chief and a former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia has urged the Punjab Chief Minister to meet the families of those duped by travel agents and fraudulent grooms in the state so that he could do the needful for their kith and kin.

READERS WRITE
Unjust tax on telephones
Telephone subscribers are deeply sore with the Punjab Government for imposing 12.5 percent surcharge on telephone rentals being charged by BSNL. It is an unjust move which has put an additional burden of nearly Rs 100 crore on the subscribers in the state. No other state government in the country has levied such an anti-people tax.

• Three hurt in road accidents

• Three injured in clash

• Taxation lawyers hold seminar

CRIME

Car thefts on the rise
Ludhiana, May 7
Car thieves in the city are having a gala time with little attention being paid by the police to prevent the theft of cars. The hot favourite among the thieves are new mid-segment cars. Earlier, the care thieves confined themselves to the posh areas, but police inaction has encouraged them and now they do not consider any area out of bounds.

Cash, jewellery looted from house
Doraha, May 7
In a case of daylight robbery yesterday, the robbers broke open a house and decamped with cash and jewellery. The theft took place at the house of Mr Subhash Chander of the Satnam Nagar area in Doraha when no one was present at the house.

• 160 proclaimed offenders held

• Five arrested for planning dacoity

Mobile telephone users feel the pinch of BSNL decision
Ludhiana, May 7
Thanks to the exorbitant tariff imposed by the BSNL on its landline subscribers making calls on the cellular network, people have started shifting back to the landlines connection. A random survey among various cell phone users revealed that most of the landline users preferred to call on the landline network only.

AGRICULTURE

PAU’s advice on honey production
Ludhiana, May 7
“Thanks to the efforts put in by the Punjab farmers, the state, now, tops in honey production, but more is expected from farmers to attain greater heights,” said Dr Amrik Singh Sandhu, Additional Director Extension Education (Training), of Punjab Agricultural University, at the second state-level function of the Beekeepers’ Club on the university campus here yesterday.

EDUCATION

PAU entrance test dates
Ludhiana, May 7
After declaring the dates of various entrance tests, Punjab Agricultural University has released its admission schedule for various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and diploma courses for the academic session beginning August 4.

New drug for stroke victims
Ludhiana, May 7
Victims of stroke can be treated with a new drug recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, if it is administered within three hours of the symptoms of the stroke. A stroke or brain attack occurs when blood circulation to the brain fails.

Red Cross Day today
Ludhiana, May 7
The local Red Cross Society will organise a blood donation camp here on the occasion of International Red Cross Day tomorrow. Ek Koshish, an NGO and members of the Rotary Club will participate in the camp.