L U D H I A N A

Top stories | Community | Crime |  Agriculture

Education | Courts | Health | Sports

TOP STORIES

Tribune impact
DC orders probe into Sigma Hospital fire
Ludhiana, January10
Deputy Commissioner, Anurag Verma today ordered an inquiry into the fire incident at the local Sigma Hospital on December 8. He also directed the Municipal Corporation authorities to ensure that all public places followed the fire safety norms.

Paying for her parents’ defiance, she could not be born
Murdered couple cremated
Ludhiana, January 10
She paid the price for the defiance of the parents even before she could come into this world. The seven-month-old baby girl, who was in the womb of her mother, Amandeep Kaur, a Jat girl, killed brutally allegedly for family’s honour, could not come into this would due to rigid casteism prevalent in society.

Alert rail employee averts tragedy

Ludhiana, January 10 Alacrity shown by a Keyman of the Northern Railway prevented a major tragedy when he stopped a train on the Dhuri line, which had developed a fracture in the morning today.

An employee of Northern Railway points at the repaired line with clumps which developed a fracture in Ludhiana on Monday. — Photo by Inderjit Verma

How 75-year-old woman survived tsunami

Sahnewal, January 10 A 75-year-old woman, Gurdev Kaur of kanech village, 2 km from Sahnewal, along with her family survived the tsunami onslaught that killed more than 1.5 lakh people in India and several other countries. Gurdev Kaur is still numbed by the devastation she and her family witnessed and survived. She has returned to her village with her eldest grandson. She says she is still struggling to come to terms with the reality of the catastrophe till this day. “I fail to understand what kept me alive.” Gurdev Kaur narrates her experience of surviving the tsunami disaster at Kanech village near Sahnewal here on Monday. — Tribune photo by Sayeed Ahmed

Overcrowding in buses major cause of mishaps 
Ludhiana, January 10
The tragic accident near Polo Majra village, near Khamano, which claimed 14 lives on January 3, has exposed the tall claims of the Transport and Police Departments on the plying of safe and uncrowded vehicles on the roads and highways.

Health Dept to take action against unauthorised polio vaccination
Ludhiana, January 10
In a case which could at best be described as misguided zeal, certain social bodies were said to have organised polio vaccination camps in Jamalpur and Sherpur localities in the city on Sunday without any authorisation from the health administration here.

COMMUNITY

Duplicate note in packet bearing bank’s stamp 

Ludhiana, January 10 If you thought getting a stapled wad of notes bearing a bank’s stamp meant you got genuine notes, you might be mistaken. A city resident, who received a bundle of Rs-500 notes as payment, realised he had one duplicate note in the packet only when the other bank where he went to deposit those notes rejected it! Above: The bundle bearing the seal of Punjab and Sind Bank; (and below) The duplicate Rs 500 note in the bundle.

Villagers threaten to launch stir 
Mandi Ahmedgarh, January 10
Residents of Bhogiwal village have threatened to launch an agitation in protest against the trustees of a proposed polytechnic college, who allegedly had grabbed a piece of land. They have put up a tent in the land and have kept a fleet of tractors ready to plough the land.

Pathak chief of dist attorneys’ body
Ludhiana, January 10
In the annual elections of the Punjab District Attorneys Services Association (PDASA), Mr Amar Ashok Pathak, District Attorney of Ludhiana, was unanimously elected president of the state unit for the second consecutive term.

Seminar on gender equality marks beginning of Lohri Mela

Ludhiana, January 10 Participants at a seminar, organised by the Malwa Sabhyacharak Manch, on the inaugural day of the Lohri Mela gave a clarion call to the people of the state to ensure equality of male and female children.

Dr S.S. Johal presides over a seminar on gender equlaity, organised by the Malwa Sabhyacharak Manch, in Ludhiana on Monday. — Photo by Sayeed Ahmed

Plea to simplify provisions of service tax
Ludhiana, January 10
Members of the Taxation Bar (Direct Taxes) have criticised certain provisions of the Service Tax Act, saying the Union Government had not taken the industry and other taxpayers in confidence while framing the relevant law.

Poster against drug addiction released

Ludhiana, January 10 Alarmed at the growing rate of addiction among youths of Punjab, a unique poster condemning drug addiction was released today by Mr Rakesh Pandey, Minister of Technical Education, at a function organised by the Shaheed Memorial International Sewa Society. Mr Rakesh Pandey, Minister of Technical Education, releases a poster against drugs at a function organised by the Shaheed Memorial International Society on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

A proud collector of rare coins
Ludhiana, January 10
“My passion is to collect rarest of rare coins and exhibit them,” says 23-year-old Sanjeev Bagga. He started collecting rare coins at the age of 15 and today he has in his kitty a 3000-year-old Maurayan coin.

CRIME

65 kg of poppy husk seized
Jagraon, January 10
The Dakha police has claimed to have recovered 65 kg of poppy husk and arrested two women in this connection. In the first incident, Ms Kama, wife of Sodha, of Prem Nagar Mandi Mullanpur, was allegedly arrested from the Raqba area and seized 35 kg of poppy husk.

AGRICULTURE

Minister emphasises on diversification of crops
Mandi Gobindgarh, January 10
The stocks of levy sugar, worth Rs 270 crore that have been lying in the sugar mills, will be released with the permission of the Central Government. To reduce the scarcity of sugar, the Centre Government will also import sugar from other countries, said Mr Jasjit Singh Randhawa, Cabinet Minister for Cooperation Punjab, at the inaugural function of a marriage palace yesterday.

Farmers resent disparity in cane payment
Ludhiana, January 10
The Road Safety Week, launched jointly by transport and police departments from January 3, concluded at Nahar Sugar and Allied Mills Limited here yesterday. During the campaign as many as 160 reflectors were fixed on loaded tractor trailers.

Farmers stage dharna
Samrala, January 10
A large gathering of farmers led by Mr Netar Singh Nagra staged a dharna in front of the office of SDM, Samrala. While addressing the farmers Mr Baldev Singh Mianpur, criticised the government not making payment of Rs 200 crore arrears of sugarcane due to sugar mills for the past two years.

EDUCATION

Traffic Safety Week concludes Ludhiana, January 10 The district police chief, Mr Narinder Pal Singh, today urged people to take part in solving the ever-increasing problem of traffic in the city. He was speaking at a function organised to mark the last day of the Traffic Safety Week today. Addressing the schoolchildren, who were invited for a poster-making competition to police lines, the SSP claimed that as compared to past few years, lowest number of people died in road accidents in 2004. A participant in the painting competition organised by the district traffic police in connection with traffic week celebrations in Ludhiana on Monday. — A Tribune photograph

PCTE students shine in BBA exam
Ludhiana, January 10
PCTE students bagged first, second, fifth and seventh position in the university in BBA sixth semester examinations held by Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, in May 2004.

Prakash Utsav at Guru Nanak Khalsa College
Ludhiana, January 10
Prakash Utsav of Guru Granth Sahib and the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh were celebrated at Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women here today with great fervour and enthusiasm in the form of Gurmat Samagam.

SDP College celebrates Lohri

Ludhiana, January 10 SDP College for Women celebrated Lohri and the National Youth Day with great fun and frolic. Mr Balraj Kumar Bhasin, president SDP Sabha, and the college managing committee presided over the function. Mr Balraj Bhasin inaugurates the newly-built canteen at SDP College for Women in Ludhiana. — A Tribune photograph

COURTS

5-year RI in rape case
Ludhiana, January 10
The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr D.R. Arora, has sentenced Jaswant Singh alias Billa of New Shakti Nagar Ludhiana to five year rigorous imprisonment on charge of abducting and raping a 12-year-old girl in 1999.

Primary teachers to file writ
Ludhiana, January 10
Teachers of Government Primary Teachers Association, Punjab, met at Atam Park here today to devise plans against Punjab Government. The move of the Government to withdraw the higher grades of highly qualified teachers as fixed by the Supreme Court since January 1, 1986 were condemned by teachers.

SPORTS

Surjit Singh award for Bakdev Singh
Ludhiana, January 10
Mr Rajdeep Singh Gill, ADGP, Punjab and president, Basketball Federation of India and Bhai Ranjit Singh, general secretary, Gurudwara Mata Sahib Kaur, Jarkhar, have been unanimously elected the chief patrons of the Mata Sahib Kaur Sports Club of Jarkhar.

Khalsa college girls bag six gold medals in powerlifting
Ludhiana, January 10
The students of the local Khalsa College for Women, civil lines, gave a fine performance clinching eight medals, including six gold medals, in the Punjab Open Powerlifting Championship organised by the Sports Club, in the memory of Baba Ishar Singh, at Jagraon recently.