Ludhiana, September 12
The police today arrested Happy, owner of Neel Kanth taxi stand, and a gunman of Shiv Sena leader Suraj Ahluwalia in the murder case of a taxi driver.

More than 50 residents of Chander Nagar Ward No. 31, led by Akali leader Shivtar Singh Bajwa, met the SSP, demanding the arrest of Suraj Ahluwalia, who allegedly shot the taxi driver, Kawaljeet.

The SSP assured them that action would be taken. Police sources confirmed that Happy and Gurprem, the gunman, had surrendered soon after the murder and were taken into police custody. It was after pressure began to mount that the police formally arrested them today.

Suraj Ahluwalia is absconding since September 5. The SHO, Division No. 8, Ravinder Singh, said raids were on to nab him.

Ludhiana, September 12
Not only the state excise and taxation department, but also the police is keeping a close watch on tax evaders. Alarmed at the increasing VAT evasion, the police has now started keeping a tab on offenders.

The police had recently found 24 firms forging bills, senior officials said. Fake tax identification numbers (TIN) were also being used to conceal their tax liability.

“We are now keeping a close eye on traders. The actual tax collections can be much higher compared to what is being disclosed at the moment,” the SSP, R.K. Jaiswal, said.

Several traders and agents were found to have presented bills in the names of parties that never made those transactions. Earlier too, instances of massive tax evasion were detected by the taxation department, in which hosiery goods were being sent by an agency using wrong TIN. A large number of traders were in for a shock when they were asked to furnish details of the transactions they never conducted.

The police has also asked officials of the excise department to be careful with their passwords in order to prevent any misuse. “On investigating details regarding fake TIN, we found that the company to which the task of managing these numbers was given, was misusing passwords,” the police said.

Ludhiana, September 12
With changing lifestyle, increasing nuclear families and tight work schedules, ready-to-eat foods are becoming popular in the city.

Various brands like MTR, Haldirams, Aashirwad and Verka have forayed into this segment. Working class is more inclined towards these ready-to-eat foods, as it takes just a few minutes to cook and serve.

The main reason why such foods are becoming popular is that they have very less preservatives added to them. With a majority of couples working today and having little time to cook food, these foods come in handy for them.

The range available in these foods is also handsome. Initially, only vegetarian dishes were available, but now non-vegetarian dishes have hit the market. This includes marinated fish, seekh kebab, chicken fingers et al.

However, the variety available in vegetarian segment is endless, which includes “dal makhani”, “palak paneer”, “chana masala”, “rajmah” and “sambhar” to name a few.

Verka also offers “saag” in the ready-to-eat category. The range of these foods starts from Rs 50.

Ashok Gupta from Rikhi Mega Mart, Dugri, said the trend of ready-to-eat foods was catching on and the working class preferred these as they had no time to prepare food at home.

“I am open to new tastes and already hooked to these foods. Though I was a bit apprehensive when I first bought a packet of ‘chana masala’, the moment I tasted it I was pleasantly surprised. One can never make out that the dish has been prepared one month ago. Very little preservatives are used in these foods,” said Navroop Grewal, who works in a private bank.

Another city resident, Jasbir Kaur, said “saag” was her favourite delicacy but since it was not available in summer, the ready-to-eat “saag” helped calm her appetite. “A couple of tins of ‘saag’ are always there in my refrigerator and I love savouring it during summer,” she added.

Ludhiana,September 12
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) will not provide power connections in unapproved or unauthorised residential colonies in keeping with a policy decision of the state government in this regard. Not only this, if such power connections had already been given through oversight or other reasons, these could be withdrawn as well. This was stated by member (Operations) of the board while addressing a news conference here yesterday evening.

He said the PSEB had initiated several measures to bring about a qualitative improvement in the power distribution network and the necessary infrastructure was being laid down to achieve this purpose.

In order to enable the board to determine the exact load of power, the consumers should also come forward for enhancement of their sanctioned load in accordance with their actual consumption under the "voluntary disclosure scheme", which would remain open till October 31. Both domestic as well as those falling under non-residential supply can apply for enhancement of load on payment of stipulated fee.

"The applicants under VDS will not be penalised for having additional load and they will not have to pay for the service line or new energy metre, the cost of which will be borne by the PSEB. However, extension of load for industrial connections will not be allowed under this scheme," Brar added.

Commenting on the acute shortage of electricity prevailing in the state which had led to extended power cuts in urban areas, he said with the paddy crop almost ready to be harvested, the demand of power from the agricultural sector had again zoomed up. On the other hand, power generation at some of the hydel projects in Punjab, as well as Himachal Pradesh, had been adversely affected due to low water level or other factors. He, was, however, optimistic that in the next few days, the situation would improve and the duration of power cuts will be reduced.

Doraha, September 12
The foundation stone of five mini hydel projects with 5.3 MW capacity, being executed on the bridge-cum-fall at Khanpur, Sudhar, Akhara, Gholian and Channuwal on the Abohar branch of Sirhind canal, was laid by Bikram Singh Majithia, minister for science and technology, environment, information and public relations, at Khanpur bridge today.

While addressing Akali leaders and residents of the surrounding villagers Majithia stated that the new hydel projects being executed through Abohar Power Generation Limited, the bridge- cum- fall at Khanpur with capacity of 11MW will be set up at a cost of Rs 12.60 crore, at Sudhar with capacity of 14 MW at cost of Rs 13.20 crore, Akhara with capacity of 11 MW at cost of Rs 12.50 crore, Gholian with a capacity of 8 MW at a cost of Rs 9.50 crore and Channuwal with capacity of 9 MW at a cost of Rs 9.20 crore. “Four mini hydel projects at Chupki, Naragwal, Tugal and Dalla with total 5.5 MW capacity were already operational”, he added.

Ludhiana, September 12
Scientists working on the lentil crop at the department of plant breeding and genetics at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have suggested that its seed should be treated with the recommended Rhizobium culture before sowing.

Lentil, a protein-rich pulse crop grown in rabi season in Punjab, occupies an area of 1.2,000 hectare with a production of 0.6000 tonnes in the state. The university has recommended two varieties, LL-699 and LL-147, for cultivation.

The scientists - Dr Veena Khanna, Poonam Sharma and Sarabjit Singh - said being a pulse crop, lentil was capable of fixing nitrogen from air due to nitrogen fixation nodules present on its roots.

They added that due to this reason, the pulse crops not only received nitrogen for itself but also enhanced the fertility of soil.

The scientists said the application of Rhizobium culture increased the grain yield by 12-15 per cent.

Giving details of the procedure for applying Rhizobium culture, they said the seed recommended for one acre should be moistened with minimum amount of water.

The contents of one packet of Rhizobium culture should be mixed with seed on a clean concrete floor and dried in shade.

The packet of Rhizobium culture should be opened only while use. The inoculated seed should be sown immediately.

They said the Rhizobium culture meant for lentil should be used only for lentil.

The culture should be kept at a cool place. The inoculated seed should be kept in shade. The culture, they said, was available with the department of microbiology of the PAU and the office of chief agricultural officer of different districts. 

Ludhiana, September 12
The so-called leaders of various students’ unions of colleges and universities, who claim to have done a lot for students, have hardly done anything in spirit. If students of various educational institutions are to be believed then unions were constituted just to show the muscle power. The union leaders have done nothing for the welfare of students. They feel in most of the institutions the “elected” leaders have failed to come up to their expectations.

Rajinder Kumar (name changed), a BA I student of Arya College for Boys here, said every year when the new academic session starts, search for new leader starts. To show more strength of fellow beings, outsiders and youth leaders of political parties also get involved. “The one who is aggressive, dominating and strong becomes the leader and others are asked to follow him. The leadership is just for name, not for students’ interests,” he added.

Majority of students, including girls, feel that leaders are elected only for holding strikes and dharnas. “We girls have no such leaders in our college. As compared to boys, we face lesser problems. There are no fights, brawls and indiscipline. If at all we have problems or difference of opinion with the management, we go together to represent our case. Most of the times, the problems get resolved,” said Geetika Sharma, a student of a girls college here, adding that leaders were supposed to reach at the core issues of students. “They should look that proper facilities like canteen, parking, sports, etc have been provided to others or not. The leaders must come to the rescue of needy and meritorious students. They are expected to do constructive work for students’ welfare,” she added.

However, refuting these allegations, general secretary of Punjab Agricultural University Students Association (PAUSA) Vikrampreet Singh said the students themselves elected leaders. He said they were chosen because they possessed leader-like qualities. As far as interests of students were concerned, the union highlighted problems faced by them to the authorities, he added.

“We organise strikes or dharnas in serious conditions, that too for students’ welfare. If the students face tough times at the hands of teachers or managements, we come to their rescue,” said Vikrampreet.

Ludhiana, September 12
The Home Science Association of College of Home Science, PAU, organised a freshers’ party for new entrants to the college today in Pal auditorium. Dean of the college, Neelam Grewal, faculty and students, participated in the function with an enthusiasm.

The party was marked with gaiety and fun in which the senior students presented cultural items for their juniors. Miss Fresher contest was organised on the occasion. Simranjit Kaur, Akriti and Cheshta Sharma were adjudged as Miss Fresher, Ist runner up and IInd runner up, respectively.

Ludhiana, September 12
Neetu Prakash, a lecturer, at Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, would present a research paper titled "Segment Reporting (AS 17): A survey of foreign banks working in India" at the Applied International Business Conference 2008, to be held from November 6 to 8 in Malaysia.

Ludhiana, September 12
The department of ophthalmology at Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) here capped the ‘23rd National Eye Donation Fortnight 2008’ by holding scientific talks in two colleges.

Assistant professor Dr Sandeep Anand spoke at the Government College for Boys, whereas a talk in the Government College for Women was delivered by associate professor Dr Nitin Batra.

Through the awareness programme on eye donation, more than 900 students of the two colleges and the entire faculty were apprised with the need and the importance of eye donation, the huge backlog in demand of eyes and their availability, wrong perceptions, myths and religious sentiments attached to eye donation.

Educative material, including posters, pamphlets and VCDs, were presented to the principals. The youth were motivated to contribute towards this social cause by pledging their eyes for donation, said the CMCH doctors.

Ludhiana, September 12
Vote politics has put the lives of a large number of residents living in Dr Ambedkar Nagar at risk as they have been left to deal with contaminated water and clogged sewer lines for the past three months. Their only fault was that they did not support the sitting councillor of their area.

Death of a resident of the area a few days ago allegedly due to gastroenteritis notwithstanding, the residents are still receiving contaminated water. The sewer lines in the street Nos. 6, 8 and 9 are choked and sewage is overflowing.

All this has failed to walk the authorities up from slumber. ‘‘We are suffering as we did not support councillor Harbhajan Singh Dang during the last elections. Now, we are paying for our act. We don’t know where to go,’’ said Dr Surjeet Singh, who along with numerous other residents staged a protest and raised slogans against Dang.

He said the sewer lines had been lying blocked for the past many days. Repeated complaints had failed to get things done. Stench was emanating from all over the area and the place has become a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.

He said water was getting mixed with sewage. ‘‘There is dirt in Ambedkar Nagar, Maratha Mohalla, garbage is littered all around and puddles of water have formed in front of Nishkam Vidya Mandir. The students studying there, too, are at risk, ’’ said Vir Baleshwar, another resident.

Out of 10 safai karamcharies posted in their area none could be seen cleaning the area. ‘‘We don’t see their faces for days together. We don’t even know where they go, ’’they added.

Councillor Dang, however, refuted all charges. He said the colony was an unauthorised one and he could not force the corporation to spend money on it. ‘‘Still I went to the area on Saturday and assured them that I would still get the funds released and they only need to hire labour. They did not do that, ’’ he added.

Dang on his part alleged that Dr Surjit Singh had a personal enmity with him on the issue of a park in Model Town.

Ludhiana, September 12
With dull looks and puffed eyes, these boys are struggling hard to accept the harsh realties of life. Often living life becomes difficult than the life itself for such those who are hooked to drugs. Disintegrated family system and immense pressure on the youth are the major reasons cited for the rise in cases of drug addiction. It not only weakens the man physically but has far reaching socio-economic results as well.

The inclination towards exploration and adventure pushes teenagers into this vicious web. It is during their teens that most of them start taking drugs.

The extrovert, pleasure seeking and highly risk-taking persona of Punjabis has led to increase in drug addiction. “The first high was really fun. I felt as if I didn’t have any worry in the world”, says Rajbir (name changed), who is undergoing treatment at one of the rehabilitation centres in Ludhiana. A student of MBA, he started bunking classes just to have a whiff of cigarette with his friends. Soon this activity took the shape of a group task.

But what is surprising is that Rajbir certainly does not fit the stereotypical profile of troubled and neglected youngster who turns to drugs as a form of escapism. He seems like an all-rounder, a good student who is also popular. His parents are doctors, who love him. He started consuming drugs at 18, almost as soon as he entered the college and saw his friends doing it. It was just for the sake of having fun and peer pressure that ruined his life.

“The nuclear family systems where children don’t get grandparents love and the immense pressure on them in the era of cutthroat competition are the major reasons behind the rising cases of drug addiction,” says Charankamal Singh, chief secretary, Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle, that also runs a drug de-addiction centre 
‘Aas Kiran’.

“We as a society are responsible of not only getting addicts treated at hospitals but also rehabilitate them. This is necessary because addicts can again switch over to drugs after treatment if society neglects them”, he adds.

Today a number of drug de-addiction centres have come up in the state. But, it’s seen that purpose of going to such de-addiction centres is fulfilled only if the patient is ready to shun drugs and combat with re-lapse chances. 

Ludhiana,September 12
Roads in Gurdev Nagar are in a bad shape and need immediate attention. The top layer of the roads has been washed away and huge potholes have been formed. Things have come to such a pass that underground telephone cables are also visible.

Despite repeated complaints, the municipal corporation has not responded. The road leading to a hospital in the area is in a very poor condition, giving a tough time to patients.

“Many patients who are in trauma have to travel on such roads. It is unfortunate that the authorities concerned do not care even about patients, what to talk of other people,” Dr G.S. Grewal said, adding that the road was also littered with garbage.

A few residents said travelling on these roads was a back-breaking experience. The top layer of the roads had been washed away during the monsoon, but the corporation was yet to recarpet it. 

Ludhiana, September 12
A spate of thefts of similar nature in different parts of the city has put the police in a tight spot. At least six cases of thefts have been reported from Udham Singh Nagar and Industrial Area during the past four days.

The nature of thefts suggests that some organised gang of thieves is operating in the city. They struck at three houses situated in Udham Singh Nagar on Monday. They decamped with a motorcycle.

A similar theft was reported the next day from Industrial Area where the broke open the locks of four shops located in proximity.

They also took away cash from a shoe shop and stole Rs 40,000 cash from a mobile store.

While the police is trying its best to nab the accused, the residents are alleging that such incidents are taking place since it has failed to keep a check on migrant population.

A senior police official told The Tribune that some organised gang of thieves who are aware of the city’s demography were behind these thefts.

President of the ex-servicemen welfare association Col Chanan Singh Dhillon has alleged that migrant labourers are behind these thefts. “I have been repeatedly requesting the authorities to resume the registration process of the migrants, but they have not heeded to my requests. 

Ludhiana, September 12
In order to reduce the heavy pendency of cases, the District Legal Services Authority is all set to organise a Special Lok Adalat at district courts complex on September 13 under the supervision of its Chairman G.K.Rai (Sessions Judge).

The District Legal Services Authority has constituted 27 Benches for hearing the litigants and getting their disputes resolved. Two Benches have been constituted at Jagraon, one at Samrala and one at Khanna. Each Bench will be headed by a judicial officer and assisted by a social worker and a lawyer.

Giving the details, Sessions Judge G.K.Rai said in order to avoid inconvenience eight enquiry counters have been set up for guiding the litigants. Apart from this, counters for drinking water and tea stall have also been set up. A team of doctors will remain present for any medical assistance needed by the litigants.

Judges have been doing the spadework for settling cases for a number of days by holding pre Lok Adalats. All types of criminal cases of compoundable nature, motor accident claims, banker and debtor disputes, matrimonial disputes, traffic challans pending in the courts, workmen compensation cases, civil appeals, cheque bounce cases would be heard. It will start at 10 am tomorrow.

Ludhiana, September 12
Pakhowal block prevailed over Raikot block 62-36 to emerge champions in the men's section on the second day of the annual Ludhiana district-level Inter-Block Tournament for boys and girls and the Ludhiana Panchayat Tournament for Men being organised jointly by the Punjab sports department and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), simultaneously at Guru Nanak stadium and Prithipal Singh astroturf stadium of the Punjab Agricultural University here, today.

In hockey, Pakhowal block in the girl's section while Dehlon block in the boy's section romped home victorious to bag the titles. In the girl's section, Kila Raipur block finished runner up while Raikot block secured second position in the boy's section.

In the senior men's section, Dehlon block, Sudhar block and Raikot block finished first, second and third, respectively.

In volleyball (girls), Doraha block blanked Jagraon block 3-0 to advance into the last four stage while Sidhwan block and Khanna block registered victories in their respective semi-final encounters to book berths in the title clash match.

In the men's section (volleyball), Khanna block beat Sidhwan block while Ludhiana I block outplayed Doraha block to set up the title clash.

Earlier, Ramandeep Singh Grewal, deputy director, sports, Punjab Agricultural University, inaugurated the three-day tournament yesterday in which a large number of partricipants are taking part.

Other results: weightlifting (boys- 50kg)- Kuldeep Singh of Khanna block 1, Sidharth Chouhan of Ludhiana II block 2; 56kg- Jagjit Singh of Khanna block 1 and Simran Singh of Sudhar block 2; 62kg- Prince Singh of Ludhiana I block 1 and Gurvinder Vir Verma of Khanna block 2; 69 kg- Vikas Thakur of Ludhiana I block 1 and Kishan Singh of Machhiwara block 2.

Kho-kho (boys)- Sudhar block B beat Ludhiana I block by 2 points; Jagraon block B beat Samrala block by an innings and 2 points and in the girl's section, Sudhar block beat Ludhiana II block by 39 points.

In kabaddi (girls), Pakhowal block outnumbered Sudhar block 57-22 while in the boy's section, Raikot block overpowered Machhiwara block 41-16.

In football (boys), Doraha block beat Dehlon block 1-0; Sidhwan block defeated Sudhar block 2-0; Ludhiana I block beat Machhiwara block 2-0 and Raikot block prevailed over Ludhiana II block 1-0. In the men's section, Pakhowal block toiled hard to overcome Machhiwara block 3-2.

In hockey (boys), Raikot block beat Samrala block 3-1; Dehlon block drubbed Doraha block 5-0 and in the men's section, Dehon block thrashed Doraha block 7-2.

In athletics, Rajbir Singh of Khanna block won 1500 m race while Ashar Ali of Khanna block finished runner up. In shot put, Simran Singh of Ludhiana I block and Harpreet Singh of Khanna block secured first and second positions, respectively.

In 100m sprint, Gurmeet Singh of Raikot block prove too fast to emerge a winner while Dharminder Kumar of Khanna block had to content with the second place. In 400m race, Dharminder Kumar of Khanna block came first, followed by Shivam Pruthi of Raikot block securing second position.

In long jump, Bhavat Arora and Amarjot Singh secured first and second position, respectively.

In the men's section (1500m race), Paramjit Singh of Khanna block and Jasmesh Singh, also of Khanna block, secured first and second position, respectively, and in the 100m race, Ajay Tandon of Khanna block came triumphant while Ramandeep Singh of Kohara block finished runner run.

Ludhiana, September 12
Vinay Kumar of Jalandhar and Amanjot Kaur of Moga have been selected to lead Punjab boys and girls teams, respectively, in the 20th edition of the Junior National Baseball Championship to be held at Kolkata from September 14 to 18, according to Harish Kumar, honorary secretary, the Punjab Baseball Association.

The names of the players are (boys)- Vinay Kumar, Vivek and Anil from Jalandhar, Shiv Kumar, Shamsher, Balraj, Rajdeep, Satyam, Gaurav, Prince Kumar, Karandeep Singh from Ludhiana, Hardeep Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Sunil and Kashish from Patiala, Avneet Singh from Mohali. Gurdeep Singh and Ravi Dutt will be accompaning the team as a coach and a manager of the team.

Girls- Amanjeet, Amanjot, Paramjeet Kaur, Karamjeet Kaur from Moga, Priya, Reema, Reena and Radhika from Jalandhar, Manpreet Kaur, Rosy Verma, Amandeep, Tanmeet, Heena, Sakshi, Shivani and Harsharan Kaur from Ludhiana. Amarjeet and Balwinder Kaur have been named the coach and the manager, respectively.

Ludhiana, September 12
Nankana Sahib Senior Secondary School, Kila Raipur, outplayed Raikot zone 5-1 to win the title for the second consecutive year in the boy's u-19 section of the Ludhiana district Hockey Tournament, organised by the Punjab education department, recently.

According to a press release issued by the school yesterday, Charanpreet Singh scored a brace, while Jagwinder Singh, Deepinderjot Singh and Amandeep Singh, accounted for one goal each for the winners and helped their team to romp home victorious.

The principal of the school along with members of the management committee congratulated the boys for brining fame to the school.