Ludhiana, September 17
Thieves struck at a house in Moti Nagar in the wee hours today and decamped with cash and gold worth Rs 17 lakh from the house of Subash Goyal, a shawl trader.

The thieves struck when the family was sleeping in one room. They unlocked the main gate, entered the bedroom where cash and gold ornaments were stored in an almirah.

They took away gold worth Rs 15 lakh and cash worth Rs 1.10 lakh. The family members said due to frequent power cuts for the past few days, the entire family of Subash Goyal comprising seven members, were sleeping in one room as generator could not take the load of more than one air-conditioner.

Amit Goyal, son of Subash Goyal, said, "After waiting for the power supply to be restored till 11:30 pm, we decided to be in one room. As my wife is suffering from dengue, we slept in our parents room."

The family could only know about the theft when Goyal woke up and found the lights of other bedroom switched on. He went to the room only to find out that the locker was broken and empty jewellery boxes scattered here and there. He woke up the entire family members and informed the matter to the police.

Gurdev Singh, in charge of the Moti Nagar police post, said forensic experts were pressed into service. The police has recorded the statement of the family members.

The family could not provide any lead into the matter. A case of theft has been registered against unknown persons.

Ludhiana, September 17
In contravention of the orders of the High Court and the District Magistrate over the dumping of garbage in Budda Nullah, the practice continues as hundreds of tonnes of litter is being thrown into it everyday in the Haibowal area.

The litter that is collected from different areas by private sweepers is being dumped into the nullah even as enforcement agencies look the other way.

The High Court had last year directed the Ludhiana administration to ensure that no garbage was thrown into the water body that finally empties into the Sutlej river. DC-cum-district magistrate Sumer Singh Gurjar had banned the throwing of dirt into it. The civic administration had even got several persons booked for polluting the water body.

The drive, however, died down. A survey of the areas adjoining Budda Nullah by a Tribune team revealed a number of rehris carrying garbage lined up near the bank of the nullah. It was being littered openly, thereby cocking a snook at the orders.

Deputy chief executive officer, zila parishad, M.S. Grewal called up the area sanitary inspector of the MC Rajesh Kumar and told him about the orders . The SI told him he was following the orders of the area councillor. He hanged up the phone after that stating he had no time.

Angered at the response , Grewal has decided to write a letter to the DM as well as municipal commissioner to make him abreast of the situation.

‘‘This is a sad state of affairs. I am surprised the way the inspector behaved. He should have known about the orders. Shockingly these people do not even take the orders of the HC seriously, ’’ said Grewal.

Ludhiana, September 17
The Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) today realised Rs 11.50 crore by the sale of 8 free-hold commercial sites in Dugri Phase II, through an open auction. The auction was conducted at GLADA office on Ferozepur Road here under the supervision of additional chief administrator S.R. Kler.

The highest bid for one of the six shop-cum-offices, each measuring 158.58 square yards that were put under the hammer, was Rs 1.20 lakh per square yard against the reserve price of Rs 94,500 while one of the two booths, each with an area of 22.69 square yards, fetched Rs 1.14 lakh per square yards. The eight sites sold in the auction had a reserve price of Rs 9.55 crore all together and these were sold at a premium of nearly 15 per cent.

Kler told The Tribune that in all, 10 SCFs and 10 booths were to be sold through the auction but in the wake of lukewarm competition among the bidders due to ongoing "shraadhs", which are considered inauspicious for investment in property, auction of four SCF sites and eight booths was withheld.

Among others present during the auction were R.K. Sharma, superintending engineer and Jeet Ram, estate officer of GLADA.

The bidders for SCF sites were required to pay an eligibility fee of Rs 1 lakh while those keen to participate in the auction of booths had to make a payment of Rs 50,000 to be able to participate in the bidding. The amount was adjusted towards 10 per cent of the cost to be paid at the fall of hammer in case of successful bidders while it was refunded to others.

According to terms of sale announced by GLADA, the sites were offered on "as is where is" basis to be used exclusively for commercial purpose. The successful bidders were required to pay 10 per cent of the price of site at the spot, another 15 per cent within 30 days of auction. The balance amount of 75 per cent has to be paid either in lump sum within 60 days of issue of allotment letter at a rebate of 5 per cent or else in four equated yearly installments along with 12 percent interest.

Ludhiana, September 17
The low demand has reduced vegetable rates by 20-25 per cent within the last two weeks. The downward trend, said traders, is expected to continue this month.

In the wholesale markets, the price of potato, which was Rs 10-12 per kg nearly a fortnight back, has now declined to Rs 9, while onions have recorded a downfall from Rs 9 a kg to Rs 7-7.50.

Cauliflower rate has reduced from Rs 30-35 to Rs 10-12 whereas green peas which were available for nearly Rs 40 per kg are now priced at Rs 30. Other vegetables that have seen a downfall in prices are cabbage from Rs 13 to Rs 9 per kilo, gourd from Rs 10 to Rs 7-8 per kg, lady finger from Rs 14-15 to Rs 10-11, brinjal from Rs 8-10 to Rs 4-5 and garlic from Rs 25-30 to Rs 8-10 per kilogram.

In the wholesale markets, prices are 50 per cent to 100 per cent higher, varying as per localities.

"There has been a minor reduction in vegetable prices. They had been rising constantly so it is a bit of relief. However, the variety is not much these days. I hope rates continue to reduce further or at least be stable. In comparison to last year, prices are much higher," said Sarita, a home maker.

Market traders said the downward trend was expected to continue till the end of this month. "Demand is low and supplies are normal which has led to this reduction. The rates are expected to pick up only around the beginning of the Navratras," said Amarbir Singh, general secretary, Ludhiana Fruits and Vegetables Commission Agents Association.

Ludhiana, September 17
Heavy rainfall in past few hours has played spoilsport in the preparations of farm fair, which is to be inaugurated at Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) tomorrow.

The preparations were in full swing for the past few days, when the sudden rain disrupted the whole exercise today. High-velocity winds, accompanied with rains, uprooted the huge tents, which were erected for various exhibitions, demonstrations and stalls in the main pandal.

Though the experts with agro-meteorological department of PAU said weather would be cleared by tomorrow, but the preparations were halted for over three hours today due to continuous and heavy rainfall.

As soon as the rains stopped, the organisers with several workers were seen on varsity grounds to take stalk of the situation. The workers said since all the tents and grounds were wet, it became more difficult to erect them again.

An employee of the varsity Jujhar Singh said they hoped to get a good response in tomorrow's fair. He said farmers got so much exposure during the fair that even rains failed to dampen their spirits.

The two-day farm fair with the theme ‘Save environment, save Punjab’ will be inaugurated tomorrow on PAU grounds by farm economist Dr S. S. Johl.

Field demonstrations, display stalls, exhibitions and other activities relevant to the theme of the fair will remain the attractions for lakh of farmers coming from other districts and states as well.

Stalls by different departments of PAU will be organised on the fair route. In the main pandal, an agro-industrial exhibition will be organised.

The programme of the mela will include technical tips by PAU experts. Farmers' queries will be answered by the scientists on the spot. Seeds of various crop varieties will also be put on sale in the fair.

There will be special stalls for the sale of farm literature and enrollment of new members for monthly magazines ‘Changi Kheti’ and ‘Progressive Farming’.

Dr Jagtar Singh Dhiman, additional director communication said the proceedings of farm fair would be broadcast live on Dehati Programme of All India Radio, Jalandhar, on September 18.

Besides, famous folk artists of Punjab, including Bhupinder Gill, Neelam, Sukhwinder Sukhi, Ranjit Mani, Nirmal Sidhu, Harpal Pali, Rode wale Kavisher, Hakam Sufi etc will present their programmes.

Ludhiana, September 17
Irked at the state government decision not to allow power connections in unauthorised colonies in Punjab, the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Workers Federation (INTUC) has threatened to intensify its agitation against the move which, it said, was against the people belonging to weaker sections, including employees, working classes and farmers.

Addressing a rally at the Model Town division of the PSEB here today, federation president Swarn Singh cautioned the government to withdraw the anti-people decision failing which activists of the district council of the INTUC, would hold a district-level protest march on September 29.

He also came down heavily upon the government for moving ahead towards the unbundling of the board and splitting it into corporations. "If the PSEB is disbanded and converted into corporations, the board employees will observe a two-day strike following an intensified agitation," he said.

Other speakers at the rally, including Kaur Chand, Jasbir Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Ganga Prasad Pandey, Baldev Singh, Daljit Singh, Prem Raj Tiwari, Kanwar Chand, Shiv Singh and Jarnail Singh, launched scathing attacks on senior bureaucrats in the PSEB, charging them with serving their political masters rather than addressing the problems of the masses.

They also urged the PSEB management to concede other pending demands of the employees like implementation of the pay commission recommendations, providing employment on compassionate ground, new recruitment to fill vacant posts and granting due promotions to the staff. 

Ludhiana, September 17
Mystery surrounding the disappearance of industrialist Vinod Adya deepened today with the police claiming that he had gone missing more than a month ago.

A police investigation has revealed that Adya had gone missing on August 12 while his family reported the matter to the police on August 30, 17 days after the alleged disappearance the industrialist.

While the family reported the matter late, the police too registered a case of kidnapping 15 days after the complaint.

Gurtej Singh, SHO, division number 6, said the family approached him 17 days after the disappearance of the industrialist. "We questioned the family members of the industrialist. The reason behind his disappearance could not be ascertained yet," he said.

The case was registered on the complaint of his son, Vivek Adya, who said there was no trace of his father since that evening.

In the meantime, SSP RK Jaiswal has assured that the police is quite close to crack the case. "We are questioning the person with whom he was last seen with," he added.

Ludhiana, September 17
The house examinations of undergraduate and postgraduate classes have started in various city colleges, but the postgraduate students of political science at Arya College here seem to be the worst sufferers. Due to the "adamant" attitude adopted by the management because of which the students have not been able to attend a single lecture at the college till date. They not only feel helpless, but are worried as to how will they cover such vast syllabus in limited time?

According to reliable sources, on the onset of new academic session, the management appointed head of political science department as an expert to conduct interview of candidates for the post of lecturer (ad-hoc) for political science. On merit basis, the expert recommended a UGC-passed female candidate for the post to teach post-graduate students. "But the management did not let her join the department. Instead, an ineligible candidate was appointed as lecturer by the authorities without conducting the interview. There has been strong protest by the Arya College Teachers' Union on the issue. The MA (political science) students, about 30 in number, have not attended even single class till date due to the stand off between management and the teachers," said one of the senior faculty members.

Heads of 10 various departments have written a strong protesting letter to the principal against the appointment recently. They were given an assurance by the principal that matter would be resolved in few days. "The teachers sat on dharna but to no avail," said another faculty member.

"It has been about two months now, we have not attended any lecture. We approached the principal, but nothing has been done. Our counterparts in other colleges are taking their first-term exams, but we have not even got the time-table," said a student of Arya College on condition of anonymity.

Dr S. M. Sharma, principal, Arya College, however, said there was no major problem. He said exams of all the post-graduate classes would be taken after holidays. "The admissions to post-graduate classes are still going on. There is not much problem. We will be able to cover the syllabus, once things are sorted out," he said.

Ludhiana, September 17
Department of extension education organised a ‘Kisan Goshti’ in village Dalla of Ludhiana district under the Identification of Farmers for Agricultural Development in Punjab scheme here yesterday.

Dr C. S. Arneja, senior extension specialist, apprised the participating farmers about the purpose of the meeting, adding that farmers should learn computer and encourage their wards for this.

Dr Anita Kochhar spoke on the importance of diet for children’s good health. Dr Tejinder Singh said through processing of cereals, many products could be formed that could enhance returns.

Ludhiana, September 17
Social science teachers of various government schools in the district seem to be divided on the issue of "Certificate of Teaching English" (CTE) test. While 42 teachers today appeared for the exam held under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), 400 teachers remained absent even today sticking to their earlier stand of boycotting the exam.

Teachers, who appeared for the exam today, said they did not write anything in the answer sheet as directed by the Democratic Teachers' Front, the teachers' body chief, however, had a different story to tell.

Jatinderpal Singh, a teacher, who today appeared for the CTE said, "I appeared for the test but did not write anything in the answer sheet as directed by the teachers' union. There were around 50 teachers, who had come to appear for the test, but gave back blank answer sheets just like I did."

However, Ramanjit Sandhu, district general secretary, the Democratic Employees' Front, said, "There was no pressure whatsoever on the teachers from the front to either boycott or give the exam. The teachers made their independent decisions and some appeared for the test while others decided to stay away. We respect their 
decisions.

The teachers had decided to boycott the exam on September 15 as they said it was of "low standard" and there was no need to take it as they had already studied and passed the content included in the CTE test. As many as 20 teachers had appeared for the CTE on September 15. Two more tests are to take place on September 19 and 21. 

Sanghol (Ludhiana), September 17
Having represented India at international festivals, Faquir Mohammad (61), a renowned Algoza player from Sanghol in Fatehgarh district is a lost entity as he works on daily wages to earn his livelihood.

Popularly referred as Ashoka's pillar by his friends, who worked on excavation sites of Archeological Survey Of India (ASI) in Sanghol, Faquir Mohammad is robust even at the age of sixty one.

Born and brought up in Sanghol, Faquir Mohammad learnt Algoza from his elder brother Ramzan Khan and started giving formal performances at the age of 15. From Jalandhar Doordarshan to AIR, the master performer accompanied by his singing partners Jagat Ram and Idu Sharif enthralled thousands of audience in Asian Games (1982) and Festival of India (1986) with his unmatched musical notes.

Thereafter, Faquir Mohammad was invited to perform at the international fests in Turkey, Egypt and various other European counties.

Hopeful to revive the tradition of “Algoza” in cultural gathering across the state Faquir Mohammad is busy passing his skills to young boys adding, "I don't want money in lieu of training the young boys in Punjab. But I expect my state to at least give me enough money to sustain my living as Rs 5,000 that I earn from daily wages on these sites is insufficient to dispense my duties of the Algoza exponent."

It’s no longer the made-in-China tag one looks for when it comes to attractive looking bicycles. As varied colours and attractive styles continue to capture the fascination of bike lovers, enterprising manufacturers of cycle are quick to cash in on this rage.

The latest to mark its presence are bicycles for all segments by Hi-Bird. This market player, which came out with 10 new models only two months ago, now has launched four more.

Aptly named 'Handsome', the bicycle for boys offers 21-speed in a double suspension frame and double-walled aluminium rims.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 17
Even after the formal conclusion of Chhapar Mela yesterday, thousands of devotees continued to visit Gugga Mari Mandir in Chhapar village, near here, today.

The bonus mela day, as known among the locals, saw a large number of men and women visiting the fair. As a large number of police parties from other districts had returned, the Dehlon police, found it difficult to control the unexpectedly large gathering.

As no untoward incident was reported during four days of the mega event, Ludhiana (rural) police chief Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, who is mela in charge also, appreciated role of the cops on duty in controlling the gathering. The smooth conduct of the event is also viewed as a success in view of the alert sounded after the serial blasts in Delhi three days ago.

"As the alert was sounded during progress of the mela, we were supposed to intensify security arrangement without creating panic among devotees. So, instead of giving it a form of a cantonment by deploying extra forces, we deputed cops in plain clothes among devotees and directed them to be more vigilant," said Bhullar adding that he had sent appreciation letters to respective circle officers for diligence of their staff. He recognised cooperation and preservation of the public also.

Meanwhile, organisers of fun-rides, ‘Maut Ka Kuan’, magic shows and mini circuses continued to do brisk business today also as children and women came in large numbers.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 17
Terming disclosure of factionalism among SAD leaders of the region at Chhapar Mela conference as deleterious for image of the party and its future, activists of the area have urged the party high command to take remedial steps in order to ensure success in ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

The party has already paid heavy price during recent civic-body elections, alleged the activists.

The SAD activists of the town and surrounding villages falling under Malerkotla, Raikot, Kila Raipur and Payal constituencies have urged Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal to impress upon leaders of the area to shun revengeful attitude towards each other and initiate coordinate moves to mobilise people in favour of the party.

If the present situation continued, the party would have to pay heavy price in Lok Sabha elections, said the activists led by Dr Kuldip Singh Bhullar, a senior SAD leader.

The activists apprehended that SAD-BJP candidates would face tough time if the Lok Bhalai Party, led by Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, entered into alliance with Congress and left parties.

Khamano, September 17
Senior BJP leader and Punjab chief of the BJP investor cell, Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal, in a statement condemned serial bomb blasts in New Delhi in which, about 20 persons were killed and several others were injured.

While talking to mediapersons, he demanded a stern action against such barbaric and cowardly acts of terrorism.

Fumed with the state of internal security and repeated failure of intelligence he said home minister Shivraj Patel should resign on moral responsibility as everyone had lost faith in him, including his own leadership.

He suggested that the government should design an integrated counter terrorism strategy that should look into all counter terrorism components, including intelligence collection analysis assessment, and coordinated follow-up action, rural and urban policing, physical security and crisis management.

He condemned the brutal and cowardly act of these heinous perpetrators and demanded that serious efforts be made by all political parties to formulate an integrated action plan to counter this deadly evil. He affirmed his condolence to those, who lost their loved ones in these attacks and appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 17
The Malaudh police has initiated a hunt for a power board lineman and self-styled Babbar Khalsa activist, Gurcharan Singh, who threatened to kidnap and eliminate his subdivision officer Ajay Garg and his newborn son.

Gurcharan, a resident of Akalgarh village in Ludhiana district and posted as lineman at the Punjab State Electricity Board office in Malaudh, has been booked under Sections 294 and 506.

The accused posed as an activist of the Babbar Khalsa while threatening the officer. The police is yet to establish if the accused had links with the terrorist organisation or had made hoax calls to put pressure on the SDO.

Gurcharan Singh had started threatening Ajay Garg after the latter refused to recommend revocation of his suspension orders. The authorities had suspended services of Gurcharan Singh after he was found guilty of misbehaving with the SDO during office hours.

The investigations, supervised by DSP Payal Rattan Singh Brar, revealed that Gurcharan Singh had developed hostility against Ajay Garg, after the SDO refused to oblige him by allowing unauthorised absence from the duty.

"When I tried to check his illegal activities and asked him to be regular in his duty, he threatened me with dire consequences. In an inebriated condition, he used unparliamentary language in the presence of consumers and staff members on September 4. The authorities, after receiving report on his alleged misconduct, suspended his services," Garg told the police alleging that Gurcharan had been torturing him mentally and physically since then. 

Ludhiana, September 17
Additional sessions judge A K Mehta has convicted two brothers, Harjinder Singh and Lakhvir Singh of Rampur village, Jalandhar, in a murder case.

The duo were sentenced to undergo rigorous life imprisonent. Apart from this, they were also ordered to pay fine of Rs 2,000 each. They were accused of killing a sewadar of Udaseen Ashram namely Balwinder Singh of village Neelon.

However, the court acquitted Charanjit Singh of Rampur village, Surinder Kumar of Gorakpur, UP, and Jai Lal of Jaunpur, UP, giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Two accused Ajay Khan of Badaun and Vijay Kumar of Samastipur, Bihar, had already been declared proclaimed offender by the court.

A case under Section 302, 148 and 149 of IPC was registered at the Samrala police station on February 27, 2002, following the complaint of Daljit Kaur, wife of deceased.

The complainant had stated to the police that on Feburary 27, 2002, they were sleeping in the ashram. At midnight, his husband felt pain in his abdomen. Then he went outside to answer the call of nature in the fields. She followed him. She saw that two persons were following him. Then they manhandled and shot him. The assailants fled away leaving his husnand dead there.

During the court proceedings, this lady identified the persons, who were convicted.

Ludhiana, September 17
The final match being played between Ludhiana and Chandigarh for the Katoch Shield was evenly poised as only 23 overs could be bowled and Ludhiana consumed two wickets after conceding 49 runs on a rain-affected day. The match was being played at the PCA stadium, Mohali.

On the second day of the four-day final, in reply to Ludhiana's first innings total of 141 runs, made in 68.2 overs, Chandigarh were 103 for the loss of six wickets after 49 overs.

Resuming at overnight score of 54 for four, Chandigarh lost two wickets when it started raining and the umpires had to call it a day. Both wickets that fell today were captured by Gagandeep Sing Toor. At the draw of stumps, Gaurav Gambhir and Anupam were at the crease with 34 and 1 run against their names.