Jalandhar, October 16
Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the city in an attempt to avoid any untoward incident during Divali.

Claiming this in a press-note issued here on Friday, SSP RK Jaiswal said apart from the special deployment of four companies of PAP and Commando Force, mounted police was already patrolling different parts of the city to check the activities of anti-social elements.

SSP said anti-sabotage checking was also being specially done at a number of special check-post laid in view of the festival of lights.

Interestingly, while no major untoward incident was reported from any part of the city, contrary to the claims of the SSP, almost no police personnel were seen on the main roads and bazaars of the city.

As a result, traffic jams became a routine in different parts including BMC Chowk, Model Town, Kishanpura Chowk, Sodal railway crossing, Ram Nagar railway crossing, Shekhian Bazar, Rainak Bazar, Jail road and Nakodar Chowk as no police personnel was seen tackling traffic jams.

Meanwhile, some NGOs, including Dastak and several intellectuals, appealed to the general public to avoid bursting crackers on Divali to avoid air and noise pollution. 

Hoshiarpur, October 16
The rising prices of essential commodities and the ongoing campaign of the state Health Department against adulteration, spurious milk and its by-products have badly hit the business of halwais during this season, especially on the eve of Divali.

Keeping in mind the aforesaid reasons, halwais have curtailed their production by 50 per cent and have restricted preparation of milk made sweets as compared to the festival season of last year.

Many persons, including social activists Amarjit Singh Amar, Harish Saini, Prinicpal Manorma Mohindra (retired), Roshan Lal Roshi, told this correspondent today that the recent seizure of spurious milk and its by-products and destruction of quintals of sweets, unfit for human consumption, by the health department had exposed the nefarious deeds of some of the halwais and traders who could go to any extent to earn huge money at the cost of health of the people.

A leading local halwai, Vishal, said almost all the halwais had prepared 50 per cent less sweets on the eve of Divali. There was little response from the general public in the purchase of sweets.

Another halwai of the city, on condition of anonymity, aid some of the halwais had brought bad name to their community to earn huge profits. Their act had tarnished the image of the entire community in the eyes of public. He appealed to the entire community of Halwais to throw out such Halwais from the community who had brought bad name.

Owner of a leading bakery Satish Sharma said the sale of bakery goods and dry fruits, packed gift items had been increased tremendously during this season. Many of the customers told him that they had switched over to the purchase of bakery goods and dry fruit gift items instead of sweets.

A leading Karyana goods merchant Sham Sunder said though the sale of dry fruits had been increased, customers preferred to buy dry fruits and gift packed items from bakery shops even on exorbitant rates but hesitated to purchase it from them.

Phillaur, October 16
In a dramatic U-turn, two villagers - Jasbir Singh and Sarabjit Singh - strongly denied that they had leveled allegations and lodged any FIR (registered at the Phillaur police station) against Block Youth Congress, Phillaur, President Tejinder Singh, his friends Ravinder Singh, Ajit Singh and five others, for attacking them in their shop in nearby Lassarra village on Wednesday night.

Addressing a news conference in Phillaur last evening, both villagers, in the presence of former Congress minister Ch Santokh Singh and District Youth Congress (rural), Jalandhar, President Ch Vikramjit Singh, produced their affidavits duly attested by the Executive Magistrate, Phillaur, and clarified that they did not file any complaint at the Phillaur Police Station against BYC President Tejinder Singh.

Both Ch Santokh Singh and Vikramjit Singh alleged that the SAD-BJP government was spreading government terrorism and warned to launch a large scale agitation if the false case registered against BYC President Tejinder Singh, who was also a member of the Lassarra village panchayat, is not cancelled soon.

Earlier, the Phillaur police booked and arrested Block Youth Congress, Phillaur, President Tejinder Singh under sections 452, 427, 323, 506, 380, 148, 149 and 120 B of the IPC on the charges of attacking and injuring a village shopkeeper Jasbir Singh and ransacking his shop in nearby Lassarra village last night.

Though Tejinder was nabbed by the police, no other arrest could be made so far.

Phillaur DSP Kamaljit Singh Dhillon, when contacted, said Tejinder was produced before the local Judicial Magistrate who sent him to the judicial jail for 14 days. Dhillon, while talking to newsmen here this evening, expressed ignorance about the fact that the arrested person was the BYC President.

When his attention was drawn towards affidavits given by Jasbir Singh and Sarabjit Singh, which said Jasbir Singh and Sarabjit Singh, harboured no grudges against Tejinder Singh and they had not filed any police complaint, the DSP said the matter could be inquired about later, and that he had no knowledge of their affidavits.

Amritsar, October 16
Two youths were killed when their motorcycle rammed into a truck close to turn of Bachiwind village, near Attari, this morning.

Pall of gloom descended on Bachiwind village from where both deceased hailed on the eve of Diwali. Family members of the deceased were inconsolable.

The deceased were identified as Jagjit Singh and Avtar Singh. Both of them were going to Baba Kuma Singh College, Satlani Sahib.

The police handed over the bodies of the deceased after getting the autopsy conducted.

Meanwhile, Gharinda police station managed to identify two women victims of the mishap at Bhakana Kalan where a minibus had fallen into a drain killing four persons yesterday.

Inspector Sukhwinder Singh of Gharinda police station, under whose jurisdiction both the accident sites fall, said the victims were identified as mother and daughter. Veer Kaur, resident of Nathupur, had been accompanying her daughter Somi to drop her at her in-law’s house at Attari.

The police took the help of gurdawaras falling in the area to locate the family members of the deceased. “The public address system installed at gurdwaras were put to use to know the details of the victims,” he said.

The bus belonging to Shan Bus Service was heading for Amritsar from Mahawa village when the accident had taken place on a drain nearly 4 km before Khasa.

The driver of the bus had lost control over the vehicle, which rammed into angle irons of the bridge and fell down.

Phillaur, October 16
A fourteen-member German delegation was the cynosure of all eyes during the International Folk Festival, organised by the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy in collaboration with the Punjab Cultural Promotion Council (PCPC) at the historic fort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Phillaur last evening.

Organised under the international exchange programme, the multi-cultural fiesta mesmerised the students and officials of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur.

Academy Director Rajdeep Singh Gill, DGP told mediapersons that such international exchange programmes are regularly organised at the academy so that students could come across the various cultures of the world.

German students from comprehensive schools of Nordenham (Germany) captivated the audience with the scintillating performances of Irish dances, Belly dances, Russian dances and Scottish dances.

Doll Dream dance by little girls from Germany got much applause. ‘Bagpiper Music’ produced by Happy German Bagpipers - Falk Paulat and Friedhelm - was another great attraction on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, PCPC Director Davinder Singh Chhina said “Folklore is a universal language as it brings communities and cultures of the world together, no matter what their origin, background, religion or faith. International exchange programmes strengthen the culture of peace, multi-culturism and international friendship.”

Folk Artists Lena and Anna described their Punjab visit as the most memorable one as they had enjoyed world class Punjabi hospitality during their stay at Punjab.

Those present on this occasion included Jatinder Singh Benipal, Jagtar Singh, Sohan Singh Soneela (international folk artiste), Rajpal Singh Raju and others.

“International Folk groups from Poland, South America and Bulgaria would visit Punjab in the first week of February 2010 on the Invitation of PCPC”, said Chhina. 

Jalandhar, October 16
Several functions were held at different hospitals of the city, under the aegis of the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists (ISA) to mark World Anaesthesia Day on Friday.

ISA Jalandhar president Dr. Ashwani Nayyar spoke about the importance of anaesthesia during different types of surgeries. WTG Morton demonstrated to the public for the first time on October 16, 1846 that a patient could be made unconscious without any pain, that is why World Anaesthesia Day is celebrated on this day, he added.

The success and development of a surgery is basically linked to the advancement in anaesthesia, he said, adding that nowadays people as old as 100 years and preterm babies can be saved by surgery only with the help of advancement in anaesthesia.

Speaking on the occasion, ISA Jalandhar secretary Dr. Lalit Garg said an anaesthesiologist is compared to a pilot who is responsible for the take off, flight and safe landing of the plane.

ISA also held a meeting with the representatives of IMA Jalandhar. It was decided to spread awareness among general public about the anaesthesia.