Ludhiana, April 1
Over 40 students of BA I of Gujranwala Guru Nanak College protested outside the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner's office here today against the non-issuance of their roll numbers by the college for their university exams.

While the protesters were not able to meet the DC, they raised slogans against the college authorities and registered their protest.

Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, the protesting students alleged that the authorities denied roll numbers to them, as they had not cleared the examinations held in December.

"But the authorities neither informed us earlier nor did they put up any notice regarding the same. We were informed just two days prior to the exams," alleged a student.

Another student added that the college authorities, had, yesterday, issued a slip in lieu of the roll number and had stated that the roll numbers would be issued today. "We have still not got our roll numbers," he said.

It is pertinent to mention that the students had protested on the college campus yesterday and the authorities had to call in the police to avoid any untoward incident.

Ludhiana, April 1
Inability of the drug control authority to regulate buying and selling of scheduled "H" drugs has given drug addiction an ugly turn as was evident from last night's incident, wherein, a group of drug addicts staged dharna outside a chemist shop, alleging that the chemist was selling habit-forming drugs to students.

However, the chemist shop owner Naveen Lamba counter alleged that the group of boys was demanding cough syrups from his shop and the chemist declined their demand. " As a result, the boys got violent and resorted to abusive language. Thereafter, the boys procured cough syrups from another chemist shop and resorted to violence after consuming the syrup. "

But what was more shocking was the role played by the cops as they instead of taking action against the hooligans asked them to leave the spot. They also failed to report the matter to the drug inspector, who is the regulating official in the matters pertaining to the sale of scheduled "H" drugs.

An area resident further complained, "These boys/men are regular visitors to this medical shop and have been buying drugs from him for years. But the chemist refused to dispense the drugs to them today and they resorted to violence. The boys demand for "sheeshis", the code for cough syrups," said the resident.

Lamba, the owner of the chemist shop, admitted to having sold habit-forming drugs in the past adding, "I used to sell cough syrups, tablets and capsules to the boys but have stopped dispensing them for the past six months. But these boys from Sudhar, Mullanpur, Raikot and other villages are troubling me to give them the same. The police is also not helping me in any way,” the chemist said.

Ludhiana, April 1
A day-long sensitisation workshop on HIV/AIDS was organised today by the Department of Microbiology, DMCH, and Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) on HIV/AIDS.

The progammme was inaugurated by principal of the DMCH, Dr Daljit Singh.

Professor & Head of Microbiology at DMC, Dr Raj Kumar, stressed that AIDS is a high-risk disease. It can be prevented if proper precautions are taken and greater awareness is made for those who are ignorant of the disease and its repercussions on the human body.

Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina, dean, Academics and Coordinator, Hospital Infection Control Committee, said the sensitisation programme will inform about the measures which can be adopted by everyone in order to stave off the entry of the HIV virus.

In his address, Medical Superintendent Dr BS Shah lauded the effort of department of microbiology in organising the sensitisation programme for the employees of the DMCH.

The speakers including Dr BK Gill, Dr Gautam Ahluwalia, Dr Deepinder Chhina, Dr Veenu Gupta, and Rachna Jain said that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) basically provokes an infection, which destroys the body’s immune system. AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is the advanced stage of this disease, when the immune system becomes irreparably damaged, engendering multiple infections and cancers.

In the early stages, a mild flu and swollen glands are typical. But the symptoms are often unmistakable when full-blown AIDS develops, added the experts.

It was stressed that everyday healthcare workers are exposed to occupational hazards through needle-stick injuries and, therefore, are prone to acquire the risk of getting various blood-borne illnesses. In the healthcare settings, percutaneous injuries are the most common form of occupational exposures and resulting in infection. Needle stick injuries account for up to 80 per cent of accidental exposure to blood-borne pathogens. 

Ludhiana, April 1
Students of Spring Dale Senior Secondary Public School have shown outstanding performance in the international science olympiad.

Navninder Gill of Class XI-B stood first. He has been selected for the second level examination to be held in New Delhi in April. Nine students have been placed in the first 10 ranks and have been awarded a wrist watch each.

Mirza Ghalib was not a popular poet in his lifetime. Ibrahim Zauq, the mentor of the emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, had dwarfed him in the royal court and Momin Khan Momin was his rival in the field of Urdu poetry. Now Zauq and Momin are seldom talked about, whereas, Mirza Ghalib’s popularity is on the surge. His relevance in the modern times has never been in doubt.

Strangely enough he has also expressed his views in his ghazals about crime and punishment, although he is generally regarded as a poet of love. He was aware of the fact that he would ultimately be punished in the presence of God. He had read in the holy scriptures that two angels accompanied a person throughout his life to record his good and bad deeds. The angel on the right shoulder recorded one’s good deeds, whereas, the angel on the left shoulder recorded his bad deeds. Since Ghalib’s misdeeds overweighed his good deeds, he was apprehended to be produced in the court for divine justice. At this treatment he protested:

Pakre jaate hain farishton ke likhe par nahaq
Aadmi koi hamara dam-e-tehreer bhi thha

(They have apprehended me on the basis of the writings of the angels. Did they record all this in the presence of a person from our side?)

In the divine court, he pleaded that he should not be tried summarily. He might have committed some mistakes in the course of his life, knowingly or unknowingly. But he had deviated resolutely from the path of blunders. On the basis of this confession, he says:

Na-karda gunahon ki bhi hasrat ki mile daad
Ya-rub, agar inn karda gunahon ki saza hai

(O' God, if I am to be punished for my sins, due allowance should be made for the sins I did not commit.)

As is well known, Mirza Ghalib made ironic comments. He made remarks with tongue in cheek so that their subtlety left an indelible mark on the minds of the readers. The moot point is that the poet is ready to undergo (mitigated) punishment for the sins he had committed. What if he had to undergo punishment for the sins or crimes he had never committed.

Unluckily, he had also been punished, not once but twice, for no fault of his. He was sent to jail on false charges that he had converted his house into a gambling den. When he was released from the jail after sometime, his term having been shortened by the intervention of his admirers, he ruefully exclaimed.

Hum jail mein jis din se gariftare-bala hain
Kurte main juein bakhya ke taankon se sava hain

(In jail I had been subjected to annoying experiences. During this period the lice have outnumbered the seams of my shirt.)

Mirza Ghalib was a lover of wine but he never craved for it for the sake of enjoyment. Rather he sought it for the concentration of his mind. Deep down in his heart, he was conscious of mysticism in his poetry as he says:

Ye masa’eelay tasawwuf yeh tera byan Ghalib
Tujhe hum vali samajhte jo na badakhar hota.

— NS Tasneem

Mullanpur Dakha, April 1
In a bizarre incident, the local Krishan Gopal Gaushala (Cow Shelter Home) was yesterday found burying dead cows in the dunghill in the back yard of the gaushala near the railways lines.

The lid went off when due to overflowing of water in the pits, the dunghill melted and the carcasses of dead cows surfaced. The stray dogs were seen biting the remains of the cow that had resurfaced. Angry residents of the area who are living in the stinking surrounding area gathered and raised slogans against the gaushala management. Pappu Rai, resident of Azad Nagar near the gaushala, said his son became ill due to the foul smell emanating and was hospitalised for 15 days and had spent Rs 8,000 on his treatment.

Kamal Chaudhary, Municipal Councilor of the area, said he had warned the Gaushala Managing Committee president to mend their ways and not to dispose of the dead animals in the dunghills as it was hazardous to the health of the residents here. But the politically and economically powerful members of the gaushala never paid heed to the request of poor residents living nearby.

Dr Bajit, the president of local chapter of Gau Raksha Dal, Punjab, termed the incident unethical.

Telu Ram Bansal, municipal body chief of Mullanpur Dakha said the management committee of gaushala had never sought their co-operation in the cleaning drive around its establishment. Moreover since the gaushala was illegally occupying the property of the Railways for disposing of the waste materials of gaushala, they were not in the position to maintain cleanliness there. However, on the demand of the resident living there , a JCP machine was forced into action and all carcasses were buried and salt was sprinkled on them so that the carcasses would decompose at the earliest.

Sanjeev Kumar, an employee of the gaushala, though confessed to have dumped the bodies of the cows in the dunghills along with fellow employees on the orders of Mohan Lal Jhanji, president of the Gaushala Management Committee, the president tried to express his ignorance over the matter and tried to dismiss the whole incident as a negligence of workers working there. He said he would inquire into the matter and would expel all those involved in the deed.

However, the investigation by the Ludhiana Tribune revealed that since very long there was no qualified vet on the roll of gaushala, which was against the norm. Moreover the local government veterinary doctor is never summoned fort the treatment of cows and once the cow is ill, the death is certain in absence of medical aid. When the employees of the gaushala try to dispose of the dead cows else where, the resident protests against the mismanagement of the gaushala. The management of the gaushala, therefore, found a novice way to dispose of the dead animals in the dunghill in order to avoid people’s attention.

It has also been revealed that many self-help voluntary groups tried to help gaushala run in an efficient way but the management committee always tried to wither them away on one pretext or the other. Interestingly, the management of the gaushala has never approached the government agencies for aid as given to other gaushalas till date.

Ludhiana, April 1
Customers, who came to deposit money, were in for a shock after public sector banks here charged them Rs 10 per packet (a packet contains 100 notes).

Almost all banks have money counting machines installed and it takes a few seconds to count the money, but still banks are charging money from customers.

The Reserve Bank of India has not issued any notification or circular in this regard and all these banks are extracting money from customers without any consent from the controller of banks.

“The practice of banks is illegal and people will avoid receiving the currency of lower denomination,” said Badish K Jindal, chairman, Punjab chapter of the Federation of Association of Small Industries of India.

Suresh Aggarwal, a businessman said, “In India public sector banks are already charging higher service charges and other charges as compared to other international banks and now they have started charging fee even on the money deposit,” he said.

Manmeet Singh added that banks were not only charging Rs 10 per packet but if the packet contained notes of different denominations then Rs 10 was charged for each note.

When the world was reeling under financial crunch due to recession in 2009, public sector banks earned a net profit of Rs 34,319 crore. Further, these banks helped private sector banks earn a net profit of Rs 10,717 crore during the same period.

“Public sector banks have made their own rules and regulations. Important guidelines in respect of the MSME sector are being ignored by these banks,” added Jindal.

The Federation of Association of Small Industries of India has sent a letter to the Finance Minister and Governor of RBI in this regard. The federation has requested formation of a regular authority of banking so as to monitor the rate of interest and other expenses of banks.

Ludhiana, April 1
As many as 21 weapon licence forms were sold by the police on the first day.Following the commissionerate system, the Commissioner took charge of issuance of arms licenses.A communiqué issued by the Commissioner's office stated that the applicant seeking weapon licence could visit the licensing unit on any working day between 9.30 am and 12.30 am.

The applicant could seek further information from the officials concerned at the arms licensing unit in the CRPC branch.

The Commissioner has also floated helpline numbers for the convenience of applicants.

Residents seeking information regarding arms licenses can contact at 95929-14816, 98155-54578.

Ludhiana, April 1
The clerical staff of Excise and Taxation Department today protested outside the DETC office.

The staff protested against the transfer of one of the clerks from district 1 to district 3. The said clerk was transferred as he allegedly misbehaved with one of the advocates who came to submit a form. The clerk refused to submit his form on the pretext of overwriting.

DETC Parampal Singh commenting upon the issue said they had been receiving regular complaints against the clerk.

“We will hold talks with the clerical staff tomorrow,” he said.

Ludhiana, April 1
The Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat and several other panthic organisations today charged the SAD-BJP government in Punjab with pursuing dual policies, especially those, which are not pro-Sikh.

A meeting of the body, which was attended by representatives of the International Dharam Parchar Council, Panth Akali Dal, Tarna Dal and Naujawan Khalsa Dal, felt that members of the Sikh community were falling victim to dual policies of the SAD-B and the Punjab government that was headed by junior and senior Badal, respectively.

Citing examples, Bhupinder Singh Nimana, convener of the panchayat, said on December 5 last year, the police opened fire at members of the Sikh community, who were holding a peaceful protest against the congregation of Ashutosh of Noor Mahal.

"On the other hand, just a day before (on December 4), migrants created a ruckus in Dhandari Kalan, causing extensive damage to trains, buses and other government property. In this case, the government not only granted compensation to the migrants, but went on to constitute a Pravasi Bhalai Board (Migrants Welfare Board) with Ram Charan Yadav as its chairman," the members at the meeting noted with anguish.

Nimana said while the Sikh victims of the police repression were still nursing their wounds without any word of sympathy from the SAD-B or the government, Punjab Minister For Jails, Cultural Affairs and Tourism Hira Singh Gabria along with former minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia were personally present at the installation of Yadav as the chairman of the "Pravasi Bhalai Board" in Chandigarh a couple of days back.

Ludhiana, April 1
The city celebrated All Fools’ Day today. Playing practical pranks, sending someone on fool’s errands, making hoax calls and forwarding fictitious SMSes marked the humour, laughter and enjoyment-filled day.

Although not a festival in its own right, the day was, however, celebrated in no less a way by enthusiastic city residents who went all out to make the day a memorable one.

Unsuspecting friends, family members, neighbours and even enemies were not spared when it came to befooling the gullible and enjoying the ensuing mirth.

The ingenuity of hoaxers found new dimensions as they invented interesting stories to dupe their near and dear ones.

Gleeful screams of “April Fool” echoed in every nook and corner of the city as the stars of the day, the “fools”, turned red-faced, having believed a hoax to be true.

“The funniest and probably the most popular SMS doing the rounds in the city was about a public holiday being declared today in view of the sad demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s wife,” said Deepa Dutta, a housewife.

Another city resident Harsh Mehta added, “The fact that Vajpayee is a bachelor is no secret but the SMS misled quite a few. My mother got late for her office today, as she believed the SMS to be true, till one of her colleagues called up to tell her that he had played a Fools’ Day prank on her.” He added that numerous similar messages and calls were made by city residents to associates.

Quite interestingly, newspaper offices of the city, too, were flooded with hoax calls and amusing visitors.

On the occasion, numerous private Fools’ Day parties were held across the city, wherein all the “victims” as well as “tormentors” got together to celebrate foolery with aplomb. Some schools, too, hosted similar parties and celebrations. 

Ahmedgarh, April 1
A tragedy was averted due to the alertness of the driver of a private bus carrying passengers from this town to Ludhiana this morning.Had the bus collided with a tempo coming from the opposite side, over 60 passengers travelling in two vehicles could have sustained injuries.

The tempo had overturned after its right side tyre burst suddenly.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Investigations revealed that the driver of the private bus, plying on the Malerkotla-Ludhiana road near Gopalpur village, had saved his vehicle from colliding with the tempo coming from the opposite side by applying sudden brakes.

The tempo, number PB-13-E-4807, loaded with heavy paper rolls, was on its way to Malerkotla when its tyre on the right side burst suddenly.

The driver, identified as Imran Khan, lost control over the vehicle, which overturned due to broken central verge.

The occupants of the tempo were rescued by passersby, including passengers, travelling in the bus which had stopped just near the accident site.

Eye-witnesses claimed that many would have been hurt seriously had the bus driver been not alert. 

Ludhiana, April 1
The Public Information Officials (PIO) from the government departments today attended a seminar on the technicalities of the RTI Act organised by the Regional centre of Mahatama Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration.

Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari in his inaugural address called upon the PIOs to dispense all the relevant information to the public so as to bring transparency in the working of respective departments.

Regional project director of Mahatama Gandhi Institute of Public Administration, Punjab, SK Ahluwalia advised the officials to send prompt replies to the letters sent by appellants adding, "Each one of you should dare to defy the politicians, ministers and even the Chief Minister, Punjab, if their verdict comes in your way of working in the public benefit. Most of the times, the ministers make calls to oblige the people sitting in front of them but they can't force the officials to do things their way,"

A labour inspector (PIO) while sharing his grievance stated that a person asked him for the detailed information on a brick kiln and complained to the RTI Commission when denied information as it was not available with the department.

Another official from the DC office said that it was difficult for him to order his seniors to give information asked by the applicants. "I am at the receiving end as people go to the extent of hurling abuses and getting personal," rued the official

He further stated that Public Information Officers take RTI Act as a burden as they have not gone through the act thoroughly. "Once you know the intricacies of the Act, more than 50 per cent of the replies can be dealt with ease and at the earliest. The RTI application should not scare PIOs but it should be taken as a challenge to provide rightful information to the Indian citizen as per the constitutional right," Ahluwalia voiced. 

Ludhiana, April 1
Sun has barely begun to make its presence felt and all the fashion conscious people of the city are seen flaunting their big-sized, retro style sunglasses with much ado.

This year, the vintage look in sunglasses is back. Bright-hued oversized shades decorated with assorted embellishments are the latest rage. The styles are chic and big and the frames are as catchy as can be.

Brands of course rate quite high on the priority list of city's stylish men and women who swear by nothing less than Oakley, Ray-Ban, Bennetton, Fastrack, Aviator, Dior, Armani and Gucci. The reasonable versions, however, continue to rule the roost for the fact that they are quite easy on the pocket. "Colours are very in this summer. Presently, the fashion has gone back to the 50s and 60s: round, multi-coloured, blazing and combined material glasses are in vogue," says Sonu Gandhi, a leading local fashion designer.

Gandhi added that the catch word is "big". "And colours will definitely make their presence felt in a major way. Pinks, reds, wines, blues are the colours of the season while white is going to be the queen in shades," informed the designer, adding that active, bright colours are also dominating the new collections of all famous designers. However, classic shades such as black, brown and beige never go out of style, revealed Raminder Singh, a local optical store owner. "Plus, these are the colours for men. Women of course can experiment with reds and pinks," he said. He informed that aviators still are the most-wanted style for men.

Another fashion stylist Harpriya Singh, adds, "The emergence of sunglasses as a fashion accessory has perhaps found its zenith with men and women alike, paying much attention to the styles, hues and latest trends in shades they sport."

Harpriya remarked that apart from size and colours, great attention is also being paid to high-quality lenses. The emergence of massive-shaped glasses does not mean a death knell for the small-sized classic models. The shapes, however, have undergone a sea change over the past few years.

So if you haven't a pair, rush to the nearest optical store and grab not one but atleast a few, if you want to make a real style statement with your shades this season. And, don't wait for the sun to blaze like a fireball to buy a new pair of sunglasses. For, summer is already here and this is the perfect time to get in the mood. Expert advice on the style to suit one’s face, provide protection from sun rays as well as oomph factor, will only add to the chic look. 

Ludhiana, April 1
After conducting trials twice to select players for the upcoming first World Kabaddi Cup slated to be held at different venues across the state from April 3 to 12, the Punjab Kabaddi Association finally announced the Indian contingent today.

The association with the help of the Punjab sports department organised trials on March 20 and March 27 to select the probables for the mega event.

Players were examined and as expected a total of 13 out of 29 players, whose samples were collected during the trials on March 20, and three out of 17 players, who underwwnt trials on March 27, were found positive for adverse analytical findings.

Finally, a list of 24 probables was pruned for the coaching camp held on the Punjab Agricultural University campus.

After the camp, these probables attended the final trials at Guru Nanak Stadium today.

The selection panel, including Devi Dyal, principal, Sarwan Singh, Harpreet Singh Bawa, Balbir Singh Bittu and Gurdeep Singh Malhi supervised these probables before finalising the Indian contingent for the tournament.

Later, SS Maluka, president of the association, released the list of selected players at a press conference held today. Mangat Singh Mangi Bagga (stopper) was named captain of the Indian team, while raider Harvinder Singh Dulla Surakhpuria will be his deputy.

Other members of the team are Balwinder Singh Kaka, Gulzar Singh Moonak, Sandeep Singh Surkhpuria, Sukhbir Singh Sarava, Harinder Singh Nikka, Lakhvinder Singh Laddi (all raiders), Khushdeep Singh Dirba, Hardeep Singh Dhillon, Karamjeet Karmi Baharwal, Sukha Bhandal, Jagsir Singh Seera, Narinder Ram Bittu Dhumal (all stoppers),

Kartar Singh Hariana (stand by), Harjinder Singh Bhatto (raiders), Narpinder Singh Dhadiariwala and Ajit Pal Singh Lally (stoppers).

Meanwhile, team from Norway has conveyed its inability to take part in the tournament. This was informed by Pargat Singh, director, sports, Punjab, and organising secretary of the meet.

Now, nine teams namley the USA, Australia, Italy, Iran, Pakistan, Canada, United Kingdom and Spain, besides hosts India will be seen in action during this prize money tournament.

The winners will pocket a cash prize of Rs 1 crore, while the runners-up will receive a cash prize of Rs 51 lakh.

The inaugural ceremony will be held at YPS Stadium, Patiala, on April 3 and the closing function will be organised at Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana, on April 12.

Mandi Gobindgarh, April 1
The two-day annual sports meet 2010 of the RIMT Group of Institutes concluded here today.

It was inaugurated by District Police Chief Gurpreet Singh Gill yesterday.

RIMT chairman Hukam Chand Bansal appreciated the efforts of sportspersons.

He said it was important for players to remain physically fit.

Results: Women: 50m race: Prabhjot 1, Manbir Kaur 2 and Shefali 3; 100m race: Kanupriya 1, Shepali 2 and Khushboo 3; 200m race: Prabhjot Kaur 1, Jasneet Kaur 2 and Khushboo 3;

400m race: Sheetal 1, Khushboo 2 and Jasneet 3; javelin throw: Sheetal 1, Prabhjot 2 and Sanjali 3; long jump: Sheetal 1, Prabhjot 2 and Archana 3; shot put: Komal 1, Priya 2 and Akanksha 3; discuss throw: Navleen 1, Akanksha 2 and Khushboo 3.

Men: 50m race: Maneet Sharma 1, Nitin Verma 2 and Karan Khurana 3; 100m race: Maneet 1, Nitin Verma 2 and Sorav 3; 200m race: Minit Sharma 1, Sukhjeet 2 and Nitin 3; 400m race: Mandeep Singh 1, Amit 2 and Manveer Singh 3;

800m race: Jagdeep Singh 1, Vikram Singh 2 and Karan 3; 1,500m race: Jagdeep Singh 1, Harpreet Singh 2 and Vikram Singh 3; 5,000m: Vikram Singh 1, Sukhdeep Singh 2 and Pomesh 3; long jump: Himanshu Bansal 1, Sahil 2 and Sukhjeet 3; triple jump: Jagdeep Singh 1, Prabhjot Singh 2 and Sahil 3; shot put: Rajat 1, Sahil 2 and Puneet 3; javelin throw: Viney 1, Deepansh 2 and Rohit 3; discuss throw: Rohit 1, Karan Verma 2 and Jatin 3; high jump: Sukhjit 1, Sahil 2 and Aksay 3; dead lift: Gurpreet 1, Vikas 2 and Ankush 3.

Best athlete (men): Maneet Singh of RIMT-IMCT and Jagdeep Singh of RIMT-IET.

Best athlete (women): Prabhjot Kaur of RIMT-IET.

Mr RIMT: Amit Verma of RIMT-IMCT 1; runner-up: Pankaj Behal of RIMT-MAEC and second runner-up: Vikram Singh of RIMT-IET.

Overall trophy: RIMT-IET.

Best march past: BEd College of Education.

Jagraon, April 1
Harvest Tennis Academy trainees Rimpledeep Kaur, Rishab Dev, Jaspreet Kaur and Vishwesh Sinha stormed into the final of the girls’ and boys’ singles (U-16 and U-18) during the HTA-AITA Championship Series 2010 being played at Harvest Tennis Academy.

Rimpledeep beat third seed Ambika Pande of Tamil Nadu 6-3,6-0. Rimpledeep will now have a face-off with Delhi’s Riya Bhatia in the final.

Riya upset the second seed Rajbir Kaur 7-5,6-1.

In the boys’ singles (U-16), Rishab Dev overcame the third seed from Andhra Pradesh, SK Mukund, in 150 minutes 6-3,1-6,7-6 (7-3).

In the semifinals, fourth seed Fatehdeep Singh was defeated by eighth seed Aayush Mintri 6-7 (3-7),6-2,7-5.

In boys’ singles (U-18), Vilasier Khate will take on Vishwesh Sinha.

Vilasier Khate outplayed Rishab Dev 6-2,6-1. Vishwesh Sinha defeated seventh seed Manoj Sheoran of Haryana 6-0,6-1.

In the girls’ singles (U-18), Megha Sehrawat of Delhi and local girl Jaspreet Kaur will slug it out for the top honours. Jaspreet beat eighth seed Ambika Pande 2-6,6-1,6-3. In the second semifinals, Megha defeated third seed Rimpledeep Kaur 1-6,7-6 (7-5), 6-2.

In the boys’ doubles (U-16), Pranav and Sean Yip of Chandigarh beat Sushant Shekhar Mohanty and Arindam Dutta of NTA and the top seeds 7-5,7-6 (7-4).

Results: Boys’ singles (U-16) semifinals: Fatehdeep Singh (4) beat Aayush Mintri (8) 6-7 (3-7),6-2,7-5; Rishab Dev (2) beat SK Mukund (3) 6-3,1-6,7-6 (7-3).

Boys’ singles (U-18 semifinals: Vilasier Khate (NTA) (1) beat Rishab Dev 6-2,6-1; Vishwesh Sinha (2) beat Manoj Sheoran (7) 6-0,6-1.

Girls’ singles (U-16) semifinals: Rimpledeep Kaur (1) beat Ambika Pande (3) 6-3,6-0; Riya Bhatia (5) beat Rajbir Kaur (2) 7-5,6-1.

Girls’ singles (U-18) semifinals: Megha Sehrawat (1) beat Rimpledeep Kaur (3) 1-6,7-6 (7-5),6-2; Jaspreet Kaur (2) beat Ambika Pande (8) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3.

Boys’ doubles (U-16) final: Pranav Suri and Sean Yip beat Sushant Mohanty and Arindam Dutta (1) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4).

Boys’ doubles (U-18) semifinals: SK Mukund and Vilasier Khate (3) beat Aayush Mintri and Manoj Sheoran 6-1,6-4.

Girls’ doubles (U-18) semifinals: Jaspreet Kaur and Gundeep Kaur (1) beat Ambika Pande and Hasan Abdaal Dhanoa (3) 1-6, 6-4, 10-6.