Ludhiana, October 5
The miseries of city residents continued as the strike of safai karamcharis entered its second day today. Garbage could not be lifted from either garbage dumps or houses for the second day today.

The city produces 900 metric tonnes of garbage everyday and non-lifting of garbage is making it very difficult for residents. Garbage is piling up in dumps across the city. If the strike continues for a few more days, the city will turn into a virtual hell.

The Safai Karamchari Sangharsh Morcha Punjab, which has taken up the demands of the safai karamcharis at the state level, has stated that until its demands are met, it will not end the strike. Safai karamcharis are protesting against the contract of solid waste management going to a private company. The government is trying to arrange for a meeting between the safai karamcharis and the Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister, but it will be a few days before the meeting can be held.

Ludhiana, October 5
Easy accessibility to water tanks have made these a hotspot for protests. Be it employees of the health department or education department, water tanks are the favourite places for employees to mark their protest.

Yesterday, over 100 employees of the NRHM climbed the water tank at Gill village in support of their demands. “We spent last night on top of the water tank. About 20 women colleagues also participated in the protest. As Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal did not hold a meeting with us today, we have decided to spend another night here,” an employee said.

This is the second time that the NRHM employees have climbed the water tank. On June 8, they chose a water tank near Guru Nanak Engineering College and came down only after Health Minister Satpal Gosain asked them to hold a meeting with him.

Ludhiana, October 5
With Diwali around 20 days to go, gambling fever has gripped city residents. It seems to be the favourite pass-time and is already at its peak these days. Be it newly married couples, women, senior citizens or professional players, gambling has caught on in a big way. Stakes start from a few hundred rupees to lakhs.

Gambling is not new in Ludhiana, but the stakes cross all limits during Diwali. For “meagre” gamblers, it is a way to earn a few bucks, but for the wealthy, playing cards means having fun. Card parties or card sessions are being organised at various clubs and farmhouses these days.

“These are fun days. We go for late night card parties. We have a comfortable life and play cards only for fun. But yes, while playing heavy stakes, some do make a lot of money. Last year, a friend won about Rs 4 lakh in just one sitting,” said Gagandeep Malhotra (name changed), an industrialist.

Since gambling during Diwali is accepted to be a routine affair, even the police and the administration appear to be taking a lenient view.

A police official said on the condition of anonymity: “We can not catch the big fish. They are well connected and often politicians and higher officials are part of such card parties. Moreover, the rich play safe with counters where no cash gets exchanged. The maximum we can do is to impose a fine, but that will be peanuts for them.”

The late night card parties usually start at 10 pm and continue till 4 or 5 am. “I make my kids sleep with their grandparents before accompanying my husband to the card parties.

Though I don’t know how to play cards, I accompany him to ensure that he plays safe. We have kept a separate amount for cards and we do not want to lose beyond that amount,” said Neha Chopra (name changed).

Ludhiana, October 5
A 10-year-old boy, Chhotu Kumar, alias Satyam, left home on September 30 after his mother slapped him and asked him to return the balance amount of Rs 20. Hurt, Satyam told her that he would leave the house and go to his maternal grandfather in Bihar. It has been six days now, and Satyam cannot be traced.

Heart-broken, his mother Meena Kumari said she lived at Barewal near Aggar Nagar with her husband, who is a painter, and three sons, including Roshan (13) and physically challenged Krishna (4). “Though my husband has been staying here for the past 18 years, I came from my native village about five years ago,” she said in a choked voice.

About her lost son, Meena said on September 30, she asked him to buy some grocery. He bought milk, buns and coffee sachet (as he liked it a lot), but did not return the remaining amount of Rs 20.

“Earlier also he had kept Rs 13. Being a mother, I wanted to enquire where he had spent that money as I was scared that he may be hooked to drugs. I slapped him. Though he gave me the money, he told me that he will leave the house. I asked him not to take such a step and that he was too young to go to his grandfather all by himself. He went to a nearby barber’s shop and I thought he will return soon. When I went to the shop, I was told that he had already left. Since then, I have been running from pillar to post to find him but to no avail,” she said.

Ludhiana, October 5
As many as 1,328 persons owe Rs 47.64 crore to the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation as house tax. Ironically, the figure is just of those defaulters who owe more than Rs 1 lakh to the civic body. And one can imagine what would be the actual amount if pending house tax against all the defaulters is calculated.

With this much money, the MC could have constructed the Partap Chowk flyover twice, the indoor stadium on Pakhowal Road twice and would have been able to purchase 7,050 hand-held fogging machines which could have been distributed in every nook and corner of the city. Besides, a large number of other development works could have been initiated with this money.

The fact came to light following a query under the RTI Act by Rohit Sabharwal, president of Council of RTI Activists, an NGO.

“I wonder how anyone can sit idle when he knows that such a big amount is outstanding against city residents. The MC should make serious efforts in this regard and should spend the recovered money for the benefit of city residents,” said Sabharwal.

The MC is yet to make any serious effort to recover the huge amount, as interference by municipal councillors and other political leaders is believed to be the main hindrance behind it. Now that the assembly elections are just round the corner, it is believed that the MC would go slow on the defaulters.

However, MC officiating Commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi said: “The assembly elections have nothing to do with the recovery of pending house tax. People owe this amount to the MC and they would have to pay it anyways. If they think that due to assembly elections, they can get away without paying the pending house tax, then they are mistaken as one day or the other, they would have to make this payment. The more it gets delayed, the more fine they would have to pay on the actual amount,” warned Jaggi.

He claimed that the MC had already served notices to the defaulters and within the next couple of months, 50 per cent of the total amount would be recovered, claimed Jaggi.

Ludhiana, October 5
The health department took samples of eatables and sweets from shops and departmental stores of the city and periphery for the third consecutive day today.

Food safety officer, health department Ludhiana, said: “We have been collecting samples for the past three days. Today, we collected nine samples of kuttu ka aatta from More Store on the Ferozepur Road, sabu dana and rasgulla from Vishal Mega Mart, sohan papari from Family Departmental Store, BRS Nagar-C Block, petha and namkeen from Easy Day, BRS Nagar, gulab jamun and rasgulla from Reliance Store."

Giving details of samples collected in the past two days, he food safety officer said: "We took samples of laddu and burfi from Goldi Store, Phullanwal village, gulab jamun from Rajguru Nagar, kuttu ka aatta from Jamalpur and Jawahar Nagar camp and burfi from Sukhdev Sweets, Ferozepur Road. Seven samples of sweets were taken on the first day of the campaign."

Ludhiana, October 5
The echocardiography update CME and workshop under the aegis of Cardiological Society of India (Punjab and Chandigarh chapter) and the International Society of Cardiovascular Ultrasound held at Dumra auditorium at the Hero DMC Heart Institute. The session was inaugurated by Dr Sharad Satya Chauhan, Police Commissioner, Ludhiana.

During the inaugural meet, the Cardiological Society Of India, Punjab and Chandigarh Chapter, was formally launched under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh and Dr GS Wander. The Cardiological Society Of India, Punjab and Chandigarh chapter, resolved to hold an annual meeting on a regular basis. The techniques of 3 dimensional and 4 dimensional and contrast echocardiography were demonstrated during the seminar. Transesophageal echocardiography cases were also shown at the workshop.

The live workshop was held for the first time in the region by Dr. Navin C Nanda, director of Echocardiography Laboratories, The Kirklin Clinic, University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Besides presenting the newer advances in echocardiography, Nanda discussed echocardiograms of patients with heart failure, valvular and ischemic heart disease. It was an interactive session attended by 400 delegates, which included eminent cardiologists and physicians from the region. This was followed by a talk on current concepts in management of heart failure by Dr. Inder S Anand, director, Heart Failure Programme, VA Medical Center 111C, Minneapolis.

The role of echocardiography in congenital heart diseases was discussed by Dr S Radha Krishnan, Escorts, New Delhi, and Dr. Manojkumar Rohit, PGIMER, Chandigarh. This was followed by a talk on broken heart syndrome by Dr Rajendra N Seth, professor of Medicine Hahnemenn Medical College, Pennsylvaniia.

Ludhiana, October 5
Exhorting students and youth to be the harbingers of change, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Captain Amarinder Singh today said they had an important role to play in restoring the glory of Punjab.

He also promised to bring in transparency in appointments in the government services so that merit and justice is ensured in the recruitment process.

Interacting with the students from different educational institutions during a programme organised by the state unit of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) here, he shared his vision with the generation next. He also fielded a number of questions from the students ranging between his agenda and victimisation by the Akalis.

In his inaugural remarks, the former chief minister said the Congress was giving additional emphasis to the youth oriented policies and promised them that they will get due representation in the elections as the party president Sonia Gandhi was keen to bring forward youth and women. He asked them to ensure that they enrol themselves in the electoral rolls and participate in the democratic and electoral process. “You are my army which will usher in change in Punjab,” he said while waiving to the students to a tumultuous applause.

He said Punjab needs to change its policies and programmes. He said while the agriculture remains of prime importance, industry was equally vital as it not only generates employment but revenue as well. He said, during his tenure as chief minister, he had made a good beginning by bringing in the Reliance which had started changing the cropping pattern. However, he said, the SAD-BJP government scrapped all the projects, including Reliance for the reasons best known to them. "Not only did they deny Punjab the huge revenue, but employment to thousands and thousands of educated youth."

Ludhiana, October 5
Books on science quizes are a hot favourite among children. This was revealed during a three-day book fair organised by the Scholastic India at Guru Nanak Public School.

Students and parents select books during a book fair which concluded at Guru Nanak Public School, Model Town Extension, in Ludhiana, on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

More than Rs 1 lakh books were sold and "Science Quizzes Puzzles and Games" by Vaishali Gupta was the best selling book in fair.

Books were displayed under the different category. Books from early learning and study skills categories were most sought after.

An activity book "How to Draw Animal Cartoons" by an Indian author Ajit Naryan attracted most kids.

Educational books and non-fictional books were also sold. "Children Guide of India" an educational book is also one of from the student's choice.

Various books on activities, famous personalities, general knowledge and creative skills were displayed in the fair. Students were participating enthusiastically to add books of their interest to their personal libraries. There were informative books for the parents and teachers as well.

Gurpeet Kaur, mother of class IV student Loveleen said, "I am fond of books. My daughter told me yesterday about book fair. I came here to choose good books for my kids. Books are the real friend of humans. So I bought story and educational books for my children".

Harpuneet Kaur of class V said, "This fair is having so many interesting books which give us knowledge and information. I bought five books. I like cartoons so I want to draw cartoons. I purchased How to draw Animal cartoons". Angad, a student of class V said. Jaivijay, another student of class III said, "If there is no book there is no knowledge and books are our best friend". 

Ludhiana, October 5
Dr LS Chawla, Founder Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid Medical University, released a booklet on medical journalism by Dr RS Bhatia, in a simple ceremony in Ludhiana.

Chawla said practice of medicine was an intimate story of faith and trust between a patient and a doctor.

In case there is a loss of life, it is generally labelled as negligence on the part of the doctor without verifying facts.

This is where lies the need of a trained medical journalist.

Dr RS Bhatia said there was need for correct reporting on various issues linked to medical practice and, therefore, a need for trained, class - community of medical journalists for medical reporting and publication of scientific material had to be thoroughly reviewed before hand so that it was best reviewed by the readers.

Phillaur, October 5
The political parties seem to beat their trumpet by relating themselves with Ana Hazare and other public figures.

This time it was the birthday of Late Pt Shardha Ram Phillauri, author of religious prayer “Aarti” “Om Jai Jagdish Hare.” The international figure, born in Phillaur, is being politicised by the politicians for their vested political interests. The congress and SAD-BJP leaders in two separate functions held on 174th birthday of Pt Shardha Ram.

Former Minister Santokh Singh Chaudhary attended a function organised by Istri Sabha Phillaur in a temple in which Pt Shardha Ram wrote the international fame of his religious work while SAD-BJP alliance celebrated it in Sutlej Club Phillaur. BJP MP Avinash Rai Khanna and SAD Leader Sarwan Singh Phillaur besides several prominent 
political, social and religious leaders paid tributes to Pt Shardha and inspired the audience to follow his teachings. Earlier hundreds of citizens including political leaders belonging to various parties garlanded the statue of Pt Shardha Ram Phillauri in Phillaur.

Ludhiana: A three-member delegation from Australian High Commission today visited Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and held a meeting with the deans of the constituent colleges of the varsity, additional directors, coordinators of research and heads of various departments. Dr DS Cheema, Dean, College of Agriculture, PAU, presided over the meeting.

The delegation members comprising Sarah Hooper, counselor (political), Chris King, first secretary (trade and economics) and Maxine Loynd, senior analyst, said their visit to PAU had been designed to explore opportunities for exchanging agricultural technologies and to have perspective of Indian agriculture. Hooper, lauding the contribution of PAU to the nations' food kitty said "As more than 60% of Indian population is dependent of agriculture for the livelihood, we want to acquaint the Australian Government with the understanding of Punjab, in particular, and Indian, in general, with prime focus on challenges and priorities in Punjab agriculture."

C King and M Loynd said their visit aimed at studying economic and political priorities in Punjab, impact of the Punjab economy on India and how the agriculture sector was evolving.

Besides, the other emphasis was on studying the environmental concerns, modern farming and latest technologies in the field of agriculture and its allied sectors.

The heads of various department, PAU, apprised the delegation of management practices in crop and horticulture production and yield, irrigation technology and ground water management process for enhanced water management, services and solutions for farm soil improvement, bio-fertilisers, post-harvest infrastructure and management technology and services, vocational education and training in food processing and technology.

The delegation also visited School of Agricultural Biotechnology.

Ludhiana, October 5
A 21-day winter school on “Advanced Molecular Biology Tools used in Animal Disease Diagnosis and Development of New Generation vaccines” was inaugurated at the School of Animal Biotechnology of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU).Dr SNS Randhawa, director of research-cum -dean, postgraduate Studies, GADVASU, was the chief guest and inaugurated the training programme.

Dr GS Brah, director, School of Animal Biotechnology, said that 21 scientists and teachers from nine states were attending the training course. The winter school will proviide hands-on training on various advanced molecular biology tools used in the disease diagnosis and vaccine development, including PCR, real time PCR, production, purification and characterisation of recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibody production, ELISA and immunochromatographic assays.

The course will also cover basics of cell culture techniques, bioinformatics as well as nanotechnology. Brah also conveyed that the School of Animal Biotechnology had made tremendous growth in the past three years since its inception in February, 2008 as within a short span of three years, the school had earned 10 extra mural-funded research projects from DBT, ICMR and the UGC. The school is offering MVSc, MSc as well as Ph.D in the discipline of animal biotechnology.

Dr Ramneek, professor and director of the winter school, informed that in this training programme, practical sessions would provide excellent opportunities for the participants to gain practical exposure of various molecular biological techniques and would broaden the research aptitude of all the participants in the area of molecular biology/biotechnology/recombinant DNA technology. Dr PD Juyal, registrar, Dr HS Sandhu, dean, COVS, Dr Asha Dhawan, dean, College of Fisheries, and Dr S Prabhakar, controller of examination, heads of departments, faculty and students attended this function.

Ludhiana, October 5
On the fifth day of the chain hunger strike, veterinary doctors today burnt photocopies of their degrees for realisation of their demands. As many as 60 unemployed veterinary doctors and 100 GADVSU students participated.

Harpreet Kaur and Dr.Harneet Kaur observed a fast. Manbir Singh, a protester, said, "Unemployed veterinary doctors have burnt photocopies of their degrees to mark their protest against the Punjab Government. The government is investing so much of money in opening new colleges and huge infrastructure for this field. Here, we have spent a long span of time and our parent's money to get the degree".

"If the Punjab government is not able to fill vacant jobs then what is the purpose of this degree. By not employing the government is hindering the growth and development of the state" said Maninder Singh another demonstrator.

Harpreet Kaur said," Vacancies for posts of the Rural Veterinary Officers in different veterinary hospitals across Punjab should be filled at the earliest. The government should intervene in the matter. We have been approaching the officials concerned and ministers, but all in vain”.

Mullanpur Dakha, October 5
The police has launched a hunt for a travel agent and his accomplice who have allegedly duped some youths of the area on the pretext of sending them abroad.

The suspects, identified as Harry Parkash and Balvir Kaur of Mullanpur, were booked under Sections 420, 406 and 120 of the IPC on the basis of inquiry conducted under supervision of Amar Singh Chahal, senior superintendent of police, Ludhiana (rural).

Investigations revealed that Balvir Kaur had introduced Harry Parkash to Karamjit Kaur of the town about 15 months ago.

Claiming that he had arranged visas and jobs for a large number of youths in the United State, Canada and Europe, Balvir Kaur lured them to try their luck in America.

Convinced by his arguments, Karamjit Kaur gave passports of her nephews Jatinder Singh and Sikandar Singh and Rs 12 lakh to the suspects and started preparations for their settlement in the USA.

Though the suspects had promised to arrange visas within three months of the payment of the money, nothing concrete was heard for months together after which the complainant became suspicious. When inquired from residents of the area, it was found that Balvir Kaur and Harry Parkash had already duped a large number of innocent youths, including farmers.

Realising that she had been duped, Karamjit Kaur lodged a complaint with Chahal.

Investigations by a police team supervised by Chahal suggested that Harry Parkash and Balvir Kaur had allegedly duped the complainant along with Jatinder Singh and Sikandar Singh and other victims who were yet to be identified.

SHO Prem Singh was directed to initiate action against the suspects after registering an FIR. Manhunt has started to nab the suspects. 

Ludhiana, October 5
At the end of the three-day trials conducted here at the Guru Nanak Stadium to select the Indian contingent for the 2nd Kabaddi World Cup scheduled to be held next month, the probables were chosen the list of which was released today.

These probables will undergo dope test before the final squad is announced for the preparatory camp for the upcoming mega event in which 14 teams from all over the world will take part in the men's section. Besides, four teams will be seen in action in the women's section.

Addressing the probables, Padma Shree awardee and director sports, Punjab, Pargat Singh said that the players should keep themselves away from performance enhancing substance which not only affect their career but bring a bad name to the state as well as the nation.

The names of the probables are (stoppers)- Gurvinder Singh, Yadwinder Singh, Ekam Singh, Narinder Ram, Varinder Singh, Harpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Narpinder Singh, Gurjeet Singh, Gursewak Singh, Nardev Singh, Sikander Singh, Mangat Singh, Gurtej Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Kamaldeep Singh, Gurtej Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Jasjeet Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Gurdarshan Singh, Surinder Kumar and Harjit Singh.

Raiders- Sukhdev Singh, Nachhattar Singh, Baldeep Singh, Maninder Singh, Sandeep Singh, Sultan Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Gursewak Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Kirandeep Singh, Gurlal, Talwinder Singh, Sandeep Singh, Paramjit Singh, Rupinder Singh, Lovepreet Singh, Talwinder Singh, Gurjeet Singh, Nirvair Singh, Gursewak Singh, Mandeep Singh, Harjinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, Hardeep Singh, Surjeet Singh and Gulzar Singh. 

Ludhiana, October 5
Ludhiana district warded off a spirited challenge from favourites Toronto Academy, Jalandhar, to win their last super league encounter 61-51 and emerged champions in the women's section in the annual Arjuna Awardee Gurdial Singh Malhi Memorial Punjab Basketball League that concluded at village Gure near Jagraon today.

In the men's section, Punjab Police, Jalandhar, recorded an easy 87-60 victory over DMW, Patiala come out winners.

The match in the women's section was a keenly contested one and Ludhiana district eves went ahead instantly. They went on to enjoy the lead till the third quarter when academy players gave some anxious moments before losing the cliff hanger that also cost them the winner's trophy.

Kiranjeet Kaur contributed 22 points for Ludhiana while Chandeep and Harpreet Kaur chipped in with 17 and 12 points, respectively.

For Toronto Academy, skipper Priya waged a spirited battle and dropped 16 points but that was not enought to rattle the winners. Arashdeep Kaur scored 12 points and Harpreet Kaur sank in 8 points.

The match in the men's section between Punjab Police and DMW, Patiala , however turned out to be a mismatch as the former gained lead in the initial moments and consolidated it to wrap up the issue comfortably.

For Punjab Police, Amritpal Bhandari accounted for 35 points while Harwinder and Amanjot scored 18 and 21 points, respectively.

For the losing side, Gagandeep Singh top scored with 26 points while Dilwar Singh netted 13 baskets.

The players of Ludhiana women's team were warmly received on their arrival at Guru Nanak Stadium here today. Teja Singh Dhaliwal, general secretary, Ludhiana District Basketball Association, Vija Chopra, vice president of the body along with coaches were present there to congratulate the cagers.