Ludhiana, December 29
In spite of repeated reminders by the District Election Officer, Rahul Tewari, to all political parties to remove their hoardings/ banners/ posters from public places, none of the parties has so far bothered to adhere to the instructions under the model code of conduct.

The authorities have removed over 5,275 hoardings from the district in the past four days (after the implementation of the model code of conduct).

According to sources, the biggest violators of the code in terms of display of hoardings were Shiv Sena, whose 2,130 hoardings were removed, followed by the Congress (1,199). The cost of removal has been sent to the political parties concerned.

Similarly, 721 hoardings/ banners belonged to the SAD, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (625) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (336).

An official of the district administration, on the condition of anonymity, said the expenses incurred - at the rate of Rs 5 per hoarding - on the removal of hoardings had been sought from the political parties concerned and they had been warned against putting these back again.

“We have been sending repeated reminders to the political parties, asking them to remove hoardings, but to no avail. We initiated the process of removal of hoardings/banners after the implementation of the model code of conduct and the costs have been levied on the political parties,” said the official.

Ludhiana, December 29
The Commissioner of Police has come down heavily on the PCR squad and instructed them not to indulge in moral policing.

Issuing instructions to the police force, the police chief, Dr SS Chauhan, said strict action would be taken against those found indulging in moral policing, instead of keeping close tabs on the growing crime rate in the city.

The strictures came following complaints that instead of preventing growing snatching incidents, the motorcycle squad and other lower-rung police officers evinced more interest in targeting boys and girls sitting in public parks and other hangouts in the city.

Complaints had also been received of certain policemen blackmailing these youngsters.

“Youngsters grease the palm of these policemen to avoid trouble. If they refuse to do so, the policemen call up their parents and humiliate them,” said Rohan Joshi, a youngster.

The Commissioner of Police said: “We have a bigger job at hand. The code of conduct has already come into force and the elections are due next month. We have to maintain law and order. Such petty issues should be ignored. Leave young boys and girls and focus on curbing incidents of crime.”

“Mapping of the crime trend is very important. Identify the areas where the snatching, robbery and theft incidents take place, make specialised teams, mobilise the resources and put PCR motorcycle teams in such areas. We are faulting in execution. Snatching incidents take place in early morning and evening hours, but the police is nowhere to be seen then.”

He added that high security should be provided in an around banks, schools and colleges during the morning and afternoon hours. Regular meetings must be held with banking establishments.

He said instead of taking proactive measures to curb crime, policemen often ended up chasing the criminals.

“It is common sense. If snatching incidents are taking place in posh areas like Ghumar Mandi, we must start probing low-lying areas located around Ghumar Mandi. Gather details of the gangs operating in the area in the recent past. Beef up the intelligence network,” said the Commissioner of Police. He said police officials were failing to gather details.

“Visit jails and take details of the criminals released in the past and investigate their current activities. We are not following the basic rules,” he added.

Ludhiana, December 29
The forthcoming Assembly elections and the imposition of model code of conduct have come as party pooper for local residents.

In a major blow to youngsters, who were planning to hit the road during the New Year’s Eve, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Ashish Chaudhry, said strict action would be taken against those found indulging in playing loud music, loitering on the road and honking horns to usher in the New Year.

The police officers have been told follow Section 144, CrPC and prevent the assembly of groups of people at major public places.

“It has been brought to my notice that rowdyism on roads has led to road accidents during the previous New Year’s celebrations. We do not want a repeat of the past incidents. Further, due to the model code of conduct, the residents are requested to maintain law and order, or face action,” the DCP said.

There have been incidents in the past where groups of hooligans have indulged in eve-teasing and given a harrowing time to women during the New- Year’s celebrations.

The DCP said policemen in muftis would be deployed in busy marketplaces to keep close tabs on such anti-social elements.

The DCP also claimed that the police would also crack the whip on drug addicts and prevent the use of contraband the celebrations.

According to sources, smack, charas, hashish and cocaine, party drugs like ecstasy, besides other medical drugs have been selling like hot cakes in the market.

The sources said weed, popularly known as marijuana, was being filled in cigarettes for consumption during the New Year’s Eve bash.

The CIA, anti narcotics wing and the intelligence department are on their toes to arrest anti-social elements, the DCP added.

Ludhiana, December 29
Land deals in the city have witnessed a drastic downfall in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections. The “slump” in the market has not just affected those active in the realty business, but also the state exchequer, as, according to officials in the sub-registrar office, people are reluctant to carry cash for land deals or registries in view of the imposition of the model code of conduct.

Satbirinder Singh (name changed), a property dealer at Humbran Road, says the business has come to a virtual standstill due to the elections in the state.

“We can’t call it slump but people have definitely stopped coming to us with enquiries, as all land deals involve huge cash transactions and buyers or sellers are reluctant to carry cash due to checking by the police.

Adhering to the model code of conduct, those carrying cash need to present documents of their transactions. In a majority of land dealings, black money is involved,” the property dealer says.

An official at the sub-registrar office (West), on the condition of anonymity, says there has been a downfall in the number of registration of sale deeds.

“Yes, there has been a decline in the number of registry cases.

If 150 deals were being matured in a single day at one office, only 80 deals were now getting matured.

Of course, the state exchequer is facing a loss of revenue due to fewer deals at its offices.

However, this is a temporary phase. Once the elections are over, everything will get back to normal,” the official adds.

Ludhiana, December 29
Local industrialists have requested the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr SY Quraishi, to put an end to the daily checking by the police and raise the cash-carrying limit from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, imposed in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections in Punjab.

Vinod Thapar, president, Knitwear Club, in a letter to the CEC said there were about 12,000 small and medium knitwear/textile units and the Ludhiana cluster played a major role in catering to the needs of the hosiery industry.

“The setting up of surveillance teams by the police department to man checkpoints has caused a lot of resentment within the business community of the city. Industrialists are being harassed in the garb of elections. Being a commercial hub, the city witnesses large-scale transactions, with merchants from near and far coming here for business. But the orders of the election commission have created problems for the industry in the sense that the police has started targeting the community (industry). Instead, they should crack the whip on politicians and their supporters. It has become impossible to work in this scenario, which restricts carrying of just Rs 1 lakh in cash, as the industrialists have to pay everything in cash to workers and to buy the raw material,” said Thapar in the letter.

Besides, PD Sharma, president, Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in a separate letter to Dr Quraishi said businessmen had to carry heavy cash for several important reasons.

Citing an example, Sharma said goods were often sold in cash and the money had to be carried for deposit in the bank. Besides, Ludhiana was known for its hosiery business.

“In the winter season, customers from outside Punjab come to Ludhiana to buy hosiery in bulk and hence they have to carry heavy cash. Similarly, cities like Jalandhar, Amritsar draw customers who want to purchase goods that these cities specialise in. Apart from this, in industrial towns, labour has to be paid in cash. In view of these situations, you are requested to waive the cash-carrying limit,” said Sharma in the letter.

He added that politicians cared little about the rules and regulations and were in full control of the police force. “From this perspective, only general public will be adversely affected and the real purpose may be defeated,” said Sharma.

Ludhiana, December 29
Close on the heels of the Indira Awas Yojna and Government Provident Fund (GPF) scams, yet another scam has rocked the district administration. This time, a former superintendent at the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Ludhiana, has been booked for forging the signature of the then ADC (development), AR Darshi.

Division No. 5 SHO Raj Kumar said Jagmohan Saggar, who retired as superintendent from the office of ADC (Development), was booked following a probe conducted by the Deputy Commissioner, Rahul Tiwari.

Saggar, who retired in February, had drawn increments and other benefits from the government exchequer by allegedly forging the signature of ADC (development).

Till the time of his retirement, Saggar alleged pocketed huge sums from the government exchequer. Some employees of the district administration got a whiff of the scam in February last year and brought the matter to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner. The accused was booked after a year-long inquiry. The SHO said no arrest had been made so far.

Ludhiana, December 29
Unlike other school kids, slum children studying in different schools being run by the Nishkam Sewa Ashram are spending part of their winter vacations in practising moral education through a one-day camp at Nishkam Sewa Ashram, Daad village.

After paying a nominal fee of Rs 25 for one day, these kids attend the camp at the ashram and return with the teachings imparted to them by Sharwan Kumar, founder-president of the ashram, and resource persons serving at the ashram. During the first hour, they sing songs of “Nishkam”. Reciting their school song with Sharwan Kumar, affectionately called “Bauji”, they follow a beautiful rhythm to recite “Ye school mandir hai hamara”.

And it is Bauji who keeps telling them to sing in harmony. To break the monotony, students from some other schools also interact with them and narrate some short stories to make them aware about the benefits of green and clean environment and helping those in need.

Shruti Jindal, in-charge of the camp, said: “The purpose behind the ongoing camp is to inculcate good habits among children and prepare them for the future. We also tell children to learn some vocational work along with studies, so that they can earn a livelihood in a better way.”

Poonam, a class-II student of SSS Public School, Lalton Kalan, who also attended the camp, said: “I love watching television but Bauji has told me not to watch too much of it, as it affects the eyes. So one should wash eyes with cold water and exercise in the morning. So, I do accordingly.” Bhiwani Jindal, a class VI student of Green Land Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar bypass, said: “I loved the entertainment part of the camp. We have also been given tips on how to study properly.”

The camp will conclude tomorrow.

Ludhiana, December 29
In the wake of global economic slowdown, the indigenous industry is facing several constraints which are not only hampering the growth, but also making it tough for the existing industrial units to stay afloat. Especially, the rising prices of raw material and other inputs are disturbing the applecart of the industry.

President of the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry PD Sharma said as a result of irrational and ambiguous mining policy of the Centre, it had become difficult for one to get iron ore for the production of steel.

“When the country is facing fiscal problem of sorts, the iron ore which was exported earlier, is now imported. In nutshell, the price of steel-the basic raw material for the engineering industry, is costlier as compared to global prices. With the depreciation of rupee, the imports are becoming costlier, but still steel is being imported simply because the global steel prices have gone down by more than 25 per cent,” he remarked.

On the contrary, Sharma added that the main producers of steel in India were always on a lookout for increasing the steel prices. Questioning the very basis of working out the steel prices, he stated that the steel prices were fixed on an import parity formula which was logically wrong.

“Some spot global reference of steel price is taken and expenses to bring the material to Indian ports are added. With these imaginary expenses, the steel users in India are getting the material costlier by over $ 100 per MT in comparison to global price. In such a situation, the Indian industry using steel as basic raw material cannot compete in the global market.”

He said the secondary steel producers catered to some 60 per cent demand of steel being used by the industry. These producers depended heavily on steel scrap or iron ore as its substitute. In the absence of clear mining policy, the iron ore had become scarce and thus costlier.

Similarly, the imported scrap had become costlier due to depreciated rupee.

Focusing on the dismal power scenario in the state, Sharma said power was the prime mover of the economy. Punjab was already highly deficient in power and the content of free power was making power costlier and scarce. Apart from this problem, power was otherwise becoming costlier due to external reasons.

“The states, which have surplus power are selling power to deficient states at exorbitant rates. On the other hand, the states having coal pits are pressing the Power Ministry to get some portion of the power generated with their coal at concessional rates which indirectly means that the power to other states will become costlier.”

In a fervent appeal to the government, the chamber functionary said a rational mining policy, realistic mechanism for determining prices of steel and provisions for adequate power supply were need of the hour.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, December 29
Residents of the town and surrounding localities have decided to celebrate New Year in a sacred manner.

Office-bearers of various social and religious organisations of the town and surrounding localities are planning to organise kirtans and prayers for the welfare of humanity.

Priests said a mass prayer for peace and prosperity in the region would be organised.

Raghu Nandan Sharma, a social activist, said he had organised a Bhagwad Gita path at his place.

Deepak Sharma and Yogesh Kumar, office-bearers of Har Har Mahadev Sewa Sangathan and Shree Ram Mandir Committee, said they would organise kirtan and procession to welcome the New Year.

Various organisations, including CB Welfare Association, Shree Ram Sharnam Ashram, Yog Sewa Samiti, Samaya Sewa Society and Lakshami Sewa Dal, have already started the preparations.

Ludhiana, December 29
The ongoing winter season has also brought with it cases of chiilblains. Chillblains is an injury due to cold which is painful and the area affected becomes red and blister is formed with tenderness in it. It usually happens due to sudden exposure to cold temperature.

This health problem is usually witnessed among elders and children and is not very uncommon with youngsters. Dr Ashwani Malhotra, Medical Officer at Community Health Centre, Payal, said,"With swelling in fingers and toes the movement becomes difficult and sometime itching also adds to the pain. In winters it is a common problem but in rural areas it is comparatively less as compared to urban areas.

Dr RL Chaudhry, Deputy Medical Superintendent, ESI Hospital, Ludhiana, said, "It happens due to extreme cold. Some people are more sensitive to cold. Fingers and toes usually suffer with it and in every winter we receive patients with complaint of chillblains in the hospital."

Jagraon, December 29
A woman residing at Parjian Biharipur village near Sidhwan Bet consumed poison in front of the police while protesting against the latter over some land dispute.

The incident occurred at Parjian Biharipur village near Sidhwan Bet last evening when a police party started measuring a piece of land to get it vacated.

As soon as the police force arrived at the village and started the work of measuring the land, the villagers, including a large number of women, started raising slogans against the police.

In the meantime, a woman identified as Guro Bai, consumed some poisonous substance in the presence of police. Soon after consuming the poison, the condition of Guro Bai started deteriorating. She was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Sidhwan Bet, where her condition was stated to be stable.

The police could not get the land vacated after the woman consumed poison.

The villagers said they had been residing in the village for the past many years. They alleged that the police took yesterday’s action under the influence of some leaders of the ruling party who had purchased the land. On December 11, the police had tried to get the land vacated, but it had failed to do so following the villagers’ protest.

Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari had instructed the police officials to get the land measured. When contacted, Jagraon SHO Rachpal Singh said the police officials had gone to the village following the DC’s instructions.

In-laws booked for dowry

Phillaur: The local police has booked Jaspal, his father Banarasi Dass, mother Jogindero, sister-in-law Neelo and Jaspal’s cousin Bhim Sein under various sections of the Domestic Violence and Anti-Dowry Act. In her complaint, Jaspal’s wife Parveen Kumari alleged that she was being mentally and physically harassed for dowry. She further accused Bhim Sein of attempting to rape her. Though she brought the matter to the notice of her in-laws, they failed to act against Bhim Sein. — OC

Samrala, December 29
The PWD and the sewerage board have locked horns over the construction of a manhole at the local court complex near the Ludhiana-Chandigarh road.

While the sewerage board officials initiated the work on the manhole some days ago, the officials of the PWD accused the former of working without securing a “no objection certificate” from them.

The PWD officials are now planning legal action against the board officials. However, the work on the manhole is on despite threats by the PWD. PWD XEN Balvir Singh said the sewerage board had not taken the mandatory approval from their department, adding that the ongoing work would be stopped. They would initiate legal action against the officials concerned of the sewerage board, he added.

Meanwhile, the sewerage board SDO said they were constructing the manhole after laying the sewerage system. He, however, admitted that the work was going on without the approval of the PWD. The sewerage board had initiated the work some time back also, but they had to halt it after protest from the PWD.

Unaccounted Rs 11.37 lakh recovered

PHILLAUR: The police seized Rs 11.37 lakh from two persons during a special drive last night. An amount of Rs 6 lakh was recovered from one Gulshan Rai near the toll plaza barrier, while Rs 5.37 lakh was seized from Sham Lal, a resident of Hoshiarpur. The income tax department was informed about the seizure, the police said. — OC

Ludhiana, December 29
In the age of SMSes, e-mails and Facebook, some city residents are happy to be called “old-fashioned” when it comes to greeting their friends and loved ones on important days in their lives.

They still prefer giving greeting cards to their family and friends. They can be seen scouting for the best in markets as the New Year arrives.

When the SMS revolution started, Veena Jain had especially bought a cell phone for sending greeting messages to friends and acquaintances, but for the past couple of years, she has turned back to greeting cards.

“SMSes, e-mails and media have become impersonal way of greeting. Your wishes get buried down under loads of e-messages, with nobody really noticing the emotions and wishes,” she said.

“So, I decided to go back to the sweet old way of sending greeting cards.”

Mohit Pal Singh, working with a private company, was pleasantly surprised to receive a greeting card from a friend. “I was touched by the card seeing the handwritten message and name of my friend," he said.

“I realised that personal touch gets lost when messages are sent through e-mails or mobile,” he added.

“A greeting card lying on somebody’s desk is much more poignant and valuable than an SMS buried in someone’s phone which is deleted after a few days,” said Mohit.

“I think people are realising that the personal touch comes with greeting cards only rather than dropping a message. I think the segment that wants to send greetings is becoming more exclusive. So the cards industry needs to customise itself and bring out more exquisite and creative forms of greeting cards to retain these customers,” said a store owner.

Ludhiana, December 29
In the twilight years when a majority of people love to relax and enjoy the old age, here is an octogenarian, Prem Singh Bajaj, who has been serving students and scholars for the past 18 years.

Presently, working as a librarian in Reference and Research Library of Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana, he has served as principal of Lala Lajpat Rai DAV College, Jagraon, and DAV School, Mukandur.

The Reference and Research Library of Punjabi Sahit Academy, which was established in 1955 by the Punjabi Sahit Academy, Ludhiana, with merely 8,500 books, now boasts of having 51,500 books.

Interestingly, only 400 books were purchased by the library, while the remaining were donated by different colleges, universities and scholars on the consistent persuasion of Prem Singh Bajaj. And Bajaj, who has been looking after the library for more than 18 years, said, “I love books, perhaps that is the reason that I am here. I am happy that more than 1,000 scholars from India as well abroad are in regular touch with us.”

Under his guidance, the library not only receives Hindi, English and Punjabi books, but also donates these to colleges and schools as per the latter’s need. Bajaj said, “I have an assistant librarian Budh Singh Neelon and a sewadar. Both of them are of great help to me.”

A number of books that the library receive are in a bad shape, but the trio try to retain its originality by binding and covering these. As the number of books has increased, Bajaj said, “Managing committee of the Punjabi Sahit Academy, which is working under the presidentship of Gurbhajan Gill, has assured us that a new modern library hall will be constructed soon, where we will be able to accommodate more books.”

Ludhiana, December 29
The election to the post of president of the IMA will be held on December 31. The remaining office-bearers have already been elected.

For the president’s post, Dr Karanveer Goel, Dr Satish Nauhria and Dr RK Sharma had filed nominations.

But later Dr Sharma withdrew his name. Now, the two contestants in fray

include Dr Karanveer Goel and Dr Satish Nauhria. Both the candidates are busy campaigning. They are sending SMSes and e-mails to the association’s members.

Dr Karanveer Goel, who has served as the general secretary and finance secretary of the association, promised the members to eradicate social evils.

On the other hand, Dr Hardeep Singh, former secretary of the association, who is supporting Dr Satish Nauhria, said, “If Dr Nauhria is elected the president, he would oppose the implementation of Clinical Establishment Bill.

He said he would do away with the system under which the police registered cases against doctors on the complaint of patients and attendants without even getting an inquiry conducted into the matter.

Ludhiana, December 29
Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tewari has asked the Expenditure Monitoring Committees to minutely observe the expenditure being incurred by various political parties during the elections. At the same time, he has asked teams at checkpoints to be polite with public while carrying out checkings.

During a meeting with returning officers, assistant returning officers, sector officers and master trainers (of electronic voting machines) of the 14 constituencies at Guru Nanak Bhawan here today, the DC said the surveillance teams, while carrying out inspections, must videograph the proceedings, as the election commission would make the final decision after watching the videos.

Besides, those carrying documents with their cash must not be harassed by the teams, he said. Addressing 201 sector officers and 70 master trainers, he said it would be their duty to ensure that all EVMs were in a proper working condition. A demonstration of all 2,262 voting machines would be held for the candidates on January 23.

Ludhiana, December 29
An adolescence educational programme was organised at Bharatiya Vidya Mandir School, Udham Singh Nagar, today. Dr Achla Gupta and Dr Ajay Mohan Sharma were the resource persons.

Youngsters were acquainted with the challenges faced by them on emotional, social and physical levels in their fragile and immature age.

They were told to have a nutritious diet and exercise daily so that they could shoulder the responsibility of building a progressive, prosperous and a healthy nation.

The seminar was followed by a brain storming quiz for students of classes IX and XI.

Food

Adolescents do not maintain proper food habits. Dr Achla Gupta said, “As they are rapidly growing, taking care of proper food habits is important for adolescents.”

n Girls in particular must take iron-rich food like spinach and amla. Take jaggery, shakkar instead of sugar.
n Avoid junk food.
n Go for fresh fruit juices rather than packed ones.
n Prefer oils containing saturated fats like mustard oil, soyabean oil, olive oil for cooking rather than ghee or butter containing saturated fats.

Exercise

“Exercise during this age is a must for oxygenation of blood and developing a good cardiac output and stronger muscles to build good stamina,” she said. She said they could go for any activity whether pranayam, skipping, cycling, swimming, etc.

Emotional turbulence

Emotional turbulence should be handled accordingly. Dr Gupta said attraction to opposite gender in this age is natural, but girls should focus on career. They should enter into a relationship only after they are mature and professionally settled.

Protection

She advised girls to protect themselves against anybody, including relatives who try to misbehave with them and they should inform parents about any such incident.

Positive values

Dr Ajay Mohan Sharma advised boys to make positive use of Internet, mobile and media. “Planning and developing analytical thinking is critical,” he added.

Ludhiana, December 29
A 17-member delegation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Biosaline Project of Pakistan visited the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) yesterday and interacted with Vice-Chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon. The delegation included members from different professions such as soil science, sociology, economics, banking, health care etc of the UNDP project.

Addressing the visiting delegation, Dhillon said the Punjabis in India and Pakistan shared similar culture and language. Highlighting that each had its strengths from which the other could benefit. "Whereas east Punjab has excelled in wheat, the west Punjab has done so in cotton.There is a need for strengthening the collaboration between the two for brightening the future of agriculture in the region, thereby enhancing productivity, profitability and sustainability", said Dhillon.

Najaf Syed, national project manager, leading the delegation, said that Pakistan was progressing in terms of knowledge. Referring to the Biosaline project, Syed said that it was a community development project for rehabilitation of salt affected and waterlogged lands. The project aimed at the growth and development of agriculture, contributing to poverty reduction through increased farm income and preventing hunger crisis, he said. Syed revealed that the project experts were working on 80,000 hectare area and 67,000 hectare of area had been reclaimed in the last three years by involving farmers.

The delegation members added that major objective of their visit to PAU was to have the perspective of Indian agriculture, exchange views and equip themselves with the scientific know-how of farming.

Besides visiting the PAU departments of soils, plant breeding and genetics and soil and water engineering, the delegation was shown round thenanotechnology lab, Dr Uppal Museum, School of Agricultural Biotechnology and Museum of Social History and Rural Life of Punjab on the PAU campus. Dhillon presented the PAU dockets of information to the delegates.

Ludhiana, December 29
Regional Center, Quest Infosys of the Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, organised an extension lecture on the PHP for the IT students. The lecture was organised under the distance education programme on December 27 at the Ludhiana Regional Center, Quest Infosys.

Doraha, December 29
Dr. Devinder Singh Sandhu, oncologist, MD, DM, AIIMS and executive chairman, Cancer Council of India, spoke on the topic “How to control cancer?” during the ongoing NSS Camp for the volunteers at Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, yesterday.

He tried to answer all such questions as to what is cancer, what causes cancer, how to prevent it and how to detect it early ?He said that the benefit of preventive strategies is 40 per cent while that of early detection is up to 90 per cent. Sandhu explained-“Cancer begins in cells. Normally cells grow and divide to form new cells as the body needs them. But sometimes this orderly process goes wrong as new cells form when the body does not need them and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass of tissue called a growth or tumor .Cancer is not caused by an injury, such as a bump or bruise. Cancer is not contagious and no one can catch cancer from another person.”

“Worldwide, 7.6 million people die of cancer each year and in India, 0.3 million die per year while 0.8 million new cases per year. The most common risk factors for cancer are tobacco, alcohol, ageing, physical inactivity, obesity, high fat diet, inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables, ionizing radiation, pesticides, chemicals and related substances, family history of cancer and infections” the oncologist said.

“Tobacco use accounts for 5.4 million deaths per year globally, out of which 1.5 million are cancer deaths. Women are more susceptible to tobacco effects as they are 1.5 times more likely to develop lung cancer than men with same smoking habits. Similarly, alcohol use accounts for 0.351 million cancer deaths per year globally. This can cause oral, throat, esophageal, liver and breast cancer.

“High fruit and vegetable consumption reduce risk of various cancers. Use of plenty of foods that are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, whole-grain breads and cereals, limiting foods high in fat like butter, whole milk, fried foods, and red meat,” the doctor advised.

“One should have moderate and intense physical activity for at least 30 minutes on five or more days a week or vigorous-intense physical activity for at least 20 minutes on at least three days of the week. Cancer can be prevented to certain extent. Early detection increases survival and treatment options,” he explained.

Ludhiana, December 29
A confederation of PAU Pensioners' Associations has asked the authorities at Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) to immediately release the arrears regarding revision of pensionery benefits to the persioners otherwise, the confederation will be left with no other option but to approach to the court of law for justice.

Jaswant Singh Zirakh, general secretary of the confederation said that the Punjab Government vide its letter number 3/10/3-FPPC/965 dated August 13, 2010, had conveyed that the arrears on account of enhanced gratuity be paid to the retirees who retired during the period from January 1, 2006 to July 31, 2009 immediately. Keeping in view the said orders, The PAU was required to pay the difference of enhanced gratuity to its pensioners as per provision of clause 10.3 of the statute regarding pension and provident fund. Zirakh said that the confederation had approached the authorities for the early release of the payment of difference of gratuity several times but till date, it had not been released by the PAU. As per decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the payments had to be released to the pensioners of respondents as per their entitlement within a period of two months.

"Pension and retiral benefits of employees can not be withheld. If we are not paid our arrears by February 29, 2012 by the university authorities, we will be left with no other option but to approach the Court for justice", said DS Sidh, the president of Confederation.

Phillaur, December 29
Two persons were run over by trains, while an unidentified person was found dead in a train bound for Lohian, here last night.

According to sources, an unidentified man was run over by a train between Goraya and Phillaur.

In second such case a middle-aged man, identified as Kuldip Ram, of Gulabgarh was crushed under a train near the Mauli railway station, here last night.

In the third mishap, a middle-aged man was found dead under mysterious circumstances.

Sources said the victim died apparently due to cold on the Ludhiana-Lohian train yesterday. The man not been identified yet.

The local police has sent the all the bodies to the Civil Hospitals, Phagwara, Phillaur and Nakodar, respectively, for the post-mortem examinations.

Machiwara, December 29
The Machiwara police has arrested a youth and recovered a large quantity of intoxicants from his possession.

The SHO Machiwara, Amardeep Singh, while talking to media persons informed that a police party laid a check post near Hyatpur village last night at 7 pm. When the police party stopped a youth on motorcycle, he tried to escape but was over powered by the police. During his search, a large quantity of the intoxicants was recovered from his possession.

The intoxicants recovered include 20 thousand tablets of Bocktil, 19,800 tablets of Macrotil, 3,400 tablets of Momotil, 1000 tablets of Fenotil, 1,150 capsules of Parvan spas, 1500 tablets of Nitrazepam and about 40 bottles of Rexkof.

The youth arrested has been identified as Lakhvir Singh, 22, a resident of the Ropar road, Machiwara.

The accused was booked under Sections 22-61-85 of the NDPS Act and was presented before a court at Samrala from where he was sent to judicial custody for 14 days.