Ludhiana, April 29
A 22-year-old son of an industrialist has been arrested allegedly for blackmailing a girl on the pretext of making her MMS public.

The accused has been identified as Ramandeep Singh, alias Robin Ahuja, son of industrialist Parminder Singh Ahuja, a resident of sector 32, Chandigarh Road. He had also demanded Rs 15 lakh from the girl.

The police has booked Robin under Sections 294, 389, 420 and 506 of the IPC and Sections 66, 66-A, 67 and 67-A of the Information Technology Act.

The girl, who is an MBA student at a college in Delhi, narrated the incident to her father, who told the police that his daughter was suffering from mental agony and she was being blackmailed by Robin.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sahnewal, Jaswinder Singh said Robin and the girl were close friends. They were classmates in school and became friends.

Robin allegedly made and obscene MMS of the girl on his mobile phone. Later, they parted ways. While Robin left studies, the girl was pursuing MBA.

Robin was arrested with 250 gm of narcotic powder in December 2012 and was sent to jail. A few days ago, Robin was granted bail. He reportedly needed money and decided extort the same from the girl as she was from a well-off family.

Robin contacted the girl and asked her to arrange Rs 15 lakh or he would upload her MMS on social networking websites. The girl ignored his calls.

After being ignored, Robin uploaded one of the MMSes on Facebook. He also sent the MMS to the girl.

She told her parents and the matter was reported to the police.

“We have arrested Robin and a case has been registered against him. We presented him before a court today which remanded him to judicial custody,” said ACP Jaswinder Singh. 

Ludhiana, April 29
The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation will manage the multi-storeyed parking lot till fresh auction. The contract for the parking lot expired yesterday.

The MC has deployed 10 employees at the parking lot. The auction will be held on May 6. The auction for the allotment of the multi-storeyed parking lot on a one-year lease could not take place on April 25. Both the MC and the bidders were not prepared to bear the burden of the service tax.

The contract expired on March 28, but the MC failed to hold the auction. The civic body had no other option but to extend the contract by another month. The contractor had paid Rs 2.15 lakh to the MC on a pro-rata basis.

Last year, the parking lot was allotted on an yearly lease money of Rs 25.87 lakh and the reserve price for the allotment this year had been fixed at Rs 37.44 lakh.

The extension of the contract had sparked off a row as Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria objected to the decision and even sent a group of MC officials to take possession of the parking lot. An inquiry was also ordered by the Mayor to identify the officers responsible for the lapse.

As the extended term of the contractor expired yesterday, MC officials were deputed to run the affairs at the parking lot.

Kamlesh Bansal, Zonal-A Commissioner, said the MC staff had been deputed at the multi-level parking. “We have taken the possession of the parking lot today. The MC will manage the parking lot till May 6,” claimed Bansal. 

Ludhiana, April 29
Two boys were killed in separate road accidents in the city. A 12-year-old boy was crushed to death by a speeding car near the Bhaini Sahib chowk on Chandigarh Road last evening. The victim was identified as Sehdev. He was living with his father, Rajinder Kumar, who is a daily wage earner at a brick-kiln in the Katani area.

Sehdev’s father said a car hit the bicycle he was riding at the Bhaini Sahib chowk on Chandigarh Road. The victim died on the spot.

The police has registered a under Section 304-A of the IPC for reckless driving causing death against an unidentified driver.

In a separate case, a four-year-old child was crushed under a mini-truck near Tutiya Wala Mandir in the Shivpuri area this evening.

The victim, identified as Nikki, was accompanying his mother to a grocery shop when the incident took place.

The victim’s father, Raju, said Nikki was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. Raju said Nikki was the youngest among the three siblings.

The driver of the mini-truck managed to flee after the incident. Residents of the area have demanded strict action against the accused. 

Ludhiana, April 29
The city police launched a women PCR squad today. The squad has been given scooters for patrolling. These PCR personnel will be deployed at strategic locations in the city to instil confidence among women.

Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh said the all-women PCR squad has been constituted to crack a whip on anti-social elements and to curb the cases of eve-teasing.

Ludhiana, April 29
The contractor of Sidhwan Canal expressway project seems to be playing with the lives of city residents.

The contractor has provided a few feet wide opening on Pakhowal Road leading to Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar. Motorists have a tough time crossing the stretch as 90 per cent of the road is covered by huge slabs. It’s a test of motorists’ driving skills as little space is left between the slabs and Sidhwan Canal which runs along the road.

After remaining closed for many months, the road was opened to traffic as the construction of a railway overbridge was delayed.

A slight error can be fatal on this narrow stretch as the vehicle can fall into Sidhwan Canal, which is a few feet from the road.

Residents say the contractor should either provide a wide opening or should close the road for the safety of passengers.

“There is always a fear of falling into the canal as the stretch is too narrow. The contractor should install iron grills for the safety of commuters,” said a resident of Dugri.

Pardeep Kumar, project manager of Supreme Infrastructure, the company undertaking the project, said the stretch was opened for the trucks of the company.

“We have already provided an alternative route from Vikas Nagar, but residents don’t use it. We had installed a safety mechanism on the stretch, but it was damaged by vehicles. We will close this opening in a couple of days as the construction work on the railway overbridge is about to start,” said Pardeep Kumar. 

Ludhiana, AprIL 29
Strange are the ways of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) officials. After facing allegations of failure to recover rent for years together from a government department occupying part of its building at the Feroze Gandhi market, the LIT is now under fire for not taking action against over 50 consumers having illegal water and sewerage connections in the F-block of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. The MC has also failed to recover user charges from consumers in the E and F blocks of the same colony.

Information obtained from the LIT under the Right to Information Act, 2005, by Rohit Sabharwal and Arvind Sharma, president and secretary of the Council of RTI Activists, revealed that 54 residents of Kabir House Building Society in the F block of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, a 475 acre colony developed by the Trust on Pakhowal Road, have illegal water and sewerage connections.

Interestingly, a noting put up by the dealing staff before the senior officials says that the residents possessing illegal connections have been visiting the Trust office for getting their connections regularised. “The water and sewerage connections cannot be sanctioned as the building plans have not been approved,” a note put up by the dealing staff on April 23 pointed out.

The Trust staff failed to mention in the note that the residents were making use of sewerage system and water supply for past several years and they owed lakhs by way of user charges which could not be collected from them as their connections were illegal.

It was disclosed that 17 residents of the F block in the same colony were yet to pay Rs 3.18 lakh for water supply and sewerage. Moreover, residents of Housefed flats (part II) in the E block of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar owe Rs 13.31 lakh to the LIT till December, 2012. The Council of RTI Activists has urged the Local Government Department, Punjab, to fix the responsibility of officials.

Ludhiana, April 29
Even though the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has held anti-encroachment drives in the service lane of Ferozepur Road, the road still remains chock-a-block as the service lane has not been opened to vehicular traffic.

Ferozepur Road is one of the busiest roads of the city and thousands of commuters daily take this road. The service lane, starting from Gulmohar Hotel till Sidhwan Canal bridge, was constructed several years ago, but it has never been opened to vehicular traffic.

With a non-operational service lane, traffic congestion on the road increases automatically.

Dr Rajwinder Kaur, a scientist in plant pathology department of Punjab Agricultural University, stated she took Ferozepur Road to go home everyday. “There are several traffic bottlenecks on the road, which lead to traffic congestion. Long queues of vehicles are a common sight near the traffic signal of Bhai Bala Chowk. If Ferozepur Road is widened from this particular point or the service lane is made functional, it will certainly ease traffic on this particular stretch,” she said.

Following the orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation officials have been clearing encroachments from the service lane for the past several weeks. Residents feel if the service lane is opened to traffic, there would be no such encroachments.

Another resident Simrat Singh, a student of BCA at the Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, stated the traffic policemen on duty should not let people park their vehicles on the road. “We often see policemen themselves flouting traffic the rules. Traffic bottlenecks should be identified through a survey and steps should be taken to ensure an easy flow of traffic,” he said.

Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria stated he would soon ask his staff to repair the service lane so that it could be opened to vehicular traffic. “This way we will be able to keep a check on encroachments as well. A survey would be conducted to make sure the road becomes operational at the earliest,” said the Mayor.

Ludhiana, April 29
Seeing a mad scramble for getting admission to a good college in the city, students have started opting for institutes located overseas.

The US, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are the most preferred countries. The USA has witnessed a 30 per cent increase in the number of applicants applying from India.

Sikha Jain, who appeared for Class XII exams this year, has decided to go abroad. She will be going to Rutgers University (US).

"Students are not sure whether they will get admission to an institute of their choice. Since most of my relatives are living abroad, I opted for Rutgers University where I am confident of getting admission," she smiled.

Kunal Khanna, another student, has kept the option of studying abroad in case he fails to get admission to the college of his choice. "I have appeared for the AIEEE, but one can never be sure of making it through. Just in case I fail to make it to the college of my choice, I will move abroad," he said.

Nihaar Sood, a student, has already made it to the UC Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon. For Sood too, the first choice was the top colleges in India. But the arduous procedure involved in getting admission forced her to apply in the US.

"With high cut-offs and tough competition, one is not sure about the future, so studying in the US seemed a better option," she said.

An official from an agency that helps students get admission abroad said the number of application from India to the foreign universities had increased and witnessed a surge of almost 30 per cent.

"I see a lot of parents who apply in universities abroad. The trend is gaining popularity," she said. 

Ludhiana, April 29
Dental stem cell banking, which started more than three months ago in the city, is yet to gain popularity.

Only six persons have deposited their dental stem cells in the bank so far. Experts say lack of awareness is the main reason behind a lukewarm response to dental stem cell banking.

Stemade Company initiated stem cell banking service for the first time in Punjab on January 18 by launching Stemade Connect Clinics (SCC) at two Ludhiana-based dental clinics, Jindal Smile Clinic and Dental Care and Cure Centre.

Dr Vikas Jindal said: "I have registered three city children in my clinic and sent the pulp of their extracted milk teeth to Chennai for preservation. Two children's parents are eagerly waiting for their milk teeth to grow." He said he was trying to contact city-based paediatricians to create awareness on dental stem cell banking.

Dr Vivek Saggar has preserved the stem cells of two children and an adult. Dr saggar said: "The man is 40 years old we extracting stem cells from his wisdom teeth."

Both the experts are of the view that stem cells have the potential to treat serious degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, diabetes, muscular dystrophy and myocardial infarction.

They said: "Stem cells can cure all possible diseases while placental stem cells cannot cure all of them."

Stem cells are master cells of a body which help in regeneration of a deceased, wounded or lost organ.

Ludhiana, April 29
The woman member of the kidnapping gang, who was arrested yesterday, has featured in Bhojpuri music albums.

On of the male members of the kidnapping gang has worked in Punjabi music albums.

Raj Kumar, SHO, Division No. 7 police station, said, "As we are proceeding with the investigation more skeletons are tumbling out of the closet. Rinki and Jagtar, both members of the kidnapping gang, have featured in Bhogpuri and Punjabi music albums."

Chamkaur Singh, a government schoolteacher of Rakba village, fell prey to the honey trap and was kidnapped on April 27 by six persons.

The kidnapper had demanded Rs 30 lakh to release him but the matter was finally settled at Rs 10 lakh.

Three accused identified as Sartaj of Jeera in Ferozepur, Parmod of Sirsa in Haryana and Amrinder of Bathinda, were arrested following a police raid at a dhaba at Mangli village on Chandigarh Road.

Satwinder of Faridkot, Joginder and Jagtar, both residents of Rania village in Sirsa, and a woman, Rinki, were nabbed from a hotel in the Kotwali area yesterday. 

Khanna (Ikolaha), April 29
A light and sound show "Nikkiyan Jindan Wadde Sake" was organised at Gurdwara Hargobind Sahib at Ikolaha near Khanna.

A presentation on the supreme sacrifice of the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh left the audience spell-bound. Representative of the Universal Art and Culture Welfare Society, Ajitgarh, Narinder Pal Singh Nina directed the show.

The writer, Arjun Singh, did a wonderful work while light and sound effects by Amritpal Singh made the show a success. The story showed how Mata Gujri and the two sons of Guru Gobind Singh separated from the other family members in Sirsa and were bricked alive.

Mughal ruler Wazir Khan for his vested interests committed the heinous crime.

Sucha Nand and Qazi's deceptive and inhuman attitude shook the humanity. Kamo Mashki did not leave any stone unturned to serve the Guru's family. Todar Mal's devotion towards the family was enacted well by the artistes. 

Sahnewal, April 29
High-tension electricity wires on the Jugiana road are posing a threat to residents of the area.

Tractor-trailers and trucks loaded with iron and other material pass through the road. Villagers said in case a vehicle comes in contact with the wires, a fatal mishap would take place. Labourers residing in nearby colonies and children take the road.

"The road is narrow. Traffic jams are a routine affair on the stretch," said a resident.

"Overloaded trucks have often come in contact with the power cables hanging on the road. Apart from posing risk to the lives of the residents, the broken cables snap the power connections," said Pawanpreet Singh Bulara, a resident.

Amandeep Singh, sub-divisional officer, Sahnewal, said, "The electricity wires are quite high. As far as the underground cables are concerned, these cannot be replaced as we are short of staff. As there is no sewerage system, things will only worsen. We are there to address the grievances of the residents," he stated. 

Ludhiana, April 29
Perturbed over the delay in the construction of the main road in the Kailash Nagar area near Basti Jodhewal, the Congress councillors today organised a 'matka phor' protest against the Mayor as well as the MC Commissioner at the civic body's Zone A office.

The councillors lamented that despite informing the MC Commissioner about the problem on several occasions, nothing had been done. They said due to the callous attitude of the MC, it was the area residents who are suffering.

Kailash Nagar falls in Ward No. 3 of the city.

Parminder Mehta, a former councillor and Congress spokesperson, said the construction work was allotted a few days ago.

"But the contractor concerned is not completing it and has left it midway. We brought the matter to the notice of the senior MC officials a number of times, but they did not bother to solve the problem. We suspect that some officers are deliberately misguiding the MC Commissioner," said Mehta.

He said they were giving a week's ultimatum to the MC to solve the problem, after which they would present bangles to the MC Commissioner and the Mayor because of their helplessness in solving the civic problems," said Parminder Mehta. Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria assured the residents of solving the problem in Ward No. 3. "If the Congress councillors are having any problem, they should have met me instead of holding such a protest. But still I will speak to the MC Commissioner," said the Mayor.

Ludhiana, April 29
As International Jazz Day falls on April 30, the city has a few ears tuned to the form of music.

"Although there are a few people who like to listen to Jazz in the city, those in Delhi and Chandigarh listen to the form of music much more," says Ishu, a resident.

"Jazz is a classical form of music and has its own language. Being an evolved form, it requires a particular taste in music. The form is more enjoyed by people who have learnt or listen to it, as it is a more evolved form of music," says city-based music teacher Albert John. John has done some Jazz music and uploaded his videos playing Eric Claptons's The Highway Blues on YouTube.

"I saw a performance at Panjab University once and was really impressed with the music, particularly the experimentation of the artistes on the fly and the rhythm they reach," says a student.

Interest of the new generation in Western music, however, is promising, he says."As more and more amateur rock bands in the city have emerged over the past couple of years, the music scene will evolve with time and we will have listeners to more forms of music," says John. 

Ludhiana, April 29
Seeking mercy for the Prof Davinderpal Singh Bhullar, who is facing death sentence, a number of students of Punjab Agricultural University held a candlelit march here today. The march was organised by the Punjab Agricultural University Students Association (PAUSA). The students raised slogans against the Central Government.

Sharanbir Singh Sandhu, president of PAUSA, said: "We are worried about the peace of the state. If the government goes by its decision, then it will disturb the peace of the state. Moreover, it is an undemocratic practice to hang a sick person. Professor Bhullar has been behind bars for a long period. He is not well, so the government should release him soon".

Ludhiana, April 29
The District Taxation Bar Association organised a seminar on domestic transfer pricing under the Income Tax Act,1961, at Ayakar Bhawan, Rishi Nagar.

Chartered accountant Satish Bansal was the key speaker. He spoke on topics related to transfer pricing under the Income Tax Act. Bansal said Income Tax assessee should be careful while doing the transaction with domestic-related parties. "In case of failure to maintain and report the related party transactions, penalty will be imposed," he said.

To avoid penalty of Rs 1 lakh, one has to furnish the chartered accountant report under Section 92E of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Bar members honoured the I-T Commissioner, Kuldip Singh, on his retirement.

Ludhiana, April 29
The annual group meeting on seed project concluded at Punjab Agricultural University.

Deliberations and discussions on seed bio-priming, priority areas of seed research, seed production enhancement and different techniques for seed quality invigoration were held during the three-day XXVIII Annual Group Meeting of All-India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP-National Seed Project (NSP), jointly organised by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and the Directorate of Seed Research (DSR), Mau (UP), on the University campus. Scientists from different parts of the country, including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bengaluru, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh attended the meeting, which was held under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Dr BS Dhillon emphasised on making the seed production programme an attractive and a lucrative venture. "Seed is an essential input of agriculture and it is a determinant factor for enhancing the crop productivity and the farmers' profitability," he said. Impressing upon the availability of best-quality seed to farmers at reasonable prices and at appropriate time and place, he highlighted that the seeds of different crop varieties were a big attraction at the PAU kisan melas, organised in March and September every year. Chairing the plenary session, Dr SS Gosal, director, Research, PAU, said the seed bio-priming, nanotechnology and nanotoxicity were the basic concerns of research. "There is a need to study their risk assessment," he said. He laid emphasis on addressing the bio-safety issues as well.

"The useful recommendations emerging out of the meet will go a long way in helping the seed sector," he said. He stated,"We should also do the DNA profiling for protecting the germplasm."

Co-chairman of the session, Rajendra Prasad, project director, DSR, Mau (UP), appreciated the thoughts and ideas of the seed scientists and laid thrust on data analysis in seed technology research. "For the capacity building of the scientists, we are organising a number of training programmes on various aspects of seeds such as application of molecular tools in seeds and characterisation of seed-borne diseases," he said.

Ludhiana, April 29
Dr Kirti Dua, in charge, Centre for Wildlife Studies at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, attended a national symposium on the newer approaches in welfare and health management of captive and free ranging wild animals. The symposium was organised by the Centre for Wildlife Health, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar.

He presented a paper on 'Human-wildlife Conflict: Causes and Their Mitigation Strategies'. Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) refers to the interaction between wild animals and people and the resultant negative impact on people or their resources, or wild animals or their habitat and it occurs when the wildlife requirements overlap with those of human populations.

The HWC has far reaching environmental impacts and is fast becoming a critical threat to the survival of many endangered species.

Direct contact with wildlife occurs in both urban and rural areas, but it is generally more common inside and around protected areas, where wildlife population density is higher and animals often stray into adjacent cultivated fields or grazing areas. Human-wildlife conflicts also undermine human welfare, health and safety, and have economic and social costs.

Such broad environmental, human health and safety, economic and social impacts suggest that governments, wildlife managers, scientists and local communities need to recognise the problem and adopt measures to resolve it in the interest of human and environmental well-being.

More than 250 delegates, working on various aspects of wildlife attended the symposium and shared their experiences. They deliberated on various issues.

Ludhiana, April 29
Smartphones are becoming the new tools to learn foreign languages in the city. To ease access to these applications and learning modules, the phones are rapidly becoming the starting point to learn the languages.

Students are showing interest in learning French and Spanish. Businessmen are also learning Chinese and Mandarin. They are keen to get at least the smattering of the language. "I learnt the language before striking a business deal with China," says Anshul, a city-based businessman.

French in particular is the most sought-after foreign language in the city. Although the language has been of interest in the city, it has particularly gained popularity now, with the revised immigration rules in some parts of Canada. "Proficiency in French in now mandatory for immigrating to some of the Canadian states, including Quebec, so the interest in the language has now redoubled," says Shibu George from a foreign languages coaching institute.

"Spanish is also one of the popular languages globally, so students and people are learning the language for immigration purposes as well," says Rohit from another language learning centre in the city.

"Various language applications in smartphones have made learning the basics much easier now," says Amandeep, a resident. 

Ludhiana, April 29
The elections of the Punjab Agricultural University Teachers Union are scheduled for Tuesday. The association has been electing the office-bearers unanimously for the past two years. Mukesh Siag and Harmeet Singh Kingra are contesting for the post of president. In the Harmeet Kingra group, Jagjit Singh is contesting for the post of vice-president, KS Sangha for the post of secretary, Chander Mohan for the post of joint secretary and Inderjit Sing for the post of treasurer.

Tarse Singh Dhillon, Tarundeep Kaur, Darshan K Sahrma, Jasbir Singh Chawla, Naresh K Chhuneja and Seema Sahram are contesting for the post of councillors. In the Mukesh Siag group, Gurbachan Singh Saroa is in the race for the post of vice-president, Nav Prem Singh for the post of secretary, Kulvir Singh Saini for the post of joint secretary and Sanjeev K Chahuan for the post of treasurer. For the post of councillors, Parminder Singh Ravinder Singh Chandi, Gurupkar Singh Virander Sardana, Mohamand Javed and Vandna Kanwar will slug it out. 

Ludhiana, April 29
The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Paramjit Singh today recorded witness Sanjay Agnihotri's statement in the case pertaining to the murder of DSP Balraj Gill and Monica Kapila.

Agnihotri, who was a friend of the slain DSP, is the owner of the farmhouse where the duo was murdered on February 1, 2012.

He was summoned by the court through bailable warrants, as he had failed to appear before the court on the previous hearing.

Agnihotri supported the case of prosecution. He identified the keys of his farmhouse, which the police had claimed to have recovered from accused Umesh Karda, alias Sonu, of Talwara village, Haibowal, Ludhiana.

The DSP's father Kashmira Singh Gill, who had lodged the FIR, was present in the court along with his lawyer Harpreet Sandhu. But, he could not be cross-examined. The court directed him to come on the next date of hearing.

The charges were framed against the accused in the case on January 15, 2013. All the six accused are behind bars. A case against them was registered at the Haibowal police station on Feburary 2, 2012, under section 302, 379, 465, 468, 471, 474, 201, 120 B and 34, IPC.

Ludhiana, April 29
While basic amenities are missing at the Railway Hospital here, the posters of the Railway Union elections can be seen in the every nook and corner of the hospital. As a visitor enters the hospital, a huge growth of congress grass welcomes him. Though doctors consider it a health hazard, the hospital authorities have not taken any initiative to remove it.

Sanitation at the hospital is poor. The spots behind the water coolers and tabs present an ugly look. The entire hospital is dotted with the posters of different railway unions. A number of posters have been pasted on the OPD window.

Moreover, a majority of water coolers are non-functional. Washrooms are in a poor shape. Most fire extinguishers are outdated and renewal slips seem to have been torn deliberately.

"The hospital is not able to cater to all the patients. It lacks basic facilities," said a railway employee.

Ludhiana, April 29
The automobile sector has witnessed an increase in recruitment frauds. A few years ago, there were only a few victims of such recruitment frauds but today their number has swollen alarmingly.

The cyber crime cell has been tasked with curbing recruitment frauds. Besides, auto majors are also taking steps to avoid such incidents. Apart from creating public awareness through newspapers, some auto companies have uploaded disclaimers on their websites. The websites providing jobs have warned their registered users against such frauds.

The way these fraudsters operate is very unique. Job-seekers are sent an email or an SMS wherein the name of a prominent auto company is used. The fraudsters then ask for payments by cash or cheque. They use domain IDs, which are very similar to the ones used by reputed organisations.

"I became the victim of such fraud. I met a person who claimed himself to be the agent of an organisation. He took the money and never came again. He used the company officials' names," said Gaurv Rai.

A disclaimer on the Bajaj Auto site reads: "It has been brought to our notice that certain individuals are receiving fraudulent emails, seemingly from Bajaj Auto, about job opportunities with our company. They are also asking candidates to deposit money in banks as part of the process. These emails are not sent by Bajaj Auto or any representative of Bajaj Auto. We have not authorised any agency to send such emails on our behalf. We never ask candidates to pay money as recruitment charges or any other fee for employment with the company." 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 29
Gulzar Singh Ranike, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, Schedule Caste and Backward Classes Welfare, has assured the office-bearers and activists of the state unit of the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Employees' Federation that their issues will be resolved soon.

Ranike was addressing the members of the federation at a function that was organised to observe the 112th birth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar at Dehlon village yesterday.

The activists of the federation, led by its chairman Rajesh Bagha and president Amrik Singh Banghar, had demanded the removal of the secretary of the department and an increase in the reservation quota in gazetted posts from 14 per cent to 30 per cent and overall reservation quota from 25 per cent to 38 per cent.

Claiming that the SAD-BJP government had played an unprecedented role in the protection of the rights of the people from the reserved categories, the minister said he had discussed the demands raised by the federation with the Chief Minister and all the issues would be resolved soon.

Ludhiana, April 29
The District Task Force today challaned 10 persons under the Tobacco Control Act for smoking in public. The drive had been carried out on the instructions of the Deputy Commissioner, the Civil Surgeon and the District Health Officer.

District Epidemiologist Puneet Juneja said: "We challaned three persons near Green Land Public School and in the railway station area under section 6 of the Anti-Tobacco Act- 2003. Seven persons were challaned under Section 4 (shopkeepers not displaying appropriate signboards) of the Act. A fine of Rs 2,000 was collected from them."

The team included Food Safety officer Harpreet Kaur, Drug Inspector Perneet Kaur and Additional District Attorney Amandeep Singh.

Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, Subhash Batta and District Health Officer Avinash Kumar said this campaign against smoking in public would continue.

In order to provide a platform to students of government schools, a kala mela will be organised in the city.

Ludhiana, April 29
Arjun Verma today hit a century (100) and also played a valuable partnership of 75 runs with Karan Rajput for the fifth wicket that enabled Jalandhar to overhaul Ludhiana's first innings total of 186 runs on the second day of the third match in the ongoing Punjab State Inter-District Cricket Tournament (U-16) for ML Markan Trophy being played at SCD Government College ground here. Jalandhar scored 281 runs to take a vital lead of 95 runs.

Resuming the day's play at the last evening's score of 30 for one, Jalandhar, with the help of Arjun's ton, went on to score 281 runs in 111 overs. Arjun faced 271 balls and hit 10 boundaries to complete his hundred while Karan Rajput scored 49 runs off 69 deliveries.

For the hosts, skipper Deepin Chitkara was pick of the bowlers. He grabbed six wickets while Raghav Sharma bagged three wickets.

Trailing by 95 runs, Ludhiana, in their second innings were 9 for 1 after 3.4 overs.

Brief scores: Ludhiana (first innings): 186 all out in 81 overs (Jaskaran Singh 57, Deepin Chitkara 37, Vaibhav 21; Prerit Dutta 5 for 73 and Rajeshwar 3 for 40).

Jalandhar (first innings): 281 all out in 111 overs (Amrik Singh 24, Arjun Verma 100, Karan Rajput 49, Robin Bedi 26; Deepin Chitkara 6 for 51 and Raghav Sharma 3 for 94).