Hussainpura (Ludhiana), December 9
Two persons were injured in a leopard attack at Hussainpura village near Ladhowal here today. The victims have been identified as Monu and Radhe.

The incident took place when the leopard strayed into a colony and attacked Monu, who was painting a house. He raised the alarm and managed to free himself from the claws of the leopard.

Soon, residents, the police and forest officials reached the spot and cordoned off the area.

A cage was also brought to the area. Forest officers surrounded the flat where the leopard was suspected to be hiding.

However, the wild cat managed to escape and entered a farm where it attacked a labourer, Radhe.

Forest officials said the leopard escaped into a forest area near Kadian village.

According to them, during the winter, there is a paucity of food and water streams also dry up due to which wild animals at times stray into residential areas in search of food and attack people.

The police and the forest officials have sounded a high alert in Kadian, Hussainpura, Jassian and Bhattian villages, asking residents to stay indoors and keep their domestic animals inside sheds.

The forest staff are keeping night vigil in the area.

Last year, too, a leopard had entered the area and attacked several persons, including a forest officer. 

Ludhiana, December 9
Members of the Mahila Congress, along with schoolchildren and college students, held a protest rally near Bharat Nagar Chowk demanding justice for the acid attack victim. They have demanded a minimum compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the victim and want the property of the accused handed over to the victim. They submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner of Police in this regard.

The protest was led by spokesperson of the women wing of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Nimisha Mehta and mahila wing president of the Ludhiana district Congress Leena Taparia.

According to Mehta, the cases of acid attack victims should be handled by fast-track courts and speedy justice must be ensured for the victims. She said the accused must bear the expenses on the treatment of the victim, even if they have to sell their property. Even after serving life imprisonment, the culprit should be made to compensate the victim, who has to bear life-long suffering and stigma, apart from the huge financial cost of the treatment.

Highlighting the ill-effects of the "unaccountable sale" of acid, Mehta said the government should ban the open sale of acid in the state. "Even a single drop of acid being sold should be accounted for and the shopkeeper should have a complete record of the buyer," she said. "A person should have a valid reason for buying acid. If the seller fails to maintain a record, he should be booked under Section 120-B of the IPC," she said.

"The government must ensure that these provisions are in place within 10 days, failing which we will intensify our struggle," she said. 

Ludhiana, December 9
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal's announcement to lower the limit of investment from Rs 10 crore to Rs 1 crore for giving tax benefits to the industry has been welcomed by the local industry. The announcement was made by the Deputy Chief Minister today during the "Progressive Punjab Summit" at Mohali.

"This was a much-needed announcement for the industry. Earlier, the limit of investment was Rs 10 crore for availing of tax benefits, but with this announcement, the SME sector will also be able to avail of the benefits. This is a welcome step and will give relief to the small and medium sector," said Gurmeet Singh Kular, president of the Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation.

"At least 21 MoUs were signed today by industrial houses. The investor summit will help change the future of the state," said Ashoka Makkar, president of the Ludhiana Dyeing Industries Association.

ITC chairman YC Deveshwar declared that the company would set up its "showcase" food processing industry either in Ludhiana or Jalandhar. "New industry is being set up in the state, which is a good step, but at the same time the government should also take care of the existing industry," said Sham Singla, another industralist from the region.

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, steel tycoon LN Mittal, ITC chairman YC Deveshwar, Hero MotoCorp's Sunil Kant Munjal, Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal, GVK Reddy from the GVK Group, DLF vice-chairman Rajiv Singh and other leading industrialists attended the summit.

Ludhiana, December 9
The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has again floated tenders for the much-awaited project related to the sterilisation of thousands of stray dogs in the city. Earlier, tenders had been floated, but since only one company showed interest, these had to be cancelled.

Though the project to sterilise roughly 25,000 stray dogs was approved at a meeting of the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) on January 30 and an amount of Rs 2 crore was sanctioned for it, the project has failed to take off in the city.

When the tenders were floated earlier, only one company, based in Hyderabad, showed interest. The new tenders were floated on December 5 and the companies have been asked to apply till December 26.

The project is likely to be a Herculean task for the civic body given its poor track record in the implementation of such projects. Most dog-sterilisation projects started by the MC have failed and had to be stopped midway.

Stray dogs roaming freely is a common sight in every nook and corner of the city. Though the MC claims that not many dog-bite incidents are reported every year, the truth is that such incidents often remain unreported because a majority of victims prefer to take treatment from nearby hospitals or clinics.

Ludhiana, December 9
The city police has arrested a person on a charge of killing a six-year-old boy, Sandeep, by slitting his neck in Jeevan Nagar near Chandigarh Road. The accused, Raja Shah, was arrested from Dhandari here yesterday.

Illicit relations are believed to be the reason behind the murder. The accused had deserted his wife and reportedly got married to her younger sister. He has two children (a boy and a girl) from his second marriage.

Recently, he allegedly established physical relations with his brother- in-law's wife and was pressing her to elope with him.

ADCP-IV Swapan Sharma said after Raja's proposal was turned down, he decided to "teach the woman a lesson".

"Initially he thought of killing Sukhdev Shah, the victim's brother-in-law. However, he did not get the opportunity to kill Sukhdev," said the ADCP-IV.

Finally, Raja kidnapped Sandeep on December 5 and took him to his migrant quarters, where he killed the boy by slitting his neck.

The victim's sister had reportedly seen Raja with her brother and informed her parents about it.

It is learnt that after killing Sandeep, Raja fled the city. The police conducted a raid at his native village in Bihar, but the accused managed to give the police the slip.

Yesterday, the police got a tip-off that the accused was in the city to collect money which he had lended to some residents in Dhandari. The police conducted a raid and arrested the accused.

Raja confessed to having committed the crime and has been arrested under Section 302 of the IPC. 

Ludhiana, December 9
A 60-year-old man was thrashed to death allegedly by his son-in-law outside a marriage dispute redressal cell on Chandigarh Road here today. The victim has been identified as Harchand.

The incident took place this afternoon when Harchand and his son-in-law Bakshish Singh had a heated argument outside the marriage dispute redressal cell.

In a fit of rage, Bakshish Singh, along with his father Sodagar Singh, attacked Harchand and smashed his head with a helmet.

The victim sustained serious injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The police has registered a case of murder against Bakshish Singh and his father Sodagar Singh.

Bakshish Singh got married to Harchand Singh's daughter Harpreet Kaur a few years ago. The couple had a troubled married life and used to often quarrel over petty issues.

The matter reached the marriage dispute redressal cell. The victim's relatives claimed that the incident took place inside the police station and the police behaved like a mute spectator. 

Doraha, December 9
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is yet to gear up for foggy days ahead. Faded white lines on roads, pointed iron rods alongside roads, deep trenches and lack of proper signboards pose a threat to motorists.

The "prolonged" process of road widening has made the situation worse. Despite the winter having set in, the NHAI authorities are yet to get their act together and initiate steps for the safety of motorists. "Commuters were caught unawares by fog this morning. Drivers were finding it difficult to move on the national highway. The fog is likely to become more dense in the coming days. The NHAI authorities should have made arrangements before the onset of the winter. In the absence of proper signboards, barricades and speed humps, one has to be very careful while driving," said Harpratap Brar of Doraha.

“White lines on the highway have vanished at a number of places, which may result in accidents during foggy days. The authorities seem to waiting for some tragedy to happen before swinging into action,” said Narinder Singh Sidhu, Principal.

Dr Gagandeep Kaushal, who travels on the national highway quite often, said, “The process of widening the road has made the highway accident prone. Many precious lives have been lost in road mishaps. The authorities have failed to learn any lessons from past accidents and have not installed reflectors and other road safety signals, which are required as construction work is going on."

Ludhiana, December 9
Pandemonium prevailed in the general body meeting of the Punjab Agricultural University Employees Union at the university campus, here today.

The opponents of the ruling group expressed their resentment against the office-bearers of the union over the regular delay in monthly salaries and the non-release of 40 per cent arrears. The heated argument amongst the employees made the situation tense at Pal Auditorium, where employees gathered for the meeting.

The meeting was presided by Paramjeet Singh Gill, president PAU Employees Union. Dr Gulzar Singh Pandher, general secretary, presented the report in which he presented that the union led by Paramjeet Singh Gill achieved 24 remarkable achievements during the tenure of 2 years.

“We have reversed the anti-employee decision of the board of management on November 28, 2011, and implemented the revised scales of grade pay given by the Punjab Government even during financial crunch,” said Pandher.

Meanwhile, Harbans Singh Mundi, former president of PAU Employees Union, said, “The major resentment among employees was on the delay in the elections. The ruling group delayed the elections unconstitutionally which should be held within the month of December as their tenure had completed on November 30. Moreover, PAU employees never received salary on time during the past 2 years and the union failed to get the 40 per cent arrear of employees released. The office-bearers of the union also failed to pressurise the PAU authorities to recruit the employees.”

Financial secretary Jarnail Singh presented the financial report of two years. The union passed resolutions announcing that the election of the union will be held on January 10, 2014. Membership amount of the union may be increased from Rs 30 to Rs 50. Agriculture sub-inspectors who are data collectors in villages will be authorised to vote and participate in the election process of PAU Employees Union at Head Quarter, Ludhiana.

Ludhiana, December 9
The local merchant exporters are having a tough time loading the consignment from Container Freight Station (CFC) and have thus raised the demand for in-house factory stuffing.

While the manufacturer exporters are allowed in-house factory stuffing, the same is not allowed for merchant exporters.

Manufacturer exporters are those who manufacture the products at their units while merchant exporters are those who outsource the products.

It is since a year that the facility of loading the consignment from respective units has been stopped by the Customs Department.

Earlier we use to load our containers from the factory premises only. But now merchant exporters are not allowed to load their consignments from their units,” said Gurmeet Singh Kular, general secretary of Bicycle Research and Development Organisation (BRADO).

Kular said if the containers were loaded from their units they make it sure that it was done in a specific manner so that the objects do not get spoilt or the chances of wear and tear were less. “A lot of time is wasted in taking the consignment to the CFS and then getting it loaded,” he said.

Meanwhile another merchant exporter, Kulwinder Singh, said the sender of the consignment was the best judge of loading it. “At Container Freight Station, 350 goods are loaded in one container but my workers in the factory would have loaded around 400 goods in the same container. So according to me, the merchant should be allowed to stuff the container from his factory premises so that the container is loaded in a safe manner and goods are loaded with his satisfaction,” he said.

Merchant and manufacturer are different but a common thing between both of them is that they both are exporters i.e. they send their goods out of the country for sale in the international market. “When both the merchant and manufacturer are sending goods to other countries, they should be allowed to load their containers from their premises as it saves both time and energy,” said Ram Lal, another merchant exporter.

Ludhiana, December 9
As the marriage season is in full bloom, the culture of organising midnight parties is also on the rise.

However, the menace of playing loud music till the wee hours has spelled doom for the city residents as majority of them have been complaining of sleepless nights. On the top of all, neither the police not the administration is doing anything to curb the menace.

The harassed residents cannot even lodge their complaint as helpline number 100 remains busy throughout the night.

When contacted, the exasperated reaction of the operator (sitting at control room 01612414932) sums up the scenario.

“I have no clue as to what has happened to the city. It seems everyone is playing music. We have sent cops in every part of the city. I do not know when the personnel will reach your area to stop the music,” said the operator at the control while expressing his helplessness on being contacted at 1 am.

A security guard of an area falling near Sham Singh Road said had some VIP, minister or senior police officer lived in the area, the problem would not have occurred. It seems that the people give hoots to the law and order.

“What to control snatchings, thefts, eve teasing, rape or the loud sound of music. The police have failed to curb the basic menace of playing loud music at midnight. Even celebratory shots are fired at some places but the cops turn a blind eye. In posh localities these pseudo influential businessmen throw the guidelines laid down by the police into the winds,” said Ashish Kumar, a resident of BRS Nagar.

With the passage of time the concept of pre-wedding parties has also changed. “These are organised as rave parties in the garb of marriage celebrations. Drugs and liquor flows and there is no check,” Amandeep Singh, president of a social organisation.

A resident while praising the strict law enforcement in Chandigarh said, “That’s why Chandigarh is considered a paradise and Ludhiana, a hell of all kinds of pollution. Be it noise or air pollution. I came to know that some senior police officers from other states especially from Chandigarh visit the city to attend such midnight parties. Certainly city is not worth living and has become a dumping ground of all evils,” said Sahil from Chandigarh who was visiting the city to meet his friend.

Ludhiana, December 9
The Sportking Institute of Fashion Technology took an initiative to hold an in-house exhibition during which students showcased their creativity by making different designs.

According to Ritu Kapoor, a fashion faculty member at the institute, the students were given a theme of childhood memory in which the students had to choose their fond childhood memory and had to design keeping in mind any international fashion brand. The students after finalising the theme from their childhood memory had to do the research to design according to the chosen international fashion brand and create the outfit for the brand. The students ingeniously combined contrasting themes such as birds and bikes, dance and military, she said.

Shruti Bhatia, final year student created an outfit on the theme of balloon. “I had to design for Tommy Hilfiger and I had to match the style of the brand while designing and creating the dress,” she said. Another student, Sakshi Khosla made the design on the theme of playground. “I had to design with the style of United Colors of Benetton in mind. I chose to design my theme more in prints to get the sporty look of the playground along,” she said. Prachi who designed on the theme of birds and bike chose the print of birds and combined it with a rugged fabric of bikes.

The students of all the three years created designer dresses, said another faculty member. The students of Knitwear Design from the institute created woolen attires on different themes during the event.

Ludhiana, December 9
There seems to be no end to the woes of the students of Government Primary School, Field Ganj, who along with their teachers suffer everyday for one or the other reason.

They are made to sit in the classes which do not have even roofs and the teachers feel that half of their energy gets wasted in bringing everything back to the track.

The in-charge of the school, Amrit Kaur, said for the past few days, the drug addicts have been entering the school premises and create ruckus. “The other day, a drug addict came and asked to call the newly appointed teachers (both females) and said that he knew them. There was a panic amongst teachers as nobody knew the man. With the help of nearby shopkeepers, I managed to push him out from the school premises,” said Amrit Kaur.

Another teacher rued that 2-3 days ago, about 15-20 students of some school gathered outside the school and started screaming. “They even started pelting stones inside and the small kids got panicky and started runnig here and there. They finally left the place when I threatened of lodging a complaint against them. At times, before the school starts, some miscreants come and tell students that holiday has been declared, following which the students go back to their homes. Then we have to go to their places to call them back,” said the teacher.

The school is being run for Classes I-V and there are over 75 students studying. Sukhjit Kaur, a student, rued that in summers and winters, students were made to sit in open. There was no security at the school, she said.

When asked why a police report had not been registered by the authorities, the in-charge said since the students were too small, it could create a bad impact on their minds if the police visited here to record the statements.

Providing useful tips for the household activities in December, the home science experts of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have advised the residents to clean the home thoroughly, purchase clothes and accessories cautiously, eat healthy and nutritious diet and take care of children as well as family members.

Emphasising on the maximum consumption of green leafy vegetables in winters, Dr Kiran Grover said the use of nutritious vegetables prevents various diseases such as eye diseases such as night blindness and cataract and iron deficiencies such as anemia and osteoporosis. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, fenugreek, spring onions, cabbage, coriander, curry leaves and garden cress can be used as salad or to make soup, snacks, pulao, dal, cutlets, kabab, pakoras, chutney, etc, she said.

Referring to home cleaning, Dr Surinderjit Kaur advised to rub faded carpets or mats with warm water and turpentine as this will restore their original colour and shine. Dr Kaur stressed on using thick and bright coloured curtains for doors/windows; durries and carpets for floors and thick/warm bed spreads to bring warmth in rooms.

Dr Harinder Saggu suggested wearing dresses in pastels, medium to darker colours. The fabric should be warm enough to beat the bone chilling cold of this month viz thick textured fabric namely poplin, khadi, silk, velvet, and woolen blends such as terrycot, terrywool, spun, etc. — TNS

Ludhiana, December 9
A general body meeting of the PAU Retirees’ Welfare Association held under the presidentship of Jila Ram Bansal, here today. Satish Sood, general secretary, read out the agenda items to the participants. More than 125 pensioners, including women pensioners attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Jila Ram Bansal highlighted the demands pertaining to pensioners– availability of medicines in PAU Hospital, Suvidha Centre for pensioners and PAU Pensioners Bhawan. DP Maur stated that we can achieve anything with the struggle untidily and also thanked those who made the last month agitation a success.

Ludhiana, December 9
The latest case of a woman journalist levelling charges of sexual assault against her boss Tarun Tejpal, founder editor of weekly news magazine Tehelka, has once again put a question mark over the safety of women at their work places.

"Be it organised or unorganised sector, women do feel unsafe at their workplaces. It is not only unskilled women force but even the highly qualified lot also feels uneasiness at their workplaces," said Amarjit Kaur, national secretary of All-India Trade Union Congress.

"The latest incident has not come as a shock for me but yes, I was shocked at the person involved in this. Recently, a woman advocate came up with the same complaint. One may be economically independent or in a strong position but the environment at a workplace is not favourable sometimes," she added.

Although Ludhiana is an industrial hub of Punjab, the number of women contributing their share in industrial production is very less. Only 15 per cent women work at various units across the city. Industry is facing 30-40 per cent of labour shortage but not many women are coming forward to join the industry.

It is only the textile and hosiery industry where women work in good numbers while in the engineering sector, fewer women workers are employed.

Dr Narjeet Kaur, convener of the Working Women's Forum, said: "She does not feel safe while walking, while travelling, while working and even while she is at her own home, sometimes. If there is a problem, it should be tackled immediately," she said. 

Ludhiana, December 9
Social activist Dinesh Talwar today held a campaign in the city against the rising population and poor gender ratio. He also gave a brief lecture on the issue at an educational institute.

Talwar, who is from the Surbhi Pariwar Foundation based in Meerut, holds rallies in different parts of the country. He has performed nukkad plays in different cities since 1994. He wants to convey his message of need for a strict implementation of family planning laws and measures to the people and the government. "It is strange that the government is not doing much to address the issue despite the fact that one problem of overpopulation is the root cause of so many more problems. So, it must be addressed on priority," he says. The family planning campaign, "Hum Do Hamare Do", launched by the government has run out of steam and nothing is being done aggressively, he adds.

"We have been submitting memorandums to MPs and the administration of the cities we visit, but no concrete measures have been taken by the government to address the issue," he says. He runs a department store in Meerut along with his brother and works for this cause on alternate days, he adds.

Every citizen of the country needs to become aware of the problem of overpopulation. His wife Disha Talwar travels with him to take part in rallies and campaigns against overpopulation, Talwar says. 

Ludhiana, December 9
After the recent bogus billing scam, panic has gripped traders and they want the department to upload the list of defaulters on its website so that the genuine traders do not have in any business activities with them.

Ït becomes the responsibility of the department to make the traders aware about the firms which are indulging in bogus billing. Once a firm is exposed by the department, the firms doing business with them also got entangled without any fault of theirs," said Suresh Sharma, an iron and steel trader.

Badish Jindal, president of the Federation of Association of Small Industries of India, said the release of refunds should not take a backseat now. "The CBI will be initiating an inquiry into the scam and we want that the inquiry should focus on bogus billing and not bogus refunds because otherwise the department will get one more reason for not making refunds," said Jindal.

Meanwhile, another trader, Brij Mohan, said he always verified the background of a particular firm before making trade deals with it. "But yes, sometimes firms are so smart that one cannot judge them. Things are becoming difficult day by day and the department should take measures to inform traders about the fake firms or those indulging in bogus billing," he said.

Ludhiana, December 9
A number of women kabaddi players from foreign teams have suffered injuries during practice and competitions in the ongoing 4th edition of the World Cup Kabaddi. Poor game skills are to blame for the rising number of injury cases among foreign kbaddi players.

Though the teams of doctors, physiotherapists, para medical staff and other emergency arrangements are there, the sports officials and organisers are a worried lot seeing as players of visiting teams continue to get injured during practice sessions or matches.

Megreta, a player from Kenya, was injured during a match at Chola Sahib, Taran Tarn district, on Thursday. Yesterday, the sports officials admitted her to the DMCH. Another player from Denmark was also injured during a match. A few players, including Pakistani women players, have been injured during practice sessions at Guru Nanak Stadium in the past few days.

According to kabaddi experts, a player needs at least a year-long practice to avoid injuries during matches. As most of the foreign teams were constituted a few months before the World Kabaddi Cup, their players are not well aware of the technique of the game.

"Indian players practise for years then they get a chance to compete in the state-level tournaments. They learn the technique of the game properly during practice sessions, said Sukhraj, a kabaddi player.

Harbans Singh, coach of the Indian Kabaddi team, said: "Most foreign players are from other sports. They never played kabaddi in life before inducted into their kabaddi teams. After practising for three or four months, they cannot become perfect in the technique. Moreover, injury is a common feature of kabaddi. Players who have been playing the game for several years also get injured sometimes".

Ludhiana, December 9
Eventually, Guru Nanak Stadium, the venue for the closing ceremony of the 4th edition of the World Cup Kabaddi scheduled for December 14 is ready for the mega event.

The renovation work, which is running behind the schedule, is now on in full swing. The work of installation of a canopy is almost complete. All main blocks and buildings in the stadium have been whitewashed.

The Block C of the stadium, which was in a pathetic condition due to the careless attitude of the authorities, is also being spruced up for the event. The sports authorities have been planning to ready the Block C to accommodate a large number of spectators during the closing ceremony.

According to the sports officials, more than 40,000 people are expected to watch the final match and closing ceremony. The administration has repaired the broken chairs in the A block.

Kawaljit Singh, a player, said: "It is good that the authorities have been renovating the sports complex. The multipurpose hall and basketball academy in the sports complex also required renovation".

Kartar Singh, District Sports Officer, said: "The work is going in full swing. It will be completed within two days. This time we are renovating the C block". 

Ludhiana, December 9
The All-India Sahibzada Ajit Singh Hockey Championship has gone international as a team from Bangladesh has confirmed its participation in this year's edition of the championship scheduled to be held at the Prithipal Singh Memorial AstroTurf Stadium at Punjab Agricultural University here from December 17 to 23.

Stating this at a press conference here today, Davinder Singh Kehal, president of the Sports Council of Ludhiana, said besides the team from Bangladesh, seven top hockey teams of the country in the men’s section, four teams each in the women’s section and boys' under 15 category will be vying for top honours in this prize money tournament.

Eight teams in the men’s section include Bangladesh, Punjab National Bank, Punjab and Sind Bank, Indian Army XI, Punjab Police (Jalandhar), Air India XI (Mumbai), ONGC (Delhi), Namdhari XI (Bhaini Sahib) and BPCL XI.

Teams in the women’s section are Chandigarh XI, Sonepat XI, Central Railways and Gwalior XI while boys (u-15) contingents include Chandigarh XI, Ludhiana XI, Jalandhar XI and Mohali XI.

“A total prize money worth Rs 9 lakh will be given to the winners and runners-up in each section. The winners in the men’s section will be richer by Rs 3.5 lakh while the runners-up will get Rs 2.5 lakh. Likewise, the teams securing the first position in the women’s section will pocket Rs I lakh and the runners-up will get Rs 50,000. The winners in the boys' section will receive a cash prize of Rs 75,000 and the runners-up Rs 50,000,” added Davinder Singh.

Ludhiana, December 9
On the basis of their performance in the Ludhiana District Table Tennis Tournament held in October, the following paddlers have been selected to represent the district in the 54th Punjab State Inter-District and Open Table Tennis Championship to be held in Jalandhar between December 14 and 18.

Fang Jenn Chiu, secretary, Ludhiana District Table Tennis Association, announced the names of players. They include Nimish and Parikshit (cadet boys) and Tanya and Vaibhavi (cadet girls).

Subjunior boys: Parivanshdeep, Naman, Ayush and Jasjot; subjunior girls: Taniya Munjal, Yashmilan, Apeksha and Tamanna.

Junior boys: Harnoor Singh, Shubham Wadhwa, Sharandeep Singh and Sameer Sharma; junior girls: Navdeep Kaur, Tanya, Amoldeep Kaur and Akshita.

Boys u-21: Harnoor Singh, Sameer Sharma, Shubham Grover and Parivasnhdeep; girls u-21: Navdeep Kaur, Bhumika, Tarunpriya and Amoldeep Kaur.

Men: Harnoor Singh, Sameer Sharma, Shubham Wadhera, Dharminder and Gaurav Sharma; women: Nirdosh, Navdeep Kaur, Tarunpriya, Bhumika and Mandeep Kaur.

Ludhiana, December 9
Two veteran players have brought laurels to the city by winning three gold medals in the 34th Punjab Masters Athletic Championship held at Mastuana Sahib in Sangrur district on December 7 and 8. The women team of veteran players from Ludhiana won the overall trophy in this championship.

Proving her mettle again in the 50+ category, Charanjit Kaur (56) clinched two gold medals in the hammer throw and discus throw events. She also won silver in javelin throw.

Another veteran player from the city, Rajinder Kaur bagged the first position in hammer throw and won gold in the 40+ category. She also won silver in discus throw and bronze in shot put.

In this championship, Charanjit Kaur won two gold medals in shot put and discus throw in 50 + category. Meanwhile, in 40 + group, Rajinder Kaur bagged gold in discus throw.

International veteran player Charanjit Kaur had participated in an international championship in China last year. She had participated in the national games for the fourth time.

Charanjit has been working as a physical training instructor at Government Senior Secondary School, Division No. 3.

"Sports is my passion. It keeps me fit. Now, I have taken up power lifting. I enjoy spending time at play grounds," said Charanjit.

Ludhiana, December 9
With the state government spending crores of rupees on kabaddi, players of other sports are disappointed and feeling dejected.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's promise he had made to sportsman on the occasion of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award Ceremony in July, 2013, has remained unfulfilled. The Chief Minister had announced that the state government would recruit 125 sportsmen in various departments every year to provide employment to them.

Talwinder Singh, one of the talented basketball players, who represented India 25 times, is unemployed. Jagdeep Singh, another basketball player, who became the captain of the Indian team at the age of 20, was once recruited by the state government but was expelled later on.

One of the top basketball players, Amritpal, has the same tale to tell. Not only this, a number of athletes and sportsmen from other games, who made the state proud, are unemployed.

Teja Singh Dhaliwal, a prominent sports promoter, stated it was good to promote kabaddi but it shouldn't be at the cost of other sports.

"So many announcements are made by the state government but none is fulfilled. We need the implementation of such announcements as our talented players are without employment. Who want to be a player without any appreciation".