Ludhiana, March 8
The Lok Sabha elections have brought some good news for the first-time voters. The important moment in their life will be clicked and they will be provided with the photographs. The first-timers will also get discounts at restaurants, cinema halls and at other spots of entertainment.

Rajat Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer said: "Our aim is to increase voting percentage. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the voting percentage was 64.77%. Now, we want to enhance it up to 85%."

To motivate voters, some interesting methods have been adopted by the administration. The traffic police will play special audio cassettes with election messages at traffic lights. Small plays and functions will be held on streets, in parks and malls, etc. Mobile vans will create awareness about right to franchise, he said.

The District Electoral Officer said instructions had been issued to the authorities concerned for installing screens at gas agencies, banks, ATMs and malls on which video clippings motivating residents to cast their vote would be played.

Suwidha centres will send bulk election messages. A candlelight march will be taken out through the Kipps Market, PAU, Mall Road and other prominent places during which voters would be requested to take pledge to cast their vote. Quiz competitions based on the elections will be held and the winners will be given attractive prizes.

Banners and posters will be put up on buses and academies. Government offices, MC buildings, flyovers and other walls will be painted beautifully.

As the harvesting season is approaching, farmers will be encouraged to cast their vote, he said.

Ludhiana, March 8
Though the Northern Railway authorities have facilitated easy visitor movement by connecting all platforms and both entrances of the railway station with a foot overbridge, they have shown no concern about the welfare of the physically challenged.

There is no ramp for the physically challenged at the railway station. They can be seen riding piggyback on their attendants or climbing stairs on crutches with difficulty.

"It took railway officials several years to get the foot overbridge constructed. But even after this long planning, they have failed to address inconvenience to the physically challenged. There should be a ramp or an escalator for the physically challenged. I daily see a number of persons who keep waiting for good Samaritans to reach from one platform to another," said Gansham, a vendor at the railway station.

"It is negligence on the part of the authorities. It never occurred to them there should be ramps for the physically challenged," said Baljeet Singh Bali, a member of an NGO who works for the welfare of the physically challenged.

Meanwhile, the railway authorities have sent a proposal to the Railway Board for setting up an escalator at Platform Number 1.

Ravinder Sharma, Station Superintendent at the railway station, said: "We have sent a proposal to the higher authorities for the installation of an escalator at the station."

Jagraon, March 8
The differences in the Jagraon unit of Congress party were never hidden. These differences came to fore once again during a party meeting organised here today. Several prominent party leaders remained away from the meeting. The meeting was organised by District Congress Committee for mobilising the party workers and supporters in view of coming Lok Sabha elections.

Earlier it was told that Manish Tiwari, MP, Ludhiana, will be addressing the meeting but his visit was cancelled.

However, several Congress leaders including former MLA Gurdeep Singh Bhaini, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) general secretary Major Singh Bhaini, block congress president Gopal Sharma, many sarpanchs of various villages and the former party municipal councilors of now disbanded Jagraon Municipal Council gave a miss to the party meeting thus raising many eyebrows.

The supporters of former MLA Darshan Singh were also not seen in the meeting. Even former senior vice-president of local municipal council Ravinder Sabharwal was conspicuous with his absence though some of his close aides were present during the meeting.

While addressing around 200 party workers present during the meeting, Ludhiana District Congress Committee president Pawan Dewan, former president Krishan Bawa, senior Congress leader Malkiat Singh and former minister Isher Singh urged the workers to become active in their respective areas to make sure the success of the party. Recalling the development projects initiated by Tiwari in the constituency, Pawan and other leaders, they said it is the time to pay back to the good works done by the ministers for the constituency by voting him to the victory in the coming polls."

Khanna, March 8
Akali Dal-BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib constituency, Kulwant Singh had assured that the pending work on the National highway, which passes through his parliamentary constituency including Khanna, will be completed on priority basis after his win from constituency and after the formation NDA government in the Centre.

Talking with media persons Kulwant singh said he is fully aware of the problem and will try his best for the completion of national highway. He said it had come into his notice that several precious lives were at risk due to the incompletion on the national highway and several accidents took place due to it. He also said in rainy season Khanna residents were worst hit and it is an uphill task to cross the city on both sides. Kulwant singh further said the work on all the pending development works of the area will be taken up and completed on war footing for the development of the area.

Ludhiana, March 8
Various NGOs, college students and AAP members took out a march in the city to mark the International Women's Day today.

NGOs, including Ludhiana Cares, Nai Zindagi Nai Udaan, ASSOCHAM and Inner Wheel Club, along with students of various colleges and women members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held the march under the banner 'Women Inspire - marching towards a safe and secure Ludhiana'. The march was flagged off at Khalsa College for Women by HS Phoolka, the AAP candidate for the Ludhiana Lok Sabha seat, and concluded at Government College for Women.

Organisers said the aim of the march was to raise awareness and denouncing eve-teasing and other forms of violence and harassment against women. Woman residents of Ludhiana released their list of demands to make Ludhiana safe and secure for the fairer sex. Phoolka pledged his support to the demands and endorsed them.

The participants sported headbands and balloons hued in purple, the colour signifying strength.

Ludhiana, March 8
Twenty artists showcased their works of art, including paintings, mix media works, trousseau, during an exhibition held at the Bistro 226 to mark the International Women's Day today.

Ayushi Daula created a 3D work of painting celebrating the womanhood. The artist used wood, clay and coffee for the creation.

Another work of 3D art included hands of a child, a youth and an elderly depicting three stages of life of a woman. Aastha Mehra made the painting dedicated to her mother.

Mark Victor displayed a painting of a veiled woman. "This painting represents the anger, mystery and challenges of a woman," said the artist. Deep Matharoo made a painting depicting the parental pressure on a child regarding the career he should choose.

Ayushi Gupta's work depicted the trauma of a rape victim. Verses by young poets were also displayed artistically at the exhibition.

Ayushi Gupta and Ravneet Saggu organised the event.

Ludhiana, March 8
The International Women’s Day was celebrated with enthusiasm in the city.

It was not just girls or women, who sent encouraging messages to each other through Whatsapp or Facebook, even men too participated in the celebrations ‘admitting’ that they had achieved success in life because of women, be it their mother, wife or sister.

A message on Facebook by a city resident read: "Celebration of woman is celebrating life. To my wife, mother and sister, just want to let you know on this day that I am stronger, wiser and stable only because of you (sic)."

Besides motivational messages, there were messages shared by men and women in a lighter vein, depicting how women barged into the fields that were dominated by men.

"It is nice to see men giving credit of their success to women. It is just any other day but a lot of attention is being given to women today and we are liking it,” said Meetu, a young entrepreneur.

The day was celebrated by various organisations as a mark of respect to the womenfolk. Officials of the Sankara Eye Hospital celebrated the day by inviting post-graduate students of Ramgarhia Girls College to the hospital. About 40 students were shown the facilities and explained the working of the hospital. The day was celebrated at Thind Dental Clinic where doctors and the staff saluted women’s contribution to the society.

At SPS Apollo Hospital, the Women’s Day was celebrated by releasing a book titled ‘Be Beautiful’, authored by Dr Jastinder Gill, senior consultant, Department of Skin and Cosmetology. The hospital also organised awareness sessions on women’s health and achievement of its female associates.

City doctors took a pledge to fight against cervical cancer, which was among the top two causes of cancer-mortality in women in India. The cancer kills 67,477 women every year in the country. India contributes 23 per cent to the incidence of cervical cancer across the world with nearly 1,22,844 new cases diagnosed annually in India. Doctors said awareness was the first step towards prevention against the disease.

Doraha, March 8
Nearly 130 students volunteered during a blood donation camp organised at Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, to mark the International Women's Day today.

The NSS and NCC units along with the Youth Club of Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, organised the camp conducted by teams from the Christian Medical Hospital and the Civil Hospital, Khanna.

While inaugurating the camp, college principal Dr Narinder Singh Sidhu shared that blood donation was a service to humanity. "The donor's act can prove a life-saver for someone."

Jagroop Singh, programme coordinator, NSS (boys), said, "The camp was held on the International Women's Day. Even today, there are women who die due to unavailability of blood. Blood is the only thing which cannot be produced mechanically. For a healthy person, donating a unit of blood could be insignificant but it means everything for a patient in need."

A student, who donated blood at the camp, said, "It gave me great satisfaction on donating blood and I would volunteer for the noble cause every year."

Jagraon, March 8
The post-graduate departments of Punjabi, history, English and computer science of Khalsa College for Women, Sidhwan Khurd, near Jagraon, organised a seminar on the occasion of the International Women's Day.

Students of the college presented papers on various issues related to women such as their security, social dignity, rights and duties etc during the seminar. Later, a group of students debated the papers presented during the seminar. College principal Dr Paramjit Kaur appreciated the efforts of the students. She emphasised on the need of education and social awareness for the empowerment of women. 

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Ludhiana, March 8
A 26-year-old woman was crushed to death while her younger sister was injured in a freak accident on the Ferozepur Road this morning.

They were waiting for the light to turn green at the lights point opposite Gate Number 2 of Punjab Agricultural University at 7am when a truck driver could not apply brakes on time and ran them over.

The deceased has been identified as Karamjit Kaur (26), a resident of Indira Colony on Barewal Road, and her younger as Kuljit Kaur. They were on their way to a computer centre in the Feroze Gandhi market.

Eyewitnesses told the police that Kuljit Kaur was driving the scooter while Karamjit was riding pillion.

“As they were waiting for the light to turn green, a truck laden with paddy hit them from the rear. The truck driver, who was coming from the Mullanpur side, couldn’t stop the vehicle on time and ran them over. The scooter was dragged to about 20 meters before the truck came to a halt. Karamjit died on the spot while Kuljit was rushed to the hospital. She was discharged after treatment,” said a policeman deputed at the PAU station.

The woman’s father, Surjit Singh, said he was a taxi driver and his daughters were teachers at a computer institute.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Sohan Lal from the PAU Police Station said after the accident, the PAU police reached the spot and arrested the truck driver, identified as Naresh Kumar. He hails from Madhubani district in Bihar. “A case under sections 279 (reckless driving), 338 (causing hurt due to negligence) and 304-A (causing death due to negligence) of the IPC has been registered against him at the PAU Police Station,” he said.

Jagraon, March 8
With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, the police have tightened the noose around the people involved in the peddling of drugs such as heroine, smack, opium, poppy husk, cough syrups and other habit forming drugs.

The drive initiated by the Jagraon police against the alleged drug peddlers seems to be yielding good results with the police arresting several alleged drug peddlers and seizing some huge contrabands of drugs in last few days.

During the first week of March, the police have arrested more than one dozen alleged drug peddlers and seized massive quantities of drugs from them.

After arresting notorious drug peddler Vikas Kumar Gupta alias Yamha and his accomplice Gurwinder Singh alias Giani along with huge drug contraband around 5 days back, the Jagraon police received another major success in its drive against drugs when different police teams arrested 7 alleged drug peddlers in separate operations in past 24 hours. The police have also seized 500 gram opium, 200 gram drug powder, 19 gram heroin and 10 kilogram poppy husk from them.

The accused were identified as Balwinder Singh alias Mintu and Surinderpal Singh of Dholan village near Jagraon, Gurpreet Singh of Janetpura village near Sidhwan Bet, Pawandeep Singh alias Pawan of Bhumal village, Harpal Singh alias Pal of Bhundri village, Surjit Singh alias Jeet of Veran village and Balwinder Singh alias Nikka of Hans Kalan village.

"We would further reinforce our drive against the people involved in peddling of drugs. The menace of drugs has ruined lives of several youths and we would not allow anyone to play with the lives of the youths," said SSP Jagraon Ashish Chaudhry.

Ludhiana, March 8
A resident of Rajgarh village has been booked for fraud.

In his complaint to the Jamalpur police, Gulshan Kumar, the owner of a real estate company and a resident of GK Mall in Jawaddi, stated that he had purchased a piece of land from one Gurbachan Singh, father of Gurmail Singh. "The land was sold to GK Infrastructure Ltd in 2001 and we developed a PUDA-approved colony there, which has already been sold," added Gulshan Kumar in his complaint.

He alleged, "Gurmail Singh connived with some officials of the Revenue Department and got mutation of around 470 sq yards of the ancestral land transferred in his name. For some ulterior motive, he further got the land transferred in the name of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji."

Gurmail Singh has been booked under Sections 420, 177 and 193 of the IPC and Section 82 of the Indian Registration Act-1908. — TNS

Doraha, March 8
The police today arrested the manager of a private company selling products of foreign brands illegally near Doraha.

Director of Intellectual Property Rights Vigilance India Limited, Sanjeev Kumar, said, "Ritu Apparels, a private company, was illegally selling products of American Eagle Outfitters and Lacoste brands. The goods have been confiscated and an FIR has been registered at Doraha police station."

"The manager of the company has been arrested and a total of 629 pieces of American Eagle Outfitters and around 200 apparels of Lacoste have been recovered," said Devinderpal Singh, SHO, Doraha police station. — OC

Ludhiana, March 8
Karamjeet Kaur and Jawinder Singh were adjudged the best athletes during the 16th Annual Athletics Meet of BCM College of Education here today.

District Sports Officer Kartar Singh Sehmbey, who was the chief guest on the occasion, distributed prizes among the winners.

Results: Boys: 100-m race: Jaswinder Singh 1, Amandeep 2 and Girdhari 3; long jump: Jaswinder Singh 1, Aman 2 and Navjot 3; discus throw: Ram 1, Balbir 2 and Pankaj 3; and slow cycling: Balbir 1, Ankush 2 and Pankaj 3.

Girls: 100-m race: Karamjeet Kaur 1, Neetu 2 and Shrishti 3; long jump: Karamjeet Kaur 1, Sandeep Kaur 2 and Rupinder Kaur 3; discus throw: Mankaran 1, Manju 2 and Navjot 3; sack race: Priya 1, Divya 2 and Surinder Kaur 3; and three-legged race: Jaswinder and Harjit 1, Harneet and Pawandeep 2, Tanya and Taruna 3.