L U D H I A N A

The megacity today is sitting on a powder-keg
Massive urbanisation around Baddowal ammunition depot a threat
LUDHIANA, May 31 — A cloud of fear and apprehension hangs over Ludhiana ever since the fire late last month at the Bharatpur ammunition depot in which at least five persons died and more than 14,000 tonnes of ammunition worth hundreds of crores of rupees was destroyed.

Mixing business with pleasure — that’s Ludhiana for you
LUDHIANA, May 31 — For Manisha and Ashish Bansal, a young couple married for around 14 years, the fun now begins after eight each night. Ashish is back from his work and Manisha is almost done with her daily routine of helping her in-laws, children with their homework and other household chores.

Cultural melas catch Ludhianvis' fancy
Culture is a term that is interpreted by various people in different ways. Mostly, it is associated with song and dance, and in Punjab, with bhangra and giddha, accompanied by boliyan.

COMMUNITY

Planetarium equipment remains outdated
LUDHIANA, May 31 — Nehru Planetarium, located near the Rose Garden here suffers from official

An embodiment of perseverance and strength
LUDHIANA, May 31 — He overcame paralysis to make a name in the field of chess. He learnt a number of languages on his own and even mastered astrology to eke out a living. But he is aghast at the insensitive treatment meted out to him by the government and the world around him.

Breeze, showers bring cheer
LUDHIANA, May 31— The fall in the mercury following mild rain showers here last night wiped the frown off many faces in the city after the unremitting heat wave that has gripped the region for the past two months.

CRIME

12-year-old sodomised?
LUDHIANA, May 31 — A case of sodomy has been registered at the Sadar Police Station against two persons by the father of the 12-year-old victim.

A blot on city’s face
LUDHIANA, May 31 — It is a distinction, Ludhianvis will not be proud of. The district is continuously recording highest number of rape cases occuring in the state for the last four years.It seems time has come to award it the dubious honour of being the most ‘ unsafe ‘ place for womenfolk.

BUSINESS

Cycle industry faces tough competition
LUDHIANA, May 31— The future prospects of the bicycle and parts industry here look gloomy. Around 3,000 manufacturers of bicycles and cycle parts in ''Manchester of India'', which form more than 70 per cent of the total bicycle industry in the country, have overcome all sorts of crises in the past — be it scarcity or high prices of raw material, erratic and insufficient power supply, taxation burden, labour problems and even tougher times during a decade-long militancy.

Way to riches through the stomach
LUDHIANA, May 31 — If the way to riches lie through the stomach, not many know it better than Mrs Rajni Bector who has successfully turned her cookery hobby into a Rs-100 crore business empire.

EDUCATION

Occupational skin diseases common
Ludhiana, being the industrial hub, occupational skin diseases are far more common here than in other cities. some of the high-risk industries are chemical industries, fabricated rubber products, leather tanning, plating and polishing industries.