L U D H I A N A

Villagers have sleepless nights as fear of robbers grips them
LALTON (LUDHIANA), Aug 11 — When darkness descends on this village, the sound of fun and laughter gives way to an eerie silence that is broken only by the occasional hooting of an owl or the half-hearted shouts of jaagte raho by the chowkidars roaming in the streets.

Residents of Pamal village sit on guard at night. (Right) Guards employed by the Lalton panchayat to save themselves from robbers.— Photos by Rajesh Bhambi

Mayor, others stall MC demolition
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — In an interesting turn of events, it was a hoard of politicians, including the city Mayor and some councillors, that converged on the building site of a spinning mill on the Rahon Road here today and stalled the demolition operations being carried out by the building branch of the Municipal Corporation for violation of building bye-laws.

ISI attack on I-Day feared
10 militants being infiltrated
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — A group of about 10 militants owing allegiance to the Babbar Khalsa International is reportedly planning to infiltrate into the state to sabotage the Independence Day celebrations.

Pain and pleasure of Partition
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — As 65-year-old Narain Singh looks back to the day of freedom on August 15, 1947, he smiles with pride and shivers with horror, simultaneously. He is one of the many persons who have witnessed the pain and pleasure of Partition and freedom.

Millionaire NRI sticks to roots
Khangura (LUDHIANA), Aug 11 — Mr Jagpal Singh Khangura (63) may have made his millions in England but, at heart, he remains a simple farmer.

COMMUNITY

The Ps and Qs of using mobile phones
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — One is in the movie hall. The movie has reached its climax. There is pin-drop silence and suddenly mobile phone is heard, disturbing the quiet atmosphere. Almost all people sitting at the edge of their seats curse the person who shattered the beautiful illusion they were immersed in.

SHSAD lambasts Badal on US Nagar
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — The Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD), headed by former SGPC President Gurcharan Singh Tohra is gearing up to launch yet another attack on the SAD(B)-BJP government in Punjab on the issue of Udham Singh Nagar, failure to solve the pending problems of Punjab, increasing lawlessness and anti-trade and industry policies.

Scribes condemn lensman’s killing
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — Press reporters and photographers in the city today condemned the bomb blast in Srinagar yesterday, in which The Hindustan Times photographer, Mr Pradeep Bhatia, and others, lost their lives.

Remembrances of things past 
Sometimes, I feel like starting all over again. Instead of reading new books, I want to read the old classics. To prepare a lecture before going to bed at night and then to recapitulate it while sipping tea in the morning was an experience that gave meaning to my life.

Club says no contest, DJs sing different tune 
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — It is going to be a colourful musical extravaganza tomorrow at the Satluj Club. Star performers like Akbar Sami, Dhruv and Tinoo Senior are all set to rock the town with their foot-tapping music as part of the Friendship Day celebrations being organised by the club.

CRIME

Car thieves caught
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — The police has arrested two youths for stealing a car from outside a marriage palace on the Ferozepore Road in March.

Cassettes, CDs of blue films seized
Aug 11 — The police seized 20 compact discs and six cassettes of blue films in a raid at a video parlour in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar last night.

BUSINESS

Power tariff hike burdens industry
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — The Punjab State Electricity Board has put a heavy burden on industry through indirect means. Minimum charges for power supply to steel furnaces have been raised from Rs 360 per KW to Rs 450 per KW. For the other LS units, the increase is from Rs 1120 to Rs 200 per KW. Industry is facing a recession, so the hike in these charges will put more burden on it.

Gifts distributed to knitters
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — Groz-Beckert Asia Ltd., the Indian arm of Groz-Beckert KG, Germany, manufacturers of needles for the textile industry, held a function at Satluj Club on August 9 to distribute gifts to knitters who had won these in the customers’ gift scheme organised by the company from April to July.

EDUCATION

Change Principal: students
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — The students of Goverment Institute of Textile Chemistry and Knitting Technology have given a call for indefinite strike and have demanded that the Principal be changed.

PAUSA threatens to launch stir
LUDHIANA, Aug 11 — The Punjab Agricultural University Students Association (PAUSA) has threatened to launch an agitation if its demands were not met by the state government.