L U D H I A N A

Administrative work hit in 45 ‘headless’ schools
Posts of Principal lying vacant for two years
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — Administrative work remains affected in 45 government senior secondary schools, out of a total of 88 in the district, as the posts of Principal are lying vacant in them. While some of these posts are lying unfilled for the past two years, other vacancies have been created in the current year.

Railways, Sales Tax Dept dispute resurfaces
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — In the wake of a simmering controversy between hosiery traders of the city and state sale tax officials over the latter’s move to raid hosiery goods at the local railway station, an old dispute between the Railways and sales tax officials over the issue of setting up a permanent tax checkpost in the station once again beckons solution.

Dental college in the eye of a storm
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — The Christian Dental College here is in the eye of a storm these days. The allegation of sexual harassment levelled by Ms Promilla Samuel, a former senior technician of the college, against the Principal, Dr J.L. Joshi, has created a rift among college employees. The scene seems to be getting murkier day by day amid allegations and counter-allegations.

‘PAUTA may join protest’
Ludhiana, Dec 11 — A general-body meeting of the PAU Teachers Association (PAUTA) was called today to discuss the issues of the removal of Dr R.S. Paroda from the posts of the DG of the ICAR and Secretary of DARE, the implementation of the new Career Advancement Scheme and the pay scales of the ADOs of the Punjab Department of Agriculture. 

PAGE FROM HISTORY
Ludhianvis underwent famine miseries
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — Famine, and that too in Ludhiana, one of the most productive districts in both agriculture and industrial sectors of the state, sounds incredible. But a peep into the past reveals that the region experienced as many as seven serious droughts since its inception in the middle of the 16th century.

Teachers resent census drill during exams
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — Along with the first day of December examination in government schools, rehearsals for the census began here today. Most of the school teachers here were an agitated lot, as they found it difficult to perform double duties of conducting the examination and attending rehearsals at the same time.

SPEAKING OUT
Sharif’s exile evokes mixed response
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — The city residents have mixed reactions over the ousted Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif’s release from jail and his subsequent exile to Saudi Arabia, 14 months after he was overthrown by General Parvez Musharraf. Most of the people took the decision lightly by saying that it was Pakistan’s internal matter and as such Indians were not particularly affected in any way.

SAD in search of a new district chief
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is reportedly in search of a new district president for Ludhiana. The move has been prompted by the war of oneupmanship between the acting president, Mr Avtar Singh Makkar, and another senior leader, Mr Amarjit Singh Bhatia, going on unabated and also getting murkier. The party high command is understood to be working on a strategy to create a third alternative well before the Assembly elections, likely to be held within a year from now.

COMMUNITY

'Gurdev Badal, son guilty of religious misconduct'
Ludhiana, Dec 11 — The newly appointed head granthi of Darbar Sahib, Giani Puran Singh, has said that the Punjab Minister for Agriculture, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, and his son Mr Kewal Singh Badal, Vice-President the SGPC, were guilty of religious misconduct and should be summoned at Akal Takht for punishment.

He cremates unclaimed bodies
LUDHIANA, Dec 11— Most people turn their back on an unclaimed body, especially if it is a mutilated one, but here is a man who not only picks it up but cremates it with due respects.

Postal strike enters seventh day
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — The postal strike by the All-India Class III Postal Employees Union and the JCA, Ludhiana city, continued for the 7th day today causing inconvenience to lakhs of city residents. 

TRIBUNE CRUSADE There’s a road beneath this market ludhiana, Dec 11 — The little stretch of road between Ghanta Ghar Chowk and Lakkar Bridge, known as Katchehri Road, presents a picture of traffic chaos. Shopkeepers and roadside vendors have caused this chaos. Space on both sides of the road has been encroached upon to such an extent that a picture of the market can be passed off as one of a village fair. Begin your day with a datun LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — Bhoja Ram, a 60-year-old datun seller, landed in the city from Gujarat 45 years ago. The turbaned man has been selling datuns for his living. He has been selling these since 1955 in Ludhiana.

Shopkeepers of the Katchehri Road market, Ludhiana, do business on the road.  — Photo by writer

Telecom employees stage dharna
Ludhiana, Dec 11 — All the group C and D telecom employees of the Mata Rani exchange in the city staged a day-long dharna to protest against insulting and dictatorial attitude of Mr Sital Singh, a sub-divisional engineer in the exchange, towards branch secretary and other trade union activists.

CRIME

Poppy husk, liquor seized
KHANNA, Dec 11 — The Khanna police has arrested three persons and seized 62 kg poppy husk and nine bottles of illicit liquor from them.

Case registered against in-laws
LUDHIANA, Dec 11— The Sadar police station today registered a case of abetment of suicide and criminal conspiracy against five person, including two women and all in-laws of a Patiala resident, Tejpal Singh, who committed suicide at Jalandhar bypass here on Sunday.

Man caught for theft
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — The local police today claimed that it had arrested a person named Sanjiv Kumar alias Bobby, a resident of Vishkarma Nagar, for his alleged involvement in various cases of attempt to murder, causing hurt and purse snatching.

EDUCATION

College teachers go on strike
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — Sore over the non-payment of salaries, the teaching as well as the non-teaching staff of Guru Nanak Girls College of Model Town have gone on an indefinite strike.

Teachers’ convention
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — In a convention of the Government Classical and Vernacular Teachers Union, Punjab, held here yesterday, the members have demanded from the Punjab Government that they should be granted two special increments in lieu of the promotion channel with effect from February 1997, on the Himachal Pradesh pattern.

COURTS

Nominations close for district Bar poll
Ludhiana, Dec 11 — There are three candidates in the fray for the post of president, finance secretary and joint secretary of the District Bar Association for the elections to be held on December 20.

Non-construction charges quashed
LUDHIANA, Dec 11 — In a significant decision, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has quashed a bill of Rs 70,592, raised as non-construction charges by Punjab Urban Development Agency, on two owners of a plot in Sectors 38 and 39 in the city.

HEALTH

HERBS AND HEALTH
Amla – a medicinal wonder
Ayurvedic texts have described various properties of amla extensively. The ancient Indian scholar of applied botany and herbal medicine, Bhavprakash, has written that amla fruit corrects the body metabolism and is also a tonic of immense value. Charak and Sushruta, in fact, have left no malady where they haven’t mentioned use of amla as a cure in one or the other way.