L U D H I A N A

‘Don’t worry, track cracks are a normal occurrence’
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — “Developing of cracks in the rail track is a normal thing”. This is how the railway authorities here reacted when asked about the cracks in the track detected near here immediately after the passing of an express train late last evening.

Railway workers repair the damaged rail track and (right) a part of the rail track near Badhowal in Ludhiana district where cracks have developed. — Photos by Rajesh Bhambi

Modern infrastructure soon for traffic cops
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — The traffic police in SAS Nagar and Ludhiana is being modernised. Traffic policemen in these cities will soon get new wireless sets, radar guns and breath analysers to enforce discipline on roads.

Water samples sent to PAU for examination
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — The office of the Civil Surgeon here has sent the samples of water collected from various areas of the city to Punjab Agriculture University for examination. This step has been taken keeping in view the reports of typhoid cases in some areas of the city.

Business management faculty protest
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — The faculty of the Department of Business Management is sore over the reported move of the authorities to change the designation of a professor of statistics to that of professor of management.

Bank employees threaten stir
Ludhiana, Dec 14 — The Indian National Bank Employees Congress (INBEC) has threatened to go on an indefinite strike, if the government did not withdraw the Bill providing for reduction of government equity from 51 per cent to 33 per cent.

Inquiry indicts University panel
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — The inquiry instituted by the Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) to investigate the circumstances which led to the disqualification of the PAU team at the Inter-State Agricultural Universities Youth Festival held at Jorhat (Assam) has indicted the executives committee of the Dance, Drama and Music Club of the university.

Probe ordered into cheating allegation
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — The district police today directed its economic offence wing to conduct an inquiry into the allegation of cheating levelled against officials of the HDFC bank by an NRI woman.

COMMUNITY

Postal strike enters 10th day Ludhiana, Dec 14 — The Postal employees have threatened to continue with their indefinite strike till the implementation of their demands. Charitable veterinary clinic by NRI BARUNDI (Ludhiana), Dec 14 — Residents of Barundi and neighbouring villages, in tehsil Raikot, will no longer have to travel to the city for surgical treatment of their ill farm animals, thanks to Mr Devinder Singh Sidhu, a non-resident Indian, who has already donated Rs 10 lakh for the setting up of a charitable veterinary clinic in the memory of his late mother, Dalip Kaur.

Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, honours Mr Devinder S. Sidhu at the inauguration of a veterinary clinic at Barundi village near Ludhiana on Thursday. — Photo by Inderjit Verma

SPEAKING OUT
‘Value-addition of food products needed’
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — Dumping of food products in the developing countries has created a sense of insecurity among the farmers, small entrepreneurs of food industry and scientists all over the country. ''Food security'' has become one of the most important elements on which the overall stability of countries like India depends.

CRIME

Robbers strike again
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — Close on the heels of two robbery incidents yesterday, another robbery occurred in Islam Ganj area of the city last night. Robbers broke into a shop and took away machinery and other sanitary goods worth more than a lakh.

BUSINESS

Traders meet Excise Minister
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — A delegation of the Punjab Pradesh Vyapar Mandal met Mr Adesh Pratap Singh, Cabinet Minister of Excise, demanding government’s intervention in releasing the seized hosiery goods by the CBI and officials of Excise department on December 5.

EDUCATION

COURTS

Telecom Dept told to pay damages
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the Telecom Department to give a rent rebate to Mr Satpal Khurana, a resident of Jamalpur, for the period his telephone was not working. The department has also been directed to pay him Rs 2,000 as damages.

SPORT

Two Punjab girls in basketball team
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — Kamaljit Kaur and Kulwinder Kaur of Punjab will represent the country in the 15th Asian Basketball Championship for junior women, which is scheduled to be held from December 16 to 22 in the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi.

Hockey tourney from December 19
LUDHIANA, Dec 14 — The 4th All India Hockey Tournament, Farmtrack Cup, will be held from December 19 to 24 at Punjab Agricultural University Astroturf, Ludhiana.

Sports festival
SAMRALA, Dec 14 — The Malwa Sports Association (regd), Samrala, has decided to dedicate its 8th annual three-day sports festival to the memory of Alankar, son of Mr Devi Dayal Sharma, an international kabaddi player. The sports festival would commence from December 20 on the grounds of Malwa College, Bondli-Samrala.

Rural sports
Doraha, Dec 14 — The four-day rural sports meet of Jallah village started here today. It would conclude on December 17. The meet was inaugurated by Mr Sadhu Singh Ghudani, a local MLA.

ADMINISTRATION

MC to review decision
KHANNA, Dec 14 — Strong protests by tenants of the Municipal Council, Khanna, forced the council to pass a resolution to reconsider the prices of shops which were to be sold to them and to stop action on notices issued to them to execute rent deeds in its meeting held in the MC Town hall here today.