SPORTS

Two Punjab girls in basketball team
From Our Correspondent

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.

The other members of the team are A.K. Raja Lakshmi (captain) from Karnataka, Anisha Chaudhari (vice-captain) from Delhi, Rolin Sara Kurivilla and Rigi A. Sunny from Kerala, P Anitha from Tamil Nadu, Seema Singh, Anju Lakra and Poonam Singh from Madhya Pradesh, Divya Singh from Uttar Pradesh and Sofi Sam from Himachal Pradesh.

About 10 teams will participate in the championship, including China, Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong (China), Thailand, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, DPR Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei.

Hockey tourney from December 19
From Our Correspondent

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.

The tournament is an annual fixture and is played on league basis, like Champions Trophy. It is being organised in the memory of late Romesh Chander, a journalist who was shot dead by terrorists.

Eight men, four women and four junior boys' (under-15) teams will participate in the tournament, said Mr Nitin Kohli, secretary of the Romesh Chander Memorial Society for Sports. In the men-section, the teams of Punjab Police, Bharat Petroleum, Border Security Force, Punjab and Sind Bank, Central Industrial Security Force, Railways, Army XI, and Steal Authority of India (SAIL) would participate. In the women-section, the teams are Haryana XI, Northern Railway, SAIL and Amritsar XI. In under-15 boys' section the teams are Escort, Romesh Chander Academy, Namdhari Academy, Amritsar XI, and Ropar XI.

The mens' final will be telecast live on DD1, while women's final will be shown on the local Doordarshan Channel.

Sports festival
From Our Correspondent

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.

According to Mr Dhillon, president of the association, the main attractions of the sports festival would include bullockcart races, kabaddi and weightlifting competitions. He further said that Mr Gurcharan Singh, the Olympian boxer, would be weighed against coins. Jathedar Kirpal Singh Khirnian, a member of the SGPC, would preside over the sports meet, while Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi, President of the SGPC, would be the chief guest. Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Finance Minister, and Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal, Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, would be the guests of honour. A cultural programme would be organised every day in the evening, he added.

Rural sports
From Our Correspondent

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.

The main events of the show include kabaddi, football, volleyball and athletics, informed Mr Darshan Singh, chairman, Sports Club, Jallah.

ADMINISTRATION

MC to review decision
From Our Correspondent

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.

According to the information available the municipal council had passed a resolution to sell its shops to tenants following the directions of the state government. The prices were fixed for these shops by a committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana. The prices were fixed at Rs 2,494 to 3,700 per square foot.

There was resentment among tenants, specially among the railway road shopkeepers, where all 151 shops have been constructed on the MC plots and are paying rent to the MC from the last 50 years.

The railway road shopkeepers have formed a action committee to fight against the decision of the municipal council headed by Mr Dewan Chand Vij.

A delegation of the action committee met the Local Bodies Minister, Punjab, Mr Balram Ji Dass Tandon, against the high price fixation and notices issued to them, who ordered the Director, Local Bodies, to enquire into the matter and to report with in 10 days, but no enquiry was made till today.