L U D H I A N A

Badal announces more land for Ladhowal project
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, appeared to be in a generous mood while interacting with captains of the industry at the committee room of Thapar Hall on the Punjab Agricultural University campus here late last evening.

Midnight robbery near Tiger Safari
BHATTIAN (Ludhiana), Jan 4 — In a major robbery, masked and armed robbers struck at the house of Rajinder Kaur just after midnight at this village near Tiger Safari. Not only did they decamp with cash and jewellery worth lakhs, but also beat up the widow, her young son and daughter and their two servants. The injured were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, with fractured arms and legs and head injuries.

A view of the ransacked house. (Right) The injured family members wait for medical examination at the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana.
 — Photos by Rajesh Bhambi

FM sees room for subsidy to farmers
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — There was enough scope for giving subsidies to farmers after the full implementation of WTO. However, these subsidies had to be provided under the Green Box and Blue Box categories.

Move on encroachments criticised
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — The change in the policy of the government as far as encroachments are concerned has shocked the people but this has given a good new year gift to the encroachers. Certain encroachments have been legalised on payment of a certain fee which is much lower than the market price of the land.

Soldier cremated
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — Sepoy Lamber Singh of 17 Sikh Regiment was cremated with full military honours at his native village, Sherpur Kallan, 40 km from here, yesterday.

Everybody’s talking about the chill
Ludhiana, Jan 4 — The city is in the grip of a cold wave since the New Year eve.

Defamation suit, eight get bail
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — Mr Ashok Kapoor, Judicial Magistrate, First Class, has accepted bail bonds furnished by eight of the 11 accused in a defamation suit filed by Mr Amrit Lal Aggarwal, President, Ludhiana Aggarwala Cooperative House Building Society, which manages the affairs of Aggar Nagar in the city.

COMMUNITY

Study shows rise in drug abuse 
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — About 30 per cent of youngsters under the age of 20 are drug addicts. The menace is spreading evenly in rural and urban areas. However, the situation is much worse here.

‘Foodgrain buffer stock overflowing’
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — India has now a foodgrains buffer stock which is three times the required quantity, Chairman, Food Corporation of India (FCI), Bhure Lal, said here today.

Lohri Mela on Jan 11
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — A Lohri Mela will be organised by the Joint Malwa Sabhyacarak Manch on Januray 11 in Punjabi Bhavan. The President of the manch, Mr Krishen Kumar Bawa said the programme would include a seminar on the Future of Melas in the Times of Globalisation and Liberalisation.

BUSINESS

CICU seeks circuit Bench of excise tribunal
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — The Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) has urged the Centre to set up a circuit bench of the Central Excise and Gold Control Act Tribunal (CEGAT) at Chandigarh. Presently the assessees have to file appeals in New Delhi.

EDUCATION

Multipurpose school loses purpose
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — The Government Multipurpose Senior Secondary School, Cinema Road, is no longer a multi-purpose school. While some of the vocational courses which made the school ‘multipurpose’ in 1961 have been closed, those that are being continued are being run with obsolete technology.

Changed pattern of paper flayed
MANDI GOBINDGARH, Jan 4 — Great resentment is being expressed over the decision of the Punjab School Education Board to eliminate questions of History of Punjab from the question papers of Class X in the coming examinations.

COURTS

HC order on commercial properties
CHANDIGARH, Jan 4 — In a landmark judgement the Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterday ruled that a tenant occupying commercial premises will have to vacate it , if the owner wishes to use the same for his personal need.

HEALTH

Many deaths attributed to coronary artery disease
LUDHIANA, Jan 4 — Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of death in India. Nine out of hundred of the population in cities and five out of any one hundred of the population in rural areas are suffering from CAD. This was stated by Dr R.P. Singh of Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi and a senior consultant cardiologist at Sigma Heart Institute and Research Centre, Ludhiana.

ADMINISTRATION

Streamline land deals: DC
Ludhiana, Jan 4 — The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sandhu, today asked the people that all complaints regarding land disputes be sent to district and sub-division level committees set up for redressal and directed the police not to call any of the parties named in such matters to the police station.