L U D H I A N A

Rescue of bonded labourers exposes false claims
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — The People’s Vigilance Committee criticised the Labour Commissioner of Punjab, here today, saying that claim made by him at a press conference that there was no bonded labour in Punjab was false.

 

Mr Jai Singh, President of the People’s Vigilance Committee, presents Tehal Singh and Ranjit Singh, rescued bonded labourers, before mediapersons in Ludhiana on Wednesday.  — Photo by Inderjit Verma

Examiners fail to turn up, students miss test
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — Though today was the last day of the practical examinations of Class X students, several external examiners did not turn up at the Punjab School Education Board centres where private candidates were to appear in the test. As a result, no examination was held today.

Refund admission fee: DM
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — Coming to the rescue of innumerable parents, who were not being refunded the school admission fee of their wards who got admission in more than one schools, the District Magistrate today issued directions to all the schools in the city to refund the fee after deducting the process charges.

Electric poles a traffic hazard
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — A girl had a miraculous escape when she was unhurt after collision with an electric tower. Those who think this was a freak accident have just to look at a number of areas in the city where electric poles stand precariously in the centre of the road, thus, causing a number of accidents.

All set for census operations
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — The district is all set to undertake the census operations, the sixth in independent India, from February 9 to 28. Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner and Principal Census Officer for the district, except Ludhiana city, said that the district had been divided into 11 sectors. The Additional Deputy Commissioner would be the district census officer with the respective SDMs as subdivisional census officers.

Researching the art of tying the turban
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — The art of tying the turban may not necessarily be unique to India or the Sikhs, but here it is definitely at ites best. According to Georgia Scot, the style of turbans among the Sikhs is the most elegant and compact. She feels, probably that makes their headgear the most unique in the world.

Tortured man bad character: police
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — Claiming that Avtar Singh Taari, who had been allegedly tortured by CIA police yesterday, was a ‘known’ criminal involved in about 20 cases, the district police today chose not to take any action against the accused police officials.

Several schools to be closed from today
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — Several schools of the district will close down for a month from tomorrow itself as a holiday on account of the birth anniversary of Guru Ravi Dass, is to be followed by holidays for a month as census duties begin from Friday.

COMMUNITY

BKU to force ships to return from Mumbai port
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — The Bharatiya Kisan Union plans to launch a nationwide agitation against the import of farm products. A massive rally in this regard will be organised at the Mumbai port on February 19 to force ships loaded with imported farm products to go back.

SPEAKING OUT
Doubts over viability of ban on smoking
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — While the union governments move to ban smoking at public places and stopping sponsorship of sports events by tobacco manufacturers has been widely welcomed, there is also cynicism about the viability and practicability of the idea. Instead of the ban, the common suggestion, is that the government should create massive awareness against the harmful effects of smoking and discourage them by persuasive methods.

WOMAN POWER
Introducing new concepts in beauty culture
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — Make up is no longer restricted to the world of fashion. Be it working women, a business entrepreneur or a middle-class housewife, everyone wants to look good. And it is no longer a belief that you need to be born beautiful for being so. Beauty parlours have been proving the old myth wrong and that probably explains the widespread mushrooming of beauty parlours, more so in Ludhiana.

Response to relief call overwhelming
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — Members of trade and industry, as well as social, religious and voluntary organisations in the city, continued making contributions towards the relief and rehabilitation of earthquake victims of Gujarat here.

CICU opposes 2 pc surcharge on taxes
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — The voluntary organisations, industry and the international community were providing sufficient relief for the rehabilitation of the victims. The government should not have imposed 2 per cent surcharge on income tax and corporate tax without estimating the losses and the money required for the rehabilitation of the earthquake victims.

MC plan to clear roads gathers dust LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — The much-touted plan of the local Municipal Corporation to clear 12 roads of the city of all encroachments remains a non-starter, thanks to the hold of the encroachment mafia which it enjoys over the local administration. The road outside the CMC Hospital remains congested as the space has been occupied by a garbage bin, electric poles and a public urinal among other things.

A clarification
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — Referring to a news item ‘‘Coal traders to take extortion head on’’ published in Ludhiana Tribune today, Mr Prem Nath Aggarwal, President of the Punjab Coal Merchants Association, and members of its executive committee today denied that they had mentioned at any platform that either Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha or Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal was supporting R.S. Gandhi.

CRIME

Former SHO booked
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — Chain Singh, former SHO, Model Town, was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act by the district police here yesterday. He has been accused of taking money from a person for helping him in a land dispute case, according to an FIR registered by the police. Besides Chain Singh, 24 persons have also been booked in the case for trying to forcibly possess a plot at Bindra Nagar opposite Chatar Singh Park here.

Police monitoring health club waiters
Steps to check anti-social elements
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — The health clubs in the city, especially in the outer colonies, have become a major meeting ground for certain anti-social elements. Besides, there is also growing incidence of involvement of waiters, commonly employed in marriage palaces, in criminal activities.

EDUCATION

Punjab Science Congress on Feb 9 and 10
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — The fourth Punjab Science Congress will be held at Punjab Agricultural University here on February 9 and 10 on the theme “Science and technology in economic development of Punjab — Vision 2020”.

‘Home science is a global force’
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — “Home science is a global force required for improving the socio-economic status of the family and community.” These were the views of Dr Mary Andrews, Professor of Family and Child Ecology and Director of International Extension at Michigan State University, USA, while she was addressing members of the Home Science Association of India, Punjab Chapter, on the Punjab Agricultural University campus here today.

Teaching skills contest
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — Nearly 260 students from 16 education colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh participated in a contest of teaching skills held at the Malwa Central College of Education, Civil Lines, here yesterday.

Inter-college folk singing contest
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — The Punjabi Sabhyacharak Academy organised an inter-college folk singing contest at the Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, Gujarkhan Campus, here today.

SPORT

City lads for national snooker meet
LUDHIANA, Feb 7 — City lads Nitin Gupta and Dhruv Verma will represent the state in the National Billiards and Snooker Championship in Chennai that begins today. Nitin Gupta, a 21-year-old second-year student of commerce, has recently won the state snooker championship. He took up this sport five years ago as a pastime, but he did not know then that he would do so well.