L U D H I A N A

Sops on cards to woo voters
Ludhiana, March 24
Hectic talks are on among municipal councillors on the issue of offering concessions to the city residents in the Rs 297 crore budget for the next financial year. These concessions have been proposed in view of the forthcoming civic-body elections.

Master swindler arrested
Ludhiana, March 24
For 10 years he fooled his employers by working on a job acquired allegedly on the basis of a fake graduation degree. He even had the guts to allegedly commit a couple of frauds in the organisation.

Sukhdev’s home to be national monument
Ludhiana, March 24
The ancestral house of marty Sukhdev will be declared a national monument. This was stated by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sandhu, while presiding over a function organised to pay homage to the martyr on his 71st death anniversary.

Speculation on for PAU Pro-VC
Ludhiana, March 24
With Dr K.S. Aulakh, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, all set to join as Vice-Chancellor from April 1, speculations are rife in the university over his successor, besides raising the question if the post will be filled at all.

Grapes turn sour after chemical overdose
Ludhiana, March 24
Due to an overspraying of chemicals, grapes have turned sour and most of these are being sold in the market. Chemicals have been used on these in excess of the permissible limits. This has reportedly hit the sales, as complaints of the bad taste of grapes are widespread.

15-year-old girl alleges police torture
Ludhiana, March 24
The Sarabha Nagar police has chosen not to take any action on the allegation levelled by a 15-year-old girl in Jagraon yesterday that she was tortured by the police and a DDPO in Ludhiana, in connection with a robbery case.

• Case registered for dowry harassment
  
  

COMMUNITY

Sant Samaj chief flays ‘panthic govt’
Ludhiana, March 24
Baba Sarbjot Singh Bedi, president of Gurmat Sidhant Parcharak Sant Samaj, made scathing attacks on the SAD(B) leadership and the state government, saying the hopes and aspirations of the sikh community from a ‘panthic’ government had been dashed to the ground and with particular reference to ‘post-1984’ developments, the problems of Sikhs had become more complicated rather than being resolved.

Sacrilege flayed
Ludhiana, March 24
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has condemned the sacrilegious acts committed in Punjab and elsewhere and has charged the ruling BJP and its organisations with attempts to disturb the communal harmony in the state, in a bid to distract public attention from tehelka exposures.

Shifting of post offices affects many
Ludhiana, March 24
Some post offices of Ghumar Mandi and Gur Mandi have been shifted to the Main Post Office and the Central Post Office, respectively. The shifting of the post offices has caused a lot of problems for the residents, of these areas.

Medal for city policeman
Ludhiana, March 24
Mr Gurkirpal Singh, PPS, SP (Detective), Ludhiana, was awarded the President’s Police Medal for distinguished service by the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, at an impressive investiture ceremony of the Punjab Police Academy at Phillaur, near here today.

Fire in councillor’s factory
Ludhiana, March 24
A big fire broke out in a hosiery unit owned by a city councillor, Mr Sunil Mehra near the Oswal Cancer Hospital yesterday morning. The unit was totally gutted.

ACHIEVERS
Moved by circumstances
Ludhiana, March 24
The life governed by circumstances, but the people who overcome bad times are the ones who become achievers. Ninder Gill has been an auditor in a number of government offices and his last posting was in the PAU. In Ludhiana, the naxalite movement in Punjab moved him to write a book titled ‘Mauldi Rut Da Nayak’, that traced the rise and expansion of the students’ revolutionary movement.

‘Sales’ galore in city
Ludhiana, March 24
At this time of the year, when winters are out and summers are just setting in, many garment shops have displayed banners of “sale”. These banners are interesting, reading like “Hurry — the sale closes” while an other says “buy two, get one free”.

CRIME

Two dowry cases registered
Ludhiana, March 24
The city police registered two cases of dowry harassment during the past twenty four hours.

• Two satta operators held

• Pistol stolen

Two nabbed for killing truck-cleaner
Mandi Gobindgarh, March 24
The local police here yesterday arrested Shingara Singh, driver of a truck, and main accused in the killing of truck cleaner Mukhtiar Singh on March 16. His accomplice Avtar Singh was nabbed by the police earlier on March 20.

BUSINESS

LSE to file wind-up petition against 15 firms
Ludhiana, March 24
The management of the Ludhiana Stock Exchange (LSE) has decided to file a wind-up petition against 15 companies for violating the terms and conditions signed at the time of listing and for not paying up the registration fee to the LSE. The legal notices have already been served upon these companies.

AGRICULTURE

Revised MSP criticised
Samrala, March 24
Reacting to the increase of Rs 30 per quintal in the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat to Rs 610 for this season, Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, national general secretary of the BKU, called it a cruel joke on the farmers.

EDUCATION

Lecture on stress management
Ludhiana, March 24
A lively and informative lecture on ‘Stress management in children and role of teachers’ was organised at Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines, here yesterday.

HEALTH

Less charity, more commerce at hepatitis-B camps
Ludhiana, March 24
The holding of hepatitis-B camps by various individuals, institutions and doctors has become a lucrative business here with one camp fetching on an average at least Rs 20,000 to the organisers.

Govt doctors, private practice
Ludhiana, March 24
Punjab’s Director, Health Services, Dr G. S. Preet, has alleged that political pressure, coupled with undue interference, is preventing the department from taking action against government doctors indulging in private practice. Several attempts by the department to check private practice have proved futile and the moves have been abandoned under political pressure.

SPORT

Vet college wins hockey match
Ludhiana, March 24
Gurpreet Singh of Thapar Engineering College, Patiala, and Mandeep Singh of host Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College Patiala scored hat-tricks in the sixth Pilot Officer M.S Gill Memorial All-India Inter-Professional College Hockey Tournament that started here today.