L U D H I A N A

Revenue from liquor vend auction drops
Ludhiana, April 20
Much to the chagrin of the Punjab Government and particularly the Minister for Excise and Taxation, Mr Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, the much-delayed auction of liquor vends in Ludhiana district, which took place in Patiala till late last night, fetched nearly Rs 25 crore less revenue as compared to last year.

Real cops catch fake ones
Ludhiana, April 20
They are members of a gang of automobile thieves, but they do not use any master key to unlock their target vehicles and speed away. Rather, they wear police uniforms and set-up checkpoints on the oustskirts of the city, where they stop passing vehicles and force drivers to abandon these.

Mr Santokh Singh, Station House Officer, Focal Point Police Station, shows the police uniforms that were seized from three members of a gang of automobile thieves who are also in the picture.
 — Photo Rajesh Bhambi

100 police phones disconnected for non-payment of bills
Ludhiana, April 20
Hundreds of telephones belonging to the Police Department and installed at various places, including police stations, police lines and the residences of the police officials, have been disconnected by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) as the arrears running into lakhs of rupees have not been paid for the past over four years.

Austerity drive meets rough path
Ludhiana, April 20
A questionmark has been put on the implementation of the austerity drive launched by the Vice-Chancellor, Dr K.S. Aulakh, as only a few air conditioners have been removed till date even though the last date to do so was April 16.

Boy, teacher found guilty of cheating
Khanna, April 20
The Director Public Instructions (Schools) has found a son of an office-bearer of the management body and a teacher of the local A.S. Senior Secondary School guilty of cheating in Class XII examinations and abetment to it, respectively. This was announced by the Controller of Examinations of the Punjab School Education Board, Ms Harcharn Kaur Brar.

COMMUNITY

Road safety: wake-up call for city
Ludhiana, April 20
A seminar on ‘Road Accidents Major Killers: An Update on Causes and Prevention’ was organised in Christian Medical College here today. Participants said education could play a major role in preventing accidents. 



A seminar on road safety in progress in Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, on Friday. — RB

‘People should be educated and not dictated’
Ludhiana, April 20
Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti’s directive to the Sikh community on female foeticide has been well received in the city with people welcoming the initiative aimed at removing the imbalance in the male-female ratio and abiding by the Sikh maryada which holds women in high esteem.

• ‘Need for collective effort’

• Imam’s call against foeticide

Colony residents submit memo
Ludhiana, April 20
Resentment prevails among employees of the Irrigation Department over the decision of the Punjab Government to uproot them from the residential Canal Colony here and convert the same into a commercial complex. Canal Colony is situated on the Pakhowal road in the heart of developed area of the town and the land is very prime one.

Filth, garbage, encroachments — hallmark of Sabzi Mandi parks
Ludhiana, April 20
A strip of green belt, earmarked for parks, all with boundary walls and iron grills, just outside the main gate of New Sabzi Mandi in Salem Tabri here has virtually turned into a big eyesore due to poor or no maintenance and indifferent attitude of the horticulture wing of the Municipal Corporation.

Dharna against police ‘inaction’
Ludhiana, April 20
Nearly 200 angry shopkeepers of the Talab Mandir road staged a dharna for over two hours in front of Division No 3 police station this afternoon to protest against the alleged police inaction in the last evening’s incident in which a shopkeeper was attacked by another shopkeeper for selling goods at lower rates.

No amnesty for terrorists: DGP
Ludhiana, April 20
The Director-General of Police, Mr Sarbjit Singh, today ruled out the possibility of awarding general amnesty to wanted terrorists whether they surrender or are arrested by the police.

Brick-kiln labourers hold rally
Ludhiana, April 20
To protest against the anti-labour policies of the Punjab Government, the Lal Jhanda Brick-kiln Employees Union organised a rally from Chattar Park to the office of the Deputy Commissioner here yesterday. 

Bar Association call off strike
Khanna, April 20
The Bar Association has called off its three-day old strike. The strike was to protest against the alleged manhandling of a local advocate and registering a case against him.

CRIME

Fake currency note racket busted
Ludhiana, April 20
The city police today claimed to have busted an inter-state gang involved in duping migrant labourers by giving them fake currency notes in exchange of old ones.

PSEB employee arrested in graft case
Ludhiana, April 20
The Vigilance Bureau has arrested an employee of the Punjab State Electricity Board on the charge of corruption. Raghbir Singh, area lineman, was caught redhanded by DSP Sarup Singh when he was accepting a bribe from Mr Harcharan Singh, a resident of B.R.S. Nagar.

AGRICULTURE

Agencies asked to streamline wheat purchase
Ludhiana, April 20
Mr S.R. Kaler, Additional Deputy Commissioner, has called upon the farmers not to harvest their immature wheat crop in panic because of bad weather and advised them to harvest the wheat when fully ripe and further to bring dry and clean produce to the grain markets so that they did not face any kind of problem in selling wheat.

EDUCATION

Pro-VC's appointment issue is back
Ludhiana, April 20
The issue concerning the appointment of a Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has once again picked up momentum with the Vice-Chancellor, Dr K.S. Aulakh, reportedly being under pressure from some Punjab politicians to fill the post.