L U D H I A N A

Power cuts irk residents
Ludhiana, April 25
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has again started unscheduled power cuts in the city. The board officials maintain that there are no scheduled power cuts, but residents and industrialists have alleged unscheduled power cuts are being imposed for six to eight hours for the past few days.

‘Sale’ of degrees banned
Ludhiana, April 25
The Central Council of Homoeopathy has asked the chairman and other members of Council of the Homoeopathic System of Medicines, Punjab, to withdraw the advertisements of “degrees for Rs 5,000” and also to withdraw the legal notice served upon the secretary, CCH. The council further asked the CHSM not to award honorary degrees to diploma holders.

Dullo takes govt to task
Mandi Gobindgarh, April 25
Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Mr Simranjit Singh Mann were responsible for the spread of militancy in the state and Operation Blue Star was conducted at the instance of Mr Badal and Mr Tohra. This was alleged by Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, MP, while talking to mediapersons at the house of Mr Kulwinder Singh Ambey Majra, chairman of the Congress Sewa Dal, youth wing, Punjab, after meeting party workers, here yesterday.

Rules flouted in Ranjit’s release
Ludhiana, April 25
Rules were once again flouted for Ranjit Singh Talwandi, a son of SGPC chief Jagdev Singh Talwandi, even at the time of his release from the jail. While special concessions were provided to him after turning and twisting the rules all through his period of conviction, he was released although the gates had already been closed and the attendance of the inmates had been marked.

Priti Sapru unfolds her future plans
Ludhiana, April 25
Priti Sapru, film actress, was in the city while returning from “Vaishnu Devi”. She attributes her success to Almighty and feels that she gets power and peace from the ‘Devi’. She has done many Punjabi films and has been the favourite of Punjabi film producers.

Actress Preeti Sapru receives the trophy from Mr M.S. Nanda.

Divergent views on proposed elevated road
Ludhiana, April 25
Shopkeepers and traders in the city have divergent views over the elevated road proposed to be constructed over Old G.T. Road from Jagraon bridge to Chand Cinema to tackle the ever-growing vehicular traffic in the industrial megapolis.

MC’s garbage dump plan trounced
Ludhiana, April 25
The Municipal Corporation’s plan to put up camouflaged garbage dumps in the city, landscaping the area and putting up advertisement boards with the help of private participation seems to have a shady side, which smacks of underhand dealings, corruption and connivance of senior MC officials in the deals.

The incomplete structure of the garbage dump with a court order pasted on it

COMMUNITY

Traders block traffic
Mandi Gobindgarh, April 25
Traders of Mandi Gobindgarh today blocked traffic on the GT Road for an hour, to protest against the settling up of nakas on city roads by the traffic police and the District Transport Department which they alleged had led to a rise in the number of road accidents in area. The traders also kept their establishments closed.

Forum wants old city to be developed too
Ludhiana, April 25
Public Cause, a forum for voicing common problems of people, has requested the Mayor, Councillors and Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, to provide a pollution-free environment and basic amenities to the residents in the old city.

Where eve-teasers have a field day
Ludhiana, April 25
The scene outside the Khalsa College for Women, when students come out after classes, is one of utter chaos and confusion. Eve-teasers, anxiously waiting for the ‘moment’, swing into action immediately. It is time of the day when they have their fill of fun, passing remarks on their targets.

WOMAN POWER 
She worked her way up
Ludhiana, April 25
“I started from zero. The only thing that I had with me was MBBS degree, a gold medal for being the topper in Amritsar Medical College, and my faith in almighty when I had to shoulder the entire responsibility of my in-laws family,” says Dr Suman Sarda, who is currently running a maternity hospital.

Revision sought in interest rate
Ludhiana, April 25
The Northern Railway Pensioners Welfare Association has urged the government to increase the interest rates for FDR and postal schemes for the retired persons as they were solely dependent on their interest income.

Water-level reduced to recover shells
Sahnewal, April 25
The water-level in Sirhind canal has been reduced to recover and defuse more shells present at the bottom of the river.

New tubewell leaves residents high and dry
Ludhiana, April 25
A new tubewell, commissioned in Qila Mohalla in the old city area and inaugurated with much fanfare on April, 21, 2001 by the Punjab Minister for Technical Education, Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha and Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly, Mr Sat Pal Gosain, has failed to perform. The result of which is that more than 10,000 people, who were to be served by it, were going without water supply for the past four days.

‘Rs 8.57 lakh given under shagan scheme’
Samrala, April 25
“A sum of Rs 8.57 lakh has been paid to the deserving persons under the Shagan Scheme and a separate head in the treasuries has been allocated so that the people may get the pensions through out the year without any interruption,” stated Jathedar Kirpal Singh Khirnian, member, SGPC, here today.

Parshuram Jayanti celebrated
Fatehgarh Sahib, April 25
Parshuram Jayanti was celebrated with great enthusiasm in the district today. The district-level function was organised by the Brahmin Sabha. Rich tributes were paid to Lord Parshuram.

Most phones out of order
Ludhiana, April 25
Most of the telephones of Bakka Khurd village, which falls under the Jassian Exchange, have been out of order for the past one month.

1 killed in mishap

AGRICULTURE

Record procurement at grain market
Khanna, April 25
After a two-day gap due to the strike by farmers and commission agents, yesterday was a hectic day for procurement agencies in the local grain market as they procured more than 8 lakh bags of wheat, a record in terms of procurement in a single day since the market came into existence.

EDUCATION

Hostellers have a gala time
Ludhiana, April 25
Hostlers at PAU got together last evening to let their hair down. They had arranged for a cultural programme comprising folk dances, solo dances, and songs. The function was attended by more than 400 students from different colleges of PAU.

Punjab Agriculture University students perform at a function in Ludhiana on Tuesday.

COURTS

Company directed to redeem debentures
Ludhiana, April 25
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed M/s Arihant Cotsyn Limited, Ludhiana, to pay the redemption amount of the debentures standing in the name of Mr Charanjit Singh after redeeming the same along with the due interest at the rate of 14 per cent half yearly. The forum further directed to pay the delayed balance amount of interest along with 14 per cent interest, besides a sum of Rs 1,000 as cost of litigation to the complainant.

HEALTH

Rise in eye injuries among industrial workers
Ludhiana, April 25
Mr Harjit Singh, an industrial worker in his early twenties, recently suffered an eye injury when an iron particle of about 2 mm flew into his right eye while he was working in a factory. He could not see anything. He was successfully operated upon at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital and was lucky enough to get back his vision because he approached the doctor in time. But there are many others who are not so lucky and lose sight permanently.

Akal Takht’s directive hailed
Ludhiana, April 25
The Homoeopathic Medical Association of India (HMAI) has appreciated the directive of Akal Takht asking the people to stop female foeticide. A resolution to this effect was passed at a meeting of the three units of the association held here recently.

‘Diabetes more common among women’
Ludhiana, April 25
‘‘Diabetic mellitus, the disease related to pancreas disfunctioning, is more common among women and is a predisposing factor for much-dreaded cardiovascular ailments,’’ according to Dr K.S. Sekhon, Dean, Postgraduate Studies, while speaking at a seminar and workshop on Diabetes mellitus, held at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science at Punjab Agricultural University, here yesterday.

SPORT

Stadium awaits completion
Ludhiana, April 25
The construction and repair work at the Guru Nanak Dev Stadium, venue of the forthcoming National Games, has been delayed due to improper planning by the District Sports Authority and poor coordination between various agencies concerned. The work on the athletics track, multipurpose hall and cycling stadium are still incomplete.

Sports session starts
Ludhiana, April 25
“All work and no play makes jack a dull boy.” This old saying seems to be religiously followed by Kundan Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School. Keeping in mind the rising interest of the students in skating, an old basketball court has been converted into a skating rink and nearly 70 student have been enrolled for the training.

Football tourney
Ludhiana, April 25
The Senior National Women’s Football Championship is scheduled to be held from May 12 to 27 at Ludhiana.