L U D H I A N A

3 more marriage palaces get time till July 19
Ludhiana, June 13
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted time till July 19 to the owners of three marriage palaces facing demolition notices, to appeal against its March 19 order in the Supreme Court of India. 

Baddowal demolitions: political bias alleged
Ludhiana, June 13
Selective demolition of three marriage palaces here have upset many persons, particularly after owners of two other marriage palaces have obtained a stay against the demolition order from the Supreme Court.

A labourer cooks his meagre meal against the backdrop of a five-star hotel at Bhaiwala Chowk, Ludhiana.  — Photo Inderjit Verma

In its bid to dislodge Mayor, numbers elude BJP
Ludhiana, June 13
The crisis created by open confrontation between the BJP, a partner in the ruling coalition in the civic body here, and the city Mayor, Mr Apinder Singh Grewal, has further deepened with the BJP making a desperate bid to dislodge the Mayor, even at the cost of having to seek support of its arch enemy - Congress, for this purpose.

Riot victims sore at govt apathy
Ludhiana, June 13
Riot victims of 1984 have criticised the state government for fixing November 25, 1985, as the cut-off date for registration and issue of red cards to the affected families. 

Migrant labour reluctant to work in fields
Ludhiana, June 13
With anxiety writ large on their faces, a couple of farmers wait outside the local railway station, hoping to catch the eye of a prospective work-seeker. They have been scouting the area outside the railway station for quite a while in their search.

Tipsy auto driver robs tipsy passenger
Ludhiana, June 13
Raj Kumar, a middle-aged mason living in Haibowal, was robbed of Rs 1500, his wristwatch and a gold ring at knife point by an auto-rickshaw driver after he boarded his vehicle for going home this morning near the Mata Rani Chowk.

LUDHIANA CALLING THE district administration recently demolished three big marriage palaces along the Ferozepore Road on the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The court had ordered that all unauthorised structures within the 1,000-yard radius of the Field Ammunition Depot at Baddowal should be removed within a year. Unsold melons Word of mouth Wither discipline? Pamphlets nuisance Futile crackdown Aimless toppers Credit or no credit? Blending tradition and modernity

CRIME

Ex-education officer booked for fraud
Jagraon, June 13
The Sudhar police has registered a case against Mr Shingar Singh, former Block Primary Education Officer of Sudhar, for committing a fraud pertaining to the amount meant for distribution as daily allowance to the retired teachers. He has been also charged with preparing fabricated challan forms showing the balance amount deposited in the treasury.

Three get life imprisonment
Ludhiana, June 13
The Sessions Judge, Mr S.S. Arora, today convicted three persons Baldev Raj (27), Sucha Ram (28), and Bimal Kumar (29) and sentenced them to rigorous life imprisonment on the charge of murdering Gian Singh, a resident of Grewal Colony, Ludhiana, on February 26, 1996.

Baby found

Gang involved in looting passengers busted
Ludhiana, June 13
The Sadar police of the city has arrested two members of a gang operating from the general bus stand which specialised in drugging unsuspecting rickshaw passengers and depriving them of their belongings.

BUSINESS

Dominance of Chinese goods a myth: expert
Ludhiana, June 13
“The Punjab Government will have to build world-class infrastructure here if the state wants to compete in the international market. A planned development of backward and forward linkages is needed to boost the manufacturing sector, which has been affected by the open entry of foreign goods into the domestic market,” said Prof Vinaysheel Gautam of the New Delhi Indian Institute of Technology and Director of the Export Import Bank of the Government of India.

AGRICULTURE

Project Sahayog launched to save farm soil
Burundi (Ludhiana), June 13
The farmers of Punjab will have to leave the practice of wheat and paddy straw burning if they want to save the quality of the soil of their agriculture land. The average share of organic matter in the upper layer of agriculture land in Punjab is just 0.3 per cent against 3 per cent organic matter in China.

EDUCATION

They brought honours to dist
Ludhiana, June 13
With a Jagraon student bagging first position in the state and 62 students securing merit positions in Class VIII examination conducted by the Punjab School Education Board, the students from the district seem to have put in their best performance this year.

PAU criticised for change of designation
Ludhiana, June 13
Dr Balwant Singh, Convener of the Kisan Cell of the Punjab Pradesh Nationalist Congress Party. has criticised Punjab Agricultural University for tailoring the qualifications of the professor of business to favour Dr S.K. Singla, professor of statistics.

COURTS

Guwahati HC stays ban on lotteries
Ludhiana, June 13
The Guwahati High Court has stayed the ban imposed by the Punjab Government on the sale of the lottery tickets issued by the Nagaland Government. A circular has also been issued to the police to ensure that the stay order is implemented.