L U D H I A N A

Attack on train condemned
Ensure security, Vedanti urged
Ludhiana, June 23
Activists of the SAD, the Sikh Students Federation, several trade organisations and other Sikh bodies were among those who registered their protest against the attack on pilgrims at the Uttarpara railway station, near Kolkata. The protesters termed it as an attack on the ‘Sikh religion, which the community will not take lying down.’

Activists of the Sikh Students Federation, the SAD and trade bodies stage a dharna in Ludhiana on Saturday in protest against the assault on Sikh pilgrims at Uttarpara, near Kolkata. — Photo Inderjit Verma

Admn gears up for flood control
Ludhiana, June 23
Keeping in view early rains, the district administration has strengthened the flood control measures and directions have been issued to maintain round-the-clock vigil at strategic points all over the district. As a result, the district and sub-division level flood control rooms will become functional from June 25 to constantly monitor the situation.

BKU to launch agitation for farmers’ interests
Ludhiana, June 23
The BKU has taken strong exception to the government move to leave the superfine variety of paddy (parmal) to market conditions and not providing minimum support price to these varieties. The BKU secretary-general, Mr Manjit Singh Kadian, said in a statement here today that a mass agitation would be launched to safeguard the interests of the farmers and to force the government to review its ‘anti-farmers’ policies.

VC issues guidelines for speedy file clearance
Ludhiana, June 23
To bring about efficiency in the working of various offices of Punjab Agricultural University, the authorities are issuing a number of guidelines to remove bottlenecks in the moving of a file from one official to another. A circular was issued by the Vice-Chancellor yesterday in which the guidelines have been listed to prevent delay.

CITY SCAN
City’s contribution to Bollywood
THE world continues to look like a stage if seen from the eyes of the Bard of Avon. Sages of the Orient take life to be a dream. Putting it poetically, our mystics called it leela. Leela is poetic as well as dramatic. Drama or natak is inherent in the collective human unconscious self. Near our time, it developed as Parsi theatre.

COMMUNITY

King of fruits everywhere
Ludhiana, June 23
It is ‘mangoes mangoes’ everywhere. One can see the fruit-sellers in streets, and fruit shops in every corner of the city, flooded with a single fruit. It is the season of the mango, the king of Indian fruits praised at great lengths Indian poetry. Mangoes of every variety, Dusheri, Langra, Sharanpuri, Tota, Neelam and Safeda are here. About 300 tonnes of mango, loaded in 25 to 30 trucks daily reach Ludhiana, the biggest fruit market of Punjab.

A scene of auctioning of mangoes at the grain market in Ludhiana.

Mud, slush in vegetable market
Ludhiana, June 23
“Ludhiana’s main sabzi mandi is the largest of its kind in Punjab, doing business in lakhs daily, but if any one walks into the mandi, the stench and the filth will turn him away” says Mr Amrik Singh who went there today for the first time to buy vegetables for a party at his house. Never again will he visit the ‘mandi, he vows. “Imagine that the vegetables and fruits one eats daily come from a place which is full of slush, mud and filth, said another buyer Mr Gore Lal.


Garbage abounds in the main vegetable market in Ludhiana, more so after heavy showers.

Missing boys recovered from Jagraon
Ludhiana, June 23
The fear of studies prompted two children, missing from Haibowal for more than two weeks, to run away from their homes. The Haibowal police recovered the children from Jagraon today morning. They were handed over to their parents in the afternoon.

As the weather remains uncertain, a young couple takes a stroll in Rose Garden in Ludhiana on Saturday. — Photo Rajesh Bhambi

PFA holds meeting
Ludhiana, June 23
A joint meeting of the People for Animals, the Ludhiana Police, traders and owners of bullock-carts and horse-carts, was held at Brij Lal Dharamshala, Bhutte Shah Mandi, near Kesarganj, here today.

Talwandi defends sangat darshans
Samrala, June 23
Mr Ranjit Singh Talwandi addressing a conference of Akali workers in Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Samrala, here today claimed that the Congress party had been shaken with the success of sangat darshan programmes. He was here in the town to prepare workers for Akali conference on July 2 at Alamgir.

Tributes paid to Sanjay Gandhi
Ludhiana, June 23
Tributes were paid to Sanjay Gandhi on his 21st death anniversary here today. A function was organised by the Indian Youth Congress (Urban Development Cell) at the district Congress headquarters.

The DCC president, Mr Surinder Dawar, addresses a function organised to commemorate the 21st death anniversary of Sanjay Gandhi in Ludhiana on Saturday.

Storm uproots electricity poles
Samrala, June 23
A heavy hail storm accompanied by winds in the region resulted in the uprooting of a large number of electricity and telephone poles and both the services were out of order in most of the areas, creating problems for the public last night.

Maj-Gen Nandrajog honoured
Ludhiana, June 23
The old Nabhaites Association, the alumni body of Punjab Public School, Nabha felicitated Maj-Gen Om Parkash Nandrajog, an old student of the institution, at an impressive function, held here last evening.

• Rotary Club office-bearers

• Lapran is DCC (R) chief

• Man dies of electric shock
  
  

CRIME

Labourers shot at
Sahnewal, June 23
Migrant labourers working in the fields at Bhopana village were fired at by some persons. The labourers were allegedly fired at around 6.45 p.m. on Friday.

Contractor booked for embezzlement
Ludhianan, June 23
On a complaint of the District Development Officer, the city police today booked a contractor for allegedly embezzling of Rs 1.70 lakh of the department by not completing the work.

• Opium seized
  
  

PAU conducts MBA entrance test
Ludhiana, June 23
The Punjab Agricultural University conducted the entrance test for admission to the Postgraduate course in Business Management on the campus here today. As many as 187 candidates seeking admission in the course appeared for the test, out of the 214 students who had applied for it.

Physiotherapists dismayed at GNDU decision
Ludhiana, June 23
Members of the Punjab branch of the Indian Association of Physiotherapists expressed concern over the fact that Guru Nanak Dev University had plans to give Physical Education students, direct admission to the Masters in Sports Physiotherapy course which was the highest degree in the profession.

173 teachers transferred
Ludhiana, June 23
Nearly 173 government school teachers of the district have been transferred to adjoining districts. These include six lecturers, 14 classical and vernacular teachers and 153 teachers from the master cadre.

Colleges get affiliation
Ludhiana, June 23
Panjab University has granted affiliation for MA in economics to Kamla Lohtia Sanatan Dharam College. Disclosing this, Mr B.D. Budhiraja, Principal, said this would be the second college in the city to introduce the subject.

Rs 1 lakh for school building
Ludhiana, June 23
A senior Akali leader, Mr Sharanjit Singh Dhillon today handed over a cheque for Rs 1 lakh to the panchayat of Gadapur for the construction of the school building. Mr Dhillon presented the cheque on behalf of the Chief Minister.

CULTURE

Sobha Singh’s paintings inspired me: Kakul
Ludhiana, June 23
“My parents took me to Palampur (HP) during summer vacation when I was a young girl. We went to meet Mr Sobha Singh, the world renowned artist, at his home-cum-studio at Andretta, a few kilometres from Palampur. It was a life-time experience and that visit gave a definite aim and direction to my life.

HEALTH

Surgery to stem bleeding from kidney
Ludhiana, June 23
Parkash Chand, a 58-year-old had stones in his left kidney, which he got removed through surgery at the Christian Medical Hospital. Later, his right kidney also developed some stones and he got himself operated upon in Ambala.

Dr Jaison attends to Parkash Chand on whom kidney surgery was performed using a new technique at CMC in Ludhiana on Saturday.

A Civil Hospital need of the hour: residents
Doraha, June 23
Doraha town does not possess a Civil Hospital and people are forced to go to private consultants. This complaint was aired by Mr Ramesh Kumar Sharma, president, Durga Sewa Dal, in a meeting held here today.