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Lok Jan Shakti orders probe
Maintains Gen Secy has been implicated
Ludhiana, February 15
While maintaining that the police has implicated a leader of the party in a car theft case, the Punjab unit of the Lok Jan Shakti Party has said it has ordered a high-level probe into the allegations. The party has also announced that if found guilty, party membership of the accused will be cancelled.

Government in inertia
Ludhiana, February 15
With more than a week left for counting and all indicators leading towards a Congress government in the state, the existing political leadership supposedly ruling the state has been left “powerless”. With votes yet to be counted, it is bureaucracy that seems to be running the roost.

Election staff alleges harassment
Ludhiana, February 15
Employees of government departments, local bodies, semi-government, autonomous bodies, boards and corporations, deployed on election duty, have alleged that they have been harassed, victimised and have not been paid election duty allowance. Further the treatment, meted out to them on the polling day has been quite bad, they have alleged.

PCCTU demands voting right for poll staff
Ludhiana, February 15
Demanding right to vote for government and semi-government employees engaged on election duty on February 13, the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union has written to the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr J. M. Lyngdoh, to make suitable arrangements to enable them to exercise franchise before the declaration of results.

Cops hand in glove with fraud accused?
Ludhiana, February 15
The Kotwali police has failed to take any action against an accused in an alleged fraud case registered under Sections 406,420,506 and 34 of the IPC on October 10 last year on a complaint by Mr Sandeep Singh, a resident of Deepak Cinema road.

Police clueless in child murder case
Ludhiana, February 15
Mystery continues to shroud the murder of 12-year-old Sultan Ali, whose body was found in an agricultural field near Bonkar Dogran village on Monday last. Though the police questioned several villagers in this regard, no one could provide any clue about the murderer. The police was sure that the boy was murdered elsewhere and the body was dumped later in the fields.

COMMUNITY

Relaxing time for candidates
Ludhiana, February 15
After the hectic campaigning schedule and electioneering, candidates contesting from various constituencies in the city are heaving a sigh of relief. Many of them said results do not matter as the very fact that they were able to move the public with their ideas was more important. However, some others have left everything to God.

Heavy rural turnout a relief for alliance
Ludhiana, February 15
A large turnout in rural Assembly segments and the rural areas falling in the urban constituencies in Ludhiana district seems to have come as a great relief for the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Conversely, the low turnout in the urban constituencies also seems to be music to their ears. The leaders of the ruling alliance seem to be optimistic on the large turnout in rural areas, considered to be Akali stronghold.

Opinion divided over poll survey credibility
Ludhiana, February 15
Opinion seems to be divided among people over the credibility of the pre-poll opinion surveys. However, it is the political affiliations and inclinations that determine whether these are accepted or rejected. While common people feel that “more or less the surveys are correct”, those who have been shown to be at a loss reject it outrightly, while others remain silent.

Cong win certain: Bawa
Ludhiana, February 15
The District Congress Committee (Urban) acting President, Mr Krishan Kumar Bawa, has claimed that victory of the Congress on all seats in the city as well as in Ludhiana rural and Dakha seats is a certainty if the enthusiastic response of the electorate is any indication.

Baba Bedi for unity among Akalis
Ludhiana, February 15
Baba Sarbjot Singh Bedi, convener of the Panthic Morcha, has said here that his next aim would be to formulate single and cohesive SAD based on the constitution of 1920 and contest elections to the SGPC General House.

Long queues and locked loos at reservation centre

Ludhiana, February 15 Railway authorities may claim that they have increased the number of the computers at the railway reservation centre here, but the hardships of common man seem to be unending due to the shortage of staff, frequent break down of the computer network link and insensitive rules. The presence of a nexus between booking agents and some Railway officials too add to their problem.
Long queues at the railway counter here have become routine due to frequent failure of the computer network. IV

Parties mark Valentine’s Day Ludhiana, February 15
A dance party was organised at the Sutlej Club to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The club was decorated with heart-shaped balloons, roses and red ribbons. Youngsters and others, accompanied by their Valentines, looked enthusiastic. The young couples were dressed in their best outfits.	Couples enjoy at a party on the Valentine’s Day here at a local club on Thursday. — Photos Rajesh Bhambi

City NIFD centre rated ‘best’
Ludhiana, February 15
Ludhiana centre of the National Institute of Fashion Designing has been adjudged as “the centre with best academic performance award” at the annual convocation held at Chandigarh.

AGRICULTURE

Farmers advised to remove ‘sarkanda’
Ludhiana, February 15
Scientists of the Department of Vegetable Crops, Punjab Agricultural University, have advised vegetable growers to remove the ‘sarkanda’ spread on vegetable crops like cucurbits, chilli, brinjal and tomato to protect these from frost. ‘Sarkanda’ should be removed as soon as the risk of frost is over and the crop should be irrigated.

Vaccinate animals, farmers told
Ludhiana, February 15
Dairy farming experts of the PAU have advised the dairy farmers to vaccinate all animals against foot and mouth disease and repeat after six months or yearly as required. Teat cracks, sores and injuries should be treated with teat dips (glycerine: povidone iodine 1:8). It should be used after every milking.

COURTS

Forum directs PUDA to refund Rs 17,353
Ludhiana, February 15
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority to refund Rs 17,353 recovered in excess from Kundan Singh and Gorakh Singh, both residents of Dharmpura, Samarala Road. The forum has also directed PUDA to pay interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum from the date of deposit till actual payment alongwith Rs 500 as cost of litigation to the consumers.

Forum penalises marriage palace
Ludhiana, February 15
In a significant ex-parte order, which has been passed probably for the first time, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed a local marriage palace, ‘4 Aces Farm’, Ferozepur Road, to refund Rs 10,000 on account of booking amount to Col Harchand Singh (retd), a resident of Raj Guru Nagar. The forum has also directed the respondent to pay interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum from December 1, 2000, till actual payment. It further directed the respondent to pay Rs 500 as cost of litigation to the consumer.

CULTURE

From oblivion to limelight
Ludhiana, February 15
As a 13-year-old, Sukhwinder Amrit, then studying in Class VII in a school at Sardarpura village in Ludhiana, wrote a poem, which her mother tore up. Her mother asked her never to write any such nonsense, but Sukhwinder loved writing poems and so her angry mother withdrew her from school when she had passed Class IX.

Taking Punjabi theatre to Jaipur
Ludhiana, February 15
The North Zone Cultural Centre organised “Punjabi Theatre Festival — 2002” at Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur recently in which three teams of Punjabi theatre represented the North Zone. The teams were, Art Theatre, Ludhiana, Natakwala from Patiala and Manch-Rangmanch from Amritsar. On the first day of the festival Art Theatre, Ludhiana, presented its well-known comedy play “Neem-Hakeem” written and directed by H.S. Randhawa.

HEALTH

Indignant health staff hold dharna again
Ludhiana, February 15 Members of the Punjab Health Department Subordinate Offices Clerical Association sat on a dharna for the second day in front of the Civil Surgeon’s office here today in protest against the transfer of the association president to Patiala on the instructions of the Election Commission. The transfer was done by the Director, Health Services, Punjab.
Members of the Punjab Health Department Subordinate Offices Clerical Association hold a dharna in front of the Civil Surgeon’s office in Ludhiana on Friday. — Photo Inderjit Verma

SPORTS

Punjab judo meet from Feb 16
Ludhiana, February 15
The Ludhiana District Judo Association under the aegis of the Punjab Judo Association will organise Punjab State Judo Championship for junior boys and girls here at the Indoor Stadium of Guru Nanak Sports Complex on February 16 and 17, according to a press note issued by Mr O.S. Nagi, Joint Secretary, PJA.

• National kabaddi meet