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Chaotic start to board exams
Mass copying, absent examiners, no question papers, overcrowded centres

Ludhiana, February 18 Delay on part of external examiners to reach various centres, non-availability of question-papers of practicals, overcrowding at centres and a couple of cases of mass cheating affected the smooth conduct of the Punjab School Education Board examinations of Classes VIII, X and XII that began here today.

Students wait for an external examiner for the Punjab School Education Board Class XII science practicals to turn up at their centre, Arya Senior Secondary School, Old Sabzi Mandi, Ludhiana,  on Monday. —Photo Inderjeet Verma

Residents resent parking curbs
Ludhiana, February 18
Hundreds of industrialists, traders, hoteliers, businessmen and owners of marriage palaces having their business in the area between Jagraon Overbridge and the Sidhwan Canal on the Ferozepore road are in a fix over the reported decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, prohibiting parking along the road.

Pensioners’ plea to government
Ludhiana, February 18
The Punjab Police Welfare Association has urged the state government to include the age of the spouse of the pensioners in the pension payment orders so that they could also avail of additional benefits after attaining specific age.

Doctors ‘mislead’ parents of polio-infected child
Ludhiana, February 18
Mr Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Ravindra Colony, Shimlapuri, has spent about Rs 3 lakh for the treatment of his child, but in vain. After giving treatment for over two months at a local hospital, the doctors told the father that the child cannot be cured. Mukesh, a 13-month-old boy was admitted in the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital on December 23 as his body temperature went down.

League takes up widow pension issue
Ludhiana, February 18
In a petition submitted to the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, the Indian Ex-Services League, Punjab and Chandigarh, has expressed annoyance over the inhuman and unsympathetic attitude of pension sanctioning authorities as well as pension disbursing authorities towards the defence pensioners, particularly the widows.

6-day interaction course for cops
Phillaur, February 18
A Six-day vertical interaction course for senior police officials began here today at Punjab Police Academy Phillaur. It was inaugurated by Maj-Gen Afsir Kurim (retd). The theme of the course was “Ethnic issues in policing a pluralistic society”.

COMMUNITY

BJP expulsions stir hornet’s nest 
Ludhiana, February 18
The expulsion of six BJP leaders, including one local councillor Mr Sunil Mehra, by the state president on Sunday, seems to have stirred a hornet’s nest for the party in the state in general and the district unit in particular. The expulsion of Mr Mehra has come as a surprise.

Opinion against opinion poll
Ludhiana, February 18
A large number of local residents say that results of opinion poll and exit poll do influence the election results. They say that the media should not create a hype before the polling to influence voters. However, there are also residents who say that there is no harm in conducting these exercises to forecast the position of political parties in elections, as these surveys hardly affect final results.

MP alleges misuse of his letterhead
Ludhiana, February 18
Mr Sukhdev Singh Libra, MP, in a letter written to Mr Rajan Kashyap, Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, has alleged that someone had fraudulently used his letterhead to complain against Mr Sukhwinder Singh, a clerk in the Civil Hospital, that he had participated in the election campaign of Mr Amrik Singh Aaliwal.

MCPI decries flow of liquor during poll
Ludhiana, February 18
The Punjab state committee of the Marxist Communist Party of India (MCPI) has condemned the ruling class parties in general and the Shiromani Akali Dal in particular for the ‘free flow of liquor, poppy husk and other allurements’ during the just-concluded Assembly elections, particularly during the last days of campaigning.

YC condemns Badal’s criticism of media
Ludhiana, February 18
The district unit of the Punjab Youth Congress has condemned the statements of Mr Parkash Singh Badal in which he had criticised the role of media in the assembly elections. Mr Badal had reportedly criticised the State Election Commission, media and pre-poll surveys and exit polls for adopting a biased attitude against the state’s ruling alliance.

Lok Jan Shakti Party general secretary expelled
Ludhiana, February 18
Mr Gurdeep Singh Neeta, general secretary of the Lok Jan Shakti Party, headed by Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, has been suspended from the primary membership of the party for his alleged involvement in the sale and purchase of stolen cars.

Police claims to solve murder mystery
Ludhiana, February 18
The police yesterday claimed to have solved the murder of a 12-year-old boy Sultan Ali, who was strangulated on the night of February 11 on the outskirts of Rajjewal village, with the arrest of two Bihari migrants settled in the village. The body of the child was found the next morning in a field near the village.

Man alleges manhandling by cop
Ludhiana, February 18
Jogesh Kumar, a resident of Salim Tabri, has alleged that last evening he was manhandled by the Sub-Inspector Kulwinder Kumar who was on traffic duty at Gate No 2, Ferozepore Road.

Clubs organise functions
Ludhiana, February 18
Members of the Roopika Ladies Club celebrated Basant festival today. Almost all members were dressed in yellow suits and sarees. They also wore matching jewellery, which was made of flowers.

CRIME

Key-makers bid to dupe factory workers
Ludhiana, February 18
A duplicate key-maker near the railway station tried to gyp two migrant workers of their hard-earned money when they went to him to get a duplicate key made for their briefcase containing the money on Saturday evening.

Corporation employees booked Woman commits suicide Man pushed by gamblers Tipsy intruders beat housewife Scooterist killed

Injured woman dies Beaten Body found Police action flayed

Child killers held
Ludhiana, February 18
The police yesterday claimed to have solved the murder of a 12-year-old boy Sultan Ali, who was strangulated on the night of February 11 on the outskirts of Rajjewal village, with the arrest of two Bihari migrants settled in the village. The body of the child was found the next morning in a field near the village.

Telecom companies  woo subscribers
Ludhiana, February 18
Notwithstanding the claims of Bharti Telecom that they would not wage a price war in the state, the reverse seems to be true for the moment. After AirTel, a subsidiary of Bharti Tele Ventures, launched its mobile services in Punjab recently, with relatively lesser rentals and some free air time, its competitor, Spice as well as the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) also announced similar incentives for subscribers, sounding the going for a price war.

Hotel industry for  tourism promotion 
Ludhiana, February 18
The Hotel and Restaurants Association of Punjab has called for initiating measures to promote religious tourism in the state, besides providing badly-needed relief and incentives to the crisis-ridden industry.

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AGRICULTURE

‘Adopt self-help group to finance farmers’
Ludhiana, February 18
A study conducted by the Agro Economic Research Centre, Punjab Agricultural University, has recommended to the state government and the Centre to adopt the self-help group strategy to provide low-cost credit to the small and marginal farmers, most of whom are largely dependent on commission agents.

Agriculture officers threaten stir
Ludhiana, February 18
The district unit of the Agriculture SC/BC Officers Welfare Federation, Punjab, has threatened to launch a statewide agitation if the state government does not concede to their long-pending demands.

Right time to start beekeeping: experts
Ludhiana, February 18
According to Punjab Agricultural University experts, it is right time to start beekeeping and colony development as the weather has started warming up now. In a press note issued here today, they said abundant flora of Brassica (sarson, raya) and eucalyptus (safeda) was available in the region. 

EDUCATION

Zee show draws good response
Ludhiana, February 18
Zee TV organised a mytho fancy dress and quiz competition in Ludhiana to select candidates for the national talent search show, which is to be organised in 10 cities of India during February and March. Yesterday, an elimination round was arranged at Ramgarhia Girls College (RGC) where the participants were divided into two categories: 5-8 years and 9-14 years.

College to organise cultural festival
Ludhiana, February 18
The Punjab College of Technical Education will take out a rally on February 19 to promote its third inter-university cultural festival, ‘Sunrise Ehsaas-2002’, to be held on February 22.

Kids celebrate Basant

Ludhiana, February 18 Children of Lovely Lotus Nursery School, BRS Nagar, celebrated Basant — the festival of kites, flowers and fragrance. Children were dressed up as lotus king, rose queen, tulip prince, and daffodil princess. Marigold, poppy, pansy, cosmos, sweet peas, cornflower, aster, cornflower, rajnigandha, daisy, were the names of other little princesses and princes. Children of Lovely Lotus Nursery School, BRS Nagar, Ludhiana, celebrate Basant on Monday.

Forum directs OIC to pay Rs 1.11 lakh
Ludhiana, February 18
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Oriental Insurance Company (OIC) to pay Rs 1,11,255.50 on account of medical claim to Mr R.K. Goel, a resident of Punjab Mata Nagar. The forum has further directed the company to pay interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from March 16, 2001, (date of repudiation) till actual payment, along with Rs 500 as cost of litigation to the consumer.

SPORTS

Over 50 teams for b’ball nationals
Ludhiana, February 18
More than 50 teams, including those from Services and Railways will take part in the 52nd Senior National Basketball Championship for men and women to be held here at the Guru Nanak Sports Complex from March 5 to 12, according to a press note issued by Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, general secretary, Punjab Basketball Association (PBA).

Amritsar judokas reign supreme
Ludhiana, February 17
Amritsar judokas emerged overall champions in the boys as well the girls sections of the Punjab state junior championship which concluded at Guru Nanak Sports Complex here today.