‘Roll back’ prices of diesel, fertilisers 
Ludhiana, March 5
Calling upon the Union Government to roll back in the prices of diesel and fertilisers, the District Congress Committee has asked the former Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, who also heads the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) to impress upon upon the NDA government to save the farm economy from disaster.

BEAUTY CAPTURES ART: A visitor clicks a photo of a ‘sleeping belle’ at an exhibition in Ludhiana on Wednesday. — Photo Inderjit Verma

READERS WRITE
Faulty traffic lights major cause of accidents
It is now amply clear that Ludhiana is a traffic nightmare. To tackle it, the authorities have installed traffic lights, but lack of maintenance has taken its toll and and it is a common sight to see the lights out of order, especially, on the Ferozepore-Pakhowal road, which creates chaos during peak hours. 

Dr B.C. Roy Awards
Ludhiana, March 5
Dr J.D. Wig, Professor of Surgery at the PGI, Chandigarh, has been given the Dr B.C. Roy Award as the eminent medical teacher award for the year by the Medical Council of India. The selection of the eminent medical personalities for the awards of Dr B.C. Roy National Awards was made by the MCI last week. 

Probes biased, says dera chief
Ludhiana, March 5
The president of the International Sant Samaj, Shamsher Singh Jagera of Gurdwara Mastuana Sahib, has written to the Punjab State Human Rights Commission about the allegedly biased investigations into the cases before the commission by the police.

Kamgar Sena men take out rally
Ludhiana, March 5
Activists of the Bhartiya Kamgar Sena took out a rally in protest against the alleged re-allotment of single-room tenements, constructed in the city for people living below the poverty line, by the PUDA authorities in connivance with the land mafia.

Safety week concludes
Ludhiana, March 5
The week-long safety awareness programme that started at Vardhman spinning and General Mills Ltd. on February 26 concluded with celebrations on the National Safety Day yesterday.

‘Kalash’ hoisted
Samrala, March 5
The “kalash hoisting ceremony” was performed at Shiv Mandir, Otalan, 2 km from here, on Wednesday, according to Mr Behari Lal Saddi, spokesman of Saddi Sabha Otalan. 

Man, son hurt in accident
Khanna, March 5
A father and son were injured in a road accident near court complex here today. According to information, Harnek Singh (60) and his son Harvinder Singh (35) were going on a scooter when an unknown vehicle hit the scooter near Civil Court Complex. Both received injuries and were taken to the Civil Hospital by the police.

BUSINESS

Small sector rejects industrial policy
Ludhiana, March 5
The local small-scale sector industry has rejected the industrial policy announced by the government recently, alleging that it has been framed after taking into confidence the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry only, while the small- scale sector has totally been ignored.

Hosiery units in tizzy over excise duty
Ludhiana, March 5
The hosiery manufacturing units have been brought under the compulsory excise payment system in place of optional or voluntary excise payment. The hosiery manufacturers have already taken up the issue with the government and have sought an appointment with the Union Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, to apprise him of the harm it would cause to the hosiery and knitting industry.
Members of the Ludhiana Knitwear Club address a press conference in Ludhiana on Wednesday. IV

Harinder Kaur tops BBA
Ludhiana, March 5
Harinder Kaur of Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology has topped the merit list, securing first position in Punjab Technical University with 77 per cent marks. She will be awarded a gold medal by the President of India, A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, during the first convocation of the university to be held on March 23 at Jalandhar.

Dev Samaj college wins teaching contests
Ludhiana, March 5
Guru Hargobind Khalsa College of Education, Gurusar Sadhar, organised a Panjab University Inter-College Skill-in-Teaching and an on-the-spot teaching-aid preparation competition. All colleges affiliated to Panjab University participated in the competition.

Seminar on local leadership
Doraha, March 5
A seminar on local leadership was organised by the Department of Adult, Continuing Education and Extension, Panjab University, Chandigarh, under the leadership of Dr Ajaib Singh, Director, Adult Education, at the Guru Nanak National College here today.

Helping drug addicts kick the habit
Ludhiana, March 5
“I feel free as a bird that soars in the sky, now that I am free of drug addiction, while earlier I felt like a pig wallowing in filth,” said a former drug addict who was freed of his addiction to smack in a de-addiction camp at Aaskiran.

Get over hangover
A hangover begins when your blood-alcohol concentration starts to fall. A type of withdrawal, it is usually a combination of headache, dehydration, fatigue, slight gastric upset and irritation. Almost all these symptoms will disappear if the person who wakes up with a hangover drinks several glasses of water, takes an aspirin and goes to bed.

Khalsa College pips PAU
Ludhiana, March 5
In an exciting finish Khalsa College pipped Punjab Agricultural University by four runs in the first TCY Inter-College Cricket Tournament being organised at the S.D. Government College for Boys ground here today. Batting first, Khalsa College, despite a fine half- century by opener Navdeep (52) were all out for 104 runs in 16.4 overs.