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Furniture shop gutted
Bank staff have narrow escape in another fire
Ludhiana, June 5
Sixty employees of Indian Overseas Bank, Fountain Chowk, had a providential escape in the fire that broke out on the ground floor of the three-storeyed building at about 11:00 a.m.

Smoke bellows out of a furniture shop which was destroyed in a fire in Lakkar Bazar in Ludhiana on Thursday.— Photo Pradeep Tewari

2 employees held for defrauding firm of Rs 12 lakh 
Ludhiana, June 5
Sounding a warning to city residents and bankers using the modern carbon receipt books , the Division No. 5 police has detected a unique fraud involving two employees of a private company, who duped it of Rs 12 lakh by tampering with carbon copies.

Clash over gurdwara land, eight injured
Ludhiana, June 5
A controversy over the ownership of a gurdwara land in Haibowal took a bitter turn late last evening when a clash between two parties having different claims on the property left eight persons, including two women, injured.

BSNL services now through post offices

Ludhiana, June 5 Ludhiana became the first city in the country where the products and services of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) like ITC cards, Excel prepaid cellular cards and recharge and sancharnet coupons will be available through post offices. The GM, BSNL, Mr G.S. Julka inaugurates a counter celling its products at the CPO in Ludhiana on Thursday. — Photo IV

COMMUNITY

Sonia appointed DCC chiefs: Hanspal
Ludhiana, June 5
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president H.S. Hanspal today said the new presidents of the urban and the rural units of the District Congress Committee (DCC) were appointed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and he had no role in it.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
Conserve water, save earth

Ludhiana, June 5 Different functions to lay emphasis on sapling plantation, water conservation and checking environmental pollution marked the World Environment Day in the city and surrounding areas. Functionaries of the Nehru Yuva Kendra and the Sri Guru Ravi Das Youth Club plant saplings at Ayali village on the outskirts of Ludhiana to mark World Environment Day on Thursday. — IV

Residents of ‘neglected’ colony flay authorities
Ludhiana, June 5
Residents of Maharishi Balmiki Nagar, a residential colony developed by Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), are sore over indifferent attitude of officials concerned towards their genuine and persistent problems.

Redress public grievances fast, officers told
Ludhiana, June 5
Mr Harnam Dass Johar, Higher Education Minister, Punjab, has asked the district-level officers of all departments to give maximum time to redress the grievances of the people, so that the promise of the state government headed by Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, of providing clean, efficient and transparent governance could be achieved at the earliest.

Call for farmer-arhtiya unity
Sahnewal, June 5
A district-level conference of arhtiyas and farmers was organised by the Arhtiya Association of Ludhiana under the presidentship of Mr Ram Saroop Sharma, district president of the association, at Aarti Palace here yesterday.

Designer watches reflect luxurious life style Ludhiana, June 5 “No longer people wear watches just to see time. Now that is secondary. What is important they should be designer/ branded watches, expensive and help in power dressing. Our clients feel that watches reflect one’s personality and taste”, says Ms Sarika working in a shop that sells branded watches only.

Pensioners hail Haryana Govt’s decision
Ludhiana, June 5
The Punjab State Pensioners’ Confederation has appreciated the recent decision of the Haryana Government, allowing government employees, pensioners and family pensioners complete re-imbursement of expenditure incurred by them on indoor as well as outdoor treatment of complicated chronic diseases on the notified list.

Shine goes out of shoeshine boys’ life Ludhiana, June 5 Summer months are harsh on shoeshine boys. Birju (14) and Parkash (18), who is slightly handicapped, are at the end of their tethers. With mercury shooting up to 45°C, these two start their journey every morning from Ambedkar Nagar in Dugri and walk up to the Feroze Gandhi Market, a popular commercial centre. Birju says, “In winters men wear shoes. We have a brisk business then polishing shoes of men and at times ladies’ shoes. We make up to Rs 100. Our families at least have two square meals a day. Birju and Parkash, two shoeshine boys, who find earning their livelihood in the summer tough. — A Tribune photograph

VB questions MLA’s brother
Ludhiana, June 5
Mr Mann Singh Garcha, a well-known liquor contractor and brother of Akali MLA Jagdish Singh Garcha was questioned by the Vigilance Bureau here today in connection with a bribery case registered against him.

READERS WRITE
Hoodwinking the gullible masses
Once again the opportunistic political leaders are all set to hoodwink the gullible and innocent Sikh masses by involving the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, the Akal Takht, for safeguarding their own vested interests.

CRIME

Girl booked in hit-and-run case
Ludhiana, June 5
The Civil Lines police has registered a hit-and-run case against an unknown girl, who allegedly crashed her scooter into a motorcyclist near the Pakhowal chowk on Wednesday afternoon and fled the scene leaving behind the victim with a broken leg.

Anti-drug Society chief’s house attacked
Khanna, June 5
Near about 15 persons attacked the house of Mr Mohan Singh, president of the Anti-drug Society, Punjab, in Salaudi village, about 3 km from here on Wednesday night.

Video

The Ludhiana police busts a fake-currency gang, alleged to be linked with Pakistan.  (28k, 56k)

Workshop on risk management Ludhiana, June 5 A workshop on risk management was organised here by the Bajaj Allianz Insurance Company Limited for members of the Knitwear Club. The workshop was arranged by Master Trust Limited. Officials of Bajaj Allianz and members of Knitwear Club, Ludhiana, at a workshop on risk management organised in Ludhiana on Wednesday. — Photo Pradeep Tewari

Industry assured of TCS relief
Mandi Gobindgarh, June 5
The introduction of tax collection at source (TCS) with effect from June 1 was discussed with the commissioner of Income Tax, Patiala, who gave a patient hearing to a deputation of industrialist to remove the hurdles in the way of industrialists.

Private telecom companies take subscribers for a ride
Ludhiana, June 5
Notwithstanding the claims of better services offered by the private sector companies in the telecom sector, many of their subscribers are having harrowing experiences. And when it comes to filing a complaint, it is hardly acknowledged, not to speak of it being redressed.

Craze for kids’ bicycles
Ludhiana, June 5
There is a big craze for the kid bicycles now and the demand for the same has risen by more than 25 per cent thanks to the entry of the Chinese kid bicycles in the Indian markets. The Indian manufacturers of the bicycles have now diversified their production and have launched a number of new brands of kid bicycles.

BVM teachers  allege harassment
Ludhiana, June 5
The ongoing controversy in Bhartiya Vidya Mandir took a new twist today with teachers of the school alleging that members of school trust forced them to withdraw their complaint to the district administration.

PCCTU flays hike in college fees
Ludhiana, June 5
The Panjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) has flayed the decision of the Punjab Government to introduce a massive hike in the fee structure of the colleges from the forthcoming session.

Students take lessons in kathak

Ludhiana, June 5 Despite the searing heat, 50 pair of feet yesterday danced to the beat of tabla under the guidance of Rajendra Gangani, a kathak exponent. Students practise kathak at a workshop being held in Government College for Women, Ludhiana, on Wednesday. — Photo IV

COURTS

Woman, paramour get life term
Ludhiana, June 5
A city court today sentenced a woman and her paramour to life imprisonment. Both have also been fined Rs 10, 000 each. Hardeep Kaur of Shahpur village and her paramour, Harvinder Singh of Sihoru, were accused of murdering Balbir Singh on March 19, 2001. 

Two get 10-year RI for rape
Ludhiana, June 5
A fast-track court has convicted two persons on the charge of committing rape and sentenced them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and has imposed a fine of Rs 2000 each. The convicts are Jagdev Singh, alias Jagga, and Vijay Kumar Bansal, staying in LIG-flats on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh road.

• Special Lok Adalat on June 7

Beat the summer heat with fluids
Ludhiana, June 5
Medical experts have advised the field workers not to remain empty stomach for long and consume a lot of fluid before exposing the body to sunlight. The heat wave, which has swept most of the northern states, has claimed two lives in this part of the region. Experts at the Agrometeorology Department of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) say that the increased temperature will persist till rains bring respite.

How to prevent diarrhoea
Diarrhoea is a very common illness during summers. It is the most dangerous in children under two years of age. Children under two years become very weak when they have diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is an increase in the frequency of bowel movements and the discharge of watery, loose stools.

Druggists sore over ‘govt apathy’
Ludhiana, June 5
The District Chemists and Druggist Association has appealed the health authorities to give them a patient hearing so that they could explain their difficulties in detail.

CME at Dewan Hospital
Ludhiana, June 5
Dewan Hospital and Asha-2002, jointly organised a continued medical education (CME) on the “Common problem of severe pain in the abdomen confronting most of the doctors anywhere, anybody” at Dewan Hospital last evening.