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TOP STORIES

Self-styled baba accused of marrying thrice
Ludhiana, March 22
A self-styled baba running a dera in Phillaur has been accused of marrying thrice, forcing the third bride into prostitution and then dumping her in an orphanage in Delhi and telling her parents that she had eloped with her lover.

Pinki (extreme right) with her parents in Ludhiana on Tuesday. — Photo by Inderjit Verma

Strike paralyses banking services
Ludhiana, March 22
Bank employees today observed a strike against government's proposal of merger of public sector banks and increase in foreign direct investment in private banks.

Students take exams without roll numbers
Ludhiana, March 22
With hardly a week left for the commencement of written exams of BSc (I), hundreds of students are taking their practical exams without being issued roll numbers by a Punjab University. Instead of preparing religiously for the exams, the students are visiting their colleges repeatedly seeking roll numbers.

SBI, LIC Housing Finance seal defaulters’ properties
Ludhiana, March 22
With banks and housing finance companies having toughened their stand, loan defaulters are having a tough time. While the State Bank of India, took possession of three properties today, the LIC Housing Finance took over four properties last week.

COMMUNITY

SAD (youth wing) protests against ‘sell-out’ of liquor vends
Ludhiana, March 22
Several workers of the district youth wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal today staged a demonstration at the Gill Road to protest against the “sell-out” of the liquor vends in Punjab to one particular group of contractors led by Mr Ponty Chadha. They also burnt an effigy of the Punjab Government.

Development projects impress Leicester Mayor

Ludhiana, March 22 The Mayor of Leicester, Mr Piara Singh Clair, has a deep attachment with the city. Three decades have not erased his memory of the city he has always been fond of. The Mayor of Leicester, Mr Piara Singh Clair, with the Mayor of Ludhiana, Mr Nahar Singh Gill, and the Commissioner, Mr S.K. Sharma, at a press conference in Ludhiana on Monday.

March to highlight plight of jailed Sikhs
Ludhiana, March 22
The Shiromani Khalsa Dal will organise a Bandi Chhor Khalsa march from Akal Takht on March 23 to highlight the plight of incarcerated Sikh youths. Major Singh Khalsa, a spokesperson for the outfit, said that a majority of the Sikh leadership had conveniently forgotten to seek justice for the youth, many of whom were imprisoned during the dharam yudh morcha more than 20 years ago.

Manch to observe anti-imperialism day today
Ludhiana, March 22
The Shaheed Bhagat Singh Vichar Manch yesterday decided to observe the martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru and revolutionary poet Pash as anti-imperialism day on March 23 at the Punjabi Bhavan at 2.30pm. Dr Sucha Singh Gill, an eminent economist and political analyst, will deliberate on “Relevance of the Philosophy of the Great Revolutionaries” in the present Indian context.

Insurance staff to go on strike
Ludhiana, March 22
Employees of all four public sector general insurance companies - Oriental Insurance, New India Assurance, National Insurance and United India Insurance- will participate in the two-day nationwide strike on March 23 and 24.

Police drive for patient hearing
Jagraon, March 22
The Jagraon police has initiated a new scheme Sunwai-24. This scheme aims at giving a patient hearing within 24 hours to each complainant, who visits police station. The process shall include assuring the complainant that his grievance would be redressed within the shortest possible time.

Open manhole poses threat Ludhiana, March 22 An open manhole on the GT Road near Kamla Nehru Market has become a source of nuisance for the shopkeepers and passersby who claim that the manhole has not been covered though it was opened about three days ago. Though the shopkeepers have made several complaints to the civic body to cover the manhole as it can lead to an accident any time, these have gone unheeded and it lies uncovered. An open manhole on the GT road awaits a tragedy to happen in Ludhiana. — Photo by I.V.

CRIME

Attempt to loot bank
Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 22
The Dehlon police has registered an FIR under Sections 457, 380, 427 and 511, IPC, against some unidentified persons who reportedly tried to loot Cooperative Bank at Maherna Kalan on Saturday night.

BUSINESS

LIC attains annual premium target
Ludhiana, March 22
The Ludhiana division of the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India has attained its annual premium budget of Rs 79 crore, recording a growth of 76.5 per cent over previous year, informed Mr D.K. Bhagat, Senior Divisional Manager, LIC.

Fidelity Equity Fund hits market
Ludhiana, March 22
Fidelity Fund Management Private Limited has launched its maiden fund, ‘The Fidelity Equity Fund’. According to a company press note, the fund is an open-ended equity growth scheme aimed at generating long-term capital growth from a diversified portfolio of predominantly equity and equity-linked securities.

Anthropologists’ plea to Union Govt
Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 22
A Group of anthropologists has urged the Union Government to impress upon the states to introduce anthropology and human biology as an optional subject in the degree and secondary classes. The authorities at Department of Anthropology at Panjab University, Chandigarh, however, claimed that they had already taken up the matter with the state Education Department.

From Schools & Colleges
School celebrates Consumer Week
Ludhiana, March 22
World Consumer Week was celebrated by the National Forum for Consumer Rights at Sri Guru Harkishan Sahib Senior Secondary School, Daba Road, here today in which District Food Supply and Consumer Affairs Controller Simarjeet Kaur was the chief guest. It was attended by about 1,200 students, teachers, parents and the public.

Eye surgeons interact at workshop

Ludhiana, March 22 It was a rare occasion for ophthalmologists of the region interacted with eye surgeons of repute and saw live surgeries being performed at the 4th one-day state-level workshop on phacoemulsification, organised by the Ludhiana Ophthalmological Society (LSO) at Gurdev Hospital here recently. Participants at the state-level phacoemulsification workshop watch live eye surgery on TV screen in Ludhiana.

Programmes to mark World TB Day
Ludhiana, March 22
Several programmes for creating awareness as well as detection and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) will get under way on World TB Day here on March 24. While the Health Education Cell of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) will organise a symposia, poster-making and slogan-writing contest, the Ludhiana TB Eradication Society, an NGO comprising doctors and local philanthropists here, has decided to launch a drive for detection of TB, treatment of the patients and educating the affected persons and their family members about the disease.

AIDS workshop begins in DMCH
Ludhiana, March 22
A series of workshops for special training of medical and paramedical personnel on HIV/AIDS commenced at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) here last evening. Principal Dr Daljit Singh, vice-principal Dr J. Whig and dean academics Dr S.C. Chopra were present on the occasion.

530 examined at eye camp
Mandi Gobindgarh, March 22
Trustees of Mahant Prabhatpuri Social Welfare Trust, Mandi Gobindgarh, organised a free eye operation and check-up camp at Prabhat Puri Charitable Hospital, Amloh Road, on Saturday.

SPORTS

GNIMT win overall trophy
Ludhiana, March 22
Players of the local Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Gujar Khan Campus, Model Town, added another feather in their cap as they won the overall general Sports champion’s trophy in the Punjab Technical University sports session 2004-05. This for the third time in a row that the college players have clinched the trophy.