Bus pass — a facility or liability? 
Lovleen Bains

Doraha, April 6
Students who have bus passes are a harassed lot as they have to face the indifferent attitude of drivers and conductors of roadways buses. Students who board buses from small towns as Sahnewal and Doraha have to suffer as long route buses seldom halt at these stations. Private bus drivers are not ready to accept pass holders and if at all they succeed they are treated as unwelcomed guests. The problem has further aggravated since buses are being privatised and numerous km scheme buses are on.

Hardly a day passes when students at these stations are not engaged in a brush with drivers or conductors of these buses. Such students are always at a loss. They generally get late for their college and are not allowed to attend the classes.

Ajay Sharma, a BA III student, who is a pass holder and has to board the bus from Doraha, says “The problem is not for a day only. If in the morning we are reprimanded by our teachers for being late then in the afternoon it is our tuition classes that we have to sacrifice. We have little choice when the conductor comes down and says that no bus-pass holder shall be entertained at any cost.”

Relating his bitter experience, a student of GNN college, Doraha, and a resident of Sahnewal said, “Mine is a roadways bus pass but these buses do not halt at small stations. One day after a long wait when a roadways bus halted for a fraction of a second I tried to board it but fell down as a result I sustained injuries and had to be hospitalised.”

Similarly, a Sahnewal resident and a student of a local college at Ludhiana told this correspondent, “One day I boarded a PRTC bus but my pass was rejected by the conductor who made me get down the bus.

The other day students of Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, had to face an adverse situation due to the non-cooperative attitude of the bus conductor of a private bus, who rejected their passes and asked for money. The students requested him to accommodate them but to not avail. This led to an open fight and finally the students were made to get down the bus.

In a similar case a student of a S. College, Khanna, who having refused to pay for the ticket, was beaten up by the driver and the conductor. The students retaliated by indulging in violence for which the college had to be closed for a day some years back.

“If the government provides us with a certain facility then why are we denied the right to avail of these?” they ask.

Need for diversification in farming emphasised
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 10
Economist and Vice-Chairperson of the Planning Board, Government of Punjab, Dr Ishar Judge Ahluwalia today stressed the need of diversification and entrepreneurship among the Punjab farmers.

Stating that the farmers should not only look upto the government to bring them out of the present crisis, staring in the face of Punjab agriculture and its economy on the whole, Dr Ahluwalia said that time had come, when the farmers needed to develop entrepreneur skills to compete in the global market.

“The requirement in the present era is not only to produce food grains in bulk but to produce grains with good nutritional value. The Punjab farmer has faced a number of challenges in the past and he has always come out victorious,” she remarked, while she was speaking from the podium of annual convocation of Arya College here today.

Calling the pass-outs to choose their professions wisely, Dr Ahluwalia said that the choice of profession by youngsters played a major role in economy of the state. She also asked them not to limit their vision to jobs available in the state but to explore the world in India and abroad, gather experience and come back with expertise and strengthen the economy of the state.

She also called for the need to revitalise industry and agriculture sector especially the small scale industry. She said that the youth power of the state was able to help in graduating the small scale industry to medium scale so that the goods manufactured can compete in the global market.

Expressing her concern over the declining ratio of male to females in the state, Dr Ahluwalia said that it was ridiculous that some people were keeping the tradition of female infanticide alive in the form of foeticide. She called for providing education to more and more girls and said that the Finance Ministry of state had decided to provide a grant of Rs 2 lakh to any institution that would work towards woman empowerment.

She congratulated 450 graduates and post-graduates who were given away the degrees during the convocation and asked them to retain the values inculcated in them by the teachers when they move out for better future of the nation.

The college had invited Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission of India but due to his unavailability, his wife, Dr Ahluwalia had addressed the students.

Mr Surinder Singla, Finance Minister, Punjab, Mr Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharati Telecom Limited, Mr Sudarshan Sharma, Chancellor, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar were also present on the occasion. Dr S.M. Sharma, Principal, Arya College presented the annual report on the occasion.

Sportking to set up fashion institute
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 10
Sportking Group of Industries today announced the launch of the Sportking Institute of Fashion Technology (SIFT). Affiliated to the Pearl Institute of Fashion (PIF), New Delhi, it will train students in fashion technology in keeping with modern and contemporary demands of the industry.

Conceptualized by the group Chariman, Mr Raj Awasthi, to create trained human resources for the hosiery and garment industry, “the institute will observe the highest academic and technological standards in tune with demands of the industry, particularly in the liberalized regime where every big manufacturer in the world is your competitor and you are always in need of trained professionals”.

Briefing reporters here today along with Mr AGK Nair, Director of the PIF, Delhi, Mr Awasthi pointed out, there was great demand for trained professionals across the country in general and in the northern region in particular. The demand is likely to grow particularly after the introduction of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime in the country.

He added, Ludhiana happens to be the hub of the hosiery and garment industry with big industrial houses belonging to this place. The institute will cater to the demands for trained professionals locally and nationally.

Mr Awasthi said, with the purpose of ensuring quality the group tied up with the Delhi-based PIF for faculty and academic support.

“The students will not be restrained to the classrooms but will get thorough and in depth training while on the job itself”, Mr Awasthi said. He said, the institute will act as a bridge between trained professionals and the industry.

The institute will introduce four courses. These include garment manufacturing technology, apparel manufacturing, production and merchandising. He pointed out, since it is an integrated process, the institute will adopt an integrated approach to ensure that all students get perfect training and exposure in all the fields irrespective of the subject of their specialisation.

COURTS

Lok adalat held
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 10
It was a mela in the districts courts complex here today. Thousands of people thronged the national level lok-adalat. Elaborate arrangements were made by the district administration and Legal Services Authority.

More than 50 enquiry counters were set up to guide the litigants for reaching to the proper bench, where their cases were to be taken up. A large number of lawyers, students of various law colleges across the state were deputed on the enquiry counters.

Gurdwara Shree Dukh Niwaran Sahib’s managing committee had arranged a community langar for the general public. 14 water chabeels were also arranged. The BSNL had installed three P.C.O’s at the venue of lok-adalat, where the callers were not charged even a single penny for making local calls.

It was a well managed show of Legal Services Authority under the supervision of its Chairman-cum-District and Session Judge Ludhiana — Harbans Lal. A team headed by Additionl Sessions Judges, D.R.Arora, Mr Vijay Singh, Judicial Magistrates-Mr K.K.Singla, Mr Manoj Singla, Mr J.S.Marok ensured smooth functioning of the lok-adalat.

The District Bar Association under the leadership of its President-Mr Balwinder Goel also contributed a lot. About 150 lawyers were deputed to assist the benches, for regulating traffic and guiding litigants on enquiry counters.

SPORTS

35 selected for under-15 cricket
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, April 10
Following 35 probables (u-15 years) were selected during trials conducted by the Ludhiana District Crcicket Association (LDCA) here today at the Arya College ground. These boys would attend a camp here at the same venue, prior to their participation in the Punjab State Inter-District Cricket Tournament for the Sushil Bali Trophy to be organised by the Punjab Cricket Association from April 15.

The selection panel of Mr Chaman Lal Malhotra, Mr Pawan Pandey, Mr Rajesh Puri and Mr Naresh Kumar Marwaha finalised the probables’ list. Mr Rajinder Mahajan and Mr Mohanveer Chouhan, President and Vice President, respectively of the LDCA along with other office bearers of the association were also present there. In the inaugural match, Ludhiana lads will take on Chandigarh on April 15 and 16 at Chandigarh.

The probables are: Geetansh Khera, Jashan Sidhu, Sanchit Gosain, Dilpreet Grewal, Salil Verma, Akhil Aggarwal, Kanav Vatts, Ketan Dhir, Shivam Passi, Taresm Singh, Ravi Mushal, Navjot Singh, Karan Sharma, Prince, Rahul, Ankit, Allen, Ajay Kumar, Drohan Kanish, Shivam Sharma, Rattan Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Akshit Goel, Munish, Davinderjeet Singh, Ashu Bhatt, Kamaljit Singh, Abhishek, Piyush, Shubham Vashisht, Navjot Singh, Harsimran Singh, Jasdeep, Aseem Kumar and Rubal.