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Rain of misery Ludhiana, August 17 The heavy rain, recorded 46.1mm, by the Punjab Agricultural University Meterological Laboratory, flooded a number of houses also where the residents had a tough time draining it. Many residents had to wade through knee-deep water at several places as it took quite a long time for water to be drained out. Areas like Model Town, Chander Nagar, Haibowal and some parts of Sarabha Nagar were the worst sufferers as the streets were flooded with the rainwater. Some areas were water-logged till the evening. Residents of some areas of Chander Nagar, Haibowal, Civil Lines, Ghumar Mandi, Green Field, Shastri Nagar, Model Town, Cheema Chowk, Green Park and Kitchlu, Nagar were decrying the lax preparation of civic authorities to check flooding. They claimed that everytime it rained they had to suffer as their normal life was thrown out of gear. The colonies in the old city, including Karimpura Bazar, Mansa Ram Street, Field Ganj, Kesar Ganj Chowk, Damoria Bridge, Dholewal Chowk, Vishwakarma Chowk, Chaura Bazar, Ghanta Ghar, Lakkar Bazaar and others like New Madhopuri, were also water-logged. The bus stand was also inundated and travellers had a tough time. The office-goers had to wait for the draining of water before they could venture out. Some children had to miss their schools as they could not wade through knee-deep water. Mr S.S. Chana, a resident of Sarabha Nagar, said they were having a harrowing experience because of the deluge caused by the monsoon. Most of the roads in the I-Block were flooded in spite of the storm-water drains laid out with a lot of fanfare last year. He added that the miseries of the residents were further compounded due to the backflow of the sewage water, which flooded some of the houses. Mr Baljit Singh, another resident, said he could not take his car into the area so he preferred staying out only till everything settled down. He also rued the complaints were not able to move the authorities.
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Rainwater pools Doraha, August 17 A slight downpour and the main entrance road towards the Kaushal street becomes a pool of water, making commuting difficult for employees as well as college and school students. In spite of clearing of blockages by MC officials, water continues to accumulate and emits a foul smell making passersby and residents of Ward Nos. 8 and 10 suffer. At times water also enters houses of the residents. The street, accumulated with water, is proving a congenial breeding ground for mosquitoes and people are being exposed to health hazards. As people are residing in such unhygienic surroundings, water-borne diseases and gastro intestinal infections may become a cause of an epidemic outbreak in the area, the residents apprehend. Mr Jandeep Kaushal, chairman of the Youth Forum and a resident of the area, complained,”For days together, water remains accumulated. Officials have been informed about this sorry state of affairs many times. Regular reminders and repeated pleas seem to fall on deaf ears as the authorities have failed to find a solution.
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VIPs keep freedom fighters waiting Ludhiana, August 17 Mr Dullo arrived at the function more than two-and-a-half hours late, only after attending another function organised by the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. Surprisingly, except for the 91-year-old freedom fighter, Ranbir Singh, member of the Constituent Assembly of India and father of Haryana Chief Minister Mr Bhoopinder Singh Hooda, even local leaders and officers, including Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Surinder Dawer and the Ludhiana Mayor , Mr Nahar Singh Gill, too arrived late along with Mr Dullo only. Freedom fighters, most of whom are well past 80-years , were quite disappointed with the attitude of the leaders. “It shows clearly how much importance they give to us ,” rued 80-year-old Ranjit Singh, who is also the president of the Punjab State Freedom Fighters Organsiation. The elderly freedom fighters, many of whom could barely manage to stand, kept waiting in hall of Shehanshah Palace, in sultry weather . An occasional round of glasses of water was all that was offered to them. The happiness and enthusiasm, that was vivid when they arrived, waned away as waiting time got converted to hours. “I have come specially for this function because there are not very many such occasions we get to attend these days. But it is very sad that none of the guests have
arrived as yet,” said 78-year old R.C.Saini, who came from Madhya Pradesh to attend the function. “It is small things like punctuality, the lack of it, that have led the country to the present state of affairs, that is nowhere near to the dreams we had of a democratic nation,” he added. As if the insult was not enough, the moment the PPCC President arrived, the hall was filled with slogans in his praise. So much that a person sang a song written specially in praise of Mr Dullo, terming him as “Sonia di akhh da taara, desh daa masiha..... (Sonia's blue-eyed boy and saviour of the nation).” And when speeches began, Mr Surinder Dawer highlighted the development works of the Congress and condemned Akalis. “We have done a lot of development works,” Mr Dawer said. “Akalis are all liars. Their allegations are baseless.” While the Mayor had left the venue even before the first Speaker addressed the gathering, Mr Harman Das Johar, Education Minister, too failed to satisfy the audience. “They are talking about freedom fighters of different states. Why don't they realise that the entire country was one when we fought for freedom? Why are geographical boundaries being paid so much importance,” questioned another freedom fighter.
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Freedom fighters’ dreams shattered Ludhiana, August 17 Sadness and despair engulf them “as the country ‘progresses’ towards corruption, atrocities towards the weak, increased crime and as the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen”. These are the feelings the freedom fighters from various states, who were here to attend a conference of all Punjab Freedom Fighters and Successors, while talking to the Ludhiana Tribune, expressed. Talking about his days of struggle for independence, Ram Krishna Verma from
Hardwar, who participated in the Quit India Movement, said: “That was the time when we pursued our mission with determination. Nothing could stop us, even the fear of death was overcome. The time we got freedom was the happiest moment of our lives. We dreamt of a democratic country.” R.K.Awasthi
Azad, 88, from Kanpur has similar feelings, “I am not angry, but I am very sad. We had never thought the nation would be what it is today. The country needs honest and dedicated people, who seem to no longer exist.” The reasons, they feel, range from the fast lives we are living to a rapidly declining value system.
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Passing Thru
What would you recommend — floating interest rates or fixed rates — to home loan borrowers? There is no chance of home loan rates coming down in near future. If one talks about a further increase, I feel they would remain stable for another three to four months. Borrowers or those planning to go in for housing finance should go in for fixed interest rate option. Keeping the trend in view, the PNB Housing Finance has also come out with a ‘Three-year Fixed Interest Rate Scheme’, under which if a borrower wants to change from fixed to floating rate after three years, the company would not charge any conversion rate. Which segment are you focussing on to increase your market share? Our focus is micro financing, which includes individuals and builders. It is not only more secure, the recovery rate is also fast as projects by individuals or builders are completed much faster in comparison to large projects. Besides, this segment has high potential. Do you think the Securitisation Act has helped housing finance companies to improve their debt recovery? Certainly it has. Though rate of default in housing finance is comparatively much lower, ever since the Act has come into force, borrowers have become quite aware and regular in payment of their installments. Some borrowers, who are served notices on default in payment for few months, come up to settle their cases. Last year, we recovered Rs 6 crore. — Shveta Pathak
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LJP wants fast track courts to try guilty of ’84 pogrom Ludhiana, August 17 Addressing a news conference here today, the state president of the party, Mr Amar Singh Mehmi and secretary general, Mr Kartar Singh Patna, observed that although the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, had tendered an apology to the nation over the massacre of Sikhs, yet the government was still to take deterrent action against the guilty persons named in the report. The party wanted that the government should set up fast track courts for trying the political leaders, as well as officials, who had either incited mobs or had failed to maintain law and order in New Delhi and other places in the country. Mr Mehmi said had the action been taken against the guilty in time, the happenings like the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya and communal riots and Gujarat could have been averted. The LJP leaders lamented that the state government and other bodies like the Ludhiana Improvement Trust had also failed to provide the promised relief and rehabilitation to Sikh migrants who chose to settle in this state after the 1984 riots. “The Improvement Trust had sought applications for the allotment of plots in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar from Sikh migrants. They had also deposited the earnest money. However, even after 21 years, they had neither got the plots nor the earnest money.” Mr Mehmi and Mr Patna further regretted that in 1986, plots of 40 square yard each were allotted by the trust to a large number of Sikh migrants but barring a few, all other plots were later resumed. Quite a few allottees of these plots had to wait for years together before actual possession of plots was given to them and on the top of it they were made to shell out large sums of money in the name of enhancement of land price. 
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Marriage not an obstacle, says Simran Ludhiana, August 17 Simran was in the city today to model for the budding designers of the National Institute of Fashion Design who would showcase their talent at the evening at the Sutlej club during the annual design contest. Simran started her career as a model in 2000. “It is great to be a model. I was always interested in modelling since my childhood. People feel that models are snooty but in this profession one needs to maintain distance or people start taking liberties”, feels Simran. After completing her diploma in fashion designing from the Delhi, Simran did a couple of music videos for Manmohan Waris, Jazzy B and Mika.” It’s altogether a different experience from ramp modelling. If given an opportunity, I will be doing some item numbers, too. At times it is hectic while travelling a lot but modelling is a glamorous and a great profession”, said Simran. Married for the past two years to a Delhi-based businessman, Mr Charanjit Singh, Simran feels marriage has never been a problem for her. “Mine is a love marriage. My husband saw me during one of the modelling shows. He is so supportive and encouraging that I am really proud of him. He would be the last person to say no. I have been successful because of my supporting family and a clear vision towards life”, said Simran. Simran has modelled for prestigious assignments like Nestle, Nokia, Surya, Madame, Aristocrat and Upper Class. Simran, a strict non-vegetarian, likes to eat chicken in all her meals.
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Mayor presents 1 lakh to Dullo Ludhiana, August 17
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