The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

3 get life term for murder
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 10
The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr Gurbir Singh, has sentenced three persons to rigorous life imprisonment on the charge of murdering Abdul Rahim in the local Jama Masjid in 2002. While four persons were acquitted for charges could not be proved against them.

Those sentenced are Munawar Ali of Prem Nagar, Inam-ul-haq of Jama Masjid Field Ganj and Mohammad Karim of Vardhman Colony. They have also been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each.

They were also found guilty for causing injuries to Sabaudin, Abdul Jallaludin, Bashir Mohammad and Salim Ahmed. For this offence they were ordered to undergo one year in jail. All sentences will run concurrently.

The court acquitted constable Jagdev Singh, gunman of a muslim leader, Ubed-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Usman, son of Imam Habib-ur-rehman and Mastkin of Santokh Nagar, New Shivpuri. The court held that their presence and participation in the crime was doubtful. Mohammad Usman and the constable were also exonerated of the charge of kidnapping Nasir Ahmed Bhatti, Abdul Rahim, Manga Khan and Khurshid Ahmed of Gurdaspur.

The complainant, a maulvi, had told the police that Nasar-ul-haq of Nepal was working as a maulvi and had been missing since April 11, 2000.

He along with his five companions and two sons had come to Ludhiana in search of Nasar. They sent Sayad Sabudin and Abdul Jallaludin to Jama Masjid where a close friend of the missing person was residing. When they did not return, Mohammad Salim and Bashir Ahmed were sent to enquire about them while they waited at the Jagraon bridge.

At about 7.30 pm, Usman Khan and a sikh youth armed with weapons came there and kidnapped them. They took them to the masjid and started beating them. After some time, a police party came there and got them freed. Abdul Rahim was taken to the Civil Hospital, where he died.

The prosecution had examined 12 witnesses. On the other hand, the accused had pleaded false implication.

10 booked for kidnapping youth
Our Correspondent

Khanna, March 10
The police has registered a case against 10 persons for allegedly kidnapping a youth of Katihar village. The victim, Ranjit Singh, son of Mohinder Singh, has been admitted to the local Civil Hospital for treatment.

According to the police, on March 7 Ranjit Singh was travelling by a motor cycle along with his friend Baljit Singh when he was intercepted by three scooter-borne youths near Ghanksan village.

At the same time, a Maruti car carrying four youths reached the spot. They beat Ranjit up and bundled him into the car.

They asked Ranjit to call up his parents and demand Rs 3 lakh as ransom. When he refused to make the call, they again beat him up.

They then took him to a canal near Sarhin village, where another youth, Harjinder Singh, was present.

He asked the group to eliminate Ranjit if he failed to arrange the money.

He was again beaten up and fell unconscious. Later, his family members admitted him to the hospital.

On the complaint of the victim, the police has registered a case under Sections 323, 341, 365 and 148/149 of the IPC against Money, Jeeta, Parminder, Dharminder, Harjinder and four other youths of Siar village and Harjinder Singh of Sarhin village. Police is conducting raids to arrest the accused.

90 cases settled at Labour Lok Adalat
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 10
The District Legal Services Authority organised a labour lok adalat under the supervision of Mr A.K. Singla, Additional Sessions Judge-cum-Presiding Officer of the Labour Court, at District Courts Complex here today.

The lok adalat succeeded in settling 90 pending cases involving disputes between labour and their employers. Around 150 cases were placed before the adalat.

Compensation worth around Rs 6.84 lakh was disbursed amongst labourers, putting an end to their lengthy litigation.

It was a happy day for Shyam Lal of Ludhiana as his case was finally settled after five years of institution of the case. He had started litigation in 2001.

He had claimed that he was working as fireman in Ganpati Steels, Alour village, Khanna. But his services were terminated illegally. The employer had denied the allegations.

With the persuasion of the Presiding Officer, the parties resolved their dispute amicably today.

Similarly, Ramesh Batta, another worker, had filed a case against his employer with the claim that his services were terminated illegally in 2003.

The lok adalat provided compensation worth Rs 80,000 to the sacked worker.

The President of the Labour Bar Association, Mr Chaman Lal Vashisht, and senior lawyers P.D. Sharma, B.D. Arora, B.N. Sehgal, Bhola Nath, Manoj Bansal, and B.P. Bansal took part in the proceedings.

Mr Singla claimed that the concept of lok adalat was gaining popularity. He appealed litigants to settle their disputes through lok adalats as it would save time and money.

Punishment to teacher mild: PTA
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 10
Bhajnik Singh, president Parents Teachers' Association, Senior Secondary School, Jagraon, has appreciated that an inquiry was conducted by inquiry officer Gurdeep Kaur against mathematics teacher of the school Gurdeep Singh. He was found guilty and the Education Department has stopped his promotion for three years as punishment. He has also been transferred to Senior Secondary School, Mansa.

But Bhajnik Singh has said punishment is not sufficient. He has submitted a memorandum to Mr Harnam Dass Johar to start an inquiry against Gurdip Singh again as he was indulging in activities not befitting a teacher. He accepted liquor bottles from students during examination and also tried to establish physical contacts with women after school hours. He forcibly got the classroom opened for indulging in these activities.

Members of the Inquiry Commission had found him guilty of these misconduct and yet he was let off with such a mild punishment. His services should have been terminated, says Bhajnik Singh.

He apprised Harnam Dass Johar of his grave misconduct. Mr Johar had promised to look into the matter. He felt that punishment given to Gurdip Singh was not proportionate to the illegal activities he was indulging in. He should be punished severely for his misconduct , he said in a press note.

Rural elders malnourished, says PAU study
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 10
A study by Punjab Agricultural University has revealed skewed diet patterns in elders in the 60 plus bracket and belonging to a lower socio-economic strata. The sample group comprised elderly couples, particularly in villages. Their daily intake of cereals, pulses and vegetables was much less than prescribed by dieticians and nutritionists.

Rajbir Sachdeva, Seema Grewal and Paramjit Chawla, researchers at Home Science College conducted the study on 60 subjects in various cities and villages of Ludhiana district and found several nutrition-related health problems among them.

having spent nearly three months in nutritional counselling and monitoring changes in men and women living in joint families, the study found a perceptible change in their health status. Some of them had certain myths about food that were cleared. The nutritional status of urban elders was better than their rural counterparts. the study recommends that for “total” happiness, health and security among the aged, intensive and extensive nutritional counselling helps improve nutritious intake.

The diet consumed by the aged was inadequate in proteins, vitamin A and B, iron, zinc etc. but their food was adequate in energy, thiamine, calcium and phosphorus. The study showed that most common health problems of the sampled elders were cataract, dental decay, anaemia and constipation, besides deficiency of vitamin B. Almost 50 per cent of them complained of body and backaches and knee pain.

The researchers observed that nutritional counselling helped in reducing the problems of constipation, cough, acidity, indigestion and loss of body weight. “Psychological depression has a significant association with poor nutritional status and this calls for free healthcare facilities or at least at subsidised rates for senior citizens, especially those belonging to the lower social and economic strata,” they say.

The study, published in the latest "Journal of Research" of the PAU, showed that even milk intake was lower than the 300 ml suggested per day. A majority of subjects were of the view that milk resulted in flatulence. This myth was cleared during counselling.

The intake of fats and oils, sugar and jaggery was high, much more than the recommendations of the Indian Council of Medical Research. Urban elders consumed more fat by eating fried food like paranthas and puris whereas those in villages consumed more ghee in daal and vegetables. They also consumed more jaggery and sugar.

More urban people had pale skin while problems of body and backache, besides knee pain, were more pronounced in rural elders.

In both groups, cough and cold were perennial problems that persisted before and after nutritional counselling. The counselling, however, helped them overcome constipation and many of them took to moderate exercise and walks for better digestion. The problem of acidity was traced to the intake of spicy and fried food, pickles, chutney and green chillies. One way to minimise this was to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables.

Literary bodies for Act on public libraries
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 10
Emphasising the need to set up public libraries, literary associations of the state and NRIs have urged the government to pass a Punjab public libraries and information services Act at the earliest.

"The Bill pertaining to this is yet to be tabled in the Legislature. We are urging the government to pass the Act regarding it so that infrastructure is made available. Our aim is to invest and set up libraries in the rural areas. The Act will ensure that the facility is managed effectively and does not meet an untimely death," said Mr Jaswant Singh, chairman of the Anant Memorial Trust, which is keen on setting up libraries across the state.

Eminent poet Surjit Pattar also urged Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today to make efforts in this direction.

Among the literary bodies that have asked the government to pass the Act include the Punjabi Likhari Sabha, the Punjabi Sahit Academy and the Anant Memorial Trust. According to these bodies, setting up of public libraries will not only help increasing literacy rate, but also generate an additional employment for 40,000 persons.

Mr Singh, after 30 years of experience in developing and managing libraries in the USA, invested over Rs 20 lakh towards a mobile library that caters to six villages in the Pakhowal block. The trust is keen on investing libraries if the Act is put to place.

The demand for an Act for public libraries has been pending for over 12 years now. "We have been urging the government to do something in this regard, but it is really taking long. We hope that now when certain people from political and cultural field have taken a note of this issue, something concrete will happen."

Emphasising the need for an Act, he said 10 states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, West Bengal, Manipur, Kerala and Haryana have an Act for public libraries.