Ludhiana, March 30
Girls have bagged the top two ranks in the Class V board exams in the district with Gurpinder Kaur of Swami Roop Chand Jain Senior Secondary School, Jagraon, has stood first and Lovepreet Kaur of NPTS School, Bhundri village attaining the second position.

Sukhwinder Kumar of Bhagat Naam Dev School, Chowki Mann village, has come third providing some respect to boys. Rural children studying in private schools have bagged the top three positions scoring over their urban counterparts.

Gurpinder Kaur has scored 420 out 450 (93.33 %) while Lovepreet Kaur and Sukhwinder Kumar scored 419 and 418 marks.

The overall result has also came out good with 99.10 per cent stdents passing the exams in the district. As many as 43,527 students of the district appeared for the Class V board exams out of which 43,136 students have cleared the exam.

District education officers (Primary) Varinder Sharma expressed pleasure on the result. He said, "The result is encouraging and it shows that elementary is going at right direction."

However, some of the government teachers alleged favourism by the private school authorities.

A government teacher on the condition of anonymity said, "As private schools were entitled to prepare the result in their respective schools, they took full advantage of it and in order to show good result gave more marks to the students.

Ludhiana, March 30
Demand for dowry allegedly by an NRI groom just a day before marriage made a local family snap their daughter's alliance with him. Not only this, the family has filed a complaint with the local police chief demanding a dowry case against the groom’s family.

Prabhjot Kaur, a 20-year-old girl of Islam Ganj, was engaged to Manvinder Singh, a resident of the UK on March 26. The marriage was scheduled for today. But the groom allegedly demanded that the girl should carry Rs 5 lakh along with her in a bank account in her name otherwise the marriage would be cancelled.

This angered the family, who decided not to succumb to the pressure and instead decided to do away with the marriage.

Jaspal Singh, a Sikh Student Federation (Mehta) leader and uncle of the girl said the groom's family in Patiala started sending them feelers on March 27 that if they would not deposit Rs 5 lakh in her name then the baraat would not reach Ludhiana.

‘‘We had made all arrangements for the wedding. Even a marriage palace on Chandigarh Road was booked. We had bought all items to be gifted on the occasion and had already spent Rs 5 lakh. But this did not deter us to save the future of our daughter by saying no to them, ’’ said Jaspal Singh.

He added that the family had taken a hard decision to snap the relation. Had they given in, it would have been difficult. ‘‘Though there was a lot of social stigma involved but we did not care. We could not sleep for two nights. At one stage we had even decided to pay Rs 5 lakh. But then we thought, we should fight against the menace, ’’ he said, adding that then they went to the SSP to give a complaint.

They handed over a complaint to the SSP yesterday, who marked it to DSP, Marital Disputes Cell, Gurdial Singh. No case has been registered so far.

The DSP said that they had summoned the groom's party. ‘‘We cannot register a case after listening to only one party. We will listen to both of them. Later, they would be counselled. If they decide to effect a compromise then we would suggest them to do so,’’ said the DSP.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 30
Even after three years of conducting a survey about violation of norms by conductors and drivers of the PRTC, the Punjab Roadways and certain private transporters, the state and district transport authorities have failed to initiate action against erring employees of these organisations.

While staff of a large number of buses plying on the Ludhiana- Malerkotla route was still violating rules by not coming to local bus stand during their trips, the PRTC authorities, claiming restoration of proper service, stated that they had to suffer a loss of Rs 30,000 per month by losing long distance passengers.

According to Sikander Singh of Chhapar village, the PRTC authorities had been allegedly shielding drivers and conductors who, besides causing harassment to passengers by dropping them at Pohir bus stop instead of coming to the local bus stand, had been selling diesel saved by reduction in distance travelled by their vehicles.

Perusal of records revealed that the PRTC authorities, during a survey conducted in first fortnight of February, 2005, had found 50 to 60 buses violating norms daily. In a 20-page report, the authorities had sought action under provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, and the Punjab Motor Vehicle Act, 1989. Despite repeated requests by Sikander Singh, the PRTC authorities failed to furnish information regarding any action initiated against any of the erring employees.

However, the authorities claimed that 9 employees of the PRTC were fined Rs 100 each and 31 were slapped penalty of Rs 50 each. While behavior of one conductor was condemned, another was censured for omissions.

It was further claimed that general manager (operations) had asked respective GMs to direct their staff to ensure that all buses reach Ahmedgarh during journey on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla route.

Sikandar Singh has once again urged the Punjab information officer to direct the PRTC authorities to provide specific information about action taken against employees who had been violating rules even now.

Ludhiana, March 30
About two-and-a-half years after a 7-year-old son of a Nepalese couple fell into an open hole near Dhandari, there is no trace of his body. To cap it all, no MC official has been booked for negligence in leaving the manhole open. The police, too, has, coolly forgotten the incident.

It was in September, 2005, that the boy, Bahadur, had fallen in a manhole near his house while playing with his brother and a sister. By the time, the sibling informed the parents, there was no chance to rescue him. No one could dare to enter the manhole fearing poisonous gases inside.

The Dhandari police post officials led by ASI Jatinder Kumar reached the site and called MC officials but no diver could be arranged. The police lodged a DDR report and initiated an inquiry to fix responsibility on the negligent MC official.

The police and the family members hoped the body would fish out at the main opening of the sewer in the industrial area. But even after days, there was no trace of the body. The cops hoped it would float gradually into the Budda Nullah. Till date, it has not reached anywhere. It had not been found in routine cleaning of the drains.

To utter surprise of all, the MC claimed a week after the incident that the boy had never died. The MC officials claimed the family had cooked up the story and sent Bahadur somewhere. They even filed this report to the police claiming the manhole was covered.

The police officials in the then news reports said the MC was washing its hand over the matter by making such claims.

A Dhandari police team led by ASI Jatinder Kumar, however, reported that the boy had actually fallen in the manhole. The team reported that his father Lal Bahadur and other relatives were not only mourning his death but even searching the body on their own even two weeks after the incident.

Ludhiana, March 30
Keeping in view the increasing costs of medicare, the state government plans to introduce a special health insurance scheme for the “below poverty line (BPL) families”, so that the poor people could also avail the advanced facilities in private hospitals.

This was disclosed by chief secretary Ramesh Inder Singh while addressing the concluding function of the three-day North Zone Inter- Medical and Dental Colleges Tournament at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital yesterday night.

Elaborating further, he said apart from BPL families, the insurance cover would also be extended to marginal farmers and farm laborers through the village-level agricultural cooperative societies. He said due to the advancement in science and technology, as also in the medical field, working in all sectors and new technologies had become an important tool for professionals.

The chief secretary observed that presently, the traditional medical research was in the process of shifting from universities and medical institutions to the pharmaceutical companies and diagnostic centers and many new inventions in medical field were coming up almost every day. “In the fast changing scenario, the doctors can not continue with their basic qualifications, but they have to update their professional skills continuously to remain abreast with latest inventions in their respective fields. If the doctors fail to keep pace with the new advancements, it will be impossible for them to continue in the profession.”

Expressing concern over receding ground water level and water pollution, he cautioned that these factors could threaten the economy of the state and people’s health. He specially mentioned the cotton belt in Punjab where the alarming level of water and air pollution had led to a spurt in the incidence of cancer. “We will have to take concrete steps to check the pollution by educating the people. For this purpose, the involvement of medical institutions and social organisations is necessary,” he asserted.

While referring to the plan of the state government for the development of Ludhiana city, he said under the JNURM programme, the government was spending funds worth Rs 600 crore for providing adequate sewerage and water supply facilities. Further, for dealing with the problem of traffic congestion, a ring road was also being constructed around the mega city.

Dr Raju Singh Chhina, chairman of the organising committee, presented a report of the tournament and apprised the chief guest of the efforts of the DMCH being made for providing quality treatment to the patients. Dr Daljit Singh, principal, also addressed the gathering. Sumer Singh Gurjar, deputy commissioner, Kuldeep Singh, joint commissioner, municipal corporation, Sukhdev Singh, SDM, Samrala, and Prem Nath Gupta, secretary of the DMCH managing committee, were present on the occasion.

The foundation stones of Government Degree College laid by Parkash Singh Badal in 1979 and (right) that of Lal Bahadur Shastari Vidya Mandir, Ahmedgarh, laid by late Beant Singh in 1992

Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 30
When it comes to the laying of foundation stones and forgetting them, SAD leaders are on a par with those of the Congress.

The proposal to construct a government college and Lal Bahadur Shastari Vidya Mandir at Ahmedgarh, the foundation stones for which were laid at M.G.M.N. Senior Secondary School here in 1979 by Parkash Singh Badal and in 1992 by late Beant Singh, both of whom were the Chief Ministers at that time, seem to have been totally forgotten by the authorities.

In the past few decades, leaders of almost all political parties have addressed mammoth gatherings at this school, but none has bothered to enquire about the progress of the projects, though the foundation stone stands in the third block and playground of the school itself.

According to CB welfare association president Tarsem Garg, Badal had issued verbal orders regarding the constructing a degree college in the town, but the orders had not been carried out so far. Only the Janta College for Women and Rashtriya Adarash Mahila College are there to educate women of this region. Though the population has considerably increased since 1979, but not a single recognised institute has come up for educating girls beyond class XII. As a large number of parents cannot afford to send their daughters to other cities for further studies, the girls have no option but to sit at home or do BA privately, said local leaders.

The foundation stone of LBS Vidya Mandir was laid by Beant Singh, when he had come to announce establishment of subdivision here on December 30, 1992. Though the then Chief Minister had announced to send a grant for constructing a new building for Adarash School, no funds were received from the government. The classes of the proposed school are being run from the Gandhi school building. 

Ludhiana, March 30
In a bid to create awareness among investors at the Ludhiana stock exchange, a seminar was organised by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India, here last evening.

R.C. Singhal, former president of LSE, while addressing the participants said investors should not try to become traders and should not indulge in buying and selling on a daily basis. They should instead invest for a longer term. He added that they should gauge the market by buying mutual funds first.

Pooja Kohli, officiating executive director of LSE, cleared doubts about the DMAT account. T.S. Gill, general secretary of Ludhiana Retain Investors Association, suggested that investors should compare the prices of new IPOs with the already listed companies. As many as 100 investors attended the seminar.

Ludhiana, March 30
The Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) yesterday organised a seminar to mark the end of the DVT (deep vein thrombosis) awareness month (it is celebrated globally in March). It is major cause of mortality and morbidity among hospitalised patients.

DMCH vice-principal Dr Jagdeep Whig said the risk of this disease was grossly underestimated and, therefore, “thromboprophylaxis” was underutilized. The need, hence, was to make people aware of this complication and encourage better risk stratification modules so as to take preventive and therapeutic measures for those at risk.

DMCH medical superintendent Dr Sandeep Puri said the hospital in collaboration with Sanofi Aventis (Worldwide leader in anti-thrombotics) had organised this awareness week from March 22 to March 29. Dr Rajesh Mahajan, professor, department of medicine, delivered lectures on “DVT - prevalence and guidelines recommendations.”

According to Dr Mahajan, DVT was a blood clot in a vein, deep inside the body. These clots usually occurred in the leg veins. “While DVT is a fairly common, it is also dangerous. If the clot breaks away and travels through the bloodstream, it could block blood vessels in the lungs. This blockage (called a pulmonary embolism) can be fatal,” he maintained.

Ludhiana, March 30
Under its community service project, National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA) organised a free camp for chest diseases in Bal Singh Nagar, here today. Patients attending the camp were given free spirometry test to evaluate lung functioning and those afflicted with respiratory diseases were provided inhaler-based devices like rotahalers and spacers, along with free rotacaps.

A team of NIMA doctors comprising the secretary Dr Surendra Gupta, Dr K.K. Kharbanda and Dr Inder Sharma examined patients suffering from problems like cough, breathlessness and chronic rhinitis, arising out of allergic and infective etiologies.

Interacting with patients at the camp, Dr Gupta said aotacaps are powdered drug filled capsules to be used in rotahaler device. “When air is inhaled inside by holding the mouth-pipe of rotahaler tightly in the lips, powder drug is directly released into the lungs. The medicines immediately relieve the spasm in the bronchus or constricted air pipes inside the lungs, with the result that the patient immediately feels better. It has absolutely no side effects,” he said.

As the inhaled drugs are rapidly utilised in the lungs, their side effects (usually broncho-dilators and low dose steroids) are minimised and no systemic effect is felt in the body. Prior to the introduction of inhaler therapy patients had to consume lot of oral medications. Even though many were safe for long term use, the inhaler therapy had revolutionised the whole scenario of asthmatic health care.

Those present at the camp were motivated to give up smoking and avoid exposure to smoke, dust and other toxic fumes, even those of deodorants and perfumes. Seasonal allergies arising out of pollens and flowers were also explained.

Ludhiana, March 30
At least 1,000 patients were examined at a medical check-up camp organised by Sardar Nihal Singh Pahwa Charitable Hospital here today. A team of doctors led by Dr Surinder Singh examined the patients and vaccinations for DPT, polio, measles and Hepatitis-B were administered to children visiting the camp.

In another camp organised at Dr B.L. Kapur Memorial Hospital, over 500 patients were examined by Dr Vijay Pal Soni and his team. At least 80 patients needing corrective surgery were selected for being operated upon and for intra-ocular lens implant at the hospital.

The camp was inaugurated by former councillor Madan Lal Bagga.