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MC deadline on violations ends
Ludhiana, April 21 In accordance with the warning given to owners of buildings, the offenders will face penal action if corrective measures, at their own levels, were not taken within the deadline period. Even though the top brass of the civic body has been maintaining that action would be taken as per provisions of building norms once the deadline is over, past experience shows that the administration often buckles under political pressure and opposition by councillors. The sealing drive was started in the city with much fanfare and a number of commercial buildings were either sealed or partially razed. However, in the next few days, the razed portions were constructed again and the buildings were unsealed. The MC commissioner, Vikas Pratap, talking to The Tribune, made it clear that action would be taken as per the provisions of building bylaws against those who had failed to take corrective measures. The municipal commissioner said enforcement staff was being geared with clear instructions to act against violators of building norms. “No one will be spared and we shall continue the regular drive, leaving no room for any interference from any quarter in this regard,” he added.
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CMCH union leader attacked
Ludhiana, April 21 Immediately after the attack, CMCH employees gathered in large numbers outside the emergency ward and held a demonstration, demanding the arrest of the accused. The CMCH committee, led by Gill, had spearheaded a campaign against the previous management, resulting in a massive reshuffle at the top management and the then director, along with the chairman of the governing body, had to quit on the charge of irregularities. The CMCH authorities called the police to save the situation from taking an ugly turn. The hospital administration claimed that routine work remained unaffected and the police persuaded the demonstrators to disperse following an assurance that action would be taken against the accused. In a statement to the police, Gill said he was about to enter the hospital when he saw a group of persons standing near a car. The accused attacked him and some hospital employees came to his rescue after he raised the alarm. The assailants escaped before they could be caught. Gill suspected that some former top officials of the CMCH, who were nursing a grouse against him over the activities of the sangharsh committee, might have been behind the attack. The police said a case had been registered against Nathaniel Gill and Nitin Gill under Sections 323, 325, 341, 506 and 34, IPC, but no arrest had been made so far.
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Another road rage incident
Ludhiana, April 21 The proximity to the police post did not deter the warring parties. Sources said Amit Puri, son of former councillor Satpal Puri, was driving an Accent car while a businessman was driving a Balero. They had a heated argument after the accident. They had a scuffle, following which the trader opened fire. He, however, missed the target and onlookers ran for their lives. The youth wielding the revolver sped away in his car. Senior officers, including the SSP, rushed to the spot. The police is on high alert after the killing of an insurance agent. Satpal Puri also reached there with his supporters. The police found that the bullet had hit a wall. However, after the intervention of influential persons representing both parties, the police has still to register a case. The city has witnessed several road rage incidents. Two persons had shot a truck driver after the truck hit the rear of a car near Salem Tabri. Some youths had fired into the air near the Sarabha Nagar market last month over another such incident. Four persons had beaten two journalists in Field Gunj last Sunday after a heated argument in a traffic jam. A Sangrur-based car owner had pointed a gun at a local journalist last year, again over a minor accident.
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Teachers go without salary for 2
months
Ludhiana, April 21 Officiating principals in at least 300 schools of the district have not been assigned drawing and disbursal powers by the education department. The salary has not even been paid to the non-teaching staff in these schools. The letters for drawing and disbursal (DD) powers issued by the office of the education department have not been received by at least 300 schools in towns and villages across the district. These schools are being run by officiating principal who have not been given powers to disburse salary from the treasury branch. As a result, the teaching and non-teaching staff is facing financial crisis. An officiating principal said: “The government is aware of the growing prices of essential commodities. Officers need to think about the plight of families of employees.” A peon at a government school said, “I have borrowed money from some teachers. I am the sole bread-earner of the family and have to purchase books for my son.” A teacher at a rural school, requesting anonymity, said, “The government was playing a cruel joke. On the one hand, it had initiated the process to recruit at least 14,000 teachers, and on the other hand, the government was not bothered about the plight of hundreds of serving teachers.” An officiating principal of a government school said, “Earlier, the DD letters used to arrive in the beginning of March, however, we have not received any official intimation regarding the disbursal powers. Without the written authority letter, we cannot withdraw salary from the treasury branch.” District education officer, secondary, Sudesh Bajaj, has assured the teachers that their salaries will be released soon. She said the department had already sent a formal communique in this regard to the authorities concerned.
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Truck, trolley owners hold protest
Ludhiana, April 21 “They are supposed to charge Rs 30 per tonne. However, they are charging more than Rs 140, which is ruining our business,” said Pirthi Bhamia, president of the Trolley Union of Ludhiana. Bhamia said on an average, a trolley carried 4 tonnes of sand while a truck had the capacity to carry some 10 tonnes. According to rules, the contractors should be charging Rs 120 per trolley and Rs 300 for a truck. However, the amount being charged was Rs 1,400 for a truck and Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 for a trolley, he said. They submitted a memorandum to the DC and threatened to intensify their agitation if the matter was not resolved by the government at the
earliest.
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Chahal case adjourned
Ludhiana, April 21 The case was fixed for hearing the arguments of defence lawyers on the framing of charges against the accused, but the arguments could not be heard. One of the accused, Kartar Singh Garewal, moved an application seeking discharge from the case. In his application, he pleaded that he, along with other family members, had been falsely implicated due to political rivalry. It was averred that there had been an inordinate delay in the registration of the case. Following his application, the court asked the additional public prosecutor to file a reply to the application by the next date of hearing.
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Missing truck driver found dead
Mandi Gobindgarh, April 21 The driver, identified as Budh Ram of Azampur block of Nurpur Bedian in Ropar, was driving a truck loaded with iron from Patiala to Ropar when he reportedly went missing. Though the truck was recovered from near a canal in the Samrala segment of Ludhiana district two days after he went missing, there was no trace of the driver. It was later found that a few tonnes of iron was also missing from the truck. The Samrala police had registered a case after Budh Ram's brother filed a formal complaint with the police following the recovery of the truck. His body was spotted by some passersby who informed the police. The police called Budh Ram's relatives, who established that it was his body. Budh Ram's brother Mahinder Singh had told the police that his brother and been murdered and the body had been thrown in the canal. The police said as a case in this regard had already been registered at the Samrala police station, further investigations in the case would be carried out by the police concerned only. Later, the body of the deceased was shifted to the local civil hospital. No postmortem was conducted as the police said the case was under the purview of the Samrala police. Meanwhile, Samrala police officials stated that initially a case of missing person had been registered, but now that it had been established that the missing person was dead, some more sections of the law would be added to the FIR.
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Flunking of ailing student
Ludhiana, April 21 They alleged that the school authorities had been dilly-dallying on the issue ever since the new session began. “My son suffered from chicken pox during his final examination. When we contacted the school authorities, they assured us of promoted him to the next class on the basis of his aggregate marks. However, I was shocked to see the result of my son in which he declared failed,” alleged Harjit Davar, father of the student. He said after he approached the authorities on the issue, they kept dilly-dallying on the issue and his son had neither been able to take admission to the next class nor had he been furnished a school leaving certificate. The parents of the student also threatened to launch an agitation in case the issue was not resolved. The school authorities could not be contacted.
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Kanjhla admits factionalism within SAD
Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 21 Kanjhla was talking to Ludhiana Tribune after office-bearers of a few social and political organisations of the area felicitated him here yesterday. Terming ideological differences among radicals and moderates as a major factor for decades-old factionalism among supporters of Parkash Singh Badal and Surjit Singh Barnala, Kanjhla maintained that supporters of a few sections were hostile towards each other, though their leaders had apparently buried their past differences. Accusing a few self-styled religious leaders of generating unnecessary controversy over the proposed construction of memorial of Bara Ghallughara at Rohira, Kanjhla claimed that process for selecting the land near the mound had already started. Kanjhla was recently nominated vice-president of the SAD’s state body. Office bearers of a few social and political organizations organized a function to felicitate him yesterday.
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Baba Farid Award for Dr Upinderjit Kaur
Ludhiana, April 21 The award was presented at a function at Government College for Women here. Dr Upinderjit Kaur said there was a need to start a worldwide campaign for the preservation and promotion of Punjabi language and culture. She said the language would strictly be enforced as a medium of official communication. She added that the education department was being rationalised in the state. “At least, 351 senior secondary schools in the state will be equipped with the state-of-the-art infrastructure on which the government will spend around Rs 142 crore. The work has already been started to uplift these schools,” she said. Minister for jails and tourism Hira Singh Gabria appreciated the role of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Dr Upinderjit Kaur in initiating steps to provide due status to Punjabi language.Dr Upinderjit Kaur appreciated the efforts of Punjabi writers, poets, etc. who had worked for the uplift of the language. She honoured eminent personalities, including Jagdev Singh Jassowal, Ujagar Singh Chhapa, Dr Sarup Singh Alag, Inderjit Hassanpuri, Dr Jagtar Singh Dhiman, Pali Detvalia, G.S.Kang, Sikandar Singh Dhaliwal and Sukhi Nijjar. Asma Abbas and Boota Mohammad from Pakistan presented their items on the occasion.
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Make people aware of rights: Thind
Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 21 While talking The Tribune after interacting with office-bearers of a few social and political organisations, at local municipal children park, Thind said majority of the poor and illiterate were not aware of their rights. Though successive governments have been claiming to watch rights of all sections of society, majority of the residents were deprived of the right to live a dignified life. Referring to problems brought to his notice, Thind claimed that misunderstanding was behind the trend of filing complaints against public servants, including the police. Property disputes, matrimonial issues and trade rivalries needed arbitration and counselling, instead of legal action, Thind maintained.
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Bairagis call for Sirhind fateh divas on May 12
Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 21 International manch chairman Krishan Bawa and its general secretary Ravinder Nandi said a grand function would be organised at Chapar Chiri Kalan to commemorate Banda Bahadur’s victory over Sirhind in 1710 AD. “Though a large number of constituents of the Bairagi community in India and abroad have acknowledged to attend the function we wish that embers of other sections of society should also play an active role in paying tribute to the great hero,” both of them said.
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Make Ahmedgarh subdivision: Forum
Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 21 Rally, led by Vikash Sharma, president of the organisation, started from the Bhagat Singh Chowk and passed through the Railway and Mahavir roads, main and chaura bazars, grain market and Galla mandi. While talking to The Tribune after the rally, Sharma claimed that the business and town’s development was directly related to government offices working here. Residents feel that the economic development of the area would be affected adversely if the subdivision is not established here,” argued Sharma alleging that elected representatives were unconcerned about the genuine demands of the residents. Sharma said leaders of a few political and social organisations of the area had launched a move to turn it into a subdivision during the Congress regime led by Beant Singh in 1992 and the Chief Minister had also accepted the demand. But, the then legislator made ensured that it was not formed.
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Left stages dharna against inflation
Khamano, April 21 The speakers flayed the Central government for not controlling the rising prices. They urged the government to raid godowns and the big companies like reliance should be barred from buying wheat. A demand letter meant for the President of India was handed over to the tehsildar.
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Letters
Ahmedgarh is just 28 km from Ludhiana, but the town has been crying for basic amenities for a long time. Due to the absence of an amusement park or a stadium, youngsters and children do not have any place to play or engage in sports. The local authorities have failed to develop proper drainage system in the town. As a result, sewerage overflows during rainy season. The bus stand of the town is in a shambles and no one has bothered to maintain it. Similarly, the road from Pohir to Ahmedgarh is in bad shape, as a result of which bus drivers hesitate entering the town. Moreover, due to the absence of a degree college, students have to go to cities to get higher education. The demand for a degree college in the town is yet to be fulfilled. And, local residents at their wits end owing to frequent power cuts. Ravi Chander Garg, Ludhiana Readers are invited to mail letters (not more than 200 words) at "ludhiana@tribunemail.com" or post the same to The Tribune, 1, 2 Improvement Trust Building, Badaur House, Clock Tower, Ludhiana.
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Decline in steel rates fails to cheer traders
Ludhiana, April 21 Price of ingot that was more than Rs 39,000 per metric tonne about 10 days ago, has reduced to Rs 35,000 while the rate of MS round has reduced from Rs 43,000 per metric tonne to Rs 39,000 metric tonne within this period. “Demand has drastically reduced. Our buyers, on one hand, are expecting a further fall in prices, and on the other are scared of further rise in prices. Due to this uncertainty there are not many orders," said K.K. Garg of the North India Induction Furnace Association. Steel consuming industries, that have been complaining of heavy losses due to rise in its prices, the downward trend has failed to bring any respite from business uncertainty. "When rates go up, our buyers keep postponing orders due to which we have been resisting from purchasing steel. On the other hand, as soon as rates decline, on one hand the buyers start seeking lower rates for products and on the other we are unable to predict if the fall would continue.To run business under such uncertainty is nearly impossible," said a cycle parts manufacturer. Local manufacturers said the downward trend was unlikely to continue as prices of scrap and sponge iron were yet to decline. Industrialists stressed that the government should take measures to curb the prevailing uncertainty in the market. “The rise in steel rates has been tremendous. The government needs to take urgent measures to control prices to save the industry," said Charanjit Singh Vishwakarma, president of United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association. Representatives of industry said if a ban was imposed on futures trading and steel was brought under the Essential Services Maintenance Act, the entire problem being faced by the industry would be solved. “These measures, if implemented, can be effective in tackling with steel rate fluctuations. The government will not need to do anything more, there would be no need to even effect any duty cut," opined S.C Ralhan, regional chairman, Engineering Export Promotion Council.
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Vet varsity celebrates foundation day
Ludhiana, April 21 “Eleven such ponds have already been constructed in different districts to develop pisciculture. For this, the government is providing a grant of Rs 40,000 to farmers,” said Ranike. He was here as the chief guest at a function to mark the second foundation day of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) today. The minister also asked university vice-chancellor Dr V.K. Taneja to increase the number of seats of veterinary students so that there was no shortage of veterinary doctors. He also asked experts to look for the possibility of developing government veterinary college in the state. The Chief Minister’s Award for innovative farmers in animal husbandry (dairy, poultry and fisheries) were conferred on Sukhraj Singh (dairy farming) of Gureh village, Mohinder Arora (poultry) of Badnipur village, Fatehgarh Sahib district, and Manjit Singh Sandhu (fish farming) of Chak Shera Wala village, Muktsar district. These farmers were presented with a citation, shawl, certificate and cash prizes. Ranike said it was a good step to recognise livestock farmers for their achievements so that fellow farmers could draw inspiration from them and work towards their goal. Dr Taneja presided over the function. He said significant improvement in teaching, research, extension, infrastructure development, finances and student activities had been made during the past two years. College of dairy science and technology and college of fisheries would start BSc (dairy technology) and BSc (fishery science) degree courses from the coming academic session. An exhibition depicting various university activities and latest research achievements was also inaugurated by the vice-chancellor at the silver jubilee block. The celebrations were attended by deans, directors, faculty and students of the university.
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PAU lowers eligibility marks for M.Sc course
Ludhiana, April 21 The council also approved the inclusion of B.Com in the existing minimum qualifications for admission to M.Sc (Agricultural Economics) in the university. According to head, department of economics and sociology Dr R. S. Sidhu these decisions will encourage students with B.A and B.Com from other universities of the state to seek admission to M.Sc.(Agricultural Economics). He added that the department prepared the students to analyse problems faced by the agricultural sector relating to profitability, marketing and finance related issues through its faculty of 16 professors, 12 associate professors and 13 assistant professors.
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Training in queen bee rearing
Ludhiana, April 21 According to Dr N.S. Bhutter, head, department of entomology, a training course for progressive beekeepers of the state was organised every year, adding that quality queen bees were required by beekeepers for multiplication of their stock of bee colonies for replacement of old and non-performing queen bees and also for sale of honey bee colonies. The production of quality queen bees on commercial scale at beekeepers’ level would give a fillip to beekeeping besides promoting diversification in beekeeping by production of other bee products to augment the beekeepers income. Dr Pardeep Kumar Chhuneja, technical coordinator of the training, added that beekeepers would be imparted training in various aspects of bee-keeping like selection of bee stock, techniques of mass rearing of queen bees, rearing of quality drone bees, establishment of mating nuclei, gyne cell grafting, selective mating, maintaining queen bee banks, preparing bee packages, etc. The beekeepers will be explained the significance of rearing their own queen bees for stock multiplication, re-queening, rigorous selection and selective mating, etc. rather than depending on private firms for supply of queen bees.
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Lecture on neurology tomorrow
Ludhiana, April 21 Association’s president Dr Devinderjit S. Walia said professor of neurology, AIIMS, Dr M.V. Padma, would deliver a lecture on “management of stroke.” According to associations secretary Dr Vikas Loomba, additional professor of neurology Dr Vivek Lal and Dr Parampreet Singh, both from PGIMER, Chandigarh, would also attend the session.
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From Schools
Ludhiana, April 21 The “Prarth Club” has chosen to help students of HPP Secondary School at Haibowal Kalan. The club members visited the school and held an introductory session today. Its members played games with students and distributed gifts among them. Teachers and management members of the beneficiary school were also present. KVM principal S.C. Saxena appreciated the effort of the students. Orientation programme
An orientation programme was held at KVM School for parents of the kindergarten section here today. They were told about parenting styles and general problems being faced by parents in the upbringing of their children. Tips were given on how to help children become better human beings. The parents were also told about their responsibilities towards children. School counsellors Manisha Gangwal and Nidhi Sidhu laid stress on spending quality time with children like playing indoor and outdoor games and reading stories from books at bed time. “It helped enhance imagination and developed reading habits in them,” they added. The counsellors also dwelled on parenting styles that one should follow, like setting clear rules for children and being firm and assertive in dealing with them. “Praising a child is a powerful means of raising his confidence level,” they added. Tips to add variety to the tiffin were also given. The child should be introduced to new foods slowly, they added. Also, viewing of cartoons by a child was safe as long as these did not have foul language, they said. School principal S.C. Saxena sought the co-operation of parents in helping the school work for the benefit of children. Earth Day
To create awareness among students about the ill-effects of toxic pollutants, ecological imbalance, global warming and depletion of forests and minerals, Spring Dale Senior Secondary School celebrated Earth Day on the school premises here today. The programme began with the planting of saplings by school director Mandeep Singh. Students recited poems, delivered speeches and took part in activities to stress the need for re-forestation, use of alternative fuels like LPG, CNG, etc. and judicious use of water. Students from the primary wing posing as animals and birds delivered the message of saving natural resources. LKG students Gurleen Kaur, Simranpreet and Amar Kaur highlighted the role of forests, while Jaspreet, Gurkiran, Pratham, Saloni, Jogminder, Ridham and Onkarjot recited a poem on environment. UKG students Aniketan and Aastha delivered speeches on “Save the earth and make environment clean and green”. School director Avinash Kaur Walia and principal Sandeep Raikhi appreciated the efforts of children in spreading awareness on pollution. Effects of global warming and pollution were also highlighted.
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Namdhari XI drub Ludhiana XI 6-2
Ludhiana, April 21 Namdhari XI surged ahead in the 14th minute when Dilbagh Singh converted a penalty corner into a goal and two minutes later, they increased the lead through a field goal scored by Gurmail Singh. They added another goal in the 28th minute when Dilbagh Singh scored a fine field goal (3-0). After changing ends, Ludhiana, lads reorganised themselves and unleashed a flurry of attacks against their rivals. In the 43rd minute they tasted the success when Daljeet Singh converted a penalty corner to read it 3-1. They reduced the margin further in the 45th minute through a field goal scored by Gurpreet Singh (2-3). In the 58th minute, Gurbhaj Singh of Namdhari XI sounded the board to make it 4-2 and Dilbagh Singh found the target again in the 67th minute to consolidate the lead 5-2. In the very next minute, Virsa Singh pumped in a goal which sealed Ludhiana XI's fate 6-2. In the second match of the day, Amritsar XI proved too good for Surjit Academy, Jalandhar, whom they outnumbered 3-1 after leading by one goal at the half time. Navjot Singh scored all three goals ( 9th, 47th and 65th minute) for the winners while the solitary goal for Surjit Academy came off Kuljinder Singh's stick in the 38th minute. The third match played between Pakistan XI and Jarkhar Academy ended in a 1-1 draw. After the first barren half, visitors went into the lead in the 41st minute through a field goal scored by Imran Malik. However, their joys were short lived as Jarkhar Academy restored parity in the 45th minute when Rupinder Singh produced a beautiful goal to level the score one-all. Both teams tried hard and managed to sneak into each other's territory time and again but the success eluded them.
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