Ludhiana, April 24
A youth of Sherpur Kalan Colony allegedly threw acid on a girl and a woman today to teach the girl a lesson for spurning his advances.

Dharminder Kumar was arrested when he was on the way to the railway station this evening.

Sukhwinder Kaur (19) and her friend Sita (27) were admitted to the Civil Hospital with 65 per cent and 30 per cent burns, respectively.

Doctors said most of the acid fell on their faces, but fortunately their eyes were safe. Their faces, however, had been badly distorted.

Police sources said the youth, aged about 25, had a quarrel with the brother of Sukhwinder on Holi. He had allegedly misbehaved with the girl.

The accused was a tenant of the victim’s family earlier. He was told to shift a few days before the Holi incident after he allegedly misbehaved with her.

Sukhwinder and Sita told the police that the youth threw a bucketful of acid on them when they were passing in front of his house. They said the youth was waiting for them behind a door.

The SP (city II), J.S. Randhawa, said a police team rushed to the railway staion while another went to the bus stand as some residents suspected he would try to flee the city. He was nabbed on the way to the railway station.

He has been booked under Section 307 of the IPC for attempt to murder.

The accused had chosen an acid used to cleaning toilets.

The National Commission for Women had directed the police a few months ago to treat all acid attack cases as murderous assaults.

The direction had come in the wake of increasing incidents of such cases.

Ludhiana, April 24
MC tankers are being used to help an employee who is constructing a portion of his house here.

A water tanker of the horticulture wing of the MC, used for watering plants in the city, is deployed at the house of Laxman Dravid, a sanitary inspector.

Residents of the area complained that government machinery was being used for the personal work of the employee. They said water tankers were being supplied for the past many days.

When a Tribune team reached the area today, a tanker was parked outside the house and masons were using the water to mix cement with sand.

“We are shocked at the misuse of official position. How can he use the tankers for supplying water to his house?” asked a neighbour.

He said they had complained to the MC about it over the phone, but no action had been taken.

Dravid was not available for comments. Sources said he had gone out of station for a week with his children.

Defending him, his associates said the tanker was deployed in the area as there was a complaint of water shortage. The tanker was supplied to the area residents following their requests.

The residents, however, said there was no shortage of water in their area. “You can see that the tanker is parked right next to his house. If it was for the residents, they should have parked it at a cleaner place,” they argued.”

Ludhiana, April 24
Revving up its efforts to treat domestic and industrial waste here, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has decided to augment the capacity of common effluent treatment plants in Jamalpur, Bhattian and Ballopur within three months.

At present, over 560 mld of waste goes to the Budda Nullah, out of which 500 mld is domestic and the remaining is generated by the industry. The existing capacity of the plants here is 311 mld.

“We would augment the capacity within three months,” Birinder Jit Singh, member secretary, told The Tribune.

As the danger of damage caused via the nullah increases in summer when other water channels dry up, augmenting the capacity may provide relief to residents in other cities who are unable to get even potable water because of pollution.

To ensure that even treated waste is not thrown into the nullah, the PPCB has asked industrial units to get their act right by April 30, failing which they may face action.

The plant in charges have also been directed to ensure that treated waste is recycled and not thrown in sewerage.

The waste generated by electroplating and dyeing units, which contains hazardous chemicals like nickel

and chromium, is interfering with the functioning of the treatment plants, and the PPCB is trying to find ways of segregating the treatment of domestic and industrial discharge.

The board has also engaged the National Environment Engineering and Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, to find ways of treating domestic and industrial discharge separately. The NEERI would submit its pre-leminary report within 15 days and the final report in some months.

“The recycled water can be reused by the industry and we want to ensure that even treated waste is not thrown into the nullah. This would reduce pollution created by the nullah,” he said.

Ludhiana, April 24
The PAU has constituted a seven-member committee to look into the brawl that took place on April 21 on the campus, following which five students were injured.

Dr Dulcha Singh Brar, dean, students welfare, said the wardens concerned had been asked to submit preliminary investigation report by tomorrow on the basis of which an inquiry committee would make its recommendations.

Five students were injured following a clash between two groups. The scuffle reportedly took place between members of the PAU students’ union and the rival group. The president of the union, Mandeep Jawaddi, had received head injuries in the brawl.

Students of the PAU, specially hostelers, feel that security needs to be tightened on the campus to avoid rising incidents of scuffle and theft. Frightened over the incident which took place on the night of April 21, they said no outsider should be allowed to enter the premises after 10 pm.

“The incident took a serious turn when some of them passed comments on fellow students. We did not respond as they were drunk but they attacked us from behind with kirpan. Timely intervention by the police helped in averting a major clash,” Mandeep claimed.

Dr Brar said the university had no permanent security staff and had to rely on contractual staff. He said they were working on ways to improve the security arrangements on the campus.

“As per university rules, we will take action against erring students once the statements of both the groups are recorded,” said Dr Brar.

The meeting of the directorate of students welfare, security officers and hostel wardens was in progress till the filing of this report.

In the recent past, several cases of theft had been reported from the campus. An incident of theft took place in a hostel last night, too. A complaint has been lodged by a student with the police in this regard. One of the hosteler, on condition of anonymity complained that drinking had become a routine in the boys’ hostels, especially on days when non-vegetarian food was served.

“Many hostelers call their friends from outside and entertain them with alcohol till late in the night. Though after 10 pm no visitor is allowed, nobody dares to stop these ‘influential’ guests. They pass comments on teetotallers,” he said.

Khanna, April 24
Despite best efforts being put in by the authorities, the shortage of labourers has started affecting the lifting of wheat at the Khanna grain market - the biggest one in Asia.

Heaps of wheat can be seen lying scattered at every available space in the local grain market.

Due to the shortage of labourers, the commission agents and government procurement agencies are ready to hire labourers by paying them more as compared to regular wages they draw during the rest of the year.

Yet at times they have to wait for hours together before their stocks are attended to by labourers.

Varinder Kumar, a commission agent, said at times even when they promise to pay more, labourers refuse to work for them stating that they were already engaged.

Officials at the market committee stated that the labour shortage had arisen due to unexpected arrivals of wheat crop at the mandi due to the bumper crop.

They said efforts were being made to tackle shortage by asking those working in brick kilns and villages to work in the grain market.

Shortage of labour was leading to delay in the sewing of gunny bags of procured wheat, which was causing delay in lifting of paddy.

Narinder Singh, another commission agent, said the labour shortage had arisen due to an increase in demand in the agricultural sector.

He said most farmers were going for manual harvest instead of mechanical harvesting. This shortage was now affecting the procurement process, he said.

Balwant Singh, also a commission agent, said farmers came with their produce and asked them to unload the crop. Later, the state agencies that bought the produce, also sought their help in arranging for labourers to sew gunny bags and then upload the sold produce in trucks.

Under such circumstances, it was the commission agents who were facing hardships due to labour shortage, he lamented.

Meanwhile, wheat arrivals in market has hit an all-time high. The state agencies are maintaining that they are most likely to meet their target of procuring 8 million tonnes of wheat well in time this year.

The market sources are expecting an arrival of over 10 lakh tonne of wheat this year as farmers have hit a bumper crop.

The agencies are paying Rs 1,000 per quintal, as against Rs 850 that was paid to farmers last year.

Ludhiana, April 24
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev is working towards making yoga a mass movement in the country. Through practice of yoga on regular basis, the Indian people will not only become disease-free but will have a better and relaxed lifestyle.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Baba, who was on his way to Kurukshetra to hold a two-day yoga camp there from tomorrow, said 35,000 yoga instructors had already been trained to hold yoga classes in different parts of the country. In the first phase, the target was to train one lakh instructors, who could impart yoga training to one crore people.

“I intend to have at least one lakh yoga instructors in next five years who will train people to stay away from diseases and avoidable medication through practice of yoga”, maintained the yoga guru.

“For this purpose, (to train the yoga instructors), Pitanjali Yog Ashram has set up 535 branches and 15 more centres are in the process of being established”, he added.

Emphasising the need to adopt ancient Ayurveda and other indigenous systems of healing, Baba Ramdev said this system of medicine was closer to nature, and had no side effects.

“In a bid to promote Ayurveda, we have tied up with 600 qualified Ayurvedic practitioners who are offering treatment to masses for a variety of diseases, some of them termed incurable by the modern system.

High quality Ayurvedic medicines are also being offered for sale at more than 500 franchise outlets all over the country”, he said.

In the wake of popular belief that traditional crop rotation of paddy wheat had become economically unviable, the yoga guru, a staunch supporter of Ayurveda, advised the farmers to take up cultivation of herbs and medicinal plants. He said, “Our organisation making Ayurvedic medicines at Haridwar can provide the expertise for cultivation and marketing of medicinal plants and herbs, which can yield high returns to the economically shattered farmers.”

Baba Ramdev disclosed that a project for setting up a herbal extract unit in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab was in pipeline and a final decision in this regard would be taken soon.

Jagraon, April 24
Two NRI brothers of Agwar Dalla, who had lodged a complaint against a man accusing him of attempting to rob them, have themselves turned out to be the accused and have been arrested.

The brothers - Bhagwant Singh and Lakhvir Singh - had claimed that Jaspal Singh, a resident of Agwar Dalla, was going on a motor cycle when he squared off with them.

Lakhvir Singh brought a revolver from his house and fired in the air. Both brothers snatched the motorcycle from Jaspal Singh and took it to their house.

Later, they lodged a report with the local police against Jaspal Singh alleging that he had tried to rob them and that they had fired in the air in self-defence, compelling Jaspal to flee, leaving his motor-cycle behind.

DSP (D) Pritam Singh and city SHO Naveenpal Singh on investigation found the complaint to be false. The NRI brothers had falsely claimed it to be an incident of attempted robbery, the police added.

The police recovered the motorcycle from the brothers’ possession and arrested them.

The police also recovered the revolver and four cartridges and registered a case under Sections 341, 323, 382, 336, 506 and 34 of the IPC, and 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act on the complaint of Jaspal Singh of Agwar Dalla.

They have been charged with assaulting Jaspal Singh, snatching his motor cycle (PB 29 F 2910) and opening fire.

The brothers were today remanded in judicial custody till May 7 by sub-divisional judicial magistrate Gurdarshan Kaur.

Ludhiana, April 24
The virus-free, true-to-type nursery plants of kinnow are in demand by the fruit growers of the state. Dr Jasbir Singh Randhawa, head of department of horticulture at PAU, stated this. He said PAU had a sound programme to produce disease-free, quality nursery of kinnow for distribution to growers and nurserymen of the state.

Elaborating the kinnow programme operating at PAU, Dr Randhawa said from the bud-wood introduced from the mother block of kinnow from University of California (USA) in January 1999, the PAU had established foundation blocks in insect-proof screen houses in the college orchard.

The foundation blocks were schematically used for further establishment of mother blocks and for supply to the elite growers and government and registered nurseries.

Dr Bhagwant Singh Chahil of the department of horticulture said the field studies carried out by the department of horticulture had indicated that the good quality plants of kinnow register enhanced establishment, better performance and fast growth then the ordinary plants.

He said with the available support to strengthen kinnow nursery production programme, a target of one lakh disease-free, quality plants of kinnow will be met adding that the creation of necessary infrastructure for this programme was being taken up.

The supply of kinnow will have a bearing on the fruit industry of the state as kinnow was the premier fruit of Punjab. He suggested that growers should book the kinnow plants required by them for their orchards with the department of horticulture, PAU, before the planting time in September.

Ludhiana, April 24
Preeti Kalsi of Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology (GNIMT) has topped the merit list of MBA III semester result, declared by the Punjab Technical University by scoring 90.9 per cent marks.

Chanpreet Kaur stood second with 90.4 per cent marks and Megha Jain stood third with 89.9 per cent marks. Preeti Kalsi had also topped the PTU’s BBA exam and got gold medal in 2006. All students have secured more than 60 per cent marks.

According to a press note issued today, in MBA I semester, Jaspreet Hundal topped the merit list by scoring 90.4 per cent marks while Richa Ahuja came third by scoring 88.1 per cent marks.

Dr (Col) H.S Singha, GNIMT director, congratulated the faculty, students and parents. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, April 24
Acknowledging that Punjabi youth besides being laborious and conservative had figured higher on the prosperity map, Dr J.P. Burak, dean, University of Manitoba (Canada), said blended teaching at institutes affiliated to the university would enable them prove their worth in various fields at global level.

Burak interacted with prospective students of Garcha International Institute, Bhutta, near here today.

“We signed a MoU with the Garcha International Institute after observing that youth of north India had potential for learning and agility to fight with hostile environment anywhere in the world,” said Burak adding that the joint venture would facilitate exchange of elements of culture between Canada and Punjab.

Burak claimed that the university authorities had decided to focus their attention on the border state of India after consulting the chief immigration officer of Canada. While the Punjabi youth will get more opportunity to receive internationally recognised degrees in various streams, the Canadian will foster its economy by enhancing its human resources.

Dr Ajay Mitra, academic representative of the university in India, clarified that the institute was committed to impart quality education and expertise to enrolled students and only students securing at least 70 percent marks in first year of respective courses would be allowed to continue further studies at university campus at Winnipeg. 

Ludhiana, April 24
An English poem recitation competition was organised at Ram Lal Bhasin Public School here today. The tiny tots participated in the competition. Esha Khosla and Shivani Sabharwal were the judges. Results: (Nursery): 1 Sukhdeep Kaur, 2 Ishnoor, 3 Gurnoor; (Mont I-II): 1 Anjali, 2 Prachi, 3 Dhruv.

Class I and II: 1 Mehak, 2 Pushpdeep Kaur, 3 Anjna; Class IV to VI: 1 Akriti, 2 Yashna, 3 Abhishek.

Awarded: Students of Bhartiya Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Udham Singh Nagar, excelled in the 10th science and mathematics olympiad. The students also brought laurels in the CYSE test conducted by the Commerce Talent Search Examination Foundation. The schools from northern region participated in the test. Winners: Rahul Chitkara, Hitesh, Raghav Mittal, Sahil Goel, Bablesh, Rajat Nayyar. The principal awarded prizes to the winners.

Freshers party: Small Wonders pre-nursery and nursery school, Sangat Road, arranged a welcome party for newcomers today. Principal Neeti Dewan gave a welcome speech. Miss Fresher and Master Fresher contest was organised. Children walked on the ramp one by one and displayed their dresses and talent. Srishti bagged the Miss Fresher award. Livleen was declared the runner up. Kartavya got the Master Fresher award. Ayush was declared the runner up. A party was arranged for the kids. Children danced to the tunes of latest numbers.

World Earth Day: Students of GMT Public School celebrated World Earth Day on the campus. A poster making and best out of waste competition was organised to accentuate the occasion. The topics were ‘Melting Earth' and Save Earth- Save Yourself’. Around 70 students participated. The programme was conducted under the guidance of the Eco Club.

Investiture ceremony: Darshan Academy, Bhamian Kalan, organised an investiture ceremony here today. The members of the school managing committee decorated the office-bearers of the prefect council with badges and sashes.They were then administered the oath of allegiance. Principal Yachana Chawla presented the vote of thanks.

Seminar: A seminar on career in aviation, hospitality and travel industry was conducted by the Air Hostess Academy in the premises of Bhartiya Vidya Mandir School, Kitchlu Nagar, here today.

Merit: MCom-I (Ist semester) students of Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, Gujarkhan campus, Model town, Ludhiana, brought laurels to the college by clinching first and third positions in the university. Manpreet Kaur secured first position in the university by getting 82.72 per cent marks. Ramandeep Kaur bagged the third position in the university by securing 82.36 per cent marks. The college result is 100 per cent.

Ludhiana, April 24
Pakistan XI beat Sports Authority of India (SAI) Patiala 3-2 in the first semifinal of the 6th All-India Under- 19 Jagtar Memorial Hockey Tournament at Prithipal Singh Astro Turf Stadium, Punjab Agricultural University, here today.

Hot weather delayed the match by over an hour but it did no dampen the spirits of spectators.

The all-important goal came in the last minute of the extra time on the penultimate day of the tournament.

It was the golden stick of Pakistan forward M. Imran that twisted the match in the favour of visitors.

M. Imran, the catalyst of the game, struck all three goals and secured his team a berth in the final.

SAI Patiala were considered match favourites with penalty corner specialist Jaipal Singh keeping in top form throughout the tournament.

Jaipal proved his worth yet again and drew first blood for his team through a penalty corner in the 11th minute of the game.

Pakistani striker M. Imran tricked the host’s defence in the 21st minute and pounded a splendid field goal to level the score 1-1.

Both teams were even at 1-1 till half time. SAI Patiala came back strongly just five minutes after half time with a field goal by Prashant, who stretched the lead to 2-1.

Soon after, SAI penalty corner specialist Jaipal Singh was shown green card, which upset the momentum of the SAI.

Waiting for an opportunity, M. Imran pierced the rival’s defence and sounded the equaliser in the 55th minute of the game.

The score board read 2-2 in the allotted 70 minutes and the match went into extra time.

Both teams played their heart out but Pakistan XI gained advantage of their relentless attack and won a vital penalty corner in the last minute of extra time.

The winning goal too came off the stick of M. Imran, who won the man of the match award.

The winner of the second semifinal between SAI, Lucknow, and Amritsar XI will face Pakistan XI in the final.