"It means heavy revenue loss to the department and we would definitely keep a check on it,” he added.

Ludhiana, May 8
Doctors at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) have a special patient — Lakshmi, a female elephant who was brought here by four persons from Ambala.

Suffering from abscess in her right limb following an injury, Lakshmi is recuperating at the veterinary hospital. The doctors say she will be discharged within a couple of days.

Dr J.Mahendru, associate professor, said due to the injury, Lakshmi could not walk properly. " The abscess was removed through drainage pipes. Now, dressing is done regularly to heal the wound."

Lakshmi has been in the hospital for the past 15 days. She is everybody’s favourite. Doctors, staff and students make it a point to visit her regularly.

Kariya, Lakshmi owner, said it took them 16 days to reach GADVASU. At first Lakshmi was treated at Ambala but she showed no signs of recovery.

"We learnt about this hospital and immediately began the journey. Lakshmi would walk 5 km a day and we reached here in 16 days.”

Ludhiana, May 8
The city police has busted a gang of yarn thieves while they were planning to commit yet another theft late last night.

The police received a tip off that the thieves were planning to commit robbery in a factory near the Jalandhar bypass. The thieves were nabbed near Tiger safari as they were hiding in a Tata-407 (PB 103069).

The accused have been identified as Mohammad Islam, a resident of Mundian Kalan, Jitander Kumar, a resident of Salem Tabri, Vijay Kumar, a resident of Prem Nagar, Sheru, Krishan Kumar and Hari Shanker, all residents of Basti Jodhewal.

The SP (Detective) said the accused cracked soon and revealed that they had committed at least 11 offences of the similar nature.

Other then sharp-edged weapons, the police has recovered a 12 bore country-made pistol and 12 cartridges from the accused. The police has also recovered cloth and yearns worth Rs 8 lakh from the accused.

Ludhiana, May 8
Three minor boys, who had gone missing from Haibowal yesterday, were traced by the police and restored to their anxious parents today.

Students of Class IV, Rohit and Pawan and a Class VI student of Hargobind Public School, Jassian, the trio did not reach the school and instead took a bus to Zira and got lost.

They were spotted by block samiti member of Zira, Gurdep Kaur, while they were loitering around. She informed the Zira police who in turn informed its Ludhiana and Haibowal counterparts.

The SHO said the three had got late for the school and decided not to attend it as it would invite punishment. They decided to have fun and boarded a bus for Zira.

When they reached there they could not understand where to go. The anxiety writ large on their face prompted Gurdeep Kaur to intervene.

Power supply to Janta Nagar, Jaimal Road, Ranjit Nagar, Gill Market, New Janta Nagar, Gahir Road, Kot Mangal Singh street No. 17 to 23, Preet Nagar, Jujhar Nagar, Main Colony, Satguru Nagar, Fateh Singh Nagar, Shimla Puri, Maya Soap Wali street, Daba Road, Daba Colony, Gobind Nagar, and Chet Singh Nagar will remain suspended on Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Jagraon, May 8
Body of Parminder Singh, alias Pinda, of Sidhwan Kalan (22), was found lying on the outskirts of the village in mysterious circumstances today.

There were multiple injuries on the body. Though the Sidhwan Bet police suspected it to be a case of accident, sister of the deceased Sukhpreet Kaur suspected it to be a case of murder.

The body was noticed by Surinder Singh, a farmer of the village, at about to 2.30 am while he was returning home after irrigating his fields.

He informed the relatives of the deceased. SHO of the Sidhwan Bet police station Sandeep Singh and the DSP visited the spot as soon as they got the information.

The sister of the deceased, who is married at Kokri, said her brother Parminder Singh was a property dealer, who had two other partners, Harjit Singh Mehta of Choukiman and his maternal uncle.

The trio had struck a big property deal where from they were to receive Rs 1,80,000 as commission.

She further said Parminder had left the house at 2 pm yesterday to collect his share of the commission and she had got a call from him at about 5 pm last evening that his mobile needed repair and he had handed over the same to some mechanic at Mullanpur.

And today at about 2.30 am, his body was found. She alleged that the DSP and SHO were bent upon declaring it an accidental case whereas she had disclosed the names of the persons to the police involved in the murder of his brother.

Ludhiana, May 8
Newfound mall culture in Ludhiana has opened a Pandora's box for compulsive city shoppers, giving them an access to their preferred international brands on much competent prices.

"Introduction of more international labels in apparel segment in the city would further condense the sizes of bags full of choicest makes that people get from their overseas trips. I too would refrain from doing the same," informed Dinesh, a city businessman.

Change in wardrobes, including that of men, women and kids, was inevitable as exclusive stores of big brands in garments had already made people well versed with leading national and multinational brands.

Malls have amplified the craze for branded garments thereby bringing significant change in the wardrobes of men and women.

Giovanni, Bossini, Stephens Brothers stores in Ludhiana malls has increased the footfall of men looking for formals while United Colours of Benetton, Lee Cooper, Numero Uno, Wrangler Pennylane and Hues are some brands that have caught the attention of teenagers with their semi-casuals and semi-formal styles.

A large part of the populace is oblivious to the fact that some Indian brands have risen above the status of "desi" getting themselves a global recognition.

Spykar, a Mumbai- based brand is a well received brand in the international market with stores in Canada and England. Don't miss the catch phrase “u th. Culture” mentioned on some creations.

The selection of fabrics and colours is just right for Indian summers and skins, feels Rithima, who prefers to wear attires designed by Indian designers.

I go for Sabhaysachi, Shantnu Nikhil, and Ritu Kumar creations, manifesting their designs through their successful experiments with “cuts” and “seams”.

The prêt line collection by majority of the designers is an added advantage for average income group as they too can shop at some leading sores in their given budgets.

Aman, a college lecturer candidly shared her experiences stating, "Its like dream come true for me as I can actually walk into the showrooms and ask for a designer outfit."

A peep into the visitor's book of respective showrooms leaves an impression of 'quest for more' which is clear evidence of an evolving economy.

Demands pertaining to colours, sizes and designs speak a lot about growing number of assertive clientele in the city.

Ludhiana, May 8
Large steel producers might have agreed to reduce steel prices but the local industry today termed it as “meager” compared to the increase they affected in the past few months.

Steel consuming industries said large producers like SAIL, Tata, JSW, Jindal Steel, spat and RINL had increased their rates by 49 per cent within past one year. But, now they have announced a cut of Rs 4,000 only which is very insufficient.

Industrialists also expressed fear that the large producers might not stick to their promise and announce the hike again.

“The prices reduced are very less compared to the increase that happened in the past one year. We fear they may not stick to their promises of not announcing another increase in the next three months. Besides, they create artificial scarcity and later increase the rates,” said Varinder Kapoor, general secretary, United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association, that held an emergency meting today to discuss the impact of the announcement made by big manufacturers.

The association said in order to control the steel rates, the government should immediately stop the export of iron ore and form a steel price regulatory commission with a representative from the industry.

“Price reduction should be effected on all categories of steel and iron and steel should also be classified under the Essential Commodity Act,” the association demanded.

It further said the government should ensure that there was no future trading in the raw material and the freight equilisation scheme that was withdrawn by the government should be re-introduced so that steel was available for same price irrespective of the location.

“Due to difference in rates, it becomes tough for the industry to compete. Punjab faces geographical disadvantage and re-introduction of the scheme would enable us to compete.”

Ludhiana, May 8
Corporal punishment continues unchecked in a few schools, with a large number of teachers and even the administration taking it to be the best option to discipline children.

The debate, on whether the corporal punishment is necessary or not, has once again started in the wake of incident where a child was trashed for not seeking permission for taking out the water bottle from a cupboard in his classroom.

The educationists feel that such teachers are not properly educated thus they fail to understand the psyche of a student.

Poonam Sharma, a relentless campaigner against corporal punishment in schools, said, “In their enthusiasm to see that their children do well, parents sometimes force them to stretch beyond capacity. In this process, they do not even take cognizance of the fact that their children are beaten up at school.”

The educationalists feel that corporal punishment should be abolished from school. Condemning yesterday’s incident, a former professor said, “This is a retrograde step. At one point, we are talking about globalization and matching the education standard with that of the Europeans and on the other, we are applying corporal punishment on student.”

He further added, “Whenever a student creates indiscipline, efforts should be made to know his psychological problems. In case students fair badly in the examination, a teacher should take the responsibility and try to improve upon his teaching methods rather than punishing children. There are some weak or irregular students in all classes and teachers should give them special attention rather than beating them.”

Head, postgraduate department of English, L.S Bedi, said, “There is no need to give physical punishment to student. The teachers should realize that the time has changed so they should also change their attitude.”

He further added, “If the standards of students have deteriorated. It is not their fault, the parenting and teaching is also responsible for it.”

Interestingly, a few teachers believe that corporal punishment is necessary to maintain discipline in schools.

They opined that punishment in schools was necessary to maintain standard of education and to ensure good results.

One such teacher said, “A teacher punishes students for their benefit so that they are able to differentiate between the wrong and the right.”

Prohibiting corporal punishment would mean that the teachers would not be able to punish children even if they create ruckus in the classroom, he added.

Principal, Government Senior Secondary School, Hassanpur, Jasvir Singh, said, “The main problem is the lack of awareness among teacher on how to tackle such students who create indiscipline in the classroom. It is the duty of educational institution to look for new ways and methods to curb physical punishment in the school. Seminars camps on child behaviour should be organized in schools to educate the teachers.”

Ludhiana, May 8
"If you seek a truly international educational experience, Canada is the place for you," said Parvinder Burn, CEO (South Asia), Canadian Education Consultancy Services (CECS), during a seminar at Guru Nanak Dev Polytechnic (GNDP) yesterday.

Canadian degrees and diplomas were recognised around the world, he added. The seminar was organised by Canadian Education Consultancy Services to apprise students of higher educational opportunities available to them in Canada.

CECS is a Government of Ontario-recognised student-recruiting agency and has been providing consultancy services to students, who aspire to study in reputed Canadian colleges and institutes.

The United Nations has ranked Canada amongst the top countries in the world to live in and that, too, at a remarkably low cost-both in terms of cost of education and cost of living, said the resourceperson.

Expressed distress over the increase in the number of students falling prey to fraudulent agents, Burn said CECS had tie-ups with colleges in and around Punjab and Chandigarh, which added authenticity to their operations and fulfilled the dreams of students, who aimed to study in Canada.

A number of student-support services like accommodation arrangements, banking assistance, orientation programme, peer host programme and assistance in post graduation work permits were being provided by CECS.

Mandi Gobindgarh, May 8
The RIMT-Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), Mandi Gobindgarh, organised a campus placement drive for BBA and BTech and diploma engineering students on Wednesday.

Senior officials of Gurgaon-based Eicher Motors Ltd and Hoshiarpur-based Sonalika Tractors visited the campus for selections. Chairman of RIMT Group Hukam Chand Bansal welcomed the officials.

He said more than 55 multinationals had visited the campus in the session 2007-08 and absorbed a number of students from the college.

In their presentation, the team from Eicher briefed the students that Eicher Engineering Solutions was planning to hire talent for mechanical design and automation (MDA) unit.

While BTech students would be hired as graduated engineer trainees (GETs) with an annual package of 3.2 lakh per annum, diploma students would be hired as diploma engineering trainees (DETs).

The recruitment process would comprise of technical test, engineering design test and personal interview.

Dr Gurvinder Singh from Sonalika Group of Companies said with the strength
of about 2,000 employees, Sonalika was one of the top three tractor
manufacturing companies.

He said BBA students would be hired as company relationship officers with a good annual package.

Ludhiana, May 8
Arun Kumar, a 27-year-old migrant daily wager from Uttar Pradesh, is critically ill and might die in the absence of timely financial help to continue his treatment.

He was brought to the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) with a burst in his intestine due to typhoid fever. He was operated upon and administered medication for the follow-up treatment.

Though he showed a marked improvement initially, there were some complications and his condition deteriorated once again.

In his present state, he can not be given anything to eat or drink, and all his energy, as also fluids have to be derived from expensive medication.

The doctors attending on the patient said Arun was brought to the hospital by his relatives who had now run out of funds for his ongoing treatment.

“The patient is desperately in need of monetary assistance for the ongoing treatment for at least another month which is expected to be around Rs 1 lakh.”

In an appeal issued to the public, the CMCH authorities said all those interested in helping Arun Kumar, could contact the office of the medical superintendent at the CMCH, Ludhiana.

All donations should be made in favour of Christian Medical College and Hospital with “Treatment for Arun Kumar” written on the back of the cheque/DD or on the covering letter.

Ludhiana, May 8
To mark International Thalassemia Day and World Red Cross Day, the departments of transfusion medicine and paediatrics of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) jointly organised the 9th medicos blood donation camp here today.

As many as 150 volunteers from amongst the students and faculty members came forward to donate blood.

Dr Amarjit Kaur, professor and head of the transfusion medicine department, welcomed the donors and guests.

She acknowledged the joint effort of both departments in creating awareness about blood donation.

"During the past seven-eight years, the two departments have worked exhaustively to increase the number of voluntary blood donation programmes," she said.

Dr Daljit Singh, while appreciating the whole-hearted effort of the respective departments, said holding such camps at regular intervals would help in creating awareness among people and motivate them to come forward for the noble cause.

Dr Wander highlighted the importance of World Red Cross Day. Professor of paediatrics at DMCH Dr Praveen C. Sobti, on behalf of the Punjab State Thalassemia Welfare Society, expressed gratitude to the medical fraternity, particularly to the blood donors.

She said the thalassemia unit at DMCH was making all possible efforts to provide blood at highly subsidised rates to the thalassemic children and giving leuco-reduced blood and blood components to minimise transfusion reactions among the recipients.

Ludhiana, May 8
A paper “Can we perform coronary artery bypass grafting on the basis of computed tomographic angiography alone? A comparison with conventional coronary angiography,” has been published in vol 33 of the prestigious European Journal of Cardio Thoracic Surgery.

The paper deals with the utility of CT angiography in beating heart bypass surgery. This is the only article chosen from India for publication.

The paper has been co-authored by Dr Harinder Singh Bedi, chairman, cardiac sciences, Cardiac Care Centre, and Dr Jeet Amol Singh Gill, director, Delta Heart Centre.

Commenting on it, Dr Bedi said heart disease had taken the shape of an epidemic, especially in Punjab.

Any technique which helps in the accurate, early and safe diagnosis would go a long way in reducing the impact of this killer disease.

Dr Bedi, a pioneer in the beating heart surgery, with his name entered in the Limca Book of World Records, said the CT angio was particularly useful in beating heart cases as the clarity of the angiogram was remarkable.

An angiogram works like a road map which helps the cardiologist in deciding the exact site for placement of bypass grafts.

The city-based cardiac surgeon had presented this technique before the international gathering at the 43rd Annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons meeting in California, USA, and the 21st Annual Meeting of the European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons in Geneva last year.