Ludhiana, July 23
Traders suffered losses worth lakhs and those living below poverty line could not burn their kitchen fires as the city witnessed a near total bandh here today.

Following a bandh call by various Sikh organisations, almost all shops and establishments were closed except a few eating joints and chemist shops that remained opened today. The bandh, however, remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported.

Activists of organisations were seen protesting on the roads against Dera Sacha Sauda followers. Many motorcycle-borne youths went through different markets in the morning raising slogans. Nobody dared to open shops in such a scenario.

The activists, however, did not stop the autorickshaws from plying. These continued operations as usual but still there were not many who stepped out of their houses due to bandh. For many autorickshaw drivers, it was a bad business day.

Shopkeepers downed their shutters, all busy roads were deserted and there was no traffic on the otherwise chaotic roads. The entire city wore a deserted look. Old city markets were the worst hit where not even eateries were allowed to open.

Many school administrations closed the schools fearing untoward incidents. They had sent messages yesterday.

Passengers waiting for trains at the local railway station had a difficult time as many trains were delayed in Amritsar and Jalandhar due to statewide bandh. However, the activists in Ludhiana did not stop trains.

Many shopkeepers rued that it was a second bandh within this month. Earlier, the city had witnessed a total bandh on July 2 on a call by Hindu organisation on revocation of land to Amarnath shrine.

‘‘We are really sick of the bandhs. Total life is hit. The long power cuts have already crippled life in this part to the state and frequent bandh calls do not allow us to work. We have really suffered on account of these two bandhs,’’ said a shopkeeper.

He said he was forced to down shutters of his hosiery. He had to meet with the deadlines of exporters and he was getting delayed. There are many way to protest against Dera Sacha Sauda. Why should a common man be made to suffer?’’

Bus services came to a halt as operators of private buses supported the call for bandh.

"Buses did not ply on any routes as we supported the bandh," said Jaswinder Singh Grewal, general secretary, the Small-Scale Bus Operators Association, Punjab.

Nearly 2,000 buses across the state, including over 250 in this district, stayed away from roads, added Grewal.

Ludhiana, July 23
Chief Judicial Magistrate Lachhman Singh today sent its inquiry report to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in matter relating to the DC of Ludhiana Sumer Singh Gurjjar. The DC citing health problems had not appeared before the High Court in a contempt petition against him. The report is likely to be placed before the High Court tomorrow. The contents of report were not available.

Justice Surya Kant of Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the enquiry when Gurjjar failed to appear before his court. He has taken a serious note of the absence of the DC. The DC was ordered to appear personally before the High Court on July 11 but he did not appear.

He has sought the exemption from personal appearance on the ground of illness. A medical certificate issued by Dayanand Medical College and Hospital was placed before the High Court.

During the inquiry proceedings on July 16, the CJM took statement of several persons and certain record was also taken into possession. He had recorded the statement of Dr Mohammed Yamin, an orthopaedician of DMC, who had issued medical certificate. Gurjjar was advised not to travel for a week as per the certificate.

Two more doctors of DMC were also associated during the proceedings. Apart from this, the judge has recorded the statement of superintendent of DC office Dalbir Bhardwaj, ahlmad Ratandeep Kaur and driver of official vehicle of DC Malkiat Singh.

Mandi Ahmedgarh/ Raekot/Payal, July 23
The police, who were posted to control the law and order situation, appeared helpless as thousands activists of various Sikh organisations violated Section 144 of the CrPC by marching through streets and bazaars in the town and surrounding villages.

The demonstrators, which included the senior SAD leaders, raised slogans against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Despite efforts by the police, activists burnt effigies of the Dera chief at many places.

The bandh call received a good response here today. Activists of various Sikh organisations started gathering at Gurdwara Singh Sabha Railway Road, in the morning today.

Though Manjit Singh , Duty Magistrate, Sukhdev Singh, SHO city and Bharpoor Singh, SHO Sadar, tried to persuade them to restrict their protest to the premises of the Gurdwara, the activists insisted on marching through the streets of the town.

Having no other option, the police escorted the demonstrators, who raised slogans against the Dera chief during the march. Hardavinder Singh, DSP (Special), Sangrur, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune said that the bandh had passed off peacefully. No untoward incident was reported from the area. Though the protestors intended carrying swords and other traditional weapons they were not allowed to do so.

Office bearers and activists of Gurdwara Singh Sabha Railway Road, Gurdwara Singh Sabha Bahadurgarh, Sikh Students Federation, Sri Sukhmani Sahib Sewa Society, Kalgidhar Federation, Peer, Budhu Shah Sewa Society, Nirwair Khalsa Fauz and Gurdwara Namdev participated in the protest march. Jagjit Singh Jajjie, Tajeshwar Singh Teshu, Jagdev Singh Boparai, Bahrpoor Singh and Beant Singh led their respective jathas.

The bandh passed off peacefully in towns and villages falling under Raikot and Payal sub-divisions. Various Sikh organisations led by radical leaders convened meetings at gurdwaras at Tahliaana and surrounding villages. Effigies of Gurmeet Ram Rahim were burnt by followers of Sant Balbir Singh Lamma Jattpura. Activists led by Bhag Singh carried naked swords while marching through villages and streets of Raekot town.

According to Rattan Singh Brar, DSP, Payal, the bandh passed off peacefully in the area falling under his jurisdiction. Appreciating the role of office bearers of certain social and religious organisations at Malaudh, Sihar and Jagera he claimed that the leaders had succeeded in persuading office-bearers of various Sikh organisations to restrict their activists and honour the law. He maintained that essential services were provided uninterrupted in the area. Extra force was deployed to safeguard the Dera at Jagera village near here.

Ludhiana, July 23
The stand-off over the election of sarpanch of Basant Avenue took a fresh turn with the three elected male panchayat members alleging a that secretly issued notification had changed the sarpanch’s post to reserved for women category than the general category. They have approached the election commission of punjab for redressal of their grievance.

The Basant Avenue panchayat was carved out of Dhandra village along with many other colonies, namely Janta Enclave, Satjot Nagar, etc, during the recently held elections as this area, though it falls under the village, has continuity with Ludhiana city due to geographic location.

The three members, Karnail Singh, Lt Col P P S Grewal(retd) and Amar Singh, said in a statement issued here today that the notification dated March 4, 2008, clearly stated that the sarpanch of the panchayat was to be from the general category.

"We had participated in the elections keeping in mind this notification and won our respective seats during the elections held on May 26," they said.

However, they claimed they were surprised to find that the government had issued an amendment vide notification dated May 9, wherein the sarpanch’s post was reserved for women.

They said it was due to this that they opposed the election of a woman to the post of the sarpanch. "To the best of our knowledge, the amended notification was not published in the Press and nor was it made available to the candidates. Had we known that the amendment has been issued to reserve the seat of sarpanch for women, we could have fielded our spouses," they said.

They have asked the election commission to stay the amended notification as the amendment was issued after the model code of conduct was already in force and no such amendment is allowed as it is in gross violation of the orders of election commission.

They allege that the amendment has been done with an ulterior motive to benefit a particular person due to gross interference by someone and needs to be investigated. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, July 23
Usha Rani Sood became the first woman president of the local municipal council at the election meeting that concluded here after being postponed today.

The office of the vice-president was also filled by another woman candidate, Harbans Kaur Sekha.

Congress legislator Razia Sultana, an associate member of the council, and three councillors, including SAD councilors Baljit Kaur Karwal and Gurpreet Kaur, abstained from the meeting.

Political circles were astonished over the way the veteran councillors and office-bearers of the state and district units of the Congress and SAD were sidelined by new councillors and their supporters.

Aman Deep Bansal, SDM, Sangrur, the convener of the meeting held to elect the officer-bearers, said Usha Rani and Harbans Kaur were declared elected unanimously. Both the office-bearers had contested and won the election as Independent candidates.

Bimal Kumar Sharma, Surinder Kumar, Khushi Mohamad, Manjit Devi Chuadhary, Rajnish Sharma Guddu, Ravinder Puri, Dilshad Ahmed, Jiwan Singh, Bhag Singh Bhaga and Kedar Nath Kapila supported the candidates.

Investigations revealed that 12 councillors led by Ravinder Puri and Dilshad Ahmed had gathered at the home of halqa in charge of the SAD and former minister Abdul Gaffar at Malerkotla this morning. Though all of them had won as Independent candidates, they showed faith in the policies of the SAD-BJP government.

Soon a ‘jatha’ of SAD workers led by district vice-president Jagwant Jaggi and youth wing general secretary Kuldeep Singh Karwal reached there and raised slogans to demand postponement of the meeting.

Sources revealed that senior SAD leaders, including secretary-general and MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, had tried to get the meeting postponed but the administration did not succumb to their pressure.

Councillors were earlier asked to attend the election meeting on July 15, but it was staggered on administrative grounds.

Vijay Goyal, president of the local unit of the BJP, claimed that the president and the vice-president belonged to traditional saffron families.

Meanwhile, Jagwant Singh Jaggie alleged that Abdul Gaffar had allegedly misguided SAD candidates and opposed their move to gather support for the election of president and the vice-president. 

Khanna, July 23
A new trend is being witnessed for match- making in Khanna and the adjoining areas with parents of would-be brides hiring detectives before giving the final nod to matrimonial alliances.

Detective agencies are being hired to reduce deception and fraud being faced by a large number of people of the area.

"The past and present of prospective partners comes under the scanner with scores of detective agencies providing information. In these times of online matrimonial alliances, chances of fraud and deception increase manifold", said Shamsher Singh, a resident of a nearby village.

Shamsher recently got his niece married to a Canada-based NRI after getting minute details about the boy through a Ludhiana- based detective agency.

The owner of a private detective agency in Nakodar said that earlier family members or parents of the bride or groom used to hunt for prospective partners with the help of their social networks and relations but these days they do not have the time or the resources to do so.

"We are getting cases from all over Punjab. Earlier only the rich and high-profile families were availing themselves of our services but now even middle-class families are approaching us,” said Bikram, a private detective near Khanna.

The charges for the investigative work start from Rs 8,000 and increase with the status of the client and the person under surveillance. In many cases, where people demand documentary evidence such as photographs, etc, the rate further goes up, he said.

For premarital investigations, people from various villages and urban areas approach these agencies to know if a groom is an addict, debt-ridden or has an affair, etc. "We take at least two weeks to one month for proper verification with proofs. Likewise character verification, education, career and financial position are enquired about the bride and her family members," he added.

The agency operators do character verification of the boy or girl, verify the family's social reputation and background, educational background, criminal record, if any, past marriage, separation, divorce, number of kids, if any, etc, past or present affairs, property and assets possessed by the family, employment status, detailed reports about their activities through secret surveillance, etc.

Sanjeev, a private detective for the past three years dealing in matrimonial cases, said they dealt in cases of domestic services, corporate services, criminal services, NRI services and others.

"Though it takes little time and some money to get the information about a boy or girl but then we can rely upon professionals who save us from being fooled by someone", said Archana, who recently got to know about the shortcomings of her would-be groom. 

Ludhiana, July 23
The Finance and Contract Committee of the municipal corporation that met here today approved the completion of railway overbridge in place of Lakkar Bridge here today.

The bridge will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 40 crore. The work will start on it soon.

Work on the bridge was started in 2000 but even after so many years it was lying incomplete.

Earlier, it was estimated at Rs 13 crore. The cost increased over the years.

It was a long-pending demand of residents.

It was an election issue also and residents of Civil Lines had started a signature campaign for completing the project.

The F&CC also approved nearly 150 development projects, including roads, sewerage and water supply in the city.

Ludhiana, July 23
An impressive passing-out parade of 396 ITBP constables-general duty took place at ITBP Baddowal camp here today.

Chief guest P.P. Singh, IG North West Zone, took the salute and inspected the parade. The parade also honoured DIG Harbhajan Singh and Commandant 27 battalion Ashwani Kumar.

A sharp decline has been noticed in the state in tax collection as per financial data for the quarter ending June 2008. The main factor behind this decline is the rise in tax evasion by traders. Wholesalers, small traders and retailers indulge in unaccounted sale without paying taxes. Nobody bothers to ask for a cash memo or bill from the dealers. That is why vendors earn huge profits.

A lottery system must be introduced to encourage people to get cash memos. Two coupons must be issued against each cash memo. One should be dropped in the box for the department and other coupon should be retained by the customer.

A special squad to check the tax evasion should also be deployed. Necessary guidelines and orders must be issued to the departments concerned to make it mandatory issue of cash memo or bill against sale of any amount.

Ravi Chander Garg, Ludhiana

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Mandi Gobindgarh, July 23
The Fatehgarh Sahib police has failed to get any clue in the blind murder case of a man who was strangled to death at an arthiya shop on Tuesday.

The victim was identified as Kharak Singh, a migrant-turned Sikh, who had been putting up in the shop of Goyal Traders in mandi for the past sometime. The victim was said to have been staying in the shop alone. He used to pull rickshaw during day time and sleep in the shop at night. He also give temporary shelter to some truck drivers and other travellers during the night, said the police.

SSP Kaustubh Sharma said there seemed to be no direct involvement of robbery or theft in this case though Rs 2,200 is said to be missing from the spot. The man was probably strangulated to death by someone known to him.

During investigations, it was found that the victim used to work for a farmer as well somewhere in Khamano. Efforts are on to enquire the matter from all known people of the victim, said the SSP.

A case has been registered.

Ludhiana, July 23
Aviva Life Insurance yesterday announced a tie-up with McDonald’s to promote its new marketing initiative 'Tension Chhodo Cricket Khelo' (TCCK).

The initiative is a mass activation campaign conceptualised by the insurance company based on the insight that parents these days being so occupied with securing their child’s future miss out on enjoying their childhood.

The activation campaign will culminate in the month of September with the 15 lucky 'dad-kid duos' playing cricket with Sachin and his son in Mumbai.

One of the ways to participate is to fill in a contest form available with McDonald’s outlets. In addition, 250 customers are also eligible for beach cricket kits every week.

Vishal Gupta, associate director , marketing, said: “The tie-up with McDonald'swill help us reach out to our target audiences of young, parents in a sharply focused manner. In addition, we have also launched an exclusive website for this campaign, www.avivatcck.com', where people can logon to participate.” 

Ludhiana, July 23
The decision taken by the Board of Management for allowing PhD and MSc students to deliver lectures to the undergraduate classes after completing their courses, during a meeting at Chandigarh last evening, has been welcomed by the faculty and students, who feel that it will give various opportunities to the students to get training in teaching along with their studies.

Mukesh Siag, general secretary, Punjab Agricultural University Teachers Association (PAUTA), told The Tribune that it was a long-awaited decision and the association whole-heartedly welcomed it. "The MSc students after completing their third semester and the research scholars pursuing PhD will be able to take undergraduate classes from now onwards. MSc students can teach BSc students while those in PhD can take classes of MSc (as per requirement) at the university. They will be given Rs 100 per lecture per week", said Siag.

Ramanjit Singh, a research scholar said it was a decision for the benefit of the student community. It will not only boost their confidence level but will also provide them financial benefits.

Dr M.S.Mahal, president PAUTA welcoming the decision said that in many western countries, "earn while studying" concept had gained popularity. He said, “Students can both study as well as earn for better living. Though the earnings are not much but this can be a perfect platform to start.”

Doraha, July 23
Tehsil-level functions focusing on “Water crisis - problems and remedies” were organised today at Government Senior Secondary School, Libra, and Senior Secondary School, Payal.

At Libra, a declamation contest focusing on water crisis was organised in which a number of participants took active part. Takdeer Gill of Green Grove Public School was adjudged the winner. The second and third positions were secured by Avleen Kaur of Green Grove Public School and Jatinder Kaur of Senior Secondary School, Libra.

Similarly the Payal tehsil function was conducted at Senior Secondary School (Boys) on the same topic. Jaspreet Singh won the first position for his outstanding performance while Navdeep Kaur of Government School, Nizampur, secued the second position. Navjot Kaur of Government High School, Rampur, and Jagroop Singh of Begowal School were bracketed third.

Ludhiana, July 23
JD Institute of Fashion Technology, in association with choreographer Kaushik Ghosh, yesterday launched the first finishing school, The Finishing Touch, in the city. The school will offer various modules for corporates, women, brides-to-be and kids.

The Corporate Finesse module shall entail business and social etiquette, image enhancing and dining etiquette.

The Creating Confident Brides module will have power dressing, personal care, make-up, relationship management, ballroom dancing, health and fitness, world cuisines and introduction to wines. Pragati Taneja, director of the institute, said packages for gentlemen, kids and women have been designed keeping in mind their importance and need of the society. The faculty in the school will be flown in from Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh.

Pragati added that people had ample opportunities but lacked confidence. "They host parties but feel nervous as to what to wear, what to say. Newly wed brides, with dreams in eyes, enter their homes but are at a loss when they cannot comprehend how to tackle their in-laws or how to mark a balance between social, professional and personal life. I feel the school will be able to answer all such queries," she claimed.

Ludhiana, July 23
Ten more aspirants attended the trials conducted by the District Hockey Asociation (DHA), Ludhiana, here today at the Prithipal Singh Memorial AstroTurf Stadium of the Punjab Agricultural University. Twenty-five players turned up yesterday for these trials who could not turn up on Tuesday as these players from the PAU and Satish Chander Dhawan Governement College were busy in getting allotments in their respective hostels.

Out of these thirty five players, 18 probables will be short listed for the forthcoming Punjab State Hockey League (senior) slated to begin on July 27 at Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Badal. Four matches will be played at each venue.

Ajay Pal Singh Roomi, honorary general secretary, DHA, the selection panel appointed by the association, including Ramandeep Singh Grewal, Harpal Singh Bhullar, Gagadeep Singh, Yudhwinder Singh, Harminder Singh and Tej Pal Bhalla supervised these aspirants during the trials.