Commuters being allowed to cross the toll barrier without paying tax in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Photo: Inderjeet Verma

Ludhiana, August 26
A protest by Youth Akali Dal (YAD) activists against the poor state of the National Highway-1 proved to be a boon for commuters passing through the toll plaza as the agitators let them go without paying tax.

Stating that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had no right to charge toll from commuters given the bad state of the road, the activists, led by Sarabjeet Singh Grewal of the YAD, made hundreds of vehicles pass without paying the tax.

NHAI employees remained mute spectators. The protesters staged a dharna on the bridge for a few minutes and later, let vehicles pass through. They were carrying placards saying: ‘‘No road, no toll.’’

This was a unique protest that left the public happy. Commuters were seen encouraging the activists, saying that they were doing a good thing.

Grewal said they were sick of the bad state of the road. The NHAI was charging whopping sums from vehicles, but when it came to maintaining the road, it was not doing anything.

‘‘We will not allow this to happen. If we can stop their collection for an hour, we can do it for a longer time also,’’ he said.

The condition of the road had worsened after the rain, but no repair work was being carried out.

‘‘This is the only way to register our protest. Now, even the higher authorities would know that the people are angry,” he added.

Protruding rods make overbridge dangerous
Kanchan Vasdev
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 26
The incomplete railway overbridge, in place of the old Lakkar bridge, is posing a threat to commuters as iron rods are jutting out.

Several commuters, who pass through the road near the bridge outside the DIG’s office, have sustained injuries and many vehicles have been damaged.

A college student on a scooter had a narrow escape this morning when she got
entangled in thick iron rolls. She applied brakes just in time, else she would have
got injured.

Eyewitnesses said several scrap dealers, in a bid to remove iron rods, had bent those outwards.

Several vehicles had been damaged as the protruding rods were not visible at night. Moreover, the road was narrow for two-way traffic.

“These are so dangerous that someone can even get killed or sustain serious injuries,” Surinder Singh, a resident, said.

A fruit vendor near the spot said people tried to bend the rods, but it was not possible as these were very strong.

The road sees maximum traffic during office hours, resulting in congestion and accidents. Work on the project was abandoned some years ago.

Sahnewal, August 26
The driver and four other occupants of a car had a miraculous escape today when a speeding bus hit their car from behind, sending the car into a violent spin before it finally came to a halt after making a 180 degree turn.

Vikas Sabbarwal, the driver of the car (PB 13 N 0051), who was travelling from Jalandhar to Ambala, said a private bus (Mukaronpur Express PB-23D-7211) hit their car from behind while attempting to overtake the car from the wrong side.

“The impact was so hard that the car went out of control and went up the pavement thrice before screeching to a halt.” The driver of the bus along with the conductor reportedly fled the scene.

The commuters have been complaining in the past about the manner in which drivers and conductors of private buses engage in competition with their fellow bus drivers.

The driver of a speeding private bus had jumped the red lights and allegedly crushed a teenage girl in Ludhiana recently.

“First they keep waiting at the bus stand for passengers and then in order to make up for the lost time they drive recklessly,” said one commuter.

The speed limit within the octroi limits for light vehicles is 40 km/h, while for heavy vehicles it is 50 km/h.

Some complain that while cars are frequently challaned for crossing the speed limit, private bus drivers, in spite of being habitual offenders, are seldom stopped and if at all they are, they are let off with a slight warning.

Passengers travelling in private buses and motorists allege that there is no check on the speed limit of private buses, which should be strictly adhered to especially within the octroi limits of a city or town.

Ludhiana, August 26
In the course of its ongoing drive against power theft in Punjab, the operations and enforcement wing of Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has detected power theft of over Rs 107 crore during the current financial year.

Cases of power theft worth Rs 73.52 crore were unearthed by field staff, while
the enforcement wing had made out cases of stealing power to the tune of Rs
34.28 crore.

This was stated by H.S. Brar, member (distribution) of the PSEB, while inaugurating a newly constructed three-storey building of the administrative complex at the PSEB headquarters on the Ferozepur Road here last evening.

The building, constructed at a cost of Rs 1.31 crore with a carpet area of 15,200 square feet, will house several offices of the PSEB that were till now functioning in rented buildings at different places in the city and also provide additional accommodation for senior administrative staff.

Brar said moving further towards making electricity-related services more customer friendly, a project had been launched to provide all services online.

The energy bills were already available online to consumers and very soon the facility of e-payments will also become operational.

Steps were also being taken to set up a customer care centre and call centre to provide better and speedy services to customers.

He said the PSEB was fully aware of the problems being faced by people on account of shortage of energy meters.

“Single phase meters are already available in adequate numbers and three-phase energy meters are expected to arrive in the stores by the end of this week.”

Prominent among others present were engineer-in-chief B.S. Bath, deputy chief engineers H.S. Randhawa, P.S. Gill and B.P.S. Gill.

Ludhiana, August 26
Taking strict notice of the claims made by private doctors in and around Ludhiana for treating gastroenteritis and dengue patients, the office of the civil surgeon here has issued instructions not to report the cases prior to their confirmation through ‘requisite tests’.

Contrary to the claims of doctors at private hospitals and clinics in Giaspura and Ambedkar Nagar, the district health authorities have emphatically denied the fact that recent deaths in the above areas were caused by gastroenteritis.

Civil surgeon, Ludhiana, Dr S.P. Sharma said the letters have been sent to all prominent hospitals wherein they have been asked to confirm and refer the patients to civil hospital, Ludhiana, to get their ELISA test done.

“Some hospitals in the city are charging between Rs 500 to Rs 1,200, but the tests are done at a nominal price at civil hospital. The tests are totally free after the declaration of epidemic,” the civil surgeon added.

He also said a recent death of a girl in Giaspura was not due to gastroenteritis, but it was caused by viral infection, resulting in high fever and vomiting.

However, health authorities have sounded a high alert in the district with constant arrival of gastroenteritis cases in civil hospitals and primary health centres.

District epidemiologist Dr R.S. Garewal, along with a team of paramedical staff from PHC Sahnewal, conducted a survey in 1,000 houses in Makkar Colony, Samrat Colony and Guru Teg Bahadur Colony in Giaspura.

People suffering from diarrhoea were distributed ORS (oral rehydration solution) and blood slides were made to conduct tests.

Sherpur Kalan is another area wherein Dr Yashpal Mehta and Dr Rajni, having examined 51 patients, detected 38 cases of diarrhoea and 12 cases of fever. The doctors also referred one case of dehydration to civil hospital.

At the same time 10 patients suffering from gastroenteritis were admitted at civil hospital in past two days.

SMO, civil hospital, Ludhiana, Dr Harvinder Singh said all cases were from Giaspura, but six out of 10 patients have already been discharged.

Sahnewal, August 26
The outbreak of gastroenteritis is likely at Jugiana village (ward no. 75) here in the wake of unhygienic conditions.

There is no sewerage and the village pond cannot absorb more. Filth and sullage choke small drains and sewage flows into the streets.

Garbage, in spite of the routine cleaning by safai karamcharis, can be seen lying in heaps around the pond.

The problem has compounded with the closure of the only factory outlet where the surplus pond water was being drained into.

Residents said some time ago a pump was brought to the village by the authorities, but it was taken back after three days without pumping out any water.

Drinking water pipes are also immersed in dirty water. “It has been eight years since the village came under the municipal limits, but we do not have any facilities yet,” they said.

Ludhiana, August 26
Steel consuming industry got another jolt as secondary steel producers here and in Mandi Gobindgarh increased ingot prices by around 1,000 per metric tonne.

The move, that was unexpected, has added to industry’s problems, which is already trying to grapple with the uncertainty prevailing in steel rates. Ingot price increased from nearly Rs 36,000 to over Rs 37,200 per metric tonne today.

Industrialists are presently resisting from quoting any price to their buyers fearing another fluctuation.

Besides, the current increase being limited to this state, they are also facing problems securing their buyers.

“As steel prices are not rising internationally, we are facing immense problem in quoting rates. Recently, when prices declined our buyers wanted us to effect the reduction. The ones who did immediately faced losses of around Rs 3,000 per metric tonne. In case of secondary producers, we were not expecting any hike. But today they increased the prices, which has added to our uncertainty,” said S.C. Ralhan, regional chairman, Engineering Export Promotion Council.

Industrialists said the ongoing uncertainty had already hit demand and made it tough to function smoothly. Speculation, added industrialists, was a key factor leading to uncertainty in prices.

“They are engaging in speculation and futures trading should be stopped. Besides, conversion rates are also very high,” said Charanjit Singh Vishwakarma of Vishwakarma Industries.

“Sometime ago when there was a word in the market about likely rise in steel prices, people resorted to hoarding. Later prices declined and some people tried to take advantage of that situation too. Even now, secondary producers are only taking undue advantage of market situation as large steel companies are charging higher rates through their local offices. Producers should resist from indulging in such practices,” another industrialist said.

Industrialists are now hoping for the current uncertainty to end so that they can continue with their functioning.

Ludhiana, August 26
The relaxation from power cuts being granted to mixed feeders in urban areas of the state for the past over a fortnight has been partially withdrawn for the time being and a daily cut of between three hours and five hours has been imposed on these feeders from today.

A three to four-hour power cut was imposed from 9 am to 1 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm today in areas of city I, city II and city III.

Enquiries made at headquarters of the Punjab State Electricity Board, Patiala, revealed that the prevalence of dry spell in the state had led to a spurt in demand for electricity both from agricultural and other consumers and the gap between availability of power and its demand had gone beyond 150 lakh units, which necessitated reimposition of power cuts on all categories of consumers.

PSEB sources said the daily demand for electricity was hovering between 1,550 and 1,600 lakh units against the availability around 1,450 lakh units from all sources.

“We have been managing to fill the gap of nearly 100 lakh units from weekly offs for the industrial sector but with the further increase in the gap, there is no other way out but to reimpose cuts on mixed feeders in urban areas,” the sources said.

It was further learned that one 250 MW unit of Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Power Plant at Bathinda was also not generating optimum power due to some problem with coal, which had also affected the total availability of power with the state.

The sources added that barring widespread rain in the state, there was little
likelihood of any improvement in power situation at least for the next week
or 10 days.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 26
Hundreds of followers of Sant Isher Singh Rare Wale vowed to launch a coordinated move against drug addiction and other social evils, including female foeticide.

The oath was taken in response to a call given by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh during the commemoration of death anniversary of Sant Isher Singh, which concluded at Gurdwara Karamsar, near here, today.

According to Baba Jarnail Singh, head granthi at the gurdwara, hundreds of Sikh devotees attended the three-day programme of the founder of the sect and vowed to launch a coordinated move against social evils. Over 1,000 persons were baptised for imbibing tenets of Guru Granth Sahib.

Earlier, Giani Gurbachan Singh called upon members of all communities to live a pious life according to the principles laid down in Guru Granth Sahib.

“Now when it has been established that betrayal from teachings of Guru Granth Sahib results in pain, we should imbibe its principles in our life. We should launch a coordinated move against drug addiction and other social evils,” he said, adding that the holy granth contained teachings of prophets from all religions.

He urged residents of the area to persuade their children to read religious and patriotic literature so that they could lay a foundation for a healthy future.

Baba Harnam Singh Dhumman, chief of Damdami Taksal, accusing the Congress of shielding and sponsoring Sacha Sauda chief, threatened of dire consequences if the sect chief was not arrested soon.

Ludhiana, August 26
While the Punjab circle of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has passed orders to give independent charge to junior telecom officers (JTOs), the orders have not been implemented at the Bharat Nagar circle office.

However, independent charge has been given to JTOs at Mata Rani Chowk and Rishi Balmiki Nagar offices.

The JTOs at the Bharat Nagar office are still waiting for the final nod from their
higher authorities.

Same orders were passed in 2005 also but were not implemented and were rolled back under the union pressure, as some members of the union were against the decision of giving independent charge to JTOs.

The Punjab circle has ordered to give independent charge to JTOs as it will help reduce workload and increase efficiency of officials.

The letter from the office of assistant general manager, Punjab circle, Chandigarh, states that all JTOs and sub-divisional engineers in the Punjab telecom circle will report directly to the divisional engineer telephones.

This is required in view of large-scale induction of broadband, CDMA and GSM services in the BSNL network.

“While the orders were passed in 2005 as well, these were not implemented under union pressure. Some people in the nigam do not want that JTOs should be given independent charge due to which the orders have not been enforced,” rues Kanwaljit Singh, a JTO at Bharat Nagar office.

He said he apprehended that the orders would not be executed this time as well. If the orders have been implemented at other offices, these should have been executed at the Bharat Nagar office as well, he added.

Higher officials also agree that the workload on employees would decrease after JTOs are given independent charge.

The orders have also been implemented in other districts like Sangrur, Ferozepur and Hoshiarpur. Bharat Nagar office is the only one in Ludhiana where these have not been enforced.

General manager, telecom, S.K. Aggarwal said they were planning to give independent charge to JTOs soon.

Ludhiana, August 26
Power Plate India Pvt. Ltd today joined hands with Dayanand Medical College (DMC), Ludhiana, to bring the world’s most advanced rehabilitation, pain relief, fitness and training technology to the patients.

The chief cardiologist at HDHI (Heri Dayanand Heart Institute), Dr GS Wander, inaugurated the two Power Plate devices, based on the revolutionary Acceleration Training Methodology (ATM).

The revolutionary acceleration training methodology was first developed for the
Soviet cosmonauts to counteract the bone and muscle degeneration caused by
zero gravity.

In the last decade this technique was adapted, first, for elite athletes and then for people of all ages, weights and fitness levels.

Scientific researches from world over demonstrate the positive results and health benefits of Power Plate machines when used as part of an individual’s exercise or rehabilitation regime.

The faculty at the Dayanand Medical College feels that Power Plate would certainly prove to be very effective for patient’s speedy and quick recovery.

It reduces stress by decreasing cortisol levels while raising levels of serotonin. It has demonstrated impressive results even after a short period of use, the experts said.

In patients with back pain and weakened core muscles owing to sedentary lifestyle habits, the plate stimulates reflexive muscle contractions (25-50 times per sec) thus increasing blood circulation to core spinal abdominal muscles.

Additionally, Power Plate has proved to be a good remedy to soreness and very effective in pain reduction, while accelerating the rehabilitation cycle. Power Plate training encourages hormone release, which helps speedy recovery.

Power Plate is a device that works on the principle of acceleration training. It is a breakthrough in rehabilitation as it helps achieve better results in a shorter time span thus helping the patients.

Power Plate increases oxygen Et blood flow to weakened body structures, which improves healing and hastens recovery.

Power Plate India Pvt. Ltd. is a joint venture between Power Plate International of USA and Hero Motors of India.

Doraha, August 26
A team of Army personnel, for grant of commission in the Indian Army under the University Entry Scheme, conducted selection process for the BTech students passing out in July, 2009 and July, 2010 in the college campus today.

The team was headed by Col. Rajiv Joshi, Lt. Col. Nibir Gogoi and Maj. P.P. Mahato. The selection procedure was initiated by an address by Col. Joshi.

It was followed by a PowerPoint presentation depicting the job responsibilities, promotional avenues, pay packages and other welfare and development programmes for the commissioned officers and their families in the Army.

The presentation also focused upon the extra curricular and adventurous pursuits undertaken by the Army officers such as tracking, air gliding, shooting, swimming, yachting etc.

A commendable number of students from mechanical engineering, information technology, computer science, and electronics & communication engineering appeared in the interview as informed by the director of the college.

Director LCET Dr J.S. Sohal, principal Dr Pawan Kumar and dean (consultancy training and placement) S.P. Sharma told that a good number of students are likely to be shortlisted for commission in the Indian Army as per briefing by the selection team after the conduct of interview.

Ludhiana, August 26
Fifteen-year-old Surabha fractured her leg when a police gypsy hit her in Vijaynagar here today.

The incident occurred when a police party of Division VII picked up a lottery vendor for illegal lottery trade in the area.

No case has been registered. The residents were protesting, saying the area fell under Division VI.

Ludhiana, August 26
The matter regarding the misbehaviour of the former student Dr Amritpal Singh Sekhon with the warden of hostel no.8 was resolved amicably with the sustained efforts of the University authorities under the chairmanship of Dr V.K. Taneja, vice-chancellor, GADVASU.

Dr Kulbir Singh Sandhu, DSW, Dr Simrat Sagar Singh, dean, College of Veterinary Science and Dr I.S. Bajwa, president, GADVASU teacher's association were present at the time of apology tendered by Amritpal for his misconduct to the warden.

Dr B.S. Sandhu called this incidence as the most unfortunate in the context of teacher-student relationship.

According to Dr Bajwa, Mani Singla, the newly elected president of the GADVASU students' union along with his association members, expressed deep sorrow at the turn of the events where a senior teacher of the university had to suffer humiliation at the hands of a former student whom he had groomed for many years.

He further added that all the students hold Dr B.S. Sandhu in high esteem and said that the students would personally meet Dr Sandhu and would try to assuage his hurt feelings.

He emphasised that the teacher taught relationship was the most sacred and would be maintained at all costs.

Ludhiana, August 26
A seven-day motivational programme and an impact assessment for talented school students organised by the Centre for Communication and International Linkages (CCIL) in collaboration with the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology (PSCST) concluded today.

The heads of various departments, faculty members and guests attended the
valedictory function.

In his remarks, Dr Malhi, shared with students the principles of success involving excellent relationships, self-esteem, positive mental attitude, cooperation, concentration, a proper ratio of efforts and success, targeted approach, etc.

He highlighted the significance of moral education adding that intoxicants were poisons of life.

He asked students to strive to be healthy and adopt a work culture. Dr Malhi said honest query and intelligent questioning help students to acquire knowledge.

He suggested students to read good literature, respect their elders and teachers and struggle to achieve a purpose. Dr Malhi said inspite of several obstacles in achieving the goal one must not deter from making the dedicated efforts.

Dr Neelam Gulati Sharma highlighted that this was the third workshop of the nine planned for Punjab.

She informed about the next programme to be carried out by PSCST saying that another programme with a focus on rural students will be held at CCIL in October.

Ludhiana, August 26
Players from Nav Bharti Public School who represented the Ludhiana Basketball Academy overpowered Mansa district 67-40 to retain the title in the boy’s section of the Punjab Youth Basketball Championship for boys and girls (U-17) which concluded at Kirpal Sagar Academy, Rahon in Nawanshahr, yesterday.

In the girl's section, Gurdaspur district, proved too good for Bathinda whom they drubbed 66-31 to retain the title.

In this four-day championship played on the league-cum-knock-out basis, 18 boys teams while 12 girls teams competed.

In the boy's section, Ludhiana academy cagers thrashed Ropar district 47-11 to begin their campaign on a sound note.

Then, they overwhelmed Ferozepur district 43-16, followed by an easy win over
Muktsar (36-15).

The academy lads defeated Ludhiana district 63-47 to wind up their engagements and in the final league encounter got the better of Mansa district which fetched them the title in a row.

Mansa and Muktsar finished second and third, respectively, in the boys section while Ludhiana district had to content with fourth place.

In the girl's section, Amritsar eves secured second position while the third and fourth places were bagged by Ludhiana and Kapurthala districts, respectively.

The players of the Ludhiana academy who came out trimphant in the tournament were accorded a warm welcome here at Guru Nanak Stadium, today.

The office bearers of the Ludhiana District Basketball Association along with coaches were in attendance there to congratulate the boys on their achievement.

Ludhiana, August 26
As many as 600 swimmers (boys and girls) from across the country in the age groups of 13-14 and 15-17 are expected to take part in the 35th Junior National Aquatic Championship.

It will be held at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, from August 31 to September 4, according to Apinder Singh Grewal, president, Punjab Swimming Association.

On the basis of the performance during this championship, the Indian team will be selected for ensuing Commonwealth Youth Games-2008 to be held in Pune in October, this year.