Ludhiana, August 29
The Jodhewal police today claimed to have solved a murder case committed 15 days ago with the arrest of a couple. Joginder Kaur and Kapoor Singh, of Krishan Vihar, who had been working as daily wagers, were arrested from Ghelewal bridge last evening.

The couple reportedly admitted to having committed the crime.

Both have been charged with the murder of a labourer, Kashmir Singh, whose body was found in a sack on August 18.

Balwinder Singh, in charge, Jodhewal police station, said: “Kashmir Singh who was living with the two had tried to establish illicit relations with Joginder Kaur. Kashmir even tried to blackmail Joginder. Enraged, Kapoor Singh and Joginder Kaur hatched a plan to murder him.

On August 15, when Kashmir reached home, both attacked him with a club. Kashmir died on the spot.”

According to the police, the couple later buried the body in the house.

However, fearing that they would be caught, the two dug the body out and put it in a sack in order to dispose is of somewhere else.

Kapoor took the body on the bicycle but when he reached Meharban road the body fell out of the sack and panic-stricken Kapoor fled the scene, added the police official.

The police has booked the two under murder charges.

Ludhiana, August 29
The auction of special numbers by the district transport department (DTO) was held at Nehru Sidhanta Kendra here today. Bidders and their supporters thronged the venue to get special numbers for their vehicles.

The department got nearly Rs 40 lakh during the auction of the PBCH series and some numbers from the previous series which were not auctioned earlier.

PBCH0001 was bought by Bhupinder Singh for Rs 4 lakh. The number 0002 went to Harbhajan Singh for Rs 1.21 lakh while Atul Sethi bought 0003 by paying Rs 1.90 lakh.

Balwinder Singh, an agriculturist, got 0004 for Rs 95,000 while Bharpur Singh paid Rs 1.65 lakh for 0005. Chaitley Estates got 0006 by paying Rs 95,000.

For the number PBCH 0007, there were 17 bidders, which was a record in itself. The number went to Paramjit Singh who paid Rs 1.60 lakh. The number 0008 fetched the department Rs 99,000 while 0009 was sold for Rs 1.16 lakh. For 0010, a bidder had to pay Rs 19,000.

The DTO, Chander Gaind, said the recent auctions in the district had generated huge amount of money to the state transport department. 

There is no dearth of money in this industrial hub. People look for ways to flaunt their riches. And when there is an auction of special numbers, residents do not mind spending lakhs to get an “attractive” number for their vehicles. This one-upmanship was witnessed in today’s auction of special numbers by the district transport department.

Bhupinder Singh, a resident, said it was a mere craze for VIP numbers. An agriculturist by profession, he said the number of all his other vehicles was also 0001. “There is not much more to say than this,” he said. He paid Rs 4 lakh to get the number PBCH0001 for his car.

Atul Sethi, who was able to get PBCH0003 number, was elated. He said he got the special number at a “reasonable” price for his new car. Accompanied with friends who congratulated him on the “achievement”, Atul said the number was not expensive. “I have got a Laura with number 0002. We are going in serial order,” he said in a lighter vein.

Another agriculturist, Balwinder Singh, was on cloud nine after he bought 0004. He said he was fascinated with special numbers. “These numbers attract everyone. After reading the number, it is felt that the vehicle belongs to some VIP. This is the reason why I paid Rs 92,000 to get the number. Also, we farmers work hard and deserve to enjoy some luxuries in life,” he said.

Ludhiana, August 29
Christ Church located at Fountain Chowk in the heart of the city is the oldest Anglican church built in the city by the British. A landmark during its hay day, the church is in a shambles and is crying for care today.

Sharing a slice from the history, L. Nathaniel, a senior citizen, said the foundation stone of Christ Church was laid in 1836 and it was completed in 1849. In it’s early days, elite British army and civil officers worshipped in this church.

“At that time it was called the ‘Church of England’. The old church register records lavish weddings and baptism as well as solemn funerals. British used to take proper care of the building, which now is in a shambles,” rues Nathaniel.

For want of funds, this historic church is poorly maintained but its intricately vaulted ceiling still holds the charm.

Rev Pankaj A. Malik, in charge of Christ Church and Cemetery, said that they had made several representations to the government regarding the condition of the church but to no avail.

“The church is in a sorry state and illegal construction glares around. The government is taking the possession of the land around it. The SSP’s residence now was initially the priest’s residence and the church had two parks. One park was auctioned, where a market now stands. There is no proper entrance to the church. People who come for the Sunday prayers in the church face a lot of problem as vehicles of the people visiting the market are parked outside the church and there is no space to get out,” he laments.

He added that he was worried about the future of the church and such places should be preserved by the government. However, a little seems to have been done in this regard.

The condition of the cemetery of the church built in 1810 is no different.

“The gold and silver plaques from the graves are missing, while only those in marble are present today. People have also encroached upon the land near cemetery,” he complained.

BJP Minority Morcha, Punjab, president Emmanuel Paul Gill added that he had written to the Human Rights Commission, Punjab, but to no avail.

“There is a scare among the Christian community that if things continue to be the same then very soon the the church would be demolished. There is always discrimination with the Christians, as there is no welfare board, no grants for church and even the government and local administration is doing nothing for the preservation of the church,” he rued.

Ludhiana, August 29
The additional sessions judge, A.K. Mehta, has convicted Karamjit Singh and his mother Amarjit Kaur of Burj Hari Singh village, Raikot, on the charges of killing Sukwinder Kaur by setting her ablaze just two months after the marriage in connection with dowry. The accused have been sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment.

Delivering the verdict, the court observed that the accused did not deserve leniency as they had committed a henious crime. They were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 each.

A case under Section 302 of the IPC was registered against them in 2004.

According to the prosecution, Sukwinder Kaur married Karamjit Singh on July 28, 2004. Soon after, her in-laws started demanding a scooter and a refrigerator.

On September 21, 2004, she went to the kitchen to drink water, but the accused caught her and set her afire. She was referred to the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. Her statment was recorded by a duty magistrate at the hospital. She died after a week.

The accused had pleaded innocence and alleged false implication in the case. It was submitted that at the time of the incident, they were not at home. Moreover, they had taken the badly burnt woman to hospital. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 29
With Chhapar Mela a fortnight away, i.e. on September 14, preparations are already under way. To avoid heavy rush during the mela, elderly people have started coming here to pay their obeisance at the shrine. Members of the civic body of Chhapar village, office-bearers of committees of various “patti” (beats) and preachers at Guga Mari, besides organisers of various stalls have started the preparations for the event much before the scheduled date.

In an effort to fetch maximum income for the panchayat and social organisations of their respective “pattis”, office-bearers of these bodies have been bargaining with organisers of various stalls.

Workers of organisers of fun rides, mini circuses and “well of death” are already seen setting up their fixtures.

Around a dozen shops of parsad and traditional sweetmeat “khajla” seem to have started business ahead of schedule. Leaders of various political parties, including the SAD and the Congress, are trying to hire land of their choice but none has finalised the location of the site for conference of their party.

Though the organisers have made every effort to hire land at prime location and get fixtures set up soon, none of them is reported to have applied for the permission of civil authorities.

Preachers, who are shareholders in income of the shrine, have also prepared schedule of their duties.

While elderly members of the clan will manage the temple during days, youngsters will perform duty at night.

Ludhiana, August 29
The deadline of August 31 fixed by minister for local bodies Manoranjan Kalia for appointment of new chairmen of all 27 improvement trusts in the state notwithstanding, the ruling SAD-BJP alliance may once again have to put off the final announcement if pressures and pulls in different directions within both parties, being witnessed at present, is any indication.

Even though intense lobbying for the posts of chairmen of improvement trusts is going on at various levels in Chandigarh as also in Delhi, the high command of both the parties is said to be still undecided on the final choice from amongst the short-listed party functionaries, say sources in the two parties.

It was learned that the coordination committee of the ruling coalition had agreed on a sharing formula of 14 posts of chairmen for the SAD and 13 for the BJP.

It was also decided that major cities that have mayor of one party will have chairman of the improvement trust from the other partner in the alliance.

With this in mind that the post of chairman of Ludhiana Improvement Trust will go to the BJP, several prominent party activists were said to be in the running for the nomination to the post.

The names doing the rounds in higher party circles, sources revealed, were those of former LIT chairman Madan Mohan Vyas and lawyer Ashok Juneja, both of whom have RSS background.

While Vyas has an good track record as chairman of the trust during the previous SAD-BJP regime, Juneja has also served the BJP well as as finance secretary of the state unit and is known to have proximity to several senior party leaders at the state and national level.

The RSS connection of both contenders will also stand them in good stead, as past experience has shown that some of the crucial decisions of the BJP leadership are invariably influenced by the RSS.

If some quarters in the BJP were to be believed, the names of state secretary of the party Anil Sareen, and former president of district unit Dr Subhash Verma were also doing rounds for the post.

Commenting on inordinate delay in arriving at a final decision about chairmen of the improvement trusts, a senior party BJP functionary said it was rather unfortunate that the ruling combine had not been able to take a final decision so far.

Ludhiana, August 29
All-India Congress Committee secretary Manish Tewari today came down heavily on the ruling SAD-BJP combine in Punjab, charging it with lack of coordination and going wayward as far as development activities were concerned. In a statement here today, he said the outburst of a senior cabinet minister and public rebuttal by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal proved beyond doubt the divergent views of the council of ministers.

Taking a dig at the government, Tewari wondered as to how such a government could maintain rapport with people when its key functionaries were pulling in different directions.

The AICC secretary maintained that the SAD-BJP government had failed on all fronts. “Fiscal condition of the state has been rendered miserable due to lack of vision and far sight to the extent that the government is planning to sell all prime properties to tackle the crisis. All development activities have taken backstage, and major roads, particularly in the city, are in a pathetic condition.”

Ludhiana, August 29
Security agencies guarding railway stations and infrastructure do not seem to have learned a lesson from successive attacks by militants on railway stations in different parts of the country in the recent past and continuous threats to key installations are still being taken likely, at least as far as local railway station is concerned.

The government railway police (GRP) entrusted with overall security at the railway station has put up two metal-detector gates on both entry points to platform No. 1 but one of these (from unreserved ticket complex side) has been out of order for the past few days.

Instead of the GRP personnel, who are supposed to maintain the security check and man the metal-detector gates, an alert passenger pointed out the snag.

Unable to find a responsive staff of the GRP at the railway station, the concerned passenger approached the media.

That for the GRP, or for that matter senior railway officials, the matter was not important enough to merit consideration on priority, was clear when a senior railway official passed the buck saying maintenance of security was the domain of the GRP, but he would look into the matter.

SHO of the GRP here was also unaware of the non-functional metal detector gate.

He said: “No body has informed me about the matter. The equipment does develop some fault, at times. We shall take steps to get it rectified and make the security gate functional.”

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 29
Residents of Dhulkot village, primarily women, overpowered a group of around 10 miscreants who had allegedly assaulted a youth after forcibly entering his house last night.

Four persons, including three intruders, were injured in the clash.

Though the Latala police rounded up six of the assaulters, they were set free after they tendered an apology for their act and reached a compromise with the other party.

The rivalry started after a village youth passed some derogatory remarks on a woman.

A group of around 10 youths, led by Rakesh Kumar and Ajay Kumar, assaulted Pappi Hissar Wala, after forcibly entering his house at midnight.

They also threatened him with dire consequences if he continued harassing a woman by passing derogatory remarks on her.

The assaulters had come on motor cycles and cars.

Things got out of control when village residents, feeling humiliated, took on the assaulters.

At least three of them were injured while others succeeded in running away. The injured were shifted to hospitals in the local town and at Pakhowal village later.

Villagers reported the matter to the Latala police in the morning. However, no FIR was registered as the two sides reached a compromise.

Ludhiana, August 29
Luminous Power Technologies today launched a scholarship programme, ‘Ghar ka chirag’, to reward exceptionally talented individuals who lack resources.

While addressing a press conference here today, Rakesh Malhotra, founder and CEO, of the company said the scholarships would be given to youth in the fields of sports, academics, art and culture, social work and bravery.

Open to all Indians under the age of 21 years, a sum of Rs 5 lakh would be awarded to each person.

A jury of eminent scholars and achievers will judge the contestants and award the most outstanding achievers in all the categories.

“The scholarship will help these youngsters to bring positive change in the society through their talent,” Rakesh added.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 29
In an effort to clear misunderstanding created among Americans against certain Asians communities, after the World Trade Centre attack on September 11, 2001, and boost confidence of members of various Indian communities, the American embassy at New Delhi has initiated process of direct interaction of its top officials with representatives of these populations.

A delegation of the embassy, led by Lisa Swenarski de Herrera, assistant information officer, interacted with various groups here and Malerkotla. The delegates addressed queries and doubts raised by locals. Claiming that people and administration of the USA had high respect for Indians in general and Punjabis in particular, she said immigrants were free to practice the religion of their choice.

“A large number of temples and gurdwaras, besides over 1,000 mosques, were constructed in our country,” Lisa said after an interaction session at Islamia High School here yesterday. However, the 9/11 incident had changed the mindset of natives temporarily, she admitted.

She claimed that “SPAN”, the official magazine of the embassy, had served as a bridge between the administration and the immigrants and visa seekers.

Munir Mohamad, manager, Zamil Ur Rehman, Dr Sunit Hind, Anjum Naim, Urdu Editor, SPAN, also spoke.

Ludhiana, August 29
Class IV government employees and workers’ union today staged a dharna in front of the civil surgeon’s office.

The employees alleged that the civil surgeon had failed to accede to their demands pertaining to provision of uniforms, formulation of seniority list, release of GP fund statements and roll back of transfers.

Addressing the employees, circle secretary Harbhajan Singh stated that the union would intensify its protest if their demands were not met.

LUDHIANA: Veta, a spoken English training academy, has chalked out an aggressive expansion plan for towns with population more than one lakh. 

K.V. Rajan, executive director, of the company said Punjab had a high growth potential. He said the company would reach out to the youngsters of the smaller towns. — TNS

Ludhiana, August 29
Business activity in the city has been hit badly with the resumption of power cuts here. Estimates point out to a decline of 25-30 per cent in industrial production within the past week. Those engaged in businesses like restaurants and retail outlets are also facing a tough time due to reduced customer turnout.

Power cuts, along with a compulsory weekly off, are not only harming domestic production, but may hit exports from the state if the situation continues. Worse, the cuts render labourers, the shortage of which is already giving sleepless nights to entrepreneurs, unemployed.

The scenario at local restaurants and retail outlets is no better. “Customers these days look for a good ambience, an air-conditioned environment. When the duration of cuts increases, they prefer to eat or shop at malls or other large outlets,” rued Balwinder Singh, a dhaba owner.

Prolonged power cuts that began from the beginning of this season had come as a blow to the industry. The industry had expected a smooth functioning ever since the situation improved a little. However, now that the cuts are back, manufacturers have quit all hopes of a good performance this season.

“When the cuts stopped around a week ago, we had hoped for better days ahead. But now we are quite worried as they have restarted. Already production has suffered immensely. We are unable to meet orders. In case of international buyers, it is tough to get any business if one loses credibility. We fear that exports will decline this year,” said S.C. Ralhan, regional chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council.

The industry has been facing hardships on account of labour shortage too. “It has been a Hurculean task to arrange labourers for our factories. As not all can afford to run gensets for long hours, power cuts, rendered many workers jobless and they opted to shift out of Punjab. Power supply related problems hit us on various fronts,” said Charanjit Singh Vishwakarma, president of the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association.

Representatives of the industry feel the state government should take measures to do away with weekly off days and peak load restrictions so that small-scale industry is able to function smoothly.

“Survival of small and medium units comes under threat when such infrastructure problems occur. The government needs to take the matter on priority,” added Vishwakarma.

Ludhiana, August 29
The campus of Guru Nanak Girls College dazzled with colours amid Fresher's day celebrations here today. Senior students of the faculty of commerce, management and computer science organised a cultural show to welcome the new comers. 

The function commenced with a speech by principal Dr Charanjit Mahal. She emphasised the main objective of the college was not only to make the students employable but whole and complete in all aspects of life. The seniors presented an entertaining cultural extravaganza comprising elegant dances, melodious songs, skits and humorous choreography. The hallmark of the day was Miss Fresher contest in which more than 30 students took part. The stage came alive as the contestants walked on the ramp in dazzling attires. Muskaan was declared Miss Fresher, Pritpal and Nency were the first and second runners up respectively. Aman was given the title of Miss Beautiful smile and Neha was declared Miss Elegant. Principal Dr Mahal crowned the winners and presented them tokens of appreciation.

Extension lecture: A demonstration-cum- extension lecture was held in the PG department of Fine Arts at GCW here today. RK Aulakh, principal of the college presented a welcome note inspiring students towards creative impulses. The resource person, who gave a colourful demonstration and delivered an enthusiastic lecture on multi dimensional aspects of art, was Hemant Sathe, a lecturer from Sir J J School of Art, Mumbai. Gurminder Kaur, head of the PG department of fine-arts extension presented the vote of thanks.

Heritage competition: The home-science department of SDP College for Women organised an inter-class competition here today in the department. More than 21 students participated in on-the-spot embroidery, crochet and mehandi competitions. The participants made and displayed colourful designs and patterns of embroidery and crochet. Arti got first prize in phulkari while Vandana came second. Harpreet of BA (I) got first prize in crochet. In mehandi, Jyoti, got first prize while second prize was given to Meenu of BA (III). The function was presided over by principal Veena Gian Singh Maan.

Union meeting: The district level meeting of Computer Teachers Union was held today at Rakh Bagh. The matters discussed in the meeting included the giving of the regular grade to the computer teachers who had been recruited on the contract basis, annual increment, to give salaries to the computer teachers which had been pending since three months. The union decided to further strengthen their struggle in case their demands were not met.

Career Week: Today was the last day of the career week held jointly by the employment exchange and education department. Government schools in nearby villages like Kadiana kalan, Soyea, Kudani, Bhaini Bidanga and Bondali were covered during the career week. Deputy director, employment exchange, Daljitinder Kaur; vocational guidance district co-ordiantor, Iqbal Singh; Major PP Singh, Dr Charanjt Singh Arneja, from PAU were included in the team. Major PP Singh told the students about the eligibility criteria for the defence forces while Dr Arneja told the students about the courses offered by PAU.

Birth anniversary: On the 100th birth anniversary of Sushila Manilal Gandhi, a langar was organised by the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation at New Dana Mandi. Th langar was distributed among thousands of poor children in the presence of Rajesh Rudra, a member of the Foundation.

Ludhiana, August 29
The students of Guru Nanak institute of Management & Technology (GNIMT) and Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle conducted an orientation programme for the first semester students of BBA and BCA here at GNIMT today. 

Ludhiana, August 29
CLAAS India, Faridabad, has selected three final year Btech students of College of Agricultural Engineering through on-campus interviews today.

CLAAS India is a group of CLAAS Germany, provider of agricultural equipment all over the world. A panel of three members, including head, design and human resources representatives from CLAAS India visited the campus.

Dr PK Gupta, dean of the college elaborated the versatile profile of Agricultural Engineers that keeps them in good demand by reputed national and international companies. He said that the candidates were selected after a written aptitude test and rigorous interviews.

Dr Dulcha Singh Brar, director Students Welfare also interacted with the panel members and said PAU agricultural engineers were known for their best performance. The visiting team appreciated the role of PAU engineers in the industry and mechanisation of Indian Agriculture.

Ludhiana, August 29
Twenty six students of Kundan Vidya Mandir participated in the Ludhiana District Shooting Championship held on August 27-28 at Mohali. Shooters Aank Dhanda and Atinder Garcha brought laurels to the school by scoring maximum points and winning two gold medals.

School principal Rajeev Nagalia appreciated the team and exhorted them to draw inspiration from shooter Abhinav Bindra.

Meanwhile, students of Bhartriya Vidya Mandir brought laurels to the school by bagging first prize in girls under-14 kho-kho tournament.

Girls who have been selected for the district level team are Ushma, Vani, Shiana, Rhythm, Prabhdeep, Geetanjali, Pooja, Aanchal and Tammana.

Principal Santosh Mehra congratulated the students for their success.