Ludhiana, November 26
The recent orders by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) for closure of 35 dyeing units and disconnecting power supply to the units on the Tajpur Road with immediate effect has come as a big jolt to the local industrialists.

Perturbed over the development, the industrialists have decided to hold a dharna outside the PPCB office tomorrow.

Meanwhile, various industrialists’ organisations today held emergency meetings with officials and leaders of political parties. They said that allegations levelled by the Board that these 35 dyeing units were discharging effluent in the Buddha Nullah were baseless as all of them were having their separate treatment plants, on the basis of which no objection certificate (NOC) was provided to the units by the Board itself.

They said that it was the duty of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation to treat the contaminated water as industrial houses were paying them disposable charges for the past 15 years.

Talking to The Tribune, Ashok Makkar from the Maharaja Processors said the PPCB had already given orders to shut 28 units in the last few months. Closure of another 35 dyeing units on Tajpur Road was another jolt. “We are not the defaulters as all of us have our own treatment plants and the discharge goes into the MC sewerage. We are not discharging the waste directly into the Buddha Nullah. It becomes the duty of the MC to release water after treatment. Why are we being punished for the callous attitude of others?" he asked.

President of Bahadur K. Textile and Knitwear Association Tarun Jain Bawa said if anybody was found guilty under Section 33-A of the Water Act, all industrialists would come together and seek action against the defaulter. “But why have they taken such a harsh decision against all of us? We are regularly paying the disposable charges to the MC for the past 15 years. It becomes their duty to see to that the waste is discharged after treatment. We are being made scapegoats,” he said.

General secretary of the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings Avtar Singh said that despite repeated requests, not a single unit of the Zero Liquid Discharge Plant had been installed to give demonstration to the industry concerned. “On the contrary, the government is hell bent to close down the industry arbitrarily, which would be an economic setback to the state and would render thousands jobless,” he added.

Meanwhile, PPCB chairman Yogesh Goyal said that these units were given warnings in the past. He said that the Board was abiding by the High Court orders. “Seeing the level of contamination in Buddha Nullah, the PPCB had to take stringent steps,” added Goyal. 

Ludhiana, November 26
Having undergone a successful bone marrow transplant for blood cancer (leukaemia) under Dr Joseph John at the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), Binderpal (33) of Garha village near Phillaur has become the first patient in the region to be treated with the stem cell therapy.

Binderpal, working as an electrician in Abu Dhabi, was admitted to a hospital following persistent fever and pain in different organs and was diagnosed with acute leukaemia. Despite being on chemotherapy for four months, his condition did not improve. Thereafter, his family brought him here and got him admitted to the CMCH.

The family started getting positive vibes as Bindepal was blessed with a son on October 29, the day his transplant process was initiated. Dr Joseph John, along with four assistants and eight staff members, monitored every moment of Binderpal in “Hepafilter room” specially designed for such transplants.

Dr John, who has performed similar transplants in CMCH, Vellore, said, “The testing time started as soon as we destroyed the patient’s bone marrow, thereby replacing it with the stem cells of the donor, Binderpal's brother. It was only a week ago that I was sure of my success in the case as it was not just an assessment of the team but of the support system without which such a procedure is not possible.”

Binderpal referred Dr Joseph and his team as ‘saviours. "I had lost hope, but it was the devotion and care of the doctors and attendants that saved me," added Binderpal. 

Ludhiana, November 26
In a major development, the committee set up to probe the alleged sexual harassment case involving Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) DSW Dulcha Singh Brar has submitted its report to the university.

Confirming the development, PAU vice-chancellor Dr M.S. Kang said the inquiry report, signed by the three members of the committee, has been received.

The inquiry committee headed by the dean, home science college, and three members, including Dr S.K. Mann, dean, postgraduate studies, was asked to inquire into the complaint by a woman employee.

The DSW appeared before the committee in the first hearing but did not appear in the subsequent hearings. At the last hearing, he submitted a written statement seeking the scrapping of the committee. It is learnt that the inquiry committee has reported that the DSW was not cooperating with the committee.

When contacted, chairperson of the committee Dr Neelam Grewal did not divulge the details of the report, saying that she was busy.

The V-C, however, said they had given enough time to the DSW to clear his position and courts do not wait. Courts can give ex parte decisions too. 

Ludhiana, November 26
The Salem Tabri police has booked two brothers for allegedly killing a youth at Peeru Banda Mohalla near Salem Tabri last night.

The accused have been identified as Sonu and Monu, residents of street No. 2, Peeru Banda Mohalla. While Sonu has been nabbed, Monu is still absconding, the police said.

The incident took place at around 11.30 pm on Tuesday when the deceased, Deepak Kumar (23), of the same locality, entered into a scuffle with the Sonu and Monu as they allegedly used to tease his cousin Ajay.

SHO, Salem Tabri, Waryam Singh said the accused were under the influence of liquor. After the scuffle, they left the spot only to return again. They stabbed the youth several times in his stomach and on the chest leaving him dead on the spot, he added.

Ludhiana, November 26
The fatal accident in which a Class IX student of BCM School died two days ago has brought to fore the dark side of underage driving.

Underage driving is not only adding to the city’s chaotic traffic, it is also resulting in a large number of accidents.

Rajat (15), a resident of Vishal Nagar, was going along with his friend Tajinderpal (15) to Leisure Valley on scooter when a private mini bus coming from the Fullanwal side hit his scooter near the Punjab Mata Nagar Chowk. The over speeding mini bus dragged the scooterist to some distance, leaving Rajat dead on the spot.

Tajinderpal was rushed to DMC Hospital, where his condition is reported to be stable.

According to police, the city has witnessed 240 deaths in road accidents in past 11 months. This includes cases of underage driving as well.

However, a few school authorities who tried to discourage underage driving had to face parents’ ire.

Rajiv Nagelia, who was recently appointed principal of KVM School, was also criticised after he banned the entry of gear vehicle inside the school premises.

Parents rue that it is due to the peer pressure among children that was forcing them to purchase vehicles for their wards.

Charanjit Kaur, a homemaker, favoured cancellation of driving licenses of those who allowed their kids to drive.

"Children were not to be blamed for reckless driving. It is the parents' job to teach children how to go by the rule book," said Charanjit Kaur.

The city has witnessed similar cases of reckless driving involving minors.

Priya, a Class XII student, said it was the responsibility of parents to ensure what was right or wrong for their children. "Mobile phones and bikes have become craze among children. Such things often end up being abused by them."

While, Poonam, another home maker, said, “This is easier said than done. It's practically impossible to prevent children from riding two-wheelers, as vehicles have become a necessity these days. In a competitive world, where students are always in a hurry, two-wheelers are a convenient mode of transport for them. The days of bicycle are over."

A senior police official expressed helplessness over the underage driving. He said, "We have tried every thing, we have challaned and even impounded their vehicles but failed to curb the menace. It is the duty of the parents to realise the danger associated with underage driving."

Ludhiana, November 26
They call themselves “Corners”. Like corners of a room, each member of the group is incomplete without each other. “Corners” is an artist group from Mumbai, who have put their exhibition in the city at Artmosphere Art Gallery. Vinod Chachera, Virendra Chopde, Sailendra Singh and Sudhir Nehare are the four corners of the group.

It was their love for the art, which brought them close to each other. All were the students at J.J. School of Arts when they came across each other and got along very well. Art binds them together. Ideas and thoughts are discussed in the group and then brought down to canvas.

Vinod has included four of his paintings, which are titled “Fashion”. All four paintings depict the same model in same clothes but the expressions on her face are different in each painting. One painting reads in the background “I will keep you rich forever.” “Everybody is attracted towards the modelling world and I have tried to portrayed different phases of the life through emotions on the face of the model,” he said.

While three artists have come to Ludhiana they are certainly missing their fourth friend, who could not make to the city due to his ill health.

Nature and beauty is the concept shown by artist Sailendra Singh in his paintings. All his paintings depict the nature in sync with beauty.

On one side he has shown a beautiful woman while on the other part, nature at its best is depicted. While Sudhir in some of his paintings have depicted his wishes.

Ludhiana, November 26
The number of street dogs, which have been increasing in the city, will be controlled soon as the municipal corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with an Ahmedabad-based organisation to undertake the process of sterilisation of dogs.

Talking to The Tribune, assistant medical officer, health, (MOH) Dr Charanjit Uppal said the municipal corporation had signed an MoU with an NGO, Animal Help Foundation, Ahmedabad, in Ludhiana yesterday. The organisation would bring a team to sterilise 12,000 dogs per year.

He added that the NGO would use the CNVR system for controlling the dog population.

Interestingly, the decision of assigning the sterilisation programme to a private firm was done during a finance and contracts committee meeting in September. It took almost one-and-a-half months for the municipal corporation to sign a document, which would give an immense relief to the residents, who had been regularly complaining about the dog menace.

According to experts, there were around 20,000 dogs in the city, and the number had been increasing at a very fast pace.

They said due to the absence of any shelter for these dogs, they often fall prey to accidents at night. Notably, 334 and 469 cases of dog bites were reported in 2006 and in 2007, respectively.

The residents of the city have hailed the decision. Shallini, a housewife, said the street dogs could be seen everywhere and nothing was being done till today to control them.

Ludhiana, November 26
Bringing a new hope for asthmatic kids, Dr Akashdeep, consultant, SPS Apollo Centre for Respiratory Diseases, and leading expert in lung diseases has designed an innovative programme called "Breathe Easy Play Hard". Aimed to inform and inspire children hit by asthma, the doctor yesterday conducted a seminar at Delhi Public School, here.

"We want kids with asthma to know they can get active and stay active," said Dr Seema Malik, principal, DPS.

The most important thing to understand is that once evaluated, diagnosed and properly treated, asthma is not an impediment, said Dr Akashdeep.

“Breathe Easy Play Hard” is a powerful awareness campaign that explains how to recognize the signs and symptoms of asthma, treat the condition and get kids to play and stay in the game.

“The incidence of asthma has been steadily increasing and the condition, which results from inflammation and constriction of the airways, currently affects at least 1 in 10 children in india . A recent study conducted in Delhi established asthma prevalence to be 12 per cent in schoolchildren, the doctor revealed.

It is estimated that asthma is responsible for 12 million school absence a year. Inadequate recognition of symptoms and lack of treatment deprive kids of exercise and its many long-term health and psychological benefits.

To achieve its educational and inspirational goals, SPS Apollo Hospital will start a unique website highlighting many professional athletes, Olympians, entertainers, prominent historical figures, and ordinary kids with asthma that have achieved greatness. The campaign will feature an outreach lecture series geared towards schools and colleges, fun events aimed at promoting youth asthma awareness and yearly events with prominent athletes and others.

Ludhiana, November 26
To promote dairying as an alternative venture to the agriculture, the dairy development department has launched a comprehensive training programme for young dairy farmers in the state. Five training centres have been set up in different parts of the city for this purpose.

This was stated by Ramesh Inder Singh, chief secretary, while addressing the trainees at a special training camp at Dairy Training and Extension Service Centres at Bija, 30 km from here today.

The chief secretary said three new such training centres would also be started from March 3 onwards.

He said presently 3,000 trainees were undergoing training at these centres for 15 days and at least 600 were attending 45 days courses.

The loan limit for each dairy unit has substantially been enhanced from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 20 lakh against 2 acres holding by dairy farmers.

He said the government had also made arrangements to ensure sufficient dose, units of frozen semen of imported hybrid of bulls to improve the breed of milch cattle.

The chief secretary said subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakh was being given by the state government on loans worth Rs 5 lakh for construction of modern cattle sheds. 

Ludhiana, November 26
Two PAU scientists, namely Aseem Verma, senior technical assistant at College of Agricultural Engineering, and Dr R. S. Sidhu, head, department of economics and sociology, will receive national awards. Sidhu will get R. T. Doshi Best Paper Presentation Award.

The announcement was made at the recently concluded 16th annual conference of the Agricultural Economics Research Association (AERA), held from November 21 to 23 at AMITY University, Lucknow.

Sidhu presented a paper on "Dynamics of Institutional Agricultural Credit and Growth in Punjab: Contribution and Demand Supply Gap", co-authored with Dr Kamal Vatta and Dr Arjinder Kaur.

The award will be conferred on him on the 17th annual conference of the society to be held at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU).

Verma will be getting the ISTE National Award-2008 on his MTech thesis in agricultural engineering.

The award will be presented to Verma during the 38th annual convention of the Indian Society of Technical Education (ISTE) to be held from December 19 to 21 at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneshwar (Orissa).

Ludhiana, November 26
Margi Vijaykumar with his explicit expression of pathos, joy, humour, fear, heroism, disgrace, surprise, anger and serenity, nine emotional elements in “Kathakali” added to the euphoric moments of audience at Delhi Public School.

The artiste accompanied by Margi Damu, Margi Balu, Margi Sassi, Margi Ratnakar, Margi Tampi on percussion instruments today performed under the aegis of SPIC MACAY.

Margi Vijaykumar enacted the narrative of “Pootna moksha” from Mahabhagvatam mesmerising each one of the audience with perfect synchronisation of his hands, feet and eye movement.

Exhibiting perfection in the role of Pootna, a demon sent by Lord Krishna's to kill him, Margi Vijaykumar depicted Pootna's changing moods from that of an enchantress to that of a killer.

A connoisseur yet an ardent learner, Vijaykumar takes pride in confessing that adapting himself to the feminist roles has lasting effect on his mind. “It is not possible for me to detach myself from the character of Damyanti, Draupadi, Diviyani, Kunti or Pootna while portraying any one. Hence, the persona hangs around for sometime," the artiste said.

However, the artiste wittily negated any influence of his character portrayals on his assessment of women at large, "It is an enactment for me, which does not deter with my personal opinion."

The artiste further admitted that Kathakali was the forte of men in Kerala for centuries but with women performers of Chachavaraparukutti's repute taking the lead in performing art the scenario has undergone a complete change, said Margi Vijaykumar. He also said the Margi institution had 40 regular students followed by a large number of foreign students who come for special lessons.

Pointing at the popularity of the ballet form in west, the artiste disclosed that it is not restricted to narratives from puranas and epics as Dr Faustus, Macbeth and King Lear are the contemporary adaptations in the performing art. 

Ludhiana, November 26
It's one of the most visual ways of telling people about your personality without speaking a word. From bags and hair accessories to jewellery and other body bling, people want to stand out. Unique accessories are always great conversation pieces and statements of character, and hand-painted wooden bangles add pizzazz to one's get-up. It's artwork adorned on your wrist!

Hand-painted bangles have made big waves and are grabbing hugh chunk of market share in the young trendy groups. A few creative young girls are adding extra zing to their bangles by decorating them with sparkle and beads. One can wear them simply or can put her artistic mind at work.

"My friend is a fine arts student and I guess I was influenced by her. I started tinkering with beads and crystals at first, decorating bangles using Swarovski crystals, then later on giving them as presents to my friends. Not only they are unique, but creating your own accessories is cheaper to give as gifts for your friends," laughs Vanita.

“College-going girls are addicted to painted bangles," says Amit from Pink City, Ansal Plaza. They have a big group of loyal customers, most of whom are young girls. These wood- painted bangles mix and match with both western and Indian outfits well, he adds.

Painted bangles have created a buzz among fashion-lovers and accessory-crazy women, who are always on a look out for unique things. "It's not only for the summer season but for casual wear as well. I have got designs that are very elegant with gold detail, I have ones that are retro-inspired, one in bolder, brighter colours for the more daring outfits. There's a bangle to match every mood and season," says Ramneek Gill, a college student.

"We really encourage our clients to be creative and imaginative when they want made-to-order pieces. We want them to design their own bangles so that they really match their style and are unique," adds Jitesh, dealing in funky jewellery at a roadside stall in Model Town.

Amloh, November 26
Dental fortnight medical camp concluded at the civil hospital here today. Dr Sarbjit Kaur MDS examined 604 patients, delivered full dentures to 25, partial dentures to four patients were fitted free of cost.

During the camp, tooth filling of 111 patients and extraction of teeth of 196 patients was also done, besides under the school health scheme as many as 1,836 students of local five schools along with elementary school Majri and Tooran were examined. SMO Dr Surjit Singh, Dr Gulzar Singh, MO Adesh Kang and Dr Baljinder Kaur extended cooperation for the succession of the camp.

Ludhiana, November 26
A week-long motivational contact workshop, “Motivational contact programme for talented school students” being organised at PAU by the Centre for Communication and International Linkages (CCIL) in collaboration with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology (PSCST) from November 26 to December 2 was inaugurated here today.

A total of 30 meritorious and class X students from different districts of Punjab are participating in the workshop.

The workshop was inaugurated by PAU VC Dr. Manjit Singh Kang in Film Hall of CCIL. In his inaugural remarks, Dr Kang said young students were the future of the nation and they needed to be guided through a right counsel and that the workshops provided motivation to them. Dr Kang said the burgeoning population and shrinking natural resource base were hindering the efforts for sustaining food security for the masses. He thanked Dr Neelam Gulati Sharma of PSCST for sponsoring the programme through the department of science and technology, the Government of India at PAU.

He appreciated the efforts of CCIL for collaborative programmes of academic significance for the benefit of the students. Dr Kang informed that the efforts were being made to attract the influx of the students from rural areas in B.Sc. home science and B.Sc. agriculture programmes at PAU.

The motivational contact programme will include deliberations by experts on diverse topics such as media as a profession, tools and techniques of plant tissue culture and their application, science fundamentals and progress, beautifying homes through landscaping, etc. Further, participating students will be involved in creative activities, scientific exercises.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Neelam Gulati Sharma, joint director of PSCST, said the students for participation in the workshop have been selected on the basis of their talent and merit in matriculation. 

Ludhiana, November 26
If you have missed a lecture at school or college or wanted your instructor to teach a topic just one more time, you will find www.topchalks.com an invaluable asset. Problems like chasing friends for lecture notes, running after private tutors to cope with the exams that are just round the corner, trying to remember the lessons that were taught months ago, desperately trying to understand complex problems that you once understood are all too familiar.

Sounds strange though, but with a few mouse clicks, you may now reach out to an innovative educational resource portal- "TopChalks.com". Once there, the site itself will play the role of your friend, your class teacher or a private tutor at the same time.

The portal is launched as a part of a bigger vision of the promoting company, Catura Broadband Systems that envisions to democratise the present day education by making it accessible - at all levels, to one and all at the most affordable rate. As a first step to meet its commitment of making available course materials of almost any courses (at any academic level, starting from the board exams to SAT, GMAT, CAT, engineering,medical-practically anything), the company has on offer a comprehensive curriculum based and instructor-led course for the CBSE XII board exam for the sciences.

Samrala, November 26
A religious documentary film “Simar Simar Prabh Paia” based on the life of six Sikh gurus, Bhagats and Bhatts produced by Ek Onkar Media Productions was released on the eve of the martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur by MLA Samrala Jagjivan Singh Khirnian and ex-MLA Koom Kalan Inder Iqbal Singh Attwal at Queens Flower, Neelon, near here.

The leader after releasing the documentary said the film was the need of the hour to give knowledge to the new generation. Film director Rajwinder Singh giving information about the film said this was the first documentary film in which the information about Gurbani was presented in length.

He said in the film the lifestyle of Sikh guru's, bhagat's, bhatt's and martyrdom, shabad's, salok's and the style of singing rag were presented in a good way. Film producer Sukhwinder Dhillon said the film was prepared in Punjabi as well as English and the film was released in the Ontario Sikh Gurdwara Council, Canada. The shooting of the film was held at Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib, Damdama Sahib, Hazoor Sahib, Patna Sahib and some other religious places. 

Ludhiana, November 26
The IndusInd Bank Limited and TVS Motor Company have entered into an agreement wherein the bank will provide structured inventory funding to dealers of TVS Motor Company.

While this tie-up will help the bank to escalate its realm of trade, it will enable TVS to beef up its backward integration programme. This business initiative will further strengthen the IndusInd's position in the vehicle finance space.

H.S. Goindi, president, marketing, TVS Motor Company, remarked that the company was happy to be associated with the IndusInd Bank, as it will enhance the working capital of our dealers. “This tie-up opens new avenues of cooperation, including consumer finance arrangements, for two wheelers.”

Book released

A book titled "Transformation towards wellness" was today launched at VLCC on the occasion of anti-obesity day. The book was formally launched by Kawalpreet Brar, an ADC.

The anti-obesity day is observed by VLCC every year to educate people on the scourge of obesity and also to create awareness about its effects.

This year VLCC went a step ahead by launching the book for all age groups.

The book will serve as an encyclopedia and also contains real-life success stories as well as case studies, aimed at 
inspiring individuals to transit to a better lifestyle. The book was launched across the VLCC centres in India. 

Readers are invited to mail letters (not more than 200 words) at "ludhiana@tribunemail.com" or post the same to The Tribune, 1, 2 Improvement Trust Building, Badaur House, Clock Tower, Ludhiana.

Ludhiana, November 26
Hundreds of seats for B.Ed course lying vacant in Ludhiana will be filled by the colleges after pronouncement of orders by the Punjab and Haryana Court.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Khushwinder Kumar, principal, BCM College of Education, said the college had sanctioned 280 seats, out which 180 seats had already been filled before the ruling of the court. Now, for the remaining 100 seats, they had received 190 admission forms to fill the seats on merit basis. The eligibility criteria of minimum 45 per cent marks at graduation level would be maintained. The fee charges would be Rs 35,000 as fixed by the university.

Bhutta College of Education, located at Bhutta village in Ludhiana district, has a total 300 seats. Informing this, Sonu Grewal, principal of the college, told this reporter that 153 seats were lying vacant with them. They had received 150 applications so far.

The principal added that the High Court had provided a good opportunity to the students to get admission in BEd.

Malwa Central College of Education, Ludhiana, the oldest college of education in Punjab, has 26 vacant seats, according to Gurdish Singh Grewal, secretary of the management committee. He said: "The total sanctioned strength of students is 250. We have received 200 admission forms, and we will select the candidates on merit basis. These seats fall under rural and scheduled caste categories. Ours is a government-aided college, and we charge Rs 29,000 annual fee per student.”

Dr Balwant Singh, principal, Partap College of Education, said they had 200 seats, out of which 60 seats were lying vacant.”

Commenting on the matter, Dr K. S. Aulakh, former vice-chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University and a senator of Punjab University, said: “Only about six months are left in the completion of the course and the practical training. What impact students will have during the six months’ period. With late admissions, the standard of education will suffer.”

Ludhiana, November 26
Eight top women hockey academies of the country will be vying for top honours in the XIIth All-India Mohinder Partap Singh Grewal Memorial Hockey Tournament scheduled to be held at Prithipal Singh Memorial AstroTurf Stadium, Punjab Agricultural University, from tomorrow till December 1.

The five-day tournament will be organised in memory of sarpanch Darshan Singh,vice-president of the organising committee. He is also one of the organisers of the Kila Raipur Sports Festival, popularly known as Rural Olympics.

According to D.S.Grewal, working president, Mohinder Partap Singh Grewal Memorial Charitable Trust, Ludhiana, teams that will take part in the tournament are the Northern Railway, Delhi, Western Railway, Mumbai, Central Railway, Mumbai, South Eastern Railway, Kolkata, Northeastern Railway, Gorakhpur, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, Chandigarh XI, Dhanoa XI Punjab, Amritsar XI, Chandigarh Academy and the MP Academy of Gwalior.

The tournament will be organised on the league-cum- knockout basis. The winners will get a cash prize of Rs 50,000 while the runners-up will pocket Rs 35,000 and the third position holders Rs 10,000. Team finishing at fourth place will get Rs 5,000.

Besides, cash prizes will also be given to the best player (Rs 10,000), highest scorer (Rs 5,000, highest scorer from penalty corners, minimum five goals Rs 5,000). A selection committee consisting of former international players like Ramandeep Singh Grewal, Gurbachan Singh Grewal, Pritpal Kaur Kohli and Pushpinder Kaur has been constituted for selecting the players.

International umpire and former hockey star, Saroj Bansal, has been appointed director of the tournament by the Indian Women's Hockey Federation. Former national and international hockey players like Pritpal Kaur, Sharanjit Kaur, Pushpinder Kaur, Aranjeet Kaur, Gurvinder Singh Grewal have been named judges while Sunita Pant, Suman Deshwal, Mohan Singh and Darshan Singh have been asked to do umpiring.

The inaugural match will be played on Wednesday at 2 pm. The Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, will take on MP Academy, Gwalior. Chander Shekhar, ADGP, Punjab, and senior vice-president of the Indian Hockey Federation will inaugurate the tournament while former Olympian and general secretary, Punjab Hockey Association, Surinder Singh Sodhi, will preside over the opening function.

Olympian Gurmail Singh and Arjuna awardee Rajvir Kaur will be the guest of honours, added Grewal. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, November 26
Gurbir Singh of Dehlon village, who brought laurels to the area by creating new records during the 16th IBSA National Sports Meet for Blind, was felicitated by sports associations and civic bodies of the area at his native village today.

Jagdeep Singh Bittu, member, block samiti, presided over the felicitation function, and Harpreet Singh Garcha, member, SGPC, was chief guest.

According to Sucha Singh, sarpanch, and convener of the function, Gurbir Singh had been declared fastest runner at the IBSA meet, held at Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana, recently. Clinching first positions in 100 m and 400 m races by completing the distances in 12.9 seconds and 1 minute and 3 seconds, respectively, he created two new records.

Gurbir Singh had earlier won gold medals in 100 m race at Delhi in 2006, and 100 m and 400 m race at Faridabad in 2007.

Applauding role of officials of the Punjab Sports Association in preparing Gurbir for sports, Garcha motivated the youth of the area to follow the sportsman, who had not let his disability become a hurdle in way of his progress.

"Gurbir, who hails from a middle-class family, brought laurels to the state despite his inability to see. Those who have been blessed with healthy physique should learn a lesson from him," said Garcha.

Ludhiana, November 26
Around 500 boys and girls’ participants drawn from 37 schools from five zones of India will be taking part in the CBSE National Handball Championship slated to be held here at Nankana Sahib Public School, the Gill road, from November 27 to 30.

More than 1,000 officials will be on duty to conduct the four-day event. Sports minister, Punjab, Gulzar Singh Ranike, will inaugurate the championship on Thursday while Pushkar Vohra, AEO, sports, CBSE, will be the guest of honour.