Ludhiana, August 22
Fifteen dyeing units, whose power connections were snapped by the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) following orders by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), heaved a sigh of relief with the restoration of electricity to these units today.

Officials of the board confirmed that connections were restored after getting an undertaking from the units.

Deputy Chief Engineer, PSEB, H.S.Randhawa said the connections were restored on a temporary basis — for three months. "The connections were restored on an undertaking that these consumers would fulfil the norms," said Randhawa.

The industrialists also thanked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for resolving the stalemate between the PPCB and the units.

Federation of Dyeing Associations president T.R.Mishra said the step of the government had saved the units from huge losses. He said the demand of industrialists was genuine. "Earlier, we were discharging the polluted water directly into the Budda Nullah, but now it is being discharged through the Municipal Corporation's Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). The Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) level could now be raised to 100 from the existing 30. But the PPCB’s demand like Zero Discharge is not acceptable to the industry," said Mishra.

A team of PPCB and CPCB officials had visited the city yesterday to get the feedback on the installation of the common effluent treatment plant (CETP) following the meeting of industrialists with the Chief Minister recently. The Chief Minister also assured that the CETP would be installed in the city within a year.

Ludhiana, August 22
The Deputy Commissioner's efforts to install gates on road leading to Guru Nanak Bhawan have proved futile as the road is still being used for parking private buses.

The gates were installed just a few days back after a city resident, Sukhminder Grewal, submitted a complaint to the DC seeking his intervention.

In his complaint, Grewal had stated: “The road has been hijacked by transporters for parking purpose and gives an image of a mini-bus stand in the evening.”

“Besides, bus drivers roam around in a nearly-naked condition and areas residents, especially women, feel awkward. That's not all, as the bus drivers and cleaners use roadside walls as urinals and indulge in drinking during evenings frequently,” he has said. However, the DC’s instructions have not been implemented as parking of buses is still on despite installation of gates.

Talking to The Tribune, Grewal said, “The Punjabi Bhawan situated on the road is an important place as it's visited by ministers and laureates. The parked buses give a wrong impression to the visitors and bring a bad name for the city.”

Raghav, who often visits Guru Nanak Bhawan, said: “We heaved a sigh of relief when we saw these gates installed on the road. But things have not changed.”

Ludhiana, August 22
Following a stay on issuing of permits to auto-rickshaws by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Ludhiana Auto-rickshaw Association has decided to go on strike on August 25.

The association has said that no auto-rickshaw will ply on Tuesday from 6 am to 7 pm. The association has also decided to submit a demand charter to the Deputy Commissioner.

Union president Madan Lal Bhambook said: “The High Court orders have been interpreted wrongly by the DTO office. The orders state that no new permits should be issued to auto-rickshaws operating on diesel and kerosene. However, the DTO has even stopped renewing the old permits which is causing harassment to us.”

“We have decided to go on strike and no three-wheeler would ply on city roads on Tuesday from 6 am to 7 pm. The decision has been taken keeping in mind future of hundreds of families who are dependent on auto-rickshaws to make their two ends meet,” said union members.

Warning the district transport officer, members of the union said: “We will stage a dharna against the district administration at the mini-secretariat on August 25 if permits are not renewed.” 

Ludhiana, August 22
The reserved polling staff for ward number 57 bypoll had to face a lot of harassment today due to the apathetic attitude of the district administration.

More than 50 in number, they had been sitting in the Bachat Bhawan since 9 am without any facility or instructions from the district administration about how long they had to wait.

The harassed persons said, “We were called for duty and had reported here before 9 am. We had been sitting like this since morning and no officer had come up to give us instructions as to till what time we had to wait for further commands.”

“We all belong to different departments like irrigation, PWD, education, etc. and cannot afford to leave the premises because we would be marked absent. But even sitting idle without any intimation, as to how long the process is going to take has completely irked us,” said one of the harassed persons, who also complained that the district administration not even offered them water.

They complained, “We were not even asked water, what to talk about refreshments. We cannot even leave the premises to have lunch or anything fearing that we would be marked absent in case the senior officials come.”

“We were informed at 2 pm that an attendance would be taken at 3.30 pm and no word came after that,” they added.

The staff said, “We were ill-treated even during the rehearsals on August 17 and 19.”

Interestingly, when Deputy Commissioner-cum-district electoral officer Vikas Garg was asked about the harassment being met out to the reserved staff, he showed ignorance into the matter.

“It's their duty. Rest you can speak to ADC (D) Davinder Singh, as he has been deputed as the additional district electoral officer,” said Vikas Garg, who has been deputed by the State Election Commission to ensure fair bypolls of ward number 57 scheduled for tomorrow.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 22
Office-bearers and activists of the CPI and the CPM held a meeting at Chhappar village, near here, in protest against the rising prices of essential commodities .

They resolved to launch a joint struggle against escalating prices of essential commodities at the Chhappar conference scheduled to be organised in the first week of September. The meeting was presided over by Baldev Singh Latala and Kartar Singh Buani and Sukhwinder Singh, general secretaries of the CPI and the CPM, led their respective jathas. Speakers said the prices of essential commodities like pulses, flour and others were increasing rapidly, making it difficult for the common man to survive.

They pointed out that UPA leaders, including chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had claimed to provide relief to the “aam admi” (the common man), but had failed to keep the promise. They alleged that the government was looking after the interest of corporate houses alone, while the common man was left to suffer.

The activists also expressed concern over rising unemployment in the nation.

The organisers claimed that the campaign against rising prices had received a warm response from people of the area.

Sikandar Singh Jartoli, Teja Singh Waraich, Shiv Ratan, Sital Singh Kalakh, Jagga Singh, Bagga Singh Dhulkot, Gopal Krishan, Nachhattar Singh Dehliz, Avtar Singh Maholi, Darshan Singh Roshiana, Tirlochan Singh and Mukhtiar Singh Raekot, office-bearers of various units, were present.

Ludhiana, August 22
A large number of doctors from Punjab along with 55 Indian and multinational companies dealing in healthcare products are participating in “International Health Expo and Conferences” in Ludhiana.

Dr Yash Sharma, president, IMA, Punjab, inaugurated the health expo today. The show has 75 participants from all over the country and has already received confirmations from over 5,300 doctors.

A “healthy baby show” and “meet the experts” have been scheduled for tomorrow. Eminent specialists from the field of ENT, cancer, orthopaedics, general medicine, surgery, neurology and cardiology will offer their services to patients free of cost tomorrow at Perfect Palace (Samrala Chowk), the venue of health expo from 12 noon to 6 pm.

The ENT specialists include Dr Arun Mitra, Dr P. S. Jassal, Dr Narinder Vermat and Dr Sanjiv Uppal. Cancer specialists include Dr Varhist, Dr Satish Jain and Dr D.S. Sandhu. Dr J.L. Bassi, Dr H.S. Kang, Dr B.S. Hunjan and Dr Ajay are on the panel of orthopaedic experts. For general medicine and surgery, Dr D.P.S Arora, Dr Karanvir Goel, Dr Pritpal, Dr Mohanpal Sadana, Dr Gaurav Sachdeva and Dr I.S. Bagga will examine the patients. Neurologists Dr Sobti, Dr Yash Pal and Dr Arun Dhanuka would also be present on the occasion.

The expo will give an opportunity to people to consult cardiologists like Dr Kulwant, Dr Brij Badan, Dr Bishav Mohan, Dr N Sood and Dr S.S. Sibia, who would be present on August 23.

Besides, a blood donation camp will also be held at the venue on August 23 and 24, said Dr Harish Arora, CEO, Paramount Exhibitors. “This is the second such health expo that Paramount Exhibitors is holding. We decided to bring the show to Ludhiana after receiving an exceptional response at Chandigarh in February this year,” he added.

Corporate presentations by manufacturers and suppliers of medical, diagnostic, laboratory, pharmaceuticals, nutraceutical, biotechnological and physiotherapy equipment are also being planned at the venue. 

Ludhiana, August 22
Heart patients afraid of surgery have a reason to cheer as a complete solution from diagnosis to treatment without anaesthesia, wires, tubes, cuts or scars is now possible.

Cardiovascular cartography, a FDA (USA) and CE (Europe) approved medical device uses electrodes, sensors and transducers to collect huge amount of data from the body, using the principle of electrical impedance, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring and turbulences.

Dr Sibia, medical director of Sibia Medical Centre (an exhibitor at the international health expo) said based on the CCG report, external counter pulsation (ECP) and artery clearance therapy (ACT) are possible without the fear of surgery. ACT consists of chelation therapy, antioxidants, nutrients, lifestyle and stress management.

He urged the heart patients to come forward for the "less lengthy" and "safer" treatment which can enable them to lead a healthy life.

Ludhiana, August 22
More than 150 delegates participated and deliberated on issues pertaining to obstetric haemorrhage in a “CME on obstetrical haemorrhage” organised by the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, DMCH, today.

Dr Alka Satija (associate professor of obstetrics and gynae departments) welcomed the dignitaries and the participating delegates. Principal of DMCH Dr Daljit Singh, along with Dr BK Gill (professor and head of obstetrics and gynae departments), along with Dr L Dhaliwal (professor and head of obstetrics and gynae departments, PGIMER, Chandigarh, and president of FOGSI North-Zone) inaugurated the programme by lighting the ceremonial lamp.

Dr Daljit Singh applauded the role of department of obstetrics and gynae in organising the CME and said DMCH, being a a major tertiary care centre in the region, has all the adequate facilities to treat patients with obstetrical haemorrhage.

In her address to the audience, Dr BK Gill emphasised the importance of management of obstetrical haemorrhage and said there had been so many modalities available nowadays to treat such type of patients.

During the CME, the speakers mentioned that Thalassemia is a major problem in this part of the country, affecting nearly six per cent of the population in Punjab. Therefore, a stress was laid upon the pre-marital diagnosis of the problem.

Dr Veena Jain, Dr Marry Abraham and Dr Sunita Goyal were the chairpersons.

The topics covered during the scientific sessions include obstetrical haemorrhage, an overview, anaesthesia included obstetrical haemorrhage, management of obstetrical haemorrhage, role of uterine artery embolisation, role of blood component therapy, pre-natal diagnosis, ovulation induction and sperm preparation and various other topics.

Ludhiana, August 22
Sitting by the roadside in the scorching sun, mixing weedicide solution with naked hands and exposed nose and mouth, Shreedhar and Pawan Kumar are oblivious of the fact how this slow poison is taking a toll on their health.

Unaware of the consequences and without any protective gear, the workers spray the chemicals on the excessive wild growth around the PAU campus.

When asked, the duo revealed that they had been facing various health problems without any protective gear. The most common problem was drowsiness they faced after every spraying session, besides frequent bouts of cold and cough.

The two are not the only ones facing a serious risk to their health. There are numerous other such workers engaged by the PAU authorities for spraying such chemicals on the varsity campus.

The workers revealed that though they had been trained in the mixing and spraying processes by the officials concerned, they had not been provided with any mask or gloves by them. "None of us are given any mask or gloves to carry out the spraying process neither are we provided with any medicated soap or disinfectant to clean our hands and bodies after the operation," said a worker.

What is shocking is that the authorities of one of the country's finest agriculture universities is putting the lives of these workers to a grave risk.

Unfortunately, while on one hand, the university scientists prescribe medicines and precautions for crops as well as farmers, on the other, the authorities have failed to provide even the basic protective apparatus to these workers.

Listing the harmful affects of various weedicides and insecticides, Dr Anureet Gill, a senior consultant, department of medicine, Apollo Hospital, Ludhiana, termed these as being poisonous and extremely harmful for the health.

"These weedicides are organo-phosphorus poison and can cause serious respiratory and breathing problems among those dealing with them directly, besides various skin diseases. Prolonged exposure can also lead to unconsciousness and poisoning," Dr Gill remarked.

Ludhiana, August 22
With the department of health and family welfare sounding an alert against dengue, the Gurmat Gyan Charitable Trust has offered the services of 100 students of Gurmat Gyan Missionary College to assist the anti-larvae wing.

The anti-larvae wing will set up teams with the help of students and visit high-risk areas to detect and destroy the larvae of Aedes mosquito.

The students, as promised by the trust, will work round the clock with the anti-larvae wing to save the city from the impending danger of dengue.

Ironically, the municipal corporation, which had promised to depute 40 persons to help the anti-larvae wing, has deputed only 38 persons for the purpose.

With the city having witnessed its worst dengue outbreak in 2008, a team from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme had visited the city recently followed by detection and destruction campaign of larvae of Aedes mosquito.

Thereafter, zonal malaria officer from Patiala Dr Satish Chander has taken control of the “anti-dengue campaign” thereby destroying Aedes mosquito and its larvae in various localities in the city and its peripheries.

However, presence of larvae and mosquito in abundance has added to the worries of the officials as Dr Chander said, “The delayed rains have given us time to take maximum preventive measures but the situation will be difficult to tackle soon after the rains.”

District health officer (DHO) Dr SS Dhir, while appreciating the role of the trust, said: “The army of 100 students with the anti-larvae wing will enable us to tackle the situation to a large extent. Other NGOs too should come forward for such noble causes.”

Trust members have been given special certificates for helping the health department to deal with patients during camps organised in Gurmat Gyan Missionary College following the recent gastroenteritis outbreak in Punjabi Bagh.

Jagraon, August 22
The midday meal scheme, which was launched to draw children to school, has always been in the news for one reason or another.

Sometimes the ration supply meant for the beneficiary schools never reaches them, sometimes the ration is rotten and sometimes they are sold in the open market. Moreover, the problem of cooking has not been redressed till date.

This time the ration supply to Government Primary School, Agwar Gujjran, here has not been made for the past few days, although the demand has already been placed with the department concerned.

The school students in the recess period were today seen standing in a queue at a langar in the area to satisfy their hunger. Interestingly, they had gone to the langar with the permission of school teachers.

Block Primary Education Officer Mohinder Singh Kamalpura, when contacted, confessed that the ration had finished and a fresh demand for it had already been placed. Once they got the ration, the meal would be distributed among the schools who are out of stock. 

Ludhiana, August 22
PAU department of business management organised a welcome function in the Faculty Club yesterday. The function was presided over by Dr VR Parsad, dean, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities.

In his remarks, Dr Parsad said PAU had an academic environment and competent faculty, from which the students could learn.

He wished the students a happy stay in the university. Head of the department Dr YP Sachdeva welcomed the students and said they could benefit from the professional training that they would obtain at PAU.

The students presented group dances, skits, mono acting and western dance. Many one-minute games were also organised for the newbies.

Those who participated in the function included the faculty members of the department and students of MBA and MBA (Agri Business).

Jagraon, August 22
Thieves struck at Government Primary School of Gidderwindi village near Sidhwan Bet last night.

School in charge Davinder Singh said when he came to the school in the morning, he found the locks of the school broken. On inquiry, he found a computer, two gas cylinders (to be used for midday meals), and utensils missing from the school.

In another incident, the patwarkhana (revenue office) of Tihara village was found burgled. Though the exact loss could not be ascertained, as the office was having the revenue records of six nearby villages since 1989, patwari of the area said it would take some time to learn, which records had been missing from the office.

Patwari Bhupinder Singh said when in the morning, Satnam Singh, the watchman, came to the office, he found the office open and the records from the gunny bags had been spread all over the office.

Some files were torn also. He said he called him and narrated the incident. The thieves seemed to be in search of some specific records and had broken the locks of iron almirah kept in the office to store the records. He said he had discovered some files missing.

In both cases, the Sidhwan Bet police was informed immediately. 

Ludhiana, August 22
In order to revamp the education in Punjab, the education department has decided to observe the academic year, 2009-10, as the qualitative education year. The main stress will be on improving the quality of teaching and learning in the schools throughout the year.

According to official sources of the director general schools education (DGSE), Punjab, the performance of the teachers and students would be monitored regularly. Monthly tests have been made mandatory and the Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA) meeting has also been made compulsory every month. The school heads will inform the parents of the students in advance and apprise them of the performance of their wards in the monthly tests.

Daily diary of the students will be maintained and checked by the class teachers and school heads. There will be surprise checking of the schools and teams comprising the teachers from subjects of mathematics, science, social studies, English, Punjabi, Hindi and computer will inspect 30 schools at the district level and inspection report will be submitted to the DGSE every month.

The schools will also organise competitions. The official spokesperson disclosed that the teachers would concentrate on teaching and would not perform the duties of collecting the funds.

Ludhiana, August 22
Recognising his contribution towards guarding rights of workmen of the State Bank of India and rehabilitation of hundreds of bank employees from Kashmir valley, activists of the State Bank of India Staff Association, felicitated ON Bindru, president of the State Bank of India (SBI) Staff Federation, at a function held at Rani Jhansi road here on Friday.

The felicitation function was presided over by Dharam Chand Landran, deputy general secretary of the association, and Sanjiv Bandlish, DGS (Headquarter) was the chief guest.

Appreciating Bindur’s exceptional role in protecting rights of workmen of the SBI and members of their families, various speakers, including Landran, Bandlish, KK Sabharwal and DS Bawa, said, under his leadership, the staff had achieved greater heights.

Bindru, National president of the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation and chief secretary of the SBI Staff Association (seven circles) joined the bank as a temporary cashier in a village in Kashmir in 1970 and will be retiring as general secretary of the Chandigarh Circle of the Association on superannuation of his service on August 31. He served the union on various posts of responsibility during his 39 years of active service.

Inder Pal Singh, Harbir Singh, Iqbal Singh, KK Marwaha, Gurjit Kaur, Shashi Bala, Kusum Lata, R K Mahajan, Paramjit Kaur, and Mohinder Jit Kaur, office bearers of various units were present on the occasion.

Ludhiana, August 22
Setting the stage on fire, cute Minissha Lamba walked the ramp last evening at the Sutlej Club wearing exquisite collections designed by designers Mandira Wirk and Vikram Phadnis.

Other than Minissha, top models also walked down the ramp in colourful and fascinating costumes designed by the top-notch designers.

The crème of Ludhiana cheered the scintillating beauty when she first appeared in an outfit designed by Mandira Wirk’s and then came the turn to showcase Vikram’s creations. She can walk the ramp as easily as she can give a take during a film shoot. She was the showstopper.

Minissha likes acting more than modelling and acting is dearer to her heart. Both trades need different type of orientation but acting before the camera is a difficult task compared to walking down the ramp.

She does not consider walking down the ramp a difficult job.

The name of Mandira Wirk has become a household brand in India, Europe and, increasingly, in Southeast Asia these days, especially among young people who seek out fusion fashions, which are affordable. Wirk was never trained as a designer - her talent for colour and form were innate.

By the age of 20, when most young people are still scratching about in search of a career, Wirk had already set up her own fashion line.

She represents a new generation of ambitious and resourceful Asians, who blend creative skills with marketing savvy in this age of growing globalisation.

Vikram Phadnis, often referred as Bollywood’s ace designer, started his career as a choreographer before rising to the fame as a fashion designer. Besides his passion for design, Vikram is a stylist also, making celebrities of today what they are - right from their wardrobe to their hair design and their make up, taking full responsibility of their complete look. His streak was also visible in yesterday’s fashion show.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 22
A family of Dholan village in Ludhiana district has demanded a probe into the death of their daughter, who according to them was allegedly murdered by her in-laws at Kharar last night.

Though the woman is suspected to have died due to strangulation before midnight, her parents were informed at around 10 am today. “Had we not insisted for post-mortem of the body that had injury marks, she could have been cremated before noon,” alleged the victim’s parents.

Accusing the authorities at Kharar of trying to shield the accused, Narinder Loomba, father of the deceased, has urged the Chief Minister and the Director General of Police to order a high-level probe into sequence of events leading to his daughter’s death.

According to Loomba, his daughter, Uma, was married to Dr Amrinder Singh of Kharar around 10 years back. The couple had two sons. Things were normal for many years till Amrinder changed his lifestyle and started ignoring Uma. She was allegedly tortured whenever she asked her husband to mend his ways, he alleged.

“Though I am yet to confirm if they ever harassed her for bringing more dowry, she was not happy with the behaviour of her husband and other members of his family. As we never apprehended such a consequence, we were shocked when we were informed today that our daughter had died,” said Loomba, alleging that Amrinder and his parents could not explain presence injury marks on her neck and other parts of the body. Loomba said the post-mortem should be video-graphed.

Ludhiana, August 22
Local lad Sahil Sharma prevailed over his city mate Sahil Nayyar to emerge as champion in the sub-junior section on the penultimate day of the Punjab Open Snooker Tournament being held at Sutlej Club here today.

The final turned out to be a keenly contested affair. Sahil Sharma wrapped up the first frame quite comfortably (70-32). However, in the second frame, Sahil Nayyar fought valiantly before giving, which cost him the match.

In the senior category, top seed Dharminder Lilly, along with second seed Dhruv Verma, Ashish Dhanda, Nitin Gupta and Aayush Kumar came out triumphant in their respective matches to advance in to the quarterfinals.

Top two players in each category from this tournament will represent Punjab in the forthcoming National Billiards and Snooker Championship to be held at Agra from September 14 to October 4.

Results: Seniors: Aayush Kumar bt Gurinder Gulati 3-2; Sidharth Sharma bt Rajat Kaura 3-2; Nitin Gupta bt Amit Yadav 3-2; Harman bt Gaurav Joshi 3-1; Navmeet Malhotra bt Raman 3-0; Anmoldeep Singh bt Roxy 3-1; Sumit Sethi bt Deepu 3-1; Vivek Chopra bt Ankit Jairath 3-0; Bobby Juneja bt Bharat Joshi 3-2; Harman bt Ramesh Gautam 3-2; Sidharth Sharma bt Rana 3-2; Dharminder Lilly bt Hitesh 3-1; Himanshu bt Sunny 3-2; Amit Yadav bt Navneet Malhotra 3-0; Gurvinder Gulati bt Sumit Sethi 3-0; Dheeraj Soi bt Bobby Juneja 3-0;

Dhruv Verma bt Sidharth Sharma 3-1; Ashish Dhanda bt Harman 3-0; Anmoldeep Singh bt Arun Chabbra 3-1.

Juniors (semi final league): Aayush Kumar bt Kunwardeep Singh 4-0; Kunwardeep Singh bt Anmoldeep Singh 4-2; Kunwardeep Singh bt Rishu 4-2.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 22
The management committee of Anand Isher Senior Secondary School, Chhappar, felicitated members of the under-17 and the under-19 football teams of the school, which emerged winners and runners-up, respectively, during the District School Football Tournament that concluded at Ludhiana recently.

The under-17 team of Anand Isher School (Kila Raipur Zone) beat Government High School, Pawat, in the final match played yesterday. Both the field goals were converted by Harmandeep Kaur, captain of the team.

The under-19 team of the school won the silver medal. It lost to eves of the Raikot Public School (Raikot Zone).

Kartar Singh, Director of the school, and Ritu Sharma, principal, felicitated the players.

Ludhiana, August 22
The PAU Zone I defeated Ludhiana Zone II by three wickets to emerge as champions in the final of the Inter-Zonal Cricket Tournament (U-14) organised by the district education department at SDP College for Women near the Daresi ground here today.

The Ludhiana Zone II batsmen could not survive for full quota of 20 overs, as they were all out for 58 runs after 16.3 overs.

Ishaan top scored with 22 runs, followed by Gagan and Paras, who made six and seven runs, respectively.

For the PAU Zone I, Nikhil and Love Dewedi were pick of the bowlers. Nikhil sent down four overs and gave away 11 runs for his haul of four wickets, while Love Dewedi took two wickets for four runs.

In reply, the PAU Zone I scored 59 runs for the loss of seven wickets and romped home victorious.

For the winners, Jai (9), Nimit (6), Love (5) and Varinder Pal (5) were the main scorers. For the Ludhiana Zone II, Amrinder secured three wickets for 25 runs in four overs and Ishaan grabbed two wickets for 11 runs in as many overs.