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276 health workers shown the door
Ludhiana, August 31 The members of the Coordination Committee of Paramedical and Health Employees, Punjab, and the Health Employees Union today staged a protest in front of the Civil Surgeon office today. The workers (female) were employed under the NRHM in November 2008 out of which 230 were relieved today without any prior notice. The multipurpose workers were elemental in creating awareness amongst rural masses on vital health issues, including motivation amongst rural men for non-scalpel vasectomy (NSV). Rued Maninder, one of the employees ousted from Sahnewal Primary Health Centre: “We were not given any information about our removal till the NSV camp was in progression at Sahnewal today otherwise we would have taken back our cases.” Employees’ unions have asked the government to reinstate the workers or give them the salaries for September as compensation against minimum notice period. Amarjit Singh Pandher, the co-convener of Coordination Committee of Paramedical and Health Employees, Punjab, said the organisation heads would meet the Secretary, Health, and the officials of the NRHM. He said the multipurpose workers had failed to get their salaries for the past four months adding: “It is unjust as many of these women were the bread earners for their families.” Meanwhile, Civil Surgeon Dr Maninderjit Singh appreciated the efforts paramedical staff, multipurpose health workers (female) and other health employees for conducting 260 NSVs at a special camp organised at Primary Health Centre, Sahnewal.
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Allotment of fire cracker stalls
Ludhiana, August 31 Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg has invited applications for the allotment of stalls from the interested parties. The administration has identified several sites including Dana Mandi, Pakhowal Road, Model Town Extension, Urban Estate Phase-II, Dugri, Sector 39-A, BRS Nagar, Haibowal Fire Station, Shimlapuri, Tajpur Road, Government College for Boys and Girls, Rajguru Nagar, Polytechnic College, where the stalls would be put up. The applicants would have to deposit a security amount of Rs 10,000 per stall for a stall in Dana Mandi and Rs 5,000 for shops in all other areas. The refundable draft would have to be prepared in the name of District Magistrate, Ludhiana. It is for the first time that the stalls would be allotted through the draw of lots. Last year, former Deputy Commissioner Sumer Singh Gurjar had got embroiled in a controversy. Deputy Speaker, Vidhan Sabha, Satpal Gosain, had levelled allegations that Gurjar had accepted kickbacks for allotting the stalls. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had himself ordered an inquiry into the case and assigned Patiala divisional commissioner J.S. Bir to look into the allegations. Later, Gurjar was transferred out of city.
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Buses at Harsimrat's service impounded
Ludhiana, August 31 Nearly 100 buses were impounded by the transport department to help people from Jails Minister Hira Singh Gabria's assembly segment to reach the venue of the cultural fair that was to be addressed by Harsimrat. So as to make it a show of strength, local Akali leaders were asked to bring in supporters. About 50 large and 50 mini buses were used to ferry them. The operators were neither paid any money nor given any fuel. They could not carry passengers throughout the day and were forced to ply buses without getting anything in return. ‘‘It happens everytime. The ruling party always misuses its power. We were asked yesterday to line up buses for the function. Or else we were threatened of dire consequences, if we failed to do so,’’ said a transporter. He said they had started ferrying residents since morning and could not send the buses on daily routes. The entry of so many buses into the city caused chaos in the city. Besides these buses, many other vehicles lined up to reach the mela venue. The traffic went haywire. Serpentine queues of vehicles could be seen on the roads throughout the day as the traffic cops had a tough time managing it. The slush on the roads due to last night's rains compounded the problem. It became difficult to pass through the slushy roads. ‘‘I reached the Lodhi Club from the elevated road in more than an hour. The situation was bad. The traffic was moving at a snail's pace. I was all set to miss my appointment,’’ said Harsh Kumar, a resident. |
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Rain leaves many areas inundated
Ludhiana, August 31 The angry commuters said, "This market is one of the posh areas in the city and yet the civic body has failed to find a solution for ailing drainage system in this area. The stock exchange, main branches of several banks, the Ludhiana Improvement Trust and various other important offices are situated here but the civic body has failed to find a solution for waterlogging." Rakhi, who works in an office, said, "It’s already a risk to ride two-wheelers during the rains and when you see water between the path joining parking area and the office, it makes travelling worse."
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36 found stealing power
Ludhiana, August 31 Deputy chief engineer of City East circle HS Randhawa said almost 80 officials and supporting staff, drawn from CMC, City Central and Sunder Nagar divisions were summoned at the Focal Point divisional office. Teams of three or four persons were formed and these were assigned the task of carrying out inspection of energy meters and other installations in specific areas. The inspection by the PSEB staff on the premises of more than 450 domestic and commercial consumers in Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Partap Nagar, Ram Nagar, Gobind Colony, Bank Colony, Aman Nagar, HM colony and HE colony led to the discovery of 31 kundi connections or meter bypass and five others using unauthorised load diverting power to other category (domestic to commercial) than for which it was sanctioned. According to Randhawa, demand notices for a penalty of Rs 2.43 lakh had been served on consumers charged with power theft and a penalty of Rs 35,000 has been imposed for use of unauthorised load or other irregularities.
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Woman stabbed to death in
Haibowal
Ludhiana, August 31 The deceased has been identified as Chanda Rani (40), a migrant from Uttar Pradesh, who had been residing here for the past 12 years with her two daughters and a son at a rented apartment in Hargobind Nagar after her husband's death. The incident took place this morning when accused Purshotam Singh, following a heated argument, stabbed in the abdomen of Chanda Rani and fled the spot. She was immediately rushed to the hospital, but doctor declared her brought dead. According to her elder daughter Neelam, Purshotam was trying to develop illicit relation with the her. Chanda objected to it and even declined Purshotam's proposal of marrying her daughter. Agitated over the refusal, Purshotam entered Chanda's house this morning and after a heated argument, Purshotam stabbed Chanda and fled. The police later arrested him while he was trying to leave the city by bus. |
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Youth commits suicide
Ludhiana, August 31 The deceased has been identified as Anoop Panday (20), who recently migrated here from Uttar Pradesh in search for job. The incident came to light this morning when residents a Maha Laxmi colony headed for work and found the door bolted from inside. Finding no response, the resident broke open the door and found him hanging with a ceiling fan. According to the residents, Anoop used to remain depressed as he had failed to find a suitable job. Further, the family back home was seeking monitory support from him. No suicide letter has been found from the deceased. |
Function marks college foundation day
Doraha, August 31 The chief guest of the function was Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, chairman, Punjab Mandi Board, who recalled the selfless devotion and exemplary services by Dr Ishwar Singh to Doraha in general and the college and school in articular. He congratulated the management, principal, staff and the students for organising such the cultural extravaganza. He directed the boys to shun all negative addictions in order to channelise their energies towards positive thoughts and actions in order to be in race with the female students who, he opined, are making their mark in almost every field. General secretary of the college management committee Balwant Singh Pangli spoke on the contribution of the founder president to the college and the entire town.He relived the services of the late founder president and the multi-faceted role he played of a physician, educationist, social worker, politician and philanthropist till his last breath. Dr Narinder Singh Sidhu, principal of the college, introduced the chief guest and extended a warm welcome to all dignitaries. A play composed by Prof Balwant Singh Pangali and directed by Prof Sompal Heera, “So Kiyon Manda Aakhiye” was especially staged on the occasion. Apart from this, solo songs, group folk song and group dances were also performed. The chief guest was honoured by the college.
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Seminar on genes, genetic diversity
Ludhiana, August 31 He gave a seminar on “Genes and genetic diversity” for faculty members and students. Dr Ahloowalia highlighted the contributions of Nikolai Vavilov, a Russian explorer geneticist and agronomist, who identified eight distinct centres of origins of crop plants from his worldwide explorations. Vavilov also found thatthere was co evolution of pests in the centres of origin and gave a law of parallel homologous series. Dr Ahloowalia highlighted the role of germ plasm in sustaining agriculture in Punjab. He also said collection of germ plasm of various crops like wheat, rice, maize, cotton, citrus and vegetables was important. “Like national and international gene banks, there is a strong need to set up regional or private gene banks also,” he said adding that Punjab, which was considered to be agriculturally progressive did not have any gene bank for crops so far. He said PAU could play an active role by establishing the gene bank with the financial support of the state government or the Central government. Such gene banks will be useful in future research aimed at developing resistance against biotic stresses such as leaf rust and stem rust of wheat, bacterial blight of rice and abiotic stress such as heat tolerance in wheat. The gene bank will also help in achieving objectives of rapid crop growth and developing seedless citrus similar to seedless papaya, watermelon and grapes. Further, such a gene bank will also help in future for developing designer crops such as golden rice, high-protein potatoes, high lycopene tomatoes and rice and wheat varieties with greater water use efficiency.
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City lad is ‘ihunk’ north zone winner
Ludhiana, August 31 Ludhiana lad Ansh has been fortunate enough and is declared the winner of the north zone of ihunk held through ibibo.com. Amongst the gamut of talent driven and promoting contests, ibibo's ihunk was the contest-based application where budding male models showcased their talent. An alumnus of KVM School, he always had an inclination towards modelling and acting. “It was one day when while roaming in the Sector 17 market in Chandigarh, Jeet Brar, owner of one of the modelling agencies, offered me to work with him. I modelled for INIFD and since then there was no looking back,” he quipped. Apart from modeling, he also has a passion for theatre. He is a disciple of Nirmal Rishi and feels that it is the theatre, which satisfies one's inner instinct. “There are no retakes in the theatre and one has to give its best shot at first place. Although the theatre satisfies the soul but not the pocket. I will like to work in the serial and films as well, as money lies in the films,” he said. Coming to Ludhiana, Ansh feels that people in the city have changed a lot over the years. Lot of youngsters from the city has made it to the Bollywood and small screen. “The taste of the people has also undergone a change and they are also accepting the theatre with time,” he felt. Ansh has kept his fingers crossed and will shortly work in a serial and will also explore the opportunities in Bollywood.
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Bank shifts branch
Ludhiana, August 31 The bank regional head and deputy general manager NK Chauhan inaugurated the branch. Chauhan in a press note today said the Oriental Bank of Commerce with its 1471 branches and extension counters along with 863 ATMs was marching ahead with the latest technologies and offering anywhere banking and Internet banking facilities to its customers. “The business of the bank has crossed Rs 1,75,000 crore, as at present Ludhiana region’s contribution is around Rs 4,000 crore with a network of 52 branches/ECs and 16 ATMs. The bank has targeted to cross the total business of Rs 2,00,000 crore by March, 2010.
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Training course for self-help groups
Ludhiana, August 31 During the training, participants were imparted training on preservation of fruits and vegetables and preparation of various nutritious snacks, soft toys, education play material, tie and dye, fabric painting, eco-friendly cleaners and detergents. The training was imparted by extension specialists of College of Home Science. In the concluding function, Dr D.S. Dhillon, director of extension education, motivated the participants to take up these enterprises on commercial scale to increase their family income. Death
mourne
PAU Vice-Chancellor Manjit Singh Kang mourned the demise of a former director of Agriculture, Punjab, Dr Sukhjit Singh Sandhu, today. He described Dr Sandhu as a well wisher of the varsity as he provided an environment of better scientific coordination between state-level functionaries and PAU experts. Dr Sandhu was a PAU alumnus and died in
Chandigarh.
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Foundation stone laid
Ludhiana, August 31 The idol, which will be 100 ft high, will be completed in one year's time. The estimated cost of the idol will be Rs 15 lakh. ‘Food without fire’
Food without fire activity was organised at Bal Bharati Public School for its pre-primary wing i.e. Nursery, Mont-I and Mont-II. Tiny tots prepared delicacies like mouth-watering coconut laddoos, healthy sprout salads, sumptuous fruit cream, fruit pudding, fruits in yogurt dip and different types of chapatti rolls. All recipes were based on the concept of no flame and no fire. Children enjoyed preparing different recipes, as they enjoyed and learned more by doing.
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Sealing Drive
Ludhiana, August 31 While the political intervention is the main reason attributed by the corporation officials for their "dumbness," one is really amused will things be ever set right in Ludhiana? With almost every commercial and residential areas having scores of building bylaws violation, if the civic body fails to act now, the city will soon become a place which could be never corrected. According to information, various commercial establishments like Madhok Tower, Sandhu Complex on Ferozepore Road, almost every shop in Ghumar Mandi, Brand Road in Model Town, various buildings like Nikkamal Jewellers, Capital Plaza, etc on Mall Road are just a few examples of it. The similar situation is in residential areas like Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Model Town, Gurdev Nagar, etc which calls for immediate intervention. These constructions which are being flouted with impunity and worsened the living conditions in the city are the result of functioning of the MC. Senior officers said, "The last sealing drive was held during the tenure of Municipal Commissioner Vikas Pratap and the action would have been a great lesson, but due to political masters’ directions to return the keys, it proved to be a damp squab." "We can undertake such a step only on the directions of the Municipal Commissioner and when he himself is not ready for any such action, what can we do. The only instructions which we get from him these days are either to demolition shanties or small constructions," added the officers. They said after Vikas Pratap, the corporation has never tried to catch upon any big fish and this has deterred their courage. "You need a strong administrator to take strict action, said the officers, adding that the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been rapping them for it.
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Animal fair concludes
Jagraon, August 31 The Jagraon fair is a popular fair among the four held at Amritsar, Nabha and Muktsar, besides Jagraon. All horse lovers and its traders throughout Punjab and the nearby states visited these fairs either to sell or buy animals. Sukhjit Singh of Bhanohar Punjab village near here said visitors had valued his horse of Nukar breed at Rs 15 lakh, but he was not interested in selling, as he had kept the horse as a pet. Similarly, the mare of Balwant Singh of Barewal village was priced at Rs 17 lakh, but he again refused to sell his mare telling all prospective buyers that he was displaying the mare at the fair so that others could know the animals were not only reared for the sake of business. It is the passion for many. Ranjit Singh of Malleiana village near Daudhar said he had 10 acre of land and six horses. He said he was rearing horses and mares as a side business and if he calculated the annual profit from both occupations, rearing of horses was more profitable. Simarjit Singh of Surjewala village in Muktsar said he had brought 18 horses to the fair out of which 10 were sold on the prices ranging from Rs 15,000 for a colt to Rs 1.25 lakh for a grown up horse. The most interesting part of the fair was the dancing mares brought for sale. The owners and the mentors of these mares had to present their performances before the prospective buyers to get a good price. Sukhdev Singh, however, sadly maintained that these dancing mares were actually like their children. “People say that we are rearing them but it is not true. Actually these mares are rearing me and my family as I have no other job to do,” said Sukhdev Singh. He said he was selling them due to his financial crisis. Manjit Singh, one of the contractors of the animal fair, said people from far off places had brought about 4,000 animals to the fair this time. He said due to the lack of advertisements and promotional activities, the arrivals were less to the fair. He also advocated the business of rearing horses and mares, a good side business for the debt-ridden farmers, as it resulted to quick returns.
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Chhapar mela: A mega festival
Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 31 The organisers and vendors are busy in giving finishing touches to the preparations for the event commencing from Wednesday. As legend has it, a boy and a snake were born together in an agricultural family of Chhapar village. The serpent and the boy were so intimate that if one suffered a pain the other used to cry. One day, the mother had gone away in the fields after laying the child on a small cot. To save him from scorching sun, the snake stretched its hood. Mistaking the snake to be ready to bite, a passer-by killed it with his stick. The child died immediately after the death of the snake that left the family in a sorrow. The family was advised by the elders to worship Guga and Sidh and a he-goat was left free to mark the place of worship by striking at a particular place. The place was recognised as Mari Guga where people from all walks of life had been worshipping the Guga on fourth day of the month of Bhadas every year. The farmers of the Malwa recognise the fair to the extent that they change the agricultural chores according to the dates of the mela. People also narrate another story regarding second fair known as ‘minor Mela Chhapar’. At the beginning of the 20th century, the then maharaja of Patiala state was told to have banned the mela on the complaint by a few farmers. When a large number of his horses died due to a mysterious disease, the king announced to arrange ‘chhota mela’ after a month of the main event. According to another story, a ‘faqir’ had anchored a twig after cleaning his teeth. A local person uprooted the twig in a fun. The ‘faqir’ had then cursed the people of the local area that the place would witness a huge gathering, which would then be followed by a deserted look. Though originally the fair had started a small congregation of the devotees of Guga, it has now transformed into a big festival.
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Medical camps, langar stalls in place
Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 31 Hind Hospital, the Bharat Vikas Parishad and the CB Welfare Association will organise separate camps near the main gate of the Guga Mari and the police control room. “Besides providing first aid, the volunteers will shift patients to medical health care centres at local town and nearby cities,” said Tarsem Garg, convener of a camp. A number of valuable lives had been saved due to timely and prompt medical assistance by the organisers of the camps. A substantial number of drugged victims, who had become unconscious after consuming drug-laced ‘parsad’ given by some swindlers, besides other accident victims were saved due to easy availability of medical assistance. Bimal Kumar Sharma and Ravinder Puri, councillors, said a number of social organisations had finalised preparations for organising ‘langars’ and ‘chabeels’ at the mela site. — OC
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Old means of transport still in vogue
Recently, a strike by auto-rickshaws in the city forced people to turn back a little. When the auto-rickshaws were off the road, the age-old horse cart came to the rescue of people. The entire day, one was witness to the forgotten means of transport (see pic). Traffic blues
City residents’ traffic sense and driving abilities have infuriated quite a few on many occasions. A young newcomer to the city became the most recent victim of the jabs and stabs of fellow motorists when she stopped her vehicle at the traffic signal on a small crossing. Shocked at being called a “traffic hazard” by two motorcycle-borne youths, who accused her of causing a traffic jam by stopping at the red light, the girl was left wondering if following traffic rules in the city was an offence. Rabble rousers
Like every other major town and city in India, the industrial hub of the state also has its share of rabble-rousers who let go no opportunity to come out in protest against every conceivable issue, or even non-issues for that matter. In particular, these groups of cheap publicity-seekers target the religious issues, simply for their mass appeal and acceptability by a large majority of people. Be it a TV serial, word in print, a comic portrayal in a movie or a stage drama, these outfits will find out something which, they feel, poses a grave threat to religion, society or some specific group of population. They will then hold protests with both print and electronic media in attendance and have their statements and photographs splashed. Most of the times, the issues taken up by these groups defy all logic, but still the media piggybacks them without trying to put some sense into the minds of these persistent trouble-makers. Beggars' menace
The beggars have created a nuisance in the city. Starting from temples, they stop and follow you at public places, outside cinema halls, shopping malls etc but will not leave till you give them alms. The situation has worsened in recent times with sudden increase in number of children beggars. A priest at Dandi Swami temple has complained that a few children broke the windowpane of a devotee’s car when she refused to provide alms to them. Some beggar women tore-off clothes of another devotee when money was not given to them outside the temple. “The administration must provide relief by cracking a whip against beggars who indulge in drug-addiction after getting alms,” said an upset priest. The forgotten guest
Wedding ceremonies are a perfect time to get together. One gets to meet old friends, relatives, nears and dear ones. But at times these are times when one ends up annoying old friends. The process of sending invitations gets so long and stressing that one tends to forget important persons. A city resident recently had a taste of it when he forgot his hotelier friend whose hotel was used for his marriage party as a venue. The hotelier was seen everyday making arrangements but on the wedding day, he was missing. The host got angry and called him up only to find that he had forgotten to invite him. Minister on horse
Enthusiasm was writ large on the face of Hira Singh Gabria, the minister for jail, tourism and cultural affairs, Punjab, as he took a tour of the “Virasati mela Dhiyan Da” organised at Government College for Women by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Punjab Arts Council. But his enthusiasm faded with his prolonged visits at every stall, followed by his long conversations with the public which the party office-bearers termed as his “helplessness” for the minister had no option but to wait for Harsimrat Kaur Badal (referred to as Punjab sarakar di nooh). The minister had ample time to oblige his subordinates with every request as he even went to the extent of taking a ride on the ornamented horse that had a mischievous group of teenagers singing the famous jingle of the recent movie "Singh is Kinng". Pleasant weather and ‘samosas’
The weather in the city has become pleasant with showers lashing the city almost every day. With the advent of the rains, long queues in front of the ‘samosa’ shops are a common sight. Ludhianvis do not need a reason to celebrate. Simple reasons like rainfall or respite from the rain are enough. Even those who are on a strict diet plan do not resist eating the yummy Indian snack with a cuppa. Anjali, a regular gym goer, said she will run 10 minutes extra on the treadmill in the morning but could not resist the temptation of the hot samosas. Indians may have developed a taste for pizzas and burgers, but nothing can replace the samosas, especially in the rainy season. No doubt, the remix versions with various types of fillings are also available in the market, but those with the potato filling standout in taste. Contributed by: Charu Chhibber, Kuldip Bhatia, Shivani Bhakoo, Kanchan Vasdev, Kanchan
Vasdev, Anshu Seth and Manav Ghuman
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Accident victim donates eyes
Jagraon, August 31 Kuldeep Singh (55) had met with an accident on the Moga road. He was admitted to a hospital in Ludhiana. Jasminder Singh, the nephew of Kuldeep Singh, was taking care of him in the hospital and in the night he regained his consciousness for just 10 minutes and asked Jasminder Singh that he had bought a form to donate his eyes from a eye camp at Ludhiana he visited last week and had already filled it. He also asked him to inform Dr Ramesh, eye specialist and chairman of Punarjot eye bank, for donating his eyes to eye bank. He told him the location of the filled eye donation form. Thereafter he died within 10 minutes of instructing him. Following the instruction and last wish, the family informed Dr Ramesh regarding it and a team from his eye bank reached the Jagraon Civil Hospital where the body of Kuldeep Singh was kept to remove the retina from the eyes of Kuldeep Singh.
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Pilot project to provide community policing
Ludhiana, August 31 To begin with, one model police station each has been selected in five towns of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala and Bathinda. Officer manning this programme will be of the rank of a sub-inspector or assistant sub-inspector. Disclosing this, SK Sharma, IG (training), told The Tribune today that the main object of this scheme was to facilitate the community in tasks like verifications of passports, character verification and arms licences verification. Moreover, whenever a complainant goes to the police station, he should be attended and should not come back disappointed. The community officer would also have a feedback of the functioning of the police and redressal of the complaints. The level of satisfaction of the people will be raised through this scheme, he added. Sharma said the Chandigarh-based Institute for Development and Communications had provided the three-day training to the selected community officers from August 28 to 30.
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Tributes paid to Beant Singh
Ludhiana, August 31 Sewa dal president Nirmal Singh Kaira along with other functionaries paid tributes to the former Chief Minister and asked the people to remain on their guard to safeguard unity and integrity of the country, for which Beant Singh and numerous other martyrs had laid down their lives. Speakers at the meeting remembered Beant Singh as a courageous, committed and dedicated leader, who valiantly fought against terrorists and played a significant role in restoring communal harmony and amity in Punjab. In another meeting organised by the Terrorists Victims’ Association at Rajguru Nagar, body president Krishan Kumar Bawa and other speakers paid homage to Beant Singh and said it was the courage and commitment shown by the former Chief Minister, which had turned the tide against a decade long dark period of militancy and separatism in Punjab.
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‘Mela Dhiyan Da’ focuses on foeticide
Ludhiana, August 31 Justifying the theme of “Virasati Mela Dhiyan Da”, an endeavour of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Punjab, and Punjab Arts Council to promote the cause of girl child in the state, the girls made scenes pointing towards the violation of the PNDT and the MTP Act in an event “installation of waste”. However, the indifferent attitude of politicians and officials who failed to visit the remote corner of the girls hostel to see the exhibition put up by the girls dashed the hope of girls. It turned out to be an endless wait for the girls to meet MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is the founder of NGO Nanhi Chhaan.
On the other hand, the folklore of Punjab that revolves round birth, raising and wedding of a girl as is evident in the literary account was, an inseparable element of the “Virasati Mela Dhiyan Da”. The imagery referred to in ‘bolis’, folk songs and poetry presented during the mela focused on the lives of the girls and the women in Punjab. The women ruled the show with their unquestionable precision in the most feminine chores of “charkha katna, gidha, kroshia bunna” to the masculine sports like gatka competitions. Harsimrat Kaur Badal was the chief guest on the concluding day of the mela who visited the stalls put up in the mela and announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh for the Government College for Women. JR Singal of Eastman Industries Ltd announced Rs 1 lakh to the Punjab Art Council. Hira Singh Gabria, the minister for Jails, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, was also present.
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Anti-smoking hoardings
only on paper
Ludhiana, August 31 The information demanded by Kuldeep Singh Khaira under the RTI Act has hinted towards a scam of worth Rs 3.70 lakh. Kuldeep Singh alleged that the report is full of departmental errors.“I had sought details of the anti-smoking drive launched by the government, but I was given the details of anti-drug drive instead,” said Kuldeep Singh. Interestingly, the money for installing these signboards was released by the department of social securities. Besides, 75 hoardings, a majority of them with halogen lights, are nowhere in sight till today. An investigation revealed that from top to bottom, right from the bidding of hoarding, then moving on to the installation of hoarding on the specific location, the whole procedure seemed to be a farce. Kuldeep Singh alleged the police department had spent lavishly on these hoardings, while the market value of these hoardings was much less. He further alleged that even the timing opted for the installation of these indicates towards a scam. Police sources said the SAD-BJP government had objected to the hoardings and also ordered for the immediate removal of these boards. Kuldeep said the boards, which cost Rs 7,500 and Rs 3,500, respectively, could have been used again simply by replacing the faces of the leaders of the new regime. “I think SAD-BJP also supports the view of anti-smoking and prohibiting smoking at public places. I did not find any reason why they have objected to remove these hoardings,” Kuldeep Singh wondered.
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Seizure of Accounts
Ludhiana, August 31 Worried over the developments, the PRTC employees fear they will not be able to get their salaries on time. According to information, cash of around Rs 25 lakh has been lying with the depot here. An employee with the depot disclosed that the corporation had to pay Rs 38-40 lakh as salaries to the employees and pension worth Rs 20 lakh to the retired employees in the city. “But we have not been able to deposit the cash in the bank. The employees may feel the heat as salaries and pensions could be delayed,” said an official. Extending support to the corporation employees, the local chapter of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) has blamed the government for adopting “anti-employee” policies. Suresh Sood, general secretary, INTUC, alleged that due to the wrong policies of the government and the general manager of the PRTC, a protest will be held jointly by INTUC/PRTC employees at Patiala on September 3. He said the government was not making any efforts to revive the
corporation. “The corporation runs over 150 worn out buses that hardly cover a distance of even 100 km a day. Though the board of directors of the PRTC had sent a proposal for purchasing 250 new buses, but government was sitting on it for the last seven months,” said Sood. “New buses will replace the old ones and generate revenue for the ailing corporation. At present, the corporation has a workforce of 2,700 employees. The liability of workers towards the corporation was about Rs 70 crore in the form of gratuity, DA instalment, arrears, leave encashment, overtime etc. But the corporation is running into huge losses due to the “wrong” policies of the government and the workers are being made scapegoats in the entire process. We will fight for their rights,” added Sood.
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Miss India Universe for larger-than-life roles
Ludhiana, August 31 Flaunting her new hair colour in a mix of burgundy, brown and blonde, she is perfectly happy with the way she looks. Commenting upon Gen-X going in for cosmetic surgery, she said she would never go in for cosmetic surgery and was completely satisfied with the way she looks. "If somebody wants to correct his/her smile or any other body part, it is completely his or her choice but nobody on this earth can be a better creator than the Almighty," she said. A bio-tech graduate, she entered the modelling world by chance. It was not she but her mother who always wanted her to become a model. "It was my mom who insisted me to fill up the forms for the contest and I became a part of it just to gain a new experience. Nobody was as astonished as me when I won the crown. It came as a complete surprise to me, as I wasn't expecting it," she smiles. No doubt her life has changed ever since she won the title. "Sometimes my mom calls up the ad agency people to know where her daughter is," she chips. What she misses the most is sleep. "I get very less time to sleep and whenever I get time, I go to sleep," she adds. While discussing her take on reality shows, she said that these shows are a quick way to earn publicity. "What is the real scene behind such shows can only be commented once I become a part of any such show," she says while signing off.
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Industrial Expo ends
Ludhiana, August 31 Over worth Rs 200 crore of business was generated at the Industrial Expo and Conference, which had about 100 exhibitors from all over the country. Visitors flow was huge as 20,000 visitors braved the rain and came to see the show from all parts of the country. The 23rd International Industrial Expo and Conference, 2009, will now be held in Baddi, the industrial hub of Himachal Pradesh, from September 18-20. Terming the Ludhiana show, as one of the biggest hits ever, Dr Harish Arora, CEO, Paramount Exhibitors, said the visitors from all over the country, especially from Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu thronged the exhibition. The exhibition, which was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg was organised to bridge the gap between the industrial buyer and seller and to bring the latest global technologies at the doorstep of the small and medium entrepreneurs of Ludhiana. — TNS
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Book on hues of woman released
Ludhiana, August 31 The book is a compendium of the finest writings of top authors, including Khushwant Singh, Roopinder Singh, Harminder Kaur and Taslima Nasreen. Roopinder Singh in “A Liberating Journey” has penned down memories of his mother Inderjit Kaur, the only woman Vice-Chancellor of a university in North India and the only woman chairperson of the Staff Selection Commission, New Delhi. Khushwant Singh in “Portrait of a Lady” has written about his grandmother. Late Patwant Singh had written on the appealing silence of men over female foeticide and dowry as well as anti-woman violence. The book published by Lahore Books, Ludhiana-based publishers and distributor, is an effort to present a new outlook.
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DMCH firm on private practice decision
Ludhiana, August 31 It now plans to start chamber practice at the hospital. The decision to this effect was taken by the general body of the managing society of the DMC and Hospital, which met last week with Sunil Kant Munjal in the chair. The management of the DMCH had issued a notice to the faculty members a month ago, saying that practice by the doctors at their homes would be banned from January 1. The faculty of the DMCH is opposed to the banning of private practice by the management and wants that the same should be continued. A delegation of the faculty met the president and other senior members of the management and pleaded that the practice should not be banned. The faculty members pointed out that the institution had progressed with the prevailing system and it should not be disturbed. However, president Munjal told them that he had made his own enquiries from 15 hospitals in America, where private practice was not allowed. He said the management was keen on banning the private practice at homes and instead, would allow the teachers to have private OPD after the hospital working hours in the hospital. The management has already started the construction of the private OPD ward, where the chambers for the doctors will be provided for practice after the working hours of the hospitals. Enquiries made by Ludhiana Tribune have revealed that there is a division among the doctors over the issue of banning private practice at homes. Those who have lucrative practice at their homes do not want that private practice should not be banned and those who do not have good practice have no objection
if it is banned. The management has assured the doctors that they would be paid non-practising allowance (NPA), but has not indicated the amount of the NPA. At present, there are some doctors who have monthly practice which runs into lakhs and they remain very busy. They examine the patients till late in the night at their homes. The management of the DMCH had banned the private practice in 1974 also and at that time 10 doctors of the hospital had left the service and some of them started their own hospital known as Tagore Hospital. A few of them came back to the hospital. The present strength of the faculty at the DMCH is 170, with 60 professors and remaining as associate professors and assistant professors. The annual budget of the institute has touched the figure of 200 crore. The daily OPD patient strength is between 1500 to 1700. Hero DMC Heart Institute, which is also being run by the DMCH managing society, does not allow the doctors to have private practice at their homes and they are given a fixed salary plus share in the earnings of the institute. The Hero DMC Heart Institute has also become very popular in this region and performs three bypass surgeries daily and daily out-patient examination is to the order of 150 patients. Besides, bypass surgeries, the institute also undertakes angioplasty and
stenting.
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Foundation day
Ludhiana, August 31 Sanjeev Kapur, chairman and Sanjeev Verma, president of the association, welcomed guests and members of the body. Rajeev Kaushal, Gagandeep Singh, both chartered accountants, and Advocate JBS Sabharwal were the guests of honour. The governing bodies of other cities also attended the function. Mementoes were given to blood donors, who donated blood during a recent donation camp.
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GPS bag three titles
Mandi Gobindgarh, August 31 Eight schools of the area comprising two teams each participated in the two-day tournament. Results:Boys’ under-17: Gobindgarh Public School (1st), Tagore International School, Sahnewal (2nd) and Darshan Academy, Ludhiana (3rd); under-19: Gobindgarh Public School (1st), AS Modern Senior Secondary School, Khanna (2nd) and Darshan Academy, Ludhiana (3rd). Girls’ under-17: Gobindgarh Public School (1st), Mehta Gurukul Public School, Doraha (2nd) and Saffron City School, Sirhind (3rd); under-19: Tagore International Public School, Sahnewal (1st), Gobindgarh Public School (2nd) and Mehta Gurukul Public School, Doraha (3rd).
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