Ludhiana, September 21
Though the police and the district food and civil supplies department (DFSC) has seized nearly 1,15,796 quintal of sugar worth over Rs 40 crore after raiding three godowns situated on the periphery of the city, but the chances are that the sugar would not reach the house of the common man.

If DFSC sources are to be believed, the sugar would rot in godowns as it has become a case property and the department needed the assent of the court to auction the seized sugar.

In the absence of information regarding the confiscated sugar, the police and DFSC officials are passing the buck to shrug off the responsibility.

Senior officials are seeking legal advice on how the sugar can reach households before it begins to rot. HS Mokha, district food and civil supplies controller (East), said: “We are exploring all options so that the sugar can reach the market as it is a highly perishable item.”

Police officials are also in a fix where to keep the seized sugar. “We do not know where to keep this sugar as we do not have any store to keep such a large amount of sugar,” a senior official said on the condition of anonymity.

According to department sources, the procedure would take around three months if the police follows the legal course to get the “superdari” of the sugar.

Expressing concern, DFSC officials said the department officials could face difficulty in auctioning the sugar if multiple partners appear in court and claim to be the stakeholder of the sugar. “Except Bharat Bhushan, owner of Khoobi Ram Johri Mal of Moga, no one has came forward to claim the responsibility of the seized sugar so far,” Mokha said.

Earlier, during the first raid, the police had seized 1 lakh quintal of sugar worth Rs 34 crore kept in a godown at Seehra village. While in the other two raids 8,516 and 9,780 quintals of hoarded sugar, belonging to Yeskee International and Jalandhar-based Chandi Mal Roshan Das, respectively were seized.

Ludhiana, September 21
The literary creativity of a criminal cannot be confined. This is true of a prisoner at Borstal Jail here and even 11 years of imprisonment has not been able to kill the writer in him.

Partap Singh (27), who belongs to Cheema Khurd near Amritsar, has written three novels and 900 Punjabi poems and songs. His jail term is going to end soon and he has got an admirer in the jail superintendent. His books would be available at book stores soon.

He always wanted to be a writer, but was imprisoned in a twin murder case when he was only 17 years old. His dreams of marrying his love also shattered. He said his father Kulwant Singh was a sweet maker and made him quit studies so that he could help at the shop after his brother joined a gurdwara.

However, his father eloped with a married woman of the same village. Partap Singh’s case file states that he killed the two daughters of that woman in a fit of rage.

Initially, the prison walls used to haunt him and it took him three years to adapt to the life in jail. He then resumed his studies and took refuge in writing.

His first novel revolves around his love for his woman. The other two short stories are based on his personal experiences in jail, poverty and the menace of drugs.

“I used to either write at noon or midnight when the other prisoners would sleep. That was the only time when it used to get quiet and I could concentrate on my writing. My fellow inmates would tease me,” he says with a smile.

Showing the rough drafts he has written over these years, he says: “This is my treasure...this is what I have made for myself all these years.”

He expressed gratitude to the jail authorities for providing him notebooks and pens. “Once I requested the jail superintendent, SP Khanna, that I have interest in writing. I was immediately provided with a pen and paper and since then, there has been no dearth of stationery,” he says.

He tried to sell his songs and even contacted some pop singers who visited the jail recently, but he found no takers.

“They say my songs are full of sorrow and such songs are not liked by the public,” he says.

Partap, who is also a member of the jail band, says that his mother likes my passion for poetry and music. “I am quite famous in my village and everytime I return home on parole, the youths visit my house and request me to sing the latest lines I have written,” he says.

The jail superintendent says that Partap is popular in the jail not only for his songs, but also for his good conduct. “I have sent a request to the authorities to publish his books which could help establish him as a writer,” he adds.

Ludhiana, September 21
Heaps of garbage is the first thing a person visiting the city sees. Almost every councillor complained during the municipal house meeting that the health branch of the MC was not working efficiently and health officer Charanjit Uppal drew flak for it.

Amid discussions, a proposal was mooted to privatise garbage collection and disposal to ensure sanitation. Its implementation would also help check petrol pilferage that has been plaguing the civic body for years. The issue was brought forward by BJP councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetu.

Talking about the blueprint, Neetu said: “Whenever it comes to sanitation, regular employees are not available and whatever cleaning and garbage disposal is done, it is usually undertaken by daily-wage earners who take between Rs 50 and Rs 100 from residents for picking up garbage from their homes, which is not authorised.”

He added that if they gave it in private hands, they could at least pull up the contractor.

Describing it as a good proposal, Senior Deputy Mayor Praveen Bansal said: “We should first select some areas and start privatising the lifting of garbage there as a pilot project. After monitoring it for a month, the MC should take a decision keeping in mind the interest of safai karamcharis.”

The MC health officer said: “The Punjab government is already working on the privatisation of garbage disposal from lifting till the very end. Under the project, an MNC, ILFS, has already been recruited. Punjab has been divided into seven clusters and Ludhiana is one of them,” he said. When the privatisation would be implemented could not be revealed at this stage, he added.

Ludhiana, September 21
A major snag in the 66 kV grid sub-station on the GT Road here this morning disrupted power supply to over a dozen localities in Civil Lines and old city area, thereby compounding the situation created by extended power cuts of more than seven hours all through the day.

With no power almost all through the day, residents in the affected areas were deprived of water supply as well in the morning and again in the afternoon which put the life out of gear.

The complaint offices of the Punjab State Electricity Board in many parts of the city were flooded with complaints from irate consumers who wanted to know the reason for unscheduled outage after the power supply was not restored at 8 am after an hour-long power cut.

Even the PSEB employees manning the complaint offices were unaware of the technical snag in the 66 KV sub-station, which had disrupted the power supply to over half a dozen feeders, providing power to thousands of city residents.

Several residents of affected localities in Civil Lines complained that the scheduled hour-long power cut imposed at 7 am was extended by half an hour and supply was available only for about half an hour in the morning and again for just about 15 minutes in the afternoon.

“When the water had just started trickling from the taps, the power again went off, leaving everyone high and dry. The worst part was that nobody at the complaint office was aware of the reason for disruption in power supply.

The power again continued to play truant in the afternoon as harried customers had no clue to the reason behind power failure, said Ashwani Sood, a resident of Civil Lines.

Jagtar Singh, a resident of Rajinder Nagar locality, said there was no power, no water almost all through the day. To make the matters worse, the inverter also stopped operating around afternoon as there was no power to recharge the battery.

“Most of the family members had to go without their morning bath and we had to bring a bucket of two of water from our neighbours for cooking food,” he added.

Officials at the sub-station said the transformer had caught fire and a part got damaged.

“It took us some time to identify the fault and shift the load of affected areas to the other transformer which again is a time-consuming process. However, the power cuts imposed in some areas, in the meantime, put our efforts back to restore supply. The load of affected localities stands shifted now till the time the fault is rectified,” they added.

Ludhiana, September 21
The recession-hit industry and domestic users of power have heaved a sigh of relief with the state government’s decision to bear the burden of the new tariff hike with immediate effect.

The chairman of the Engineering Exports Promotion Council (Northern Region), SC Ralhan, said even the BJP had understood the plight of the industry.

“The leaders from both parties realise that if consumers are unnecessarily harassed, the ruling party will not be able to win the next elections,” he said.

The president of the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PD Sharma, said status quo on power tariff was a wise step. The industry had already suffered huge losses due to prolonged power cuts.

He said: “The industry in the state is generating the maximum revenue. The government must have realised that the government at the Centre was promoting free trade agreements with several countries. Flood of imported goods will cast its shadow on the industry in the state, particularly the industry here.”

Sharma added that if there was a problem with the Regulatory Commission, the state government should levy electricity duty at the rate of 10 per cent and octroi at the rate of 4 paisa per unit, which amounted to approximately 50 paise per unit. “The government should exclude these amounts from the bills as these taxes were not under the preview of the commission,” he said.

The chairman of the Punjab chapter of the Federation of Small Scale Industries, Badish K Jindal, said though late, the government had come to the rescue of the industry. As per the decision by the state government, additional burden of about Rs 1,296 crore would be borne by the former in the form of a subsidy.

Ludhiana, September 21
Three days after the two-day kisan mela concluded on the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) campus, garbage continues to be strewn all around, much to the annoyance of students and visitors.

The litter has become an irritant especially for regular morning walkers who are greeted by heaps of garbage on the campus.

The entire PAU campus, right from various grounds to the library parking and canteen, is strewn with rotting eatables, polybags, wrappers of eatables, waste paper and other waste material.

“Seeing huge heaps of garbage scattered all around so early on the morning is perhaps the greatest put off. I don’t feel like coming for my daily morning walk on the campus in the presence of so much filth all around,” said an annoyed Rashmita Seth, a regular visitor to the campus for the past six years.

“The university authorities seem to be sleeping over the upkeep of the campus. If they hold a fair of such magnitude every year, they should be well prepared to tackle the aftermath of the mela because this is an yearly affair,” added Dr Harjot Singh, another morning walker and a regular visitor the PAU campus.

Ludhiana, September 21
“Baby boys have higher mortality rate than girls in their first year of life,” said Dr Ashwani Singal, senior consultant neonatologist at the Newborn Resuscitation Workshop, which concluded at SPS Apollo Hospital, here today.

More than 100 physicians from all over the state attended this workshop, which was organised in association with National Neonatology Forum, India.

“Truth is surely stranger than fiction,” remarked Dr Singal while adding that, “Many studies have also confirmed that baby boys are 60 per cent more likely than girls to be born prematurely and to have impediments tied to pre-term birth such as neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, a condition that makes it difficult for a baby to breathe. This is probably because girls have a stronger immune system but the exact reason is still being explored.”

He further pointed out that neonatology mortality was a major part of infant mortality today and unless steps were taken to reduce newborn deaths, infant mortality will not come down. “As asphyxia or inability to breath after birth is a major cause of newborn death, this workshop is a step towards providing hands-on training to obstetricians, paediatricians and nurses in managing newborns.”

In the day long workshop, practical training was imparted to doctors on taking care of newborn babies, especially those who did not cry. The faculty for the workshop included Dr Jugesh Chatwal, Dr Naveen Bajaj and Dr Ashwani Singal from Ludhiana, Dr Amit Upadhyay from Meerut and Dr Gurdev Chowdhary from Jalandhar. The participants were given certificates at the end of the course.

Dr Amit Upadhyay from Meerut talked about the various issues involved in management of small pre-term babies and the need to take care of such babies in a good newborn care unit. Dr Madhu Nagpal from Amritsar stressed the need for early diagnosis and management of infection that occurred during pregnancy to prevent problem in the newborn.

Ludhiana, September 21
A special camp was organised by the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) here today for couples who had failed to conceive a child.

The doctors rendered advice for infertility and its management at the camp.

Dr Suman Puri, associate professor in the department of gynaecology, who has also received training in “reproductive endocrinology and advanced laparoscopic procedures” from Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Singapore, conducted the camp and examined patients.

Interacting with patients, she observed that ovulation problem, tubal blockage, endometriosis, tuberculosis, male-related infertility and age-related factors were the common causes of infertility.

“Each case has to be individualised and problems have to be defined and treated accordingly. Once a proper diagnosis is established, the treatment may be very simple, or at times complex.”

According to Dr BK Gill, professor and head, department of gynaecology, the camp was organised to create awareness regarding the aspects of infertility in couples, especially its investigative workup and treatment modalities.

The DMCH was already providing the service of free normal deliveries to women who were registered at the ante-natal OPD of the hospital, said Prem Gupta, secretary of the hospital managing society, adding that the endeavour was to extend all facilities to the society and help for the birth of normal children.

More such camps will be held in the future to create better awareness on the problem of infertility in the society, he added.

Khamano, September 21
Getting information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from government offices here is no easy task, for RTI applicants have been having a harrowing time seeking information under the Act.

In certain cases, applicants have even been harassed to withdraw their applications. Knocking at the door of the state information commission has also proved futile.

PS Dhanoa, a local resident, said he and three other residents of Rattangarh, Sidhpur Kalan and Hargana villages here had sought reports from the police, 
panchayat and other departments.

“Instead of being provided with appropriate answer to the application, we have been subjected to harassment and indirectly asked to withdraw our applications. And, if one is seeking information to detect a fraud, things get worse as people either end up pleading or threatening,” Dhanoa added.

Dharampal of Sidhupur Kalan village rued that he had sought information from the block development office and even after 30 days he had not been provided with any information.

“Now I will have to move to the state information commissioner to get the information,” he added.

However, Harjit Singh, another resident of Hargana village, said even after moving an application to the state information commission, it took nearly one and half years to get an information and that too incomplete.

Paramjit Singh, another resident, who had sought information about project report of original plan of a treatment plant at a village in Fatehgarh Sahib, rued that he had been told by officials to withdraw his application.

He said the police department had simply refused to entertain any queries and turned away information-seeker by hook or by crook. The police officials said information sought could not be shared as it was secret.

He added that police officials gave him incomplete information about the nature of complaints police received through special boxes that were installed at various public places a few years ago.

Ludhiana, September 21
The sky-rocketing prices of vegetables and fruits for the past several months has put a dent in the monthly budget of average household.

But if those dealing in the business are to be believed, the prices are going to come down after Navratras. And the stability in prices will continue for around six months, they add.

A wholesale vegetable dealer at Civil Lines, Gurmit Singh, says the prices of potatoes, ginger and fruits are on the higher side these days.

“Many people observe fast during Navratras and potatoes and sweet potatoes are consumed in large amounts. So potatoes are being sold between Rs 22 and 25 a kg these days.

Besides, prices of seasonal fruits like peer, apple, banana, etc. are also on the higher side. But once Navratras are over, the prices of vegetables, including potato, peas, cauliflower, tomato and capsicum, will come down. And the consumers will get relief for the next six months,” adds Gurmit Singh.

Prices of lemon, however, have seen the downward trend in the recent times. Lemon is still available in the market for Rs 100-110 a kg.

Tarun Kumar, a vegetable vendor, says a new produce of cauliflower has arrived in the city.

“Cauliflower was sold for Rs 80 a kg earlier, but now it was being sold for Rs 40-50. In the coming days, people will get it in plenty for Rs 25-30 a kg,” he says.

Akshita Lamba, a home-maker, says a non-vegetarian family may not be perturbed over the hike in prices of veggies but for vegetarians, these are tough times.

“Meals cannot be cooked without vegetables. And nothing is available for less than Rs 40 a kg,” she says.

FILIAL JOY: A man adjusts the cap of his son on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr at Jama Masjid in Ludhiana on Monday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

“It has been 40 years now that I have been visiting the mosque regularly on Eid. While my friends come to our place on Diwali, I never miss visiting them on Eid. While I take delight in eating ‘sewiyan’ on Eid, they relish Mathura ‘pedas’ on Diwali at my place,” he adds.

Eid celebrated with fervour

Mandi Ahedgarh: Eid was celebrated with fervour in the town and surrounding villages. Leaders of various Hindu and Sikh organisations greeted their Muslim brethren on the occasion.

Clad in ceremonial attire, Muslims thronged Idgahs at the local Dehliz road, Rohira, Kanganwal, Akbarpur Chhanna, Kanganwal, Dehliz and Kup villages. After prayers they embraced each other.

Members of prosperous Muslim families donated generously to poor and needy as a part of ‘Zakat’.

Malerkotla MLA Razia Sultana, former SAD minister Nusrat Akram Khan Bagga, municipal council president Usha Sood, city Congress president Ravinder Kumar, district vice-president, SAD, Jagwant Singh Jaggie, president, Muslim Youth Front, Munir Mohammad, councillors Hazi Gulzar Mohammad, Bimal Sharma and Ravinder Puri were prominent among those who greeted Muslims on the occasion.

Ludhiana, September 21
It was a day full of activities at Shree Atam Vallabh Jain College, Hussainpura, Ludhiana, where “Track-2009” was organised under the aegis of the Industry Institute Partnership Cell (IIPC), sponsored by the Government of India.

The function comprised various events, including a contest on group presentations on subjects ranging from organisational behaviour to human resource management, including motivation, learning, group dynamics and personality.

Students made presentations using audio-visual aids comprising animated slides.

Ajay Aggarwal, HR manager, Vardhman Group of Industries, was the chief guest. He along with faculty members of the college judged the presentations.

Gunjot Kaur got the first prize for best presentation. Gagandeep Kaur and Rhythm Jindal were second and third, respectively, in the contest. Among others, Bikramjeet Singh, an MBA student, whose team won the first prize, explained the concepts of inner and outer personality giving examples of Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama and some film stars.

In an another event, students of BCA were asked to review a movie “The Core”, a science fiction disaster film, based on novel “Core” by Paul Preuss.

The event was aimed at developing the students’ imagination to use their knowledge of IT and practical applications.

The students were made to understand the use of computer graphics and animation. The story also demonstrated the significance of the latest uses of computer applications, especially networking and hacking.

Special motivational games were conducted for BBA students by Anil Sharma, a corporate trainer.

He also explained the importance of communication with the help of a game. Students of BSc (fashion technology) participated in a quiz on various personalities of the fashion world.

Distinction

The Open B-School Survey-2009 has ranked PCTE 41st and best in Punjab, HP, Rajasthan and J&K among top 50 private business schools of the country.

The magazine has brought out in its first B-School survey of 50 best business schools of India in association with C-fore (Centre of Forecasting and Research).

“The PCTE has been ranked best business school of the region for the fifth time in a row,” said Dr KNS Kang, director general, PCTE Group of Institutes.

The survey was conducted on the basis of the performance of business schools in placements, intellectual capital, industry interaction, infrastructure, international linkages and recruiter satisfaction. The survey was open to all business schools of India.

Municipal corporation, Ludhiana, often claims of supplying clean drinking water to the residents. Eyebrows were, however, raised on their claims during a recent general house meeting when the councillors were offered with mineral water bottles instead of the water supplied by the civic body.

The Internet is something which everyone has access to these days. It is a crucial part of our society. It has changed how we communicate and interact with each other. In fact it has become the vital medium. The number of Internet users is increasing day by day.

People visit websites for information, entertainment and news. With just a mouse click, they can get any information on any subject they want to know.

However, once we gain more technology, we too begin dealing with those who use this technology for criminal reasons. We are much better equipped to invent the technology than we are in dealing with the criminals which spring up as a result of the new technology.

Millions of people have made themselves vulnerable to identity theft as well as putting their future academic and professional prospects at risk by recklessly posting personal information on the Internet, Britain's privacy watchdog had warned two years ago.

Internet users used to comfort themselves by thinking that to become victims of the pirates of the Web, they had to frequent the online porn circuit or respond to an e-mail from the widowed wife of the former central bank governor of Nigeria.

The idea was that one had to do something naughty to get caught in the wrongdoers’ net, or at least go for a late-night stroll in the rough end of town. But the conceit has become untenable. Google today has about 3,30,000 websites listed as malicious, up from about 150,000 a year ago.

McAfee, the maker of antivirus software, reported that fans searching for Hollywood gossip and memorabilia faced a high risk of getting caught up by online bad guys. India is no exception. Reckless searches on the Net for Bollywoord heart throbs such as Aishwarya Rai may land you in the trap of spammers.

Perhaps cybercops will respond more aggressively to Internet threats as they spread to the more wholesome parts of the Web, like police forces that leave crime alone in the poor parts of town but snap into action when it seeps into middle-class neighborhoods.

Law enforcement agencies warn that although you can and should take common sense precautions, this crime cannot be prevented. The most important step you can take is to be prepared. Don’t take chances with your identity. It’s your most important possession.

Another looming problem with the W3, a lawless frontier, is that from behind their bedroom doors, more than 1 out of every 10 teenagers has posted a nude or seminude picture of themselves or others online - a "digital tattoo" that could haunt them for the rest of their lives, according to a survey conducted in the USA. recently. Aside from the nudity, the survey also found that at least a quarter of the young people polled had posted something they later regretted, made fun of others or created a false identity online.

While teens are spending more and more time on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace - with 22 per cent saying they check their sites more than 10 times a day - they don't seem to be aware of the long-term personal havoc they could create with a click of a button.

And their parents generally have little idea about what their children are up to, the poll found.

The survey polled 1,000 teens and 1,000 parents to gauge how much time young people are spending on social-networking sites, what they do when they're on them - and whether their parents know.

In another research it has been found that a third of young people have never read privacy policies on social networking sites and do not understand how they can manage their personal information. Yet an overwhelming 95 per cent of those questioned said they were worried about websites using their details to target advertising at them or to pass on to other websites or companies.

Some social networking sites have already begun using information from their members to link up with major companies and well-known brands. Facebook is facing a privacy backlash from its members, who have complained about a new advertising strategy that automatically broadcasts what a user has bought on external partner sites to their family and friends.

The Internet users forget that a "blog is for life" and can leave a permanent electronic footprint. "If you don't think you'll want it to exist somewhere in 10 years' time, don't post it."

A recent post on the Google blog says that with more and more kids going online, whether to connect over social networking sites, mingle in chat rooms or play games, it's become increasingly important for families, schools and service providers to work together to ensure that the younger generation understands their responsibilities while they explore the virtual world.

According to a recent study, by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S.A., in patterns and trends in online child victimization, the past few years have seen a 6 per cent increase in reports of kids providing images and videos of themselves when asked by online acquaintances; sending naked photos of themselves through text messages ("sexting"); and cyber-bullying. This new trend underscores the need to educate our younger users, their families and teachers on ways to create and enjoy safe online experiences, added the blog.

“We're doing our part by working with child safety organizations and law enforcement around the globe to spread positive messages about life online. For example, in mid-September, we're launching a global training program on YouTube to help teens teach other teens about these issues. This is just one step among many that we're taking to help create a generation of responsible digital citizens”, concluded the statement by the Google on its blog.

The incident came to light in the evening when the family returned home and found the house ransacked. Till the time of filing of report, the police had reached the scene and started the investigation. — TNS

Ludhiana, September 21
Ludhiana eves emerged victorious as they won Punjab Basketball Annual League by defeating Jalandhar by 61-54 points in a closely fought final league encounter played at AS Senior Secondary School, Khanna, today.

According to league table, Kapurthala was runner-up while Jalandhar, Amritsar and Punjab teams finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Ludhiana eves, which began as favourites, faced tough competition by Jalandhar eves. Both teams were going neck and neck at 50-50 points at the end of the third quarter.

In the beginning of fourth quarter, host Ludhiana regrouped themselves and played an attacking game to drag Jalandhar on the back foot.

The final whistle saw Ludhiana home comfortably with 61 point while Jalandhar could manage to score 54 points.