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Vet varsity standoff enters 2nd day
Charu Chhibber
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
The stalemate between the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary & Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) administration and students continued here today with neither side ready to back off. No class for undergraduate students was held on the campus for the second consecutive day.

While varsity officials said they would take a final decision regarding the ongoing students' strike tomorrow after a meeting with parents, the students, on the other hand, asserted none of their parents would attend the meeting as they were supporting their wards in their demands.

Talking to the Ludhiana Tribune, College of Veterinary Science dean Simrat Sagar Singh said: "If even after the meeting between university officials and parents the students don’t call off their strike, we’ll be forced to drop the semester or even the entire academic year, as the need may be."

However, leaders of the Veterinary Students' Association claimed their parents had reaffirmed their support to them and had refused to meet university authorities tomorrow. "No parents turned up for the meeting even today," said a student leader.

“When the latest round of talks failed to bear fruit, the varsity administration took recourse to cheap tactics”, the association leaders added.

"The police has been making threatening calls to many students' parents since yesterday, saying if their wards do not call off the strike immediately they would be put behind bars," alleged a protesting student.

However, Sagar, though expressing ignorance about the matter, said he had personally called up the parents of about 30 students to “make them aware of their wards' activities and unjust demands".

He further said parents had been told in case their wards created a “ruckus” on the campus, security personnel stationed there would take strict action against them “for which the GADVASU administration would not be responsible”.

Meanwhile, refuting the students' allegations, Sarabha Nagar SHO Beant Juneja, who has been put in charge of the law and order situation in the varsity, said: "We had not made any calls to students’ parents and neither will we in the future. That is the university administration’s prerogative. We’re just concerned with the law and order situation on the campus."

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Two cops held for escape of murder accused
Mohit Khanna
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
Two constables have been arrested for allegedly helping a murder accused escape while the latter was being taken to Sonepat for a hearing in a robbery case on Sunday night.

Sanjay, alias Dalip (26), who is facing murder charges, was freed by his accomplices after beating up two constables near the Salem Tabri area. The police kept the incident under wraps yesterday so as to evade embarrassment.

As a face-saving step, two cops — Gurdas Ram and Rashem Singh — were arrested and produced in a court. They have been remanded in judicial custody till March 18.

Police sources said the incident took place at around midnight when six accomplices of Sanjay, who was undergoing a jail term for murdering scrap dealer Ashwani Kumar on November 28, 2005, waylaid an auto-rickshaw carrying the accused.

According to constables Gurdas Ram and Rashem Singh, the accomplices, who were six in number, parked their SUV in front of the auto-rickshaw, in which Sanjay was being taken to the Jalandhar bypass.

Before the cops could question them, they started thrashing them. Meanwhile, Sanjay managed to snatch the keys of handcuffs and freed himself. He then sat in the vehicle and fled with his accomplices.

The sources said when the officials asked the cops the reason behind taking the accused to the Jalandhar bypass from the railway station, the cops explained that they first took the accused to the station, but could not find a train for Sonepat. Later, they planned to take a bus from the Jalandhar bypass and hired an auto-rickshaw.

Officials are tight-lipped about the incident and refused to comment on it.

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MC to sterilise 5,000 dogs
Shivani Bhakoo
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
The much-awaited sterlisation of dogs project, which was delayed due to several reasons, seems to have finally seen the light of the day with the Ludhiana Municipal Authorities (LMC) reportedly giving nod to "Doggie-Lane", the company, to sterlise 5,000 dogs in first phase. Though further extension to project will be given only after seeing the results, the company is all set to start with the procedure in the next 15 days.

According to sources, a meeting in this regard was held at the Zone D office with active participation of MC Commissioner AK Sinha, Senior Deputy Mayor Parveen Bansal, Health Officer Dr Charanjit Uppal and the company officials.

One of the officials, on condition of anonymity said, "Initially the company will sterlise about 5,000 dogs in the city. The sterlisation of dogs will be held Ward wise. If we see good results and things move as per the guidelines, we may extend the order". As per the available information, the company will be given Rs 640 for sterlisation of female dog and Rs 550 for the male dog by the MC.

Doggie-Lane, the Amritsar-based company, was in the eye of storm as it had "failed" to get itself registered with the Animal Welfare Board, Government of India. Various other firms had objected that the particular doctor, who had to sterlise the dogs, was also in the government service.

During a meeting of the Monitoring Committee on March 9, the MC had asked the firm to get the registration certificate within one month and later, the doctor also resigned from the government job.

Stray dogs have always been a cause of concern for residents, who complain to the authorities to curb the ever-increasing population of dogs in the city. According to a survey, there are about 20,000 stray dogs in the city.

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Two booked for pointing pistol at lawyer
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
Two persons have been booked for thrashing an employee and pointing a licensed pistol at an advocate in the district court complex here this afternoon.

The incident took place when Parminder Singh (28), a watchman, refused Lashkar Singh, a resident of Passi Nagar near the Pakhowal poad, to park his motorcycle in the parking lot allotted for advocates.

This led to an argument between Lashkar Singh and Parminder. Meanwhile, Lashkar's accomplice Deedar Singh also joined him and both started thrashing Parminder.

Davinder Singh Saini, a senior advocate, who was passing through the spot intervened and tired to save the employee from being thrashed.

According to an eyewitness, the two accused then manhandled the lawyer and hurled abuses on him.

The lawyers gathered at the spot and tried to nab the duo. Meanwhile, Lashkar took out his pistol pointed it at the advocate.

This spread panic and the duo managed to escape from the spot.

The advocates as well as the employees of the district court complex gave them a chase but the accused manged to flee. The police has impounded the motorcycle. Later, a case was registered against the duo under Sections 323 and 506 of the IPC and 27 and 54 of the Arms Act for assaulting and brandishing weapon with an intention to cause harm.

Till the time of filing of this report, police teams were sent to nab the accused.

Though, police sources said the accused had been nabbed. However, both parities are trying to affect a compromise.

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Day 3: Fate of disputed structure hangs in balance
Warring groups may soften stand
Mohit Khanna
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
The situation in Noorwala village continued to be tense for the third day even as the fate of the disputed gurudwara was yet to be decided. Heavy security was deployed in the area with the village resembling a virtual fortress even two days after the clash between two communities that left eight people injured.

According to sources the police will retain possession of the disputed structure till the time conditions are back to normal.

SP-III Harjinder Singh said the police would stay put in the village till the dispute between both groups is resolved. In the meantime time, both communities appear to have have softened their position.

Village sarpanch Avtar Singh, who heads the Jat community, opined “a panchayat bhawan or a community centre should be constructed at the site of the disputed structure for the benefit of all villagers”.

"Land in the village is shrinking rapidly due to industrialisation and we want to use the area where the disputed gurudwara is located for the welfare of all residents. I believe the site should benefit all villagers and not just serve the purpose of one community. This was the reason we had earlier shifted the gurudwara elsewhere. However, we will support whatever decision the authorities arrive at”, Avtar said.

On the other hand, Raj Kumar, who leads the Ravidassias, said he wanted the situation to return to normal as soon as possible.

"We’re responsible citizens and, no matter how grave the situation is, we can always talk about the issue and try to resolve it. Violence will give rise to even more violence, which would not solve any problem”, Kumar said.

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Non-payment of house tax
MC seals 3 offices, 2 shops
Tribune News Service

MC officials seal office of a company for failing to deposit house tax in Ludhiana on Tuesday.
MC officials seal office of a company for failing to deposit house tax in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Photo: Inderjeet Verma

Ludhiana, March 16
Acting tough with house tax defaulters, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (LMC) today sealed three offices and two shops of the MSK Limited Company, having contract with PUNBUS (Punjab Roadways) at the bus stand here for not paying the house tax on time.

PS Ghuman, Assistant Commissioner, MC, said an amount of Rs 71 lakh (billing amount Rs 64 lakh plus arrears) for the years 2008-09 and 2009-10 was pending as house tax with the company. “Besides giving them several notices and even after raising the Bill, the amount of house tax has not been paid.

We decided to seal the offices and shops of the company without causing any inconvenience to the general public or the passengers,” said Ghuman.

“As soon as the tax is cleared, we will remove the seals. The company has assured that the amount of house tax will be paid by March 26. March 31 is the last date for paying house tax after which the amount will be carry forwarded,” said Ghuman.

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Self-attested declaration system from April 1
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
The district administration will implement the self-attested declaration system in place of affidavits for the utility systems, various certificates and admission to educational institutes from April 1.

DC Rahul Tiwari said the government had already decided to simplify the procedure and it would now be implemented in the district.

He said earlier, applicants needed to submit affidavits for obtaining certificates of domicile, caste, rural and Kandi area but from now onwards there would not be any need to submit the affidavit. A self-attested declaration will be sufficient and it will be an accepted document.

All government departments will accept self -attested declaration for the above services from the applicants. The applicants will not need to attest their certificates from any Magistrate for applying for jobs and admission in educational institutions, but they can self -attest photo copies of their own certificates and applicants will be required to affix their photographs with this declaration. He said the declaration form would be available at Suvidha Center here.

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Take steps to protect 40,000 Indians in Kabul: Bitta
Bhushan Sood
Our Correspondent

Mandi Gobindgarh, March 16
All political parties in India should come on one platform to promote the interest of the country instead of evolving new strategies to create vote bank, to capture power and to rule the country, which will cause irreparable loss to the country said All -India Anti Terrorist Front (AIATF) chief Maninderjit Singh Bitta at a press conference here today.

He cautioned the nation against the dark-period ahead in case timely, decisive, effective steps were not taken to save the country from terrorism. Immediate steps should be taken for the safety of 40,000 Indians living in Kabul and Indians living in other countries.

He criticised America’s double role in fighting against terrorism on one hand and providing funds to Pakistan, which had allowed ISI to run 42 training camps for terrorists to destroy India. It was time to attack and destroy the camps suggested Bitta.

The police should be equipped with modern strategies to fight against terrorism and other agitations. The Naxal movement was spreading like wild fire and had spread its wings in 20-25 states, if not checked; people would face Nepal like conditions.

Bitta said 78 per cent youth in the state was fit for army job in the past. In 1971 it was 60 per cent, in 1960, the figure came down to 40 per cent and now it had touched the bottom at 22 per cent. Heavy cost of education, medical facilities and drug-addition had led to unemployment. The law should not punish the victims of drug abuse, they need treatment and instead the drug-traders should be nailed.

Bitta was the chief-guest of a state-level blood donation camp, which was organised at the Community Centre here. 

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Protest by BSNL casual, contract workers
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
A protest demonstration was held by the BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Unions outside the general manager's office today.

They alleged that the management had a casual attitude towards them and they had not been given salaries. They had also not been issued ESI cards and ID cards.

"The management says that we are working under a contractor while we are unaware of our contractor. We have been working for the past 20 years but being given meagre amount as salaries. We are given just Rs 15,000-20,000 per month," said Pardeep Sharma, member of the union.

A rally was held on March 8 to protest against the injustice meted to them by the management. After the rally, 20 workers from the group were thrown out of their jobs.

"Whenever we talk about our rights we are treated very indifferently. Last time, when we protested 108 sweepers, clerks, computer operators, peons were also throw out of jobs," added one of the member.

The union will be holding a meeting at Chatar Singh Park tomorrow and will be handing over the memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner later on.

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Tewari moots zero discharge system for city
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 16
Ludhiana MP Manish Tewari has urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to constitute a taskforce for preparing a project report to be submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for getting Central funds for installation of a “Zero-Liquid Discharge System”, which would lead to the cleaning of the Budha Nullah.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Tewari said, “Following the allocation of Rs 200 crore for the installation of the “Zero-Liquid Discharge System” for the hosiery cluster in Tirupur in Tamil Nadu, he had met the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherji seeking similar grant for its installation in Ludhiana as well.”

Tewari said, the Finance Minister told him; this (funds) required a detailed project from the state government, which was to be submitted to the Environment and Forest Ministry. He said the minister promised him similar grant for installation of this system in Ludhiana, which is also a hosiery cluster like Tirupur and contributed substantially to India’s exports.

He pointed out, the Budha Nullah in the city was an open sewer in which the hosiery, dyeing and light engineering industry, in addition to the Municipal Corporation, were dumping pollutants like heavy metals, which in turn polluted the Sutlej and ostensibly caused serious diseases like cancer, especially in the southern Punjab.

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House, factory catch fire
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
With the onset of summer, there is a sudden rise in the incidents of fire in the city. A fire broke out at a residence in the Model Town area here today. According to fire department officials, the fire broke out at House No. 603-L, Model Town, opposite Suman Nursing Home at 12.20 pm.

Two fire tenders were immediately pressed into service and it took two hours to put out the fire. Except for a few electronic gadgets, no major loss was reported, the officials maintained. Short circuit was stated to be the reason behind the incident.

Another case of fire was reported from a pipe factory on the Rahon road here this afternoon. The exact cause of the fire has still unknown. No major loss has been reported. According to fire officials, two fire tenders were sent for controlling the fire. "We have come to know that everything is under control but vans have still not returned”, an official added. 

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N-Liability Bill 
Doctors oppose cap on damages
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 16
The Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) has expressed concern over the proposed Nuclear Liability Bill, which is yet to be tabled in the Lok Sabha for discussion and adoption.

Dr LS Chawla, president, and Dr Arun Mitra, general secretary of IDPD, said today that people had not forgotten the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy. Even the proponents of nuclear energy admitted that the nature of any accident in the nuclear industry could be more disastrous and catastrophic.

They said, “It is necessary to keep in mind that the health burden, clean up and recovery costs for damages arising out of any nuclear accident are irreversible in consequence and generational in effect, poisoning not just human beings in the vicinity of a nuclear plant but the web of life itself through air, water and soil contamination.”

Stoutly opposing a cap on the damages, the IDPD functionaries asserted that such a step would be against the norms and forms of justice, and the clause of the cap should be removed. “The cap of Rs 2,100 crore per accident is too low an amount. It is a mockery that out of this, the provider shall have to pay only Rs 500 crore and the rest will be paid by the Union government.”

They said the cap on the damages would serve only the business interests who were putting pressure on the government to escape from their liability. The IDPD was, in principle, opposed to the use of nuclear energy for power generation.

A quantum leap in installed capacity for nuclear power generation - from the current level of 4,120 MW to 63,000 MW by 2032, was but an invitation to disaster given the intrinsically hazardous and potentially catastrophic nature of the industry.

Both said, “Now denying those who suffer in the eventuality of an accident in the nuclear facility can not be accepted as it compromises the right to life enshrined in our Constitution. Permitting the private sector to enter in nuclear industry can be serious, as it is well known how the private sector violates the safety norms for profit motive.

In this context, the public statement of former Attorney General of India, Soli Sorabjee, saying that a cap on nuclear liability violates the very right to life as enshrined in Article 21, is very important.

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Power cuts getting longer
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, March 16
With the mercury rising continuously for the past few days in the region, the duration of power cut in the city and its surrounding areas are also getting longer even though on record, the scheduled power cut during the day is four hours daily- 9 am to 11 am and from 1 pm to 3 pm.

However, an unscheduled power cut of an hour was imposed in most localities of the city from 6 am to 7 am while the duration of both power cuts in forenoon and after noon was also increased by 20 minutes to half-an-hour in most parts of the city.

While senior officials of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) maintained that the schedule of daily power cut in the mega city remained unchanged till date, an extra cut of one-and-a-half hour has thrown the city life out of gear.

Especially, the unannounced one-hour cut early in the morning caused inconvenience to a large number of people who had got up early to make preparations for prayers and rituals in connection with the commencement of “navratras” because during the power cut, the water supply also gets disrupted. At the same time, students who had to go to schools to take annual examinations, or those getting ready to go to the offices, had a tough time since there was no prior intimation of early morning power cut.

“As the morning power cut is applied from 9 am to 11 am on daily basis, we normally switch on the electric motor to fill up the overhead tank early in the morning and by the time power cut is imposed, all members of our family members had taken bath and performed daily chores. But power cut for an hour coming from the blue this morning, we did not have sufficient stored water and some of the family members had to go without bath as myself and my children had to leave early,” said Jagmohan Kaur, a school teacher and a resident of Kundan Puri locality.

Without elaborating on the gap between demand and supply of power in the state, a senior official of system operations and control of the PSEB at Patiala said the additional power cut had to be applied due to spurt in demand and rise in temperature. “The schedule of power cut for the time being remains unchanged but we shall review the situation in couple of days when the demand of the agriculture sector is expected to come down,” the officials added.

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Animal husbandry awards
Harchand wins top spot in cattle category
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) has announced the names of Chief Minister’s Award winners in the field of animal husbandry. The awards have been constituted in various categories and being given to innovative farmers.

In the cattle category, Harchand Singh of Garanga village in Mohali district has been declared the winner, while in the poultry category, Amar Singh of Faridkot district is the winner. In the fisheries category, Ranjodh Singh of Nanoke village, Patiala district, and in the piggery category, Sukhwinder Singh of Kotli village, Ludhiana district, bagged the honours.

The winners will be given awards of Rs 21,000 to cow farmers, an award of Rs 5,500 to poultry and fish farmers and an award of Rs 5,100 to piggery. These awards carry plaque, shawl and citation along with cash.

The university announced the winners after a detailed evaluation. GADVASU organised innovative competitions in order to motivate various categories of livestock farmers. These competitions assessed the extent and impact of adoption of technologies in improving the productivity and profitability of different livestock farming system.

In response, the university received a number of applications. A committee of experts, including deans and directors, visited the livestock farmers, who participated in the competitions and evaluated the total farming system. After final decision, the university announced the names of the winners.

Earlier, the university was giving only one award to the innovative farmers in animal husbandry by holding the state-level competitions. Later on, the number was increased through separate awards in dairy, poultry and fishery.

However, keeping in view the increased interest of farmers in goat farming and pig farming, the university has further increased the number of awards to four. The creation of these separate awards will help in motivating cattle, buffalo, fish, poultry, piggery and goat farmers to learn and adopt the latest technologies and practices of animal farming and the awardees will also serve as models for other farmers who want to adopt animal farming.

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Board systems for speedy construction
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
Lafarge Boral Gypsum India (LBGI), a part of Lafarge Building Material Company, today organised a road show in Ludhiana followed by contractors’ meet. Lafarge launched its Gypsum product range under brand “LaGyp” and showcased a display van showing different applications possible with “LaGyp” Gypsum products and systems.

The road show was followed by the contractors’ meet, which was attended by around 80 installers-cum-contractors.

Amarjit Singh, regional sales manager-north, elaborated on the benefits of using complete LaGyp Gypsum board systems for speedy and lightweight construction.

LaGyp products range includes Gypsum boards, ceiling tiles, metal systems and various jointing and finishing solutions.

The event is a part of education series to educate and make aware professionals like architects, installers and prospective customers about LaGyp products range, latest trends in Gypsum board systems, their applications, advantages vis-à-vis ceiling, partitions, acoustics and applications.

Abhishek Khattri, officer in charge of Punjab region, gave safety instructions to be followed at the site.

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From Schools
The day of Small Wonders
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
Small Wonders Nursery School and Small Wonders Club, Sangat Road, Civil Lines, celebrated its annual day today.

The theme of the function was environment “Earth Fest”. Children came dressed up according to the theme. Stress was laid on to preserve trees, avoid pollution and pesticides, save electricity and so on. The tiny tots also performed on various songs. While the girls mesmerised audience with dandiya, the boys did it with bhangra.

The Evening Club members performed on “Rang De Basanti”. The most impressive was Krish, a Evening Club member, who played piano and sang a song of “Taare Zameen Par”. School principal Neeti Dewan read the annual report and prizes were given to the meritorious students of the session 2009-10.

Talent blossoms

Annual function-cum-sports day and convocation ceremony was celebrated with full enthusiasm at Little Blossoms School today. The kids displayed immense talent during the show. They danced and sang, recited poetry, shabads and “Gayatri Mantra” and narrated stories, as their parents cheered them up.

This was followed by a sports event, which included solo race, cycle race, flag relay race and other fun races. The winners were given trophies and medals.

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285 to be conferred degrees
Our Correspondent

Doraha, March 16
As many as 285 students, including 122 Arts, 26 honours, 41 B.Com, 4 M.Com, 33 BCA, 20 PGDCA, 21 MA Punjabi and 18 MA Political Science will be conferred degrees at Dr Ishwar Singh Memorial Hall of Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, during its annual convocation and prize distribution function on March 18.

College principal Dr Narinder Singh Sidhu said Ramesh Vinayak, resident editor, Hindustan Times, would deliver the convocation address. Sukhdev Singh Libra, MP, will preside over the function. Tej Parkash Singh Kotli, former Cabinet minister, Punjab, will be the guest of honour.

Further, the student excelling in academics, sports and co-curricular activities will be given roll of honour, college colour and merit certificates by the college.

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Chinese toys may be hazardous for your kid
Anshu Seth
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
The rampant sale of ‘Made in China’ toys in every nook and corner of the city may have increased the incidence of learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders and anti-social behaviour and even lowered IQ among children.

There is no regulatory body to ascertain the quality standard of toys imported from China and Taiwan, which have flooded the country’s markets. India had banned the import of toys containing toxic materials after persuasion by some NGOs working for a ‘safe environment’. However, pressure exerted by the World Trade Organization led to the Indian government giving in to the free trade of these toys. Pediatricians in the city expressed concern over the manifold increase in the number of cases among children with the problems mentioned above, which they attributed to the kids’ exposure to lead or cadmium in their blood.

Dr Rajinder Ghulati, a leading city pediatrician, stated, "Not only are we spoiling the health of our future generations but also the environment by exposure to polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The latter contains both lead and cadmium and endangers human life as well as flora and fauna. Lead or cadmium compounds act as stabilizers but they readily leach out”.

“Moreover, they can also be used in pigments to impart bright colours to toys in order to attract children who get maximum exposure to these toxins by their chewing and swallowing behaviour”, he added

Harmohinder Singh, president of the Punjab Youth Forum, a city based NGO working for a safe environment, stated: “It is the country’s shopkeepers who are responsible for spoiling human as well as soil health by importing cheap and hazardous toys for the local market. We should have a regulatory body that should look into the quality of imported toys as they are coated with lead, chromium, copper and other toxic materials. These are hazardous for health when used and even more dangerous when it comes to their disposal”.

In a study conducted recently, Delhi-based NGO Centre for Science & Environment had found many toys imported from China and Taiwan contained dangerous phthalates, a family of chemicals that can cause serious health disorders such as asthma, skeletal defects, damage to male reproductive system and impairment of children’s lungs besides causing allergies in the case of excessive exposure.

In adults lead poisoning leads to fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach disorders, forgetfulness, headaches, insomnia, irritability, hypertension, anemia, reduced desire for sex, impotence, dizziness, and weakness.

Elevated levels of lead sustained over a period of time can damage the central nervous system in children and even adversely impact their development.

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Job-oriented courses are a must

Jagraon, March 16
“Job oriented education is must for better prospective of students. The ability to achieve goals through hard work must be developed among the students,” said Dr Naval Kishore, dean students’ welfare, Panjab University, Chandigarh, while addressing the students during a convocation function of Sidhwan Educational Institutions here today.

A total of 19 students of MEd and 216 students of BEd of GHG Harparkash College of Education for Women at Sidhwan Khurd received their degrees, while 365 graduation students along with postgraduation students of Khalsa College for Women were conferred degrees.

The GHG Harparkash College of Education for Women principal, Dr Baljit Kaur, and Khalsa College for Women principal, Dr Paramjit Kaur, presented the annual report of their respective college and threw light on the educational, cultural and sports achievements of the colleges. Three outstanding students were presented roll of honour for their achievement in sports, college colour for bringing laurels to the college in cultural sphere and 20 students were honoured in academic sphere. — OC

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Drowning Case
Body found, two still missing
Ashok Kaura

Phillaur, March 16
Even after 48 hours of the mishap, two bodies of the Ludhiana youths, who were drowned in Sutlej River while taking a holy dip in the river on Sunday, could not be found till this evening.

Phillaur SDM Pritam Singh and DSP Kamaljit Singh Dhillon told The Tribune here this evening that the dead body of their third friend Sandeep Kumar was found on Sunday while the other two may have been washed away and could be found floating after few more days.

The three youths had reportedly drowned in Sutlej River near a religious shrine of Jhandi Peer near Phillaur on Sunday afternoon. The youth identified as Sandeep Kumar, Ravi Kumar, Prince Kumar went to Jhandee Peer to pay their obeisance during a religious mela held at the shrine and entered the river water to take a bath. All three youths were washed away in the Sutlej while the body of Sandeep was recovered from some distance from the drowning place.

Meanwhile, Officials said the body of another youth identified as Kulwant Singh (17) of Sangowal village was found floating near Sangowal village yesterday. The deceased youth was drowned in the Sutlej on March 2, said Dhillon.

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Mock tests for NTSE final launched
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 16
A set of 20 premium mock tests for NTSE final preparation have been launched by TCYonline.com, an online test preparation portal. The tests are divided into 10 tests of MAT and SAT each. The maximum cost of each test is Rs 100. NCERT will be holding the national-level NTS examination on May 9 and a select group of 4,000 students will match their wits in the final.

Viji Raj, product manager of school programmes at TCY, says, "Students exhaust the question banks that their textbooks can offer while preparing for stage one. Stage two is entirely different and requires a higher level of preparation and practice. On our website, there are a number of free and paid test papers that will help the students scale the final hurdle." 

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Attack on Baba Balbir Singh
Main accused held

Jagraon, March 16
The Jagraon police nabbed the main accused, identified as Buta Singh, of the murderous attack on Baba Balbir Singh case, chief of the Budha Dal.

Buta Singh of Mehal Kalan in Barnala district was wanted in many cases of murder, theft and assault. He was arrested from Dholan village along with a country-made pistol of .315 caliber along with five live cartridges.

SSP Jagraon Harinder Singh Chahal during a press conference told SI Jamil Singh, while patrolling the area of Raikot road, he was going towards Kamalpura village late last evening when he saw a man standing alone on a bridge on the drain on the Raikot road near Dholan village. On seeing the police party, he tried to escape, but failed. On getting suspicious, the police nabbed him. On inquiring, he revealed his identity and on search, Jamil recovered pistol and ammunition from his possession and booked him. — OC

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Man commits suicide
Our Correspondent

Raikot, March 16
A resident of Brahmpura village near here committed suicide by jumping into canal yesterday. The victim has been identified as Baljit Singh (50). He used to run a school before switching over to a tent- house business.

Yesterday he opened his shop at Barundi village as usual. But, closed it after sometime. He left for Kanganwal village on his scooter, parked it near a canal, put his shirt and mobile phone in its front basket and jumped into the Bathinda branch of the canal. A few youth who were collecting honey from nearby trees saw him jumping into the canal. They also jumped behind him but failed take him out alive.

Baljit stated to be mentally upset for the past few days. The family, however, cremated his body without informing the police. 

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Vivekananda House clinch overall trophy
Our Correspondent

Doraha, March 16
The annual athletics meet of Doraha College of Education (DCE) was organised on the college campus today. Assistant director sports, Panjab University, Chandigarh, Dr Rakesh Malik, inaugurated the meet by unfurling the flag.

The meet began with a marchpast by the students of Gandhi, Tagore, Aurbindo and Vivekananda House. The college students participated in a series of athletics events as 400m, 200m, 100m, long jump, discus throw, shot put, relay race, etc. Fun races like chatti race, needle-thread race, spoon potato race, sack race, frog race, three-leg race, orange peeling race and skipping race.

Dr Bhupinder Singh awarded the winners of athletics events. Kamaljit was declared the best athlete and Gandhi House bagged the trophy for the best marchpast. Vivekananda House grabbed the overall best performance trophy.

Davinder Singh, a lecturer in physical education, was honoured for his services. The chief guest congratulated the winners and declared the meet closed by lowering the flag.

The results: 400m race: Kamaljit Kaur-1, Pooja Maini-2, Tarvinder Kaur-3. Long jump: Hasandeep Kaur-1, Jyoti-2, Mandeep Kaur-3. Javelin throw: Anshu-1, Daljit Kaur-2, Gurvir Kaur-3. Chatti race: Rashpal Kaur-1, Ramanjeet Kaur-2, Reena Devi-3. Needle thread race: Sandeep Kaur-1, Navjeet Kaur-2, Satinder Kaur-3. Balloon race: Rajwant Kaur-1, Jatinder Kaur-2, Amanpreet Kaur-3. Shot put: Gurvir Kaur-1, Neelam Thakur-2, Navjot Kaur-3. 100m race: Kamaljit Kaur-1, Amritpal Kaur-2, Tarwinder Kaur-3. Skipping race: Rajwinder Kaur-1, Hasandeep Kaur-2, Sandeep Kaur-3. Lemon spoon: Lachhmi-1, Jyoti-2. Potato peeling race: Jasdeep Kaur-1, Baljeet Kaur-2, Monika Rani-3. Discus throw: Daljit Kaur-1, Anshu-2, Hasandeep Kaur-3. 200m race: Kamaljeet Kaur-1, Tarwinder Kaur-2, Mandeep Kaur-3. Sack race: Neelam Thakur-1, Hasandeep Kaur-2, Amandeep Kaur-3. Three leg race: Rajwinder Kaur/Rajdeep Kaur-1, Hasandeep Kaur/Tarwinder Kaur-2, Sandeep Kaur/ Amanpreet Kaur-3. Backward race: Sandeep Kaur-1, Shiwangi Dewedi-2, Amanpreet Kaur-3. Chain race: Amandeep Kaur-1, Manpreet Kaur-2, Kamaljeet Kaur-3. 50m race: Tarwinder Kaur-1, Amritpal Kaur-2, Kamaljit Kaur-3. Bangle race: Amritpal Kaur-1, Manjit Kaur-2, Satinderdeep-3.

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Nirmala adjudged best athlete
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, March 16
Nirmala Devi and Rajesh Kumar were adjudged best athletes among girls and boys in the annual sports meet organised at the Partap College of Education, Hambran road, here today.

Nirmala Devi romped home victorious in the 400m race besides securing third position in 100m sprint. Narinder Kaur came out triumphant in 100m race to emerge as the fastest runner.

In the boy's section, Rajesh Kumar bagged top position in 800m race in addition to the long jump event. He also finished runner up in 200m race and 400m race.

A large number of students representing different houses, namely Satluj, Beas, Jehlum, Chenab and Ravi competed in various disciplines.

Earlier, JP Singh and Dr Ramesh Inder Bal Singh, chairman and director, respectively, of the Partap Group of Institutions declared the meet open. Principal of the college, Dr Balwant Singh, welcomed the chief guests and read out the annual report.

Manpreet Singh Ayali, chairman, Zila Parishad, distributed the prizes among the position holders.

Results: Girls-100m race:Narinder Kaur 1st,Jaswinder Kaur 2nd and Nirmala Devi 3rd.

200m race: Amandeep Kaur 1st, Jaswinder Kaur 2nd and Rajbir Kaur 3rd. 400m race: Nirmala Devi 1st, Amarjeet Kaur 2nd and Nidhi 3rd.Shot put: Anita Rani 1st, Jaspal Kaur 2nd and Manpreet Kaur 3rd. Discus throw: Manjit Kaur 1st, Manpreet Kaur 2nd and Jaspal Kaur 3rd. Long jump: Balwinder Kaur 1st, Randhir Kaur 2nd and Narinder Kaur 3rd.Boys: 200m race-Pavittar Singh 1st, Rajesh Kumar 2nd and Sukhwinder Singh 3rd.

400m race: Pavittar Singh 1st, Rajesh Kumar 2nd and Ramnish Bansal 3rd.

800m race:Rajesh Kumar 1st, Pavittar Singh 2nd and Ramnish Bansal 3rd.Shot put: Sukhwinder Singh 1st, Naveen Kumar 2nd and Ramnish Bansal 3rd.Discus throw: Naveen Kumar 1st, Ramnish Bansal 2nd and Raman Kumar 3rd. Long jump: Rajesh Kumar 1st, Sukhwinder Singh 2nd and Ramnish Bansal 3rd.

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Athletics Meet
Day 1: Komalpreet hogs limelight
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, March 16
Komalpreet Kaur, a student of third year of electronics and communication engineering department, hogged limelight by clinching top positions in long jump and 400m hurdles race categories on the opening day of the annual athletics meet of Satguru Ram Singh Government Polytechnic College for Women, Rishi Nagar, here today.

College principal Mohinder Pal Singh inaugurated the meet in which students from different streams are taking part.

Results: Discus throw: 1st Kamaldeep Kaur (computer), 2nd Manpreet Kaur (computer), 3rd Ritika (information technology).

Javelin throw: 1st Neha Rani (computer), 2nd Manpreet Kaur, 3rd Harpreet Rupra (information technology).

400m race: 1st Jagdeep Kaur (computer), 2nd Komalpreet Kaur (electronic and communication engineering), 3rd Manjit Kaur.

400m hurdles race: 1st Komalpreet Kaur (electronic and communication engineering), 3rd Manpreet Rupra (information technology).

Long jump: 1st Komalpreet Kaur (electronics and communication engineering), 2nd Jagdeep Kaur (computer), 3rd Shikha (computer).

4x100m relay race: 1st computer section, 2nd electronics and communication engineering section, 3rd information technology section.

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Cricket trials on March 19
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, March 16
The Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA) will conduct trials to select the u-12 and u-14 players for the regional coaching centre being run by the assocation here at Arya College ground on March 19 at 3.30 pm, LDCA honorary general secretary Vinod Chitkara said.

Boys born on or after September 1, 1998 (u-12) and those born on or after September 1, 1996 (u-14) are eligible for the trials.

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