Ludhiana, August 6
They feel tense and anxious at work, just like us. Their co-workers, bosses and general public make them “crazy”. They, too, at times feel their personal lives are not blissful. Our bureaucrats and top administrators get stressed and to bust their stress they indulge in various activities, which not only keep them fit but also help them in releasing their tension.

The Tribune spoke to a few bureaucrats and officials, who despite having tight schedules find time to relax. They are hooked on to physical activities like badminton, walking on treadmill, morning stroll and aerobic classes, which give them enough energy to deal effectively with public, bosses and subordinates.

Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tewari has a passion for badminton. For five to six days in a week, Tewari finds an hour to play his favourite sport. He said, “We to feel stressed like any other human being. Badminton is my stress-buster. Once I am inside the badminton court, I forget everything. Hitting the shuttle hard de-stresses me. Other than badminton, I like watching good movies to feel relaxed. At times, I take my car without the driver and bodyguards and watch a movie in a cinema hall. And this is possible only if we get little time,” he said.

For Municipal Commissioner AK Sinha, who also happens to be the Chief Administrator Officer of GLADA and PUDA, physical activity is a must. “It is not that I go to gymnasium to beat the stress. Right from the beginning, I was told by my father to be physically active and gymnasium has become a daily routine. For an hour, I walk on treadmill and exercise,” he said. “Other than that, I feel good when I answer to the reporters’ queries,” said Sinha in lighter vein.

As far as Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh is concerned, there is no word like stress. “I don’t think there is stress, we maintain the routine,” he said.

But Kamalpreet Kaur Brar needs to be in gymnasium everyday to stay fit and energetic. She said, “I can not live without going to the gymnasium. At times, for hours together, we keep on sitting, clearing pending files. There is no physical activity. Stress increases at times. Walking on the treadmill and listening to good music provides much relief to me and I feel my efficiency level also increases when I am physically active”.

Ludhiana, August 6
After dyeing industry, hosiery units have now come under the scanner of the Punjab Pollution Control Board. It has served notices on nearly 24 hosiery units in this regard. It is alleged that these units were discharging polluted water into the sewerages.

Notices were served on these units and they were asked to appear before the board yesterday (August 5) but the notice was extended yesterday after the industry intervened.

Panic gripped the hosiery industry after the notices were issued. “The synthetic detergents used for washing samples in the units contain very less chemicals as compared to normal washing detergents used at domestic places. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) released from this effluent is much less than other washing detergents,” said Dinkar Kumar, a hosiery industrialist.

A delegation led by Vinod K Thapar, president, Knitwear Club, Ludhiana, met the board officials yesterday to revert the notices served on various units in lieu of the prevention and control of pollution. This deputation requested the board to postpone the notice meeting fixed for yesterday and sought some more time.

Ludhiana, August 6
Before he could open his eyes, named or feel the touch of his mother, the one- day- old infant (boy), who was rescued by the police on Wednesday night, was a silent spectator to all harsh cruelties of the world.

Within 24 hours of his birth, he was shifted in several hands before finally landing in police custody. The police further took the child to a hospital located close to the police station and searched for his biological mother.

His fate was decided when he was in the womb five months ago. According to police sources, the child was born out of the wedlock. The mother, a resident of Shimlapuri has four children from her husband. For more than a year she was living separately from her husband following a dispute.

Meanwhile, she fell in love with a Malerkotla-based youth and got pregnant. When the women came to know about her pregnancy she asked the youth to marry her. She even decided to seek divorce from her husband, but to her shock the youth backtracked and refused to marry her.

Ludhiana, August 6
High alert in city notwithstanding, snatchers struck twice in different parts of the city today, cocking a snook at heavy police posse of police.

The first incident took place at around 11 am when two motorcycle-borne youths snatched a bag containing Rs 40,000 from a factory employee near Sangeet Cinema. The accused also hit an iron road on the head of the victim, identified as Kaher Singh (66), working with Diamond Engineering Works at Partap Chowk. According to the owner of the factory, Brij Mohan Mahajan, Kehar Singh was working with them for the past five years.

The victim said he went on a bicycle to Kerala Bank and withdrew Rs 43,000. He put thee notes of Rs 1,000 denomination in the pocket of his shirt and rest of the cash in the bag.

He said when he entered Street No. 3 at Pratap Chowk, two motorcycle-borne youths, who were wearing helmets, hit an iron rod on his head and fled with the bag containing.

The victim immediately informed the police about the incident. The police swooped into action and sounded alert in the area.

In another incident, two unidentified motorcyclists snatched Rs 30,000 and a gold bangle weighing five tolas from a commission agent near the sabzi mandi area here today.

The incident took place at around 8:45 am when Jugal Kishore Ahuja, a resident of Kundan Puri, was visiting sabzi mandi to purchase vegetables. Kishore said two youths waylaid him just a few meters away from the Domoria bridge.

While one of the accused put a knife on his neck, the other snatched the bag containing cash and a gold bangle. The accused then fled towards Chawni Mohalla. 

Ludhiana, August 6
It has been nearly 10 days since a 15-year-old girl was allegedly abducted by five women running a flesh trade racket in Shimlapuri. But, except an FIR, the police is not doing enough to trace the victim and nab the culprits.

Even the case would not have been registered had Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh not directed the SHO Daba police to register the case.

The girl was abducted on July 27 and the police registered the case on August 3 following the direction of the Commissioner of Police.

The family alleged that the girl was abducted by a five-member gang of women, who are running a flesh trade racket at Shimlapuri in the Phagwara and Phillaur areas.

The concern was evident on the face of victim's brother, who is running from pillar to post to locate his only sister.

Narrating the incident he said, "My sister went to get the suit stitched from the market but did not return. We searched for her till evening following which we informed the police about the incident.

“We came to know that Sonia, Rajwinder Kaur, Annu and Puja of Phagwara along with another women, also from Phagwara, abducted my sister. I told the police about it and requested them to take action against these women, but unfortunately nothing has been done so far.”

The brother of the victim alleged that the girl was taken to Phagwara. He feared that the girl might have been forcibly thrown into flesh trade.

The police has already raided Phagwara once but the gang managed to give it the slip. 

Ludhiana, August 6
Telling a lie to seek adjournment of a case has landed accused Parminder Singh, alias Amit of Gali No: 2, Harkrishan Vihar, Meharban, in a trouble with a judge ordering an FIR against him for falsely claiming that his mother had expired.

The court of Judicial Magistrate Balwant Singh here passed the orders for registration of the case against accused today.

Parminder Singh has moved an application in the court for adjournment of a criminal case pending against him under the Copyright Act. He took the plea that his mother has expired and her body was lying at home. He further stated that he was to reach there immediately for performing her last rites.

The Judicial Magistrate asked him to furnish an affidavit to support his contention. Then he filed an affidavit duly attested by a notary public regarding death of his mother. The court got suspicious and got the facts verified with the help of the police.

On enquiry, it transpired that the fact of death of his mother was false. Mother of accused namely Kamaljit Kaur also appeared before the court and stated that she was alive.

The court also recorded the statement of mother of the accused. Then the court immediately took the accused into custody and called the SHO of the police station concerned.

Taking strict note of cheating and filing false affidavit in the court, the judge ordered registration of the case against the accused.

The police, later, booked Parminder Singh under Sections 420, 197 and 198 of the IPC at the Division No: 5 police station. The court also framed charges against the accused under the Copyright Act and Section 292 against co-accused Sukhdeep Singh.

Ludhiana, August 6
Lakhs of students appearing every year for Class X and Class XII examinations all over Punjab, under the Punjab State Education Board (PSEB) have to burn midnight oil to clear it.

In a sweeping change introduced by the board from this semester, students will have to pass in Mathematics to step into the next class. Earlier, the board had made passing in Punjabi and English compulsory.

With this decision, the PSEB has ended the relaxation given to students, in which they could afford to fail in any one subject except Punjabi and English.

As per the previous rule, if a student failed in any of the subjects, including science, social science, mathematics or computer was promoted to the next class.

“From this semester onwards, a student has to clear all three subjects to get promoted to the next standard. Earlier, they had relaxation of one subject, which included Mathematics, in which they could afford to fail,” said District Education Officer (Secondary), PSEB, Bachhitar Singh.

The District Education Officer further added that failing to clear Mathematics, a student would now have to re-appear in the subject to move on to the next class.

“Though being considered a harsh move, it will benefit the students. Most of the students fear Mathematics and tend to be weak in it. Earlier, they used to leave the subject if they were weak in it, due to which they faced problems in the higher standards. But, now they will have to learn it to clear the class, which will give them a strong base,” said the DEO.

He added that the decision came following numerous representations by the Mathematics Teachers’ Association, who felt a large number of students shirked studying Mathematics.

“They felt this lackadaisical attitude towards the subject was harming the overall growth of students’ academic careers, thus affecting their future prospects. So the teachers demanded that passing the subject be made compulsory to make students study it,” he added.

Meanwhile, other teachers have not welcomed the move and feel that the new regulation would put an extra burden on the students and hence, result in a sharp dip in the PSEB results. “Many students will fail under the new rule. We would urge the board to review its decision,” remarked Rajinder Sharma, president, Association of PSEB Affiliated Schools, Punjab.

The move has not found favour with the students either, who feel they would have to strive hard to clear the mathematics exam yet be unsure of the results. 

Ludhiana, August 6
The Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) has chalked out a plan for the beautification of entry points to the city from Chandigarh and Ferozepur sides at an estimated cost of Rs 80 lakh.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the project on the Ferozepur Road near Ludhiana Medicity Hospital during his visit to the city on August 10.

The welcome structure to be constructed under the beautification project will have a granite pedestal, a welcome sign, a water body with fountains with landscaped surroundings and flowerbeds. It will also have decorative lights to welcome the visitors to the industrial capital of the state.

GLADA officials said in the next phase, all other entry points to the city - from Delhi, Jalandhar, Malerkotla, Humbran and Pakhowal - would be covered under the project.

"The idea behind the exercise is to give a complete makeover to the city, which is considered as dull, drab and chaotic.

“If plans are afoot to widen the major roads, improve traffic movement, renovate intersections and provide flyovers, it is natural that the entry points to the city should also be improved and beautified," said a senior GLADA official.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 6
Blinded in love, a resident of Malerkotla town, with intent to involve her parents in a fake case, asked her fiancé to fire a shot in her limbs.

Unable to arrange a weapon, the lover, father of a child, enacted fake attack by throwing acid on her legs but left her face and chest charred due to poor aiming.

As some acid was spilled on his shoulder he tried to kill the two birds with one stone and accused a few of his rivals for attacking him.

The girl was in love with Ravinder Pal Singh, alias Rupinder, alias Glovia, and alias Happy of Ranchana village, who was already married and was father of a child.

When her parents did not agree to get her married with Ravinder the lovebirds hatched a conspiracy and got a fake matrimonial advertisement inserted in one of the daily newspapers.

Ignoring all other proposal Monika nodded for Happy, who posed as an NRI.

Impressed by lavish lifestyle of Happy, parents of Monika settled things after preliminary meetings with ‘fake parents of the groom’ in Ludhiana and shagan ceremony was organised at one of the palaces in Ahmedgarh.

But Monika’s father got suspicious when women enacting mother and relatives of the groom were changed on their next visit to the bride’s place.

Fearing society, the parents of Manpreet silently broke the talks and started looking for another groom for their girl.

Facing one failure after another Monika asked Happy to arrange some weapon and fire a shot in feet or legs. She wanted to involve her parents and brother in the fake case and then get married to Happy once they were behind bars.

Unable to arrange any weapon, Happy along with one of his friends from Dhuri, enacted fake attack by throwing acid on Monika at Sherpur on in June. But due to poor aiming the acid fell on her chest and the face. Happy, too, sustained injuries in the incident and was admitted to a hospital at Dhuri. He tried to involve his rivals by accusing them of throwing acid on him.

It was long and intensive investigation by a team of cops that the modus operandi of the lovebirds surfaced. Verifying the facts cops arrested Happy yesterday. 

Ludhiana, August 6
It was a harrowing experience for Hardev Singh, resident of Jagdish Nagar locality near Dugri, and his family members when two electric poles supporting a transformer fell on the outer wall of their house early this morning.

"Thankfully the transformer was not working at the time when the foundation of the electric poles crumbled and the poles fell on the outer wall of our house, otherwise the incident could have turned into a disaster," said Hardev, who informed officials in the Punjab State Power Corporation (Powercom) and the transformer was removed immediately.

He said the outer wall of the house as well as abutment wall got damaged due to the weight of the electric poles. "The site, however, is not suitable for installation of any transformer."

The Powercom officials, on the other hand, had a different story to tell. According to SDO of Model Town division of Powercom, electric poles and cables, along the Sidhwan Canal, were in the process of being shifted due to the ongoing work of widening of the southern bypass. "The poles supporting the transformer were shifted to provide additional width, but location of the transformer had to remain the same, 
which was being opposed by the owner of the house and a shop situated alongside."

The Powercom official said, the incident looked like the handiwork of the house owner and the shopkeeper, who had earlier approached the department to shift the transformer, which was not possible due to technical reasons. "The contractor deployed for shifting of electric poles and cables has been directed to strengthen the foundation of the poles and instal the transformer," he added.

Doraha, August 6
A meeting of peasants affected by the gas pipeline was held at Comrade Krishan Kumar Kaushal Memorial Bhawan here yesterday.

Surinder Singh Tajpur presided over the meeting. Comrade Lakhwinder Singh Bowani, said a state-level convention of the gas pipeline affected peasants would be organised at Punjabi Bhawan, Ludhiana, on August 10.

He said, “Anti-peasant policies of the government with regards to the laying of gas pipeline by GAIL India Limited authorities will be discussed in detail and the government shall be pressurised to divert or cancel the present gas pipeline route that has ruined the already debt-ridden peasantry of the state. In order to save the farmers and their food bowl, the government should change the present route of the gas pipeline and lay it along the banks of canals, drains, roads, railway tracks and waste lands.” He also urged all progressive and pro-peasantry people to attend the convention.

Ludhiana, August 6
Breastfeeding patterns among children up to the age of six months have become elemental part of symptomatology for the homeopaths to treat children suffering from behavioural problems, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia.

The behavioural problems are constantly on the rise among children below the age of 15 years, for which more and more people are turning to homeopathy.

Referring to the recent cases of the ADHD, Dr Muktinder Singh, a paediatrician at Homeocare clinic, said the "abnormality" in the breastfeeding pattern of the children between zero and six months enables homeopaths to administer treatment so as to prevent the disorder.

"Similarly, the feeding pattern is taken into consideration to look into the causes of the ADHD in grown up children. Suckling, frequency in feeding and reaction of the child to refusal are taken into consideration while treating the ADHD cases," said Dr Muktinder.

Homeopaths feel that togetherness of mother and child during the birth triggers the production of mother's milk that helps the child in fighting against multiple diseases. Taking strongly to the separation of infants from mothers soon after the birth, another city homeopath said: "It has been observed that the delayed contact with mothers cause insecurity in children during later stages, thereby resulting in the attention-seeking behaviour."

Thumb sucking and nail biting, too, has been referred to as "insecurity and fear psychosis" in homeopathy, which the homeopaths feel can be diagnosed best in the light of the child's breastfeeding behaviour during infancy. 

Colostrums for strong immune system

Agreeing with the fact that colostrums (milky fluid secreted for the first day or two after parturition) is vital, Dr Puneet Aulakh Pooni, an allopathic paediatrician at the DMCH, said: “This is true that colostrums lays down the immune system and confers growth factors and other protective factors in the child. It is important for the development of the brain and the overall growth of the child." 

Ludhiana, August 6
Extending support to the district health authorities, IMA, Ludhiana, today launched a campaign against gastroenteritis in the slum areas near Budha Nalah.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) today handed over the pamphlets and medicines at the government dispensary at Haibowal to distribute it among slum-dwellers.

The IMA members distributed pamphlets to spread awareness among masses in various parts of the city advising them not to drink dirty water, not to eat dirty food and observe personal hygiene.

Also, the doctors distributed medicines for diarrhoea/dysentery. Four tablets of Norfloxacin and six tablets of Metronidazole are being given to each slum-dweller. Chlorine tablets were also distributed to the families. — TNS

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 6
Suspecting foul play in the submission of number of admissions done in various subjects at government schools of the state, the education department has decided to initiate action against erring headmasters and principals.

If found guilty of reporting fake admissions, action will be initiated against school heads and they can even be suspended. Smelling rat in the submission of proposals for rationalisation of various posts sent by district education officers of the region, higher authorities in the education department have directed the district-level officals to undertake physical verification of facts mentioned in statements sent earlier and report anomalies, if any.

Sources reveal that a large number of heads and principals of government schools of the area had reported fake admissions after the department had sought proposals in connection with the rationalisation of posts.

District education officers, too, forwarded these reports without verifying data regarding number of admissions and bifurcation according to subjects. Receiving information about the tendency, authorities in the education department constituted special teams and got reports crosschecked at random. It was observed that majority of head, apprehending abolition of certain posts in their schools, had reported fake admissions in their reports.

Taking serious notice of the propensity, the authorities have directed all the district education officers to warn heads and principals of schools of their areas against the wilful reporting of fake admission and ask them to rectify the discrepancies, if any. The district education officers have been advised to send names of heads found guilty of the committing this mistake to the office of the director-general of school education at Chandigarh.

Warning that the cases of erring officials will be considered for suspension, the director-general of school education has said that random checking would be done by special teams constituted by the head office.

“After this (submission of rectified reports), the head office will organise surprise inspections by specially constituted teams and if fake admissions are found in any of the schools, cases of their principals or heads will be considered for suspension,” reads a communication by the director-general of school education office.

Investigations revealed that certain government and private schools, affiliated to the Punjab School Education Board, had been making fake admissions to various classes for many years. This trend was observed more in rural schools.

Fearing poor results, management committees and owners of private schools are hesitant to allow the poor-performing students as their regular candidates in the board examinations. Being lured by government schoolteachers to facilitate copying during exams, parents of these students get their wards admitted there by paying extra amount for the PTA fund, said sources.

Hundreds of students taking special coaching at private institutes in Chandigarh, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Delhi were reported to have been admitted to one or the other government school in Punjab.

Though the authorities had identified some institutes indulging in the malpractice a few years ago, the perpetrators were left scot-free. A majority of the students were related to bureaucrats and government schoolteachers. Higher authorities in the state education department have once again taken serious note of the menace.