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Incessant rain submerges roads, low-lying areas
Ludhiana, August 18 Not only the interior part of the city but also low lying areas in posh localities were flooded with rainwater. In the old city waterlogging caused a lot of inconvenience to commuters. The worst affected were residents and shopkeepers in Janakpuri, where it took 6 to 8 hours for the rainwater to drain into the clogged sewers. Rain and thundershowers began at about 2:40 am and continued for about 10 to 12 hours. All major city streets including Ghumar Mandi Road and those in Civil Lines, Deep Nagar and Chander Nagar as well as Ferozepur Road, Circuit House Road, Club Road, the streets opposite Old DMC and near the Rose Garden besides many in Haibowal Kalan -all well developed areas - remained under rainwater for 2 to 3 hours. Residents of the city’s interior areas including Janakpuri, Chaura Bazaar, Hargobindnagar, Hari Kartar Colony, Khwaja Kothi, Baghwali Gali, Roopa Mistri Gali, Town Hall, Pratap Bazaar, Transport Nagar and Industrial Area were inundated with rainwater for over 4 to 5 hours. Some shopkeepers in the Janakpuri locality opened their shops in the afternoon. "Rainwater entered our shops today and it took more than two hours to clear it. We had no customers due to the rain", rued Parveen Kumar, a shopkeeper in the Janakpuri market. Rajeshwar Singh, a resident near Khwaja Kothi, said intermittent rain threw normal life out of gear. "Due to the choked sewers rainwater that had accumulated on the streets couldn’t be drained. It had become impossible to send children to schools. The municipal corporation had launched an anti-encroachment drive and extensions of houses were recently demolished. However, it didn’t bother to clear the debris that was impeding smooth flow of vehicular traffic. Residents had no option but to throw the debris into open drains, as a result of which all of them were blocked and rainwater couldn’t be drained for over 6 hours", rued Singh. Residents living along the Ganda Nullah had to face a harrowing time. Not only puddles of water but also the foul smell from the open drain made their lives miserable. Surjit Singh, a resident of Issa Nagri said, "Though the deputy chief minister recently dedicated a project to cover the Ganda Nullah it will remain on paper only.New water, sewer pipes soon Officials of the water and sewerage department today met the councillors in whose areas the water being supplied has been found to be unfit on numerous occasions. The civic body has been able to get about ` 24 crore for replacing old water and sewer pipes in the city, for which a survey will be conducted in many areas from tomorrow onwards. Work on laying the new pipes is expected to begin after one-and-a-half month. The meeting was held at the municipal corporation’s zone A office. Water enters DC’s house
Due to the continuous rain water entered deputy commissioner Rahul Tewari’s official residence on the Club Road. "Rainwater entered my residence since it is located in the low-lying area. However, it was cleared after about an hour or so,” said Tewari. Rain ‘bad’ for vegetable crops
BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said the rain was good for the paddy but “harmful” for vegetable crops. "All seasonal vegetables, including bottle gourd, bitter gourd, ladyfinger, capsicum and tomatoes are soft and cannot bear incessant rainfall,” he added.
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Traffic flow thrown into chaos
Ludhiana, August 18 The showers that began early morning continued intermittently all through the afternoon with the result that almost all the major streets were submerged with rainwater. Vehicles were
stuck in the middle of the road due to the accumulated water, which further led to extended snarlups on several major arteries. Those caught up in the two-hour traffic jam at Domoria Bridge said most motorists, apprehensive of driving in the 2-feet deep water on both sides of the bridge, stopped short near Nigam Market to wait till the water receded. Scooters, motorcycles, auto and cycle rickshaws and even some cars attempted to cross the bridge from the wrong side where the water level was comparatively lower. This resulted in chaos with serpentine queues leading right up to Kailash cinema Chowk towards Civil Lines and Sabzi Mandi Chowk on towards GT Road. Normally traffic cops are deployed at the T-junction where the road forks toward Sabzi Mandi Chowk and Deepak Cinema Road. However, due to the incessant rain the cops were nowhere to be seen and motorists were left to fend for themselves. "Vehicular movement on Domoria Bridge Road has always been problematic with both the traffic police and the municipal corporation remaining clueless about a solution to the problem. No traffic planning, management, regulation or enforcement worth the name exists on this busy stretch, The situation takes a turn for the worse when it rains heavily and water accumulates on the roads leading down from the bridge," said Rajat Sharma, a businessman who commutes daily on this section. Officials responsible for regulation and enforcement of traffic rules have attributed the problem on this particular stretch to ongoing work on the flyover ramp that is being constructed in place of the now dismantled Lakkar Pul (foot overbridge) from Society Cinema to a portion of Mata Rani Chowk. "We’ve exercised several options to improve things but without much success so far. However, traffic movement will definitely be smoother once the flyover becomes functional and will take much of the load off Domoria Bridge," said a police official requesting anonymity. |
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Express service a hit with residents
Ludhiana, August 18 The service is presently available at three post offices, at main post office-Bharat Nagar, central post office-Bhadaur House and National Speed Post Centre. Only a few days ago, the price of this service had been slashed considerably. “If earlier one had to pay ` 2,000 for a courier to the USA, now one will have to pay only ` 850,” said JR Nur, senior superintendent of post offices. The charges depend on the location. The maximum weight allowed for documents is 2.5 kg, while for a parcel the maximum weight sent can be 5 kg. WNX deliveries will be backed by the DPWN’s extensive network of 350 aircraft, 130,000 vehicles and over 500,000 employees that form a part of the DPWN network in over 220 countries. The coming together of India Post and the DPWN is a new initiative undertaken by the Department of Post to bring world-class express services to every nook and cranny of the country. The service failed to launch in the city, as the DHL, the company engaged for services, failed to provide the code for the city. Santokh Singh, a customer whose son lives abroad, is very happy with the service, especially since the prices have come down. “The service is a kind of upgradation of the speed post service. The post is delivered in less time and the parcels are handed over in good condition through the WNX. The prices have come down considerably and are more affordable now,” he added.
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For hospitals, charity begins at home
Ludhiana, August 18 Neither the leading nor the small charitable hospitals, which are thriving in the name of “charity,” are keen to adopt this scheme. A senior physician said, “The chartable hospitals are enjoying all benefits, including tax rebates under the name of providing healthcare services to the needy, but in reality they are not abiding to any of the requisite conditions laid down for them.” Instead of giving an impetus to the institutional deliveries under the scheme, the charitable hospitals are reluctant to admit the women from BPL families. On the contrary, they open up their
doors to the women from affluent families so as to make big and quick money from the caesarians. The department of health and family welfare, Punjab, had roped in the private/charitable hospitals for carrying out maximum deliveries of the women falling under the BPL category. But despite having been offered Rs 2,500 per delivery, none of the hospitals have shown interest in carrying out the scheme in the city. District Family Welfare Officer (DWFO), Dr Sanjeev Hans, said: “It is unfortunate that the private/charitable hospitals have put the interest of the needy and downtrodden at the backseat. It is the duty of every medical professional to help in reducing the infant and maternal mortality rates. It is not just the duty of doctors working under the government department.” The health department will soon meet the medical superintendents of all city-based charitable hospitals so as to fix the target of performing minimum number of deliveries of women below the poverty line, Hans added. Money Minters
Neither leading nor small hospitals, which are thriving in the name of charity, are keen to adopt the Surakshit Janepa Yojana. This scheme has been started for the institutional deliveries of women living below the poverty line. Most of these hospitals enjoy benefits like tax rebates. On the contrary, they have opened their doors for women from affluent families so as to make big bucks. |
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Traders caught unaware
Ludhiana, August 18 Most of the traders came to know about this notification only after their trucks were stopped at the barrier for paying the tax. Hem Raj Aggarwal, who was bringing milk from the other state, was confused over the 5 per cent entry tax levied on the milk to be used for manufacturing taxable goods. “Sweetmeat sellers are exempted from the tax but I have been charged entry tax and since I don’t pay tax so the money paid by me will not be refunded,” he added. Satwant Bagga, a baffled trader, said he was not aware of the fact that entry tax had been levied on electric motors. “Entry tax at the rate of 12.5 per cent has been levied on electric motors. Though the officer on duty said the department has released a circular in this regard but I did not read it and came to know about it only today,” he added. Ashwani Sood, vice-president, Brick Kiln Owners’ Association, Ludhiana unit, said while brick kiln owners were already facing numerous problems now the entry tax has further added to their woes. “There is no need of additional entry tax when we are already paying VAT,” he added.
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Year on, PAU students’ home yet to be renovated
Ludhiana, August 18 The lawns outside the students home is unkempt and even the wooden benches are broken. There are only four iron benches in the lawns of students home, which is not enough to accommodate students, employees and faculty members, who come to relax in their free time. Students have no option but to sit outside, their favourite hang out has become a disappointment for them and students now prefer to sit in the lawns of their respective departments. Not to miss the washrooms in the students home which have been locked for more than six months in the name of renovation. "It’s a problem for us, as we have to use the washrooms in the adjoining departments even while sitting in the students home during the free classes," said Amarinder Singh, a senior faculty member. While referring to the problem of haphazard construction in the university, he said it was due to the mismanagement of unprofessional persons, who had been given the "charge". Besides, broken windowpanes, worn out sofa seats and cobwebs inside the reading room point towards the lack of interest on the part of authorities concerned towards the maintenance of the building. "We have visited several universities in the state and outside Punjab and every university has a good student centre/student home as compared to the students home at PAU," said a group of girl students. The authorities in PAU have yet to make relevant changes in the students home as had been requested by the student representatives in the recent past.
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From Colleges
Girls of Khalsa College for Women, Civil Lines, have once again done their teachers and parents proud by getting top positions in university result. In MSc (IT), result of which was declared by Panjab University, Shilpa Jindal and Shivani Sareen have jointly stood first in the university. Out of the 30 students, who appeared for examination, 18 have scored more than 70 per cent marks in aggregate. Also, in BSc (honours) biotechnology, students have made their mark. In BSc (honours) biotechnology (I), Jaspreet Kaur has stood third in the university and Jasmine Puri stood 10th in the university. In BSc (honours) biotechnology (II), Harjeevan Kaur stood third in the university. Laurels
Charu Gupta and Deepika Sharma, students of University Business School (UBS), Panjab University Regional Centre (PURC), Ludhiana, secured first and second positions, respectively, in Panjab University combined MBA examination with that of UBS, Chandigarh. Applauding the academic achievement of the students, Dr Deepak Kapur, director, PURC, Ludhiana, said: "UBS, Ludhiana, will focus on academic excellence of its students. Besides, efforts are also being made to expose our students to the best practices of corporate world through frequent interaction with experts from industry by organising industry visits and guest lectures."
Teej
Guru Nanak Girls College, Model Town, wore a festive look here yesterday, as the staff and students dressed in traditional attires celebrated the teej festival. Principal Dr Charanjit Mahal enlightened the students on socio-economic importance of teej and stressed on the need to remain in touch with culture. A variety of stalls, including bangles, jewellery, purses, cosmetics and mehandi added colour to the festive celebrations. Students enjoyed traditional sweets like kheer and malpoora. Various traditional articles like bagh, phulkari, charkha, pakhis, chaaj, daris were also displayed. The campus displayed a unique view of Punjabi culture and rich heritage. Various competitions, including folk singing, giddha, mehandi, nail art and hairstyle were organised. President of the college Gurbir Singh said: "Such celebrations help keeping in touch with our roots." The principal gave away prizes to the winners.
Seminar
Training and Placement Cell and Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) Student's chapter of Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology (GNIMT), Model Town, organised a seminar on "Career Opportunities in Information Technologies". Resourseperson Vishwas Kshirsagar said: "IT is expanding at an exponential rate. Career opportunities in the field are unstoppable and there are about one-lakh job opportunities this year." He advised the students to read newspapers. Wing Commander SS Arora (Retd), training and placement officer, co-coordinated the event and stated that over 100 students of BCA and MCA attended the seminar.
New session
The inaugural assembly of students of BBA, BCA and MBA was organised at Doraha Institute of Management and Technology today. Sukhpal Singh, chairman, Doraha Group of Institutes, was the chief guest. He felicitated the meritorious students by giving away cash awards and certificates. —
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From Schools Celebrating the Independence Day, a plantation drive was conducted by Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, in association with Raizo Biotec Labs, Ludhiana. Sr. Chantal, principal, emphasised that women should take responsibility to plant at least one sapling each for better environment. Teej
New GMT Public School celebrated Teej and Independence Day with enthusiasm. Children recited poems in Punjabi, English and Hindi. Bhangra and giddha were the main attractions. Director and school principal congratulated the students. Mr and Miss Teej were also adjudged. A cultural programme was also presented by the students. Meanwhile, teej was celebrated at Jatindera Greenfield School, Gursar Sudhar. Students celebrated the festival with pomp and show. A colourful programme of "Sawan ka Raja" and "Teej ki Rani", including giddha, bhangra and songs were performed by students. Students were dressed in traditional Punjabi attires and tricolor dresses. Cultural bonanza
Showcasing the unique blend of cultural heritage and spirit of unity in diversity of India, students of DCM Presidency School presented a cultural programme in the form of “Hind Namah Stute” - which left an indelible imprint on the hearts of all those present. Hakam Singh Giaspura, mayor, Ludhiana, presided over, while Harjinder Singh, ADCP-IV, Ludhiana, Dr Rishipal Singh, AETC, and Sunita Aggarwal, Deputy Mayor, were guests of honour. The function began on an auspicious note with a classical dance performance by students in the form of "Ganesh Vandana". Tiny tots of Class II presented a patriotic dance “Bharat Humko Jaan se Pyara Hai”. Tiny tots walked the ramp dressed in traditional attires of various states. A thought provoking play based on issues like corruption, red-tapism and procedural wrangles titled, "Yugantar' touched everyone's heart. —
TNS
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Contractors’ cartel set to hit MC hard
Ludhiana, August 18 The contractors maintain that the works from now onwards will be equally divided to improve quality of work. The MC authorities, however, say that they would not allow "cartel” at any cost. The MC would cancel the entire process of allotting tenders in case of any discrepancy, said MC officials. A contractor working for the civic body for the past 15 years said they held several rounds of meetings on this issue. Ultimately, it was decided to form an association to equally divide all the development works in city. "It is not that we have formed any union, but the work will be divided to maintain quality. There will be less competition among us and we will not complain against each other's works,” said the contractor, admitting that the civic body might suffer losses due to the "deal". As per data available, there were around 100 contractors working with the MC. When contacted, Senior Deputy Mayor Parveen Kumar Bansal said: "We have come to know that they have formed a association and will divide their works. With this, the MC is set to suffer.” Joint Commissioner MS Jaggi, however, said the pooling of contractors would not be allowed. "If we feel that there is something wrong, we have every right to reject the tender, said Jaggi. Not for first time
A contractor with the MC said this was not for the first time that the contractors had joined hands to form an association. Whenever there are big projects involved, contractors influenced each other. "The interested contractor (in a particular project) asks all others to offer higher bids. An agreement is settled among them and interested contractor gets the work. In lieu to that, he pays handsome amount to others,” he added.
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Training jail inmates in linking machines
Ludhiana, August 18 Vinod K Thapar, president of the Knitwear Club, lauded the efforts of the trainers as well as the contribution of industrialists for a superior cause and remuneration of jail inmates. Under the project “Implementing BDS for MSMEs in Ludhiana knitwear cluster”, a major issue which came up during the diagnostic study was lack of skilled manpower in the industry at all levels, including stitching operators, knitting operators, hand flat operators or linking operators. To cater to the requirement of linking operators in the cluster and on the suggestion of the Chief Minister, the Knitwear Club has undertaken the job of providing training and creating a job work centre at the Ludhiana Central Jail in association with the Apex Cluster Development Services. Under this programme, training is being provided to jail inmates on linking machines. After the training, a job work centre will be created which will cater to the industry. The earnings of the jail inmates will be put in their account to be given to them on release from prison.
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Failures don’t dishearten me: Miss Pooja
Ludhiana, August 18 In the city today with actor Goldy, Miss Pooja said: “Although my first film ‘Panjaban’ failed to click, people appreciated my acting. Failures do not dishearten me but encourage me to do good work and put in more efforts. I am optimistic about my forthcoming film and anxiously waiting for its release.” "It is the first step that matters in your life. One needs to be courageous enough to take that first step forward. I took my decision of becoming a singer and then an actor. Today, I am happy about my decision," said Pooja. Speaking on the plot of the film, lead actor Goldy said: “The film is set in the backdrop of a college campus. It is about the fun-loving college life and also throws light on the drug menace, which generally starts from the college. It explains in detail how drugs have taken a toll on youths and has ruined their lives.” The film has nine songs and Miss Pooja has also shared a space with other singers like Rani Randeep and Feroze Khan among others. The film has all the essential elements of comedy, romance and action.
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NCC cadets honoured
Ludhiana, August 18 Dr VK Taneja, Vice-Chancellor, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, felicitated cadets of 1 Punjab Remount and Veterinary Squadron NCC yesterday for their achievements. Three cadets - Harmanjit Singh, Sheetal Singh and Sunil Kumar from 1 Punjab R&V SQN NCC, were honoured during an Army function today. They are to join the Indian Armed Forces in the Remount & Veterinary Corps as commissioned officers. Taneja also congratulated the cadets and mentioned that there was an increase in the number of youngsters from College of Veterinary Science, GADVASU, joining the Army since the past two-three years, which was a positive sign of cadets being imbibed with the ethos and values of the Army.
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Rs
15,000 fine slapped on Air India Ludhiana, August 18 The complainant stated that she had purchased one return ticket from the Air India Tourists through its authorised representative Janta Travels, Ludhiana. As scheduled, she boarded the flight from London to Amritsar on December 31, 2007. She was supposed to reach Amritsar at 10.10 pm. Her relatives reached to receive her, but she was told at the Indira Gandhi Airport, New Delhi, that there was some technical problem in the plane. The authorities asked the passengers to go to Amritsar via taxi, but there were four other persons boarding the taxi making it difficult to accommodate. Then she arranged for a taxi for herself and reached the destination. The Permanent Lok Adalat exonerated Janta Travels, but held Air India of being negligent. It observed that the offering of taxi with so many other passengers was an eye wash. That's why the old lady had to arrange for another taxi. She was harassed and thus must be compensated.
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Tips on health
Ludhiana, August 18 Students were told the importance of maintaining a disease-free body and mind. Principal Santosh Mehra advised them to exercise regularly, have a balanced diet to meet the challenges of life.
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Gang of snatchers busted, 2 held
Three stolen motorcycles and a scooter, jewellery worth Rs 3 lakh, a country-made pistol, five live cartridges and a knife used in the crime were recovered from their possession. A police team led by Dehlon SHO Harvinder Singh Cheema arrested Gurcharan Singh Vicky of Kaind village and Gurpreet Singh of Brahampur village from different places following a tip-off. Investigations revealed that the arrested miscreants were members of a notorious gang that was involved in snatching of vehicles and valuables at gunpoint. The other members of the gang have been identified as Gurbachan Singh Chatri of Brahampur, Lakhwinder Lakhi of Hargobindpur and Sunny of Ghadmui village. The gang members also confessed to have killed Mewa Singh of Raushiana, a labourer in the PWD, and Gian Singh of Khera village, the police said. The police nabbed the accused on the basis of calls received on the mobile phone of Mewa Singh that the gangsters had snatched before killing him. The police is also trying to identify the jewellers who facilitated the gangsters by purchasing stolen ornaments. Assistant Commissioner of Police Narinder Singh Ruby said he had constituted special teams to raid the hideouts of other gang members.
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JE held for graft
Khamano, August 18 According to information, Raghuvir Singh, a farmer of Gagarwal village, approached the vigilance bureau alleging that the JE was demanding bribe from him for fixing discs on a pole. The vigilance team laid a trap and arrested the JE red-handed with Rs 2,000. — OC 150 saplings planted
Ludhiana: Rising Youth Association organised a plantation drive at a public park near Sabji Mandi on Jalandhar bypass here on Wednesday. More than 150 saplings of Azadirachta indica (Neem), Bauhinia variegata (Kachnar) and Ficus religiosa (Peepal) were planted. —
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LBA, Mansa boys script victories
Ludhiana, August 18 The LBA players faced little resistance from Moga lads whom they pipped 54-31. For the winners, Bikramjot Singh contributed 11 points while Gaurav accounted for 10 points. For the losers, Gurpreet Singh netted 12 baskets and Reshampreet Singh chipped in with nine points. The match played between Mansa and Patiala turned out to be cliff-hanger in which the former managed to prevail over Patiala 90-83. The two sides were tied with 83 points each at the end of the regular period and the match was decided in the extra time. Avtar Singh and Gurvinder Singh with 22 and 14 points, respectively, played the key role for Mansa while Anatarpreet Singh and Sehajdeep Singh scored 23 and 10 points, respectively, for Patiala. In other matches in the boy's section, Bathinda outplayed Kapurthala 45-35; Moga beat Mohali 46-26; Gurdaspur trounced Ropar 50-13 and Amritsar routed Hoshiarpur 50-16. In the girl's section, Jalandhar, Patiala and Gurdaspur districts wrapped up their encounters to advance into the next round. In the first match, Jalandhar defeated Hoshiarpur 35-11 while Patiala pipped Bathinda 35-7 and Gurdaspur overpowered Sangrur 63-45.
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45 selected for national karate meet
Ludhiana, August 18 Ashok Chauhan, general secretary, Ludhiana District, Shito-Ryu Karate-Do Association, said these players were between 6 to 16 years from Guru Gobind Singh Public School, Pakhowal road branch, Vardhman International Public School, Chandigarh road, and Bal Bharti Public School, Dugri. The performance during this tournament will be taken into consideration while selecting the national karate squad for the forthcoming World Karate Championship slated to be held in Spain in November, added Chauhan.
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Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 18