The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Admn axes 800 trees to plug breach
Ludhiana, September 18
It may sound strange, but the district administration and residents of Mattewara village have brazenly ruined the ecology to save 13 villages from floods by resorting to the age-old method of plugging the breach.

People take an axed branch of a tree for plugging the breach at Mattewara village in Ludhiana on Saturday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

Chhapar Mela
Confusion prevails over auction of vends
Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 18
With barely two days left in commencement of the mega event, confusion prevails over the auction of a common land at Chhapar village for the purpose of establishing stalls and vends during the historic mela.

Elderly woman robbed of Rs 1.50 lakh
Ludhiana, September 18
Residents beware, an organised gang of robbers is on the prowl. They enter the house on the pretext of giving an invitation for marriage and then rob occupants, mostly women, of their jewellery. In a latest incident, a youth entered the house of an elderly woman in Krishna Nagar near Ghumar Mandi and fled away with a gold ring, four bangles and pair of earrings worth `1. 50 lakh here today.

Girl dies for want of medical aid
She lay injured on potholed road for 30 minutes
Ludhiana, September 18
A 25-year-old bank employee sustained injuries after she reportedly lost control over the scooter she was driving due to the potholes at Dholewal road today. The victim identified as Jyoti was working in an overseas branch of the State Bank of India near Dholewal. She lay injured on the road for nearly half-an-hour. This incident took place at around 10.45 am.

Lakkar Bridge Flyover
Construction work leads to snarl-ups
Shopkeepers lose business, commuters feel harassed
Ludhiana, September 18
With the construction work of a flyover over the Lakkar Bridge going at a snail’s pace, snarl-ups have become a routine affair in the Bhadaur House area, causing lots of inconvenience to commuters as well as shopkeepers. There is only a narrow stretch left for the vehicles to pass and it has become a major traffic bottleneck. Things are getting worse in the absence of traffic cops and verbal duels have become a routine affair.

Another student commits suicide
Ludhiana, September 18
Barely three days after the nursing student ended his life by jumping from a mobile tower at Fatehgarh Jattan village near Macchiwara, a girl, who was also studying at the Desh Bhagat Institute in Gobindgarh, committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her house at Kot Mangal Singh here today.

COMMUNITY

Attack on Church
Political interference, a biggest challenge for cops
Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 18
The police is feeling sandwiched between demands for taking strict action against perpetrators of the recent attack on St Thomas Church at Malerkotla and allegations of unnecessarily harassing members of a particular community. Any step taken by the police for rounding up or calling someone to the police station for questioning is followed by hue and cry among politicians.

Indira Awas Yojna Scam
Capt Amarinder demands inquiry
Ludhiana, September 18
Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said the scam involving lakhs of rupees in the Indira Awas Yojna in the Ludhiana Additional Deputy Commissioner’s office might be just a tip of an iceberg and the money involved might be more.

Dental college students, authorities at loggerheads
Ludhiana, September 18
Baba Jaswant Singh Dental College authorities and students are once again at loggerheads. This time, the issue is about hostel mess food.

Students stage a protest at Baba Jaswant Singh Dental College in Ludhiana on Saturday. Photo: Inderjeet Verma

Nine-yr-old gets new life
Undergoes successful renal transplant
Ludhiana, September 18
Nine-year-old Barinder Singh was given a new lease of life at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) where he was successfully operated upon for chronic kidney failure with end stage renal disease. Barinder recently underwent a successful renal transplant by eminent urologist, Dr Baldev Singh Aulakh, professor of urology and head of transplant unit at DMCH. The mother donated the kidney to the child.

NRI Woman’s Death
Police still groping in dark
Khanna, September 18
The death of an NRI woman still remains a mystery, as a team of England police is groping in the dark at Khanna and adjoining areas to find the truth behind her death. The team, with the assistance of the Khanna police, is conducting an enquiry in various banks like ICICI, IDBI and Indusland Bank. The team also visited her in-laws at Bija village and some other villages to conduct the probe.

Low Wages
Power loom workers submit memo to Labour Commissioner
Ludhiana, September 18
The agitating power loom workers of Gaushala, Madhopuri, Kashmir Nagar, and Horgobind Pura submitted a memorandum to the Labour Commissioner at the Gill road here yesterday. The wokers were protesting against the low wages and non-implementation of the labour laws in their units. A few weeks ago, the power loom workers of Shakti Nagar had also staged a protest due to similar reasons. Their owners had complied with their demands and now the workers of other units were also following their footsteps to get their rights.

‘India will be third largest economy by 2050’
Ludhiana, September 18
Strong economic growth, young population, better industrial and business environment, stable political structure, optimistic environment are the key factors that provide better investment opportunities in India, said Ajay Bagga, managing director and head of private wealth management at Deutsche Bank, India.

DMCH launches stroke helpline
Ludhiana, September 18
The department of neurology at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) has launched a helpline to provide timely assistance to stroke victims. Patients from the region can avail this facility by calling at helpline No-099153-55100 in case of brain stroke.

Teacher’s song selected for scouts
Ludhiana, September 18
Schoolteacher Karamjeet Singh Grewal’s Punjabi song has been selected for Bharat Scouts and Guides. It is an international scout movement. “It is a proud moment for me. My song - Jo sach da rah dikhaundi hai oh guiding hai - is one of the eight songs, which has been selected for scout movement,” says an elated Grewal, who is a Punjabi teacher at Government High School, Kheri Jhameri.

Karamjeet Singh Grewal. A Tribune photograph

DMCH doc interacts with liver transplant experts
Ludhiana, September 18
Dr Sandeep Singh Sidhu, professor of gastroenterology at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), recently visited Addenbrookes Hospital, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, which according to him is a world acclaimed centre for liver transplantation and multivisceral (liver and kidney; pancreas, kidney and intestine) transplantation.

Food fest at PCTE
Ludhiana, September 18
Punjab College of Technical Education Institute of Hotel Management organised its bi-annual food festival “Daawat-e-Khas” here today. Dishes, including Awadhi, Punjabi, Rajasthani and Kashmiri cuisine were prepared and displayed. Star dishes of the event were dal Peshawri, jangli maas, murg sahib Patiala and paneer Jehangiri.

Daawat-e-Khaas, a bi-annual food festival of PCTE, in progress at Ludhiana on Saturday. A Tribune photograph

Highway Robberies
Cops meet petrol station owners
Ludhiana, September 18
In the wake of rising number of highway robberies, the police today conducted a special meeting with the bank authorities and petrol pump owners of Mullapur. SHO Mullapur Jungjit Singh told all bank officials to depute a night watchman at their respective banks.

'Ik Kudi Punjab Di' premiered
Ludhiana, September 18
Manmohan Singh, a famous Punjabi director, who has given seven hits in the past seven years, is once again donned the cap of director with his romantic drama “Ik Kudi Punjab Di”. The film was premiered at PVR here on Thursday.

From Schools
Health camp
Radcliffe School, BRS Nagar, in association with Dr Muktinder Singh, MD (homoeopathy), and director, HomoeoCARE, organised a health check-up camp on its premises here.

2,500 saplings planted
Mandi Gobindgarh, September 18 Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Girls College, Tooran (Mandi Gobindgarh) celebrated “Vanamahotsava” today.

Leader’s Arrest
Youth Cong activists protest
Ludhiana, September 18
Activists of the District Youth Congress today staged a dharna to protest against the arrest of the Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) president, Ravneet Singh Bittu, who were arrested yesterday by the police.

Tremors felt in city
Ludhiana, September 18
Residents were shaken out of their sleep after an earthquake of 6.3 on the Richter scale rocked the city and entire North India last midnight.

CRIME

Gold chain snatched
Ludhiana, September 18
In yet another broad daylight snatching incident, two motorcycle-borne youths snatched a gold chain, worth Rs 50,000, of a woman near Sector- 32- A here today.

2 killed, 3 hurt in accident
Ludhiana, September 18
Two children were crushed to death whereas three persons were reported to have sustained serious injuries after an over-speeding truck run over them near the Phillaur toll plaza here yesterday. The incident took place at around 6.15 pm, when the victim, all residents of the Field Gunj area, were on their way to the Sutlej for immersing the idol of Lord Ganesh.

Gang of swindlers busted; 5 held
Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 18
The Dehlon police has begun a probe into alleged reports of the nexus between a gang of swindlers using fake mobile phone connections and agents of authorised dealers of various telecom companies.

COURTS

City Centre case adjourned till Oct 9
Ludhiana, September 18
The court of Sessions Judge SP Bangarh today adjourned the hearing in the alleged multi-crore City Centre scam till October 9. The lawyer of former trustee of Ludhiana Improvement Trust, Kala Navkar Jain, continued her arguments on framing charges against her client on the sixth hearing. She was yet to conclude her arguments.