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Riot victims try to occupy flats illegally
Ludhiana, September 27 The miscreants were reportedly led by Surjit Singh, president of the Danga Peerit Welfare Society. However alert area residents - all state government employees and bonafide allottees of the flats, called in the police and the riot victims’ bid to occupy the flats was foiled. If members of the action committee set up by the flat allottees are to be believed, the group of those claiming to be riot affected families made vain attempts to take possession of three different flats, one of which was already allotted to Harcharan Singh, a driver in the health department. After residents of the colony put up a stiff resistance against the unlawful act of the riot victims and informed the police, the miscreants fled from the scene but not before making repeated bids to occupy two other flats in the colony, which were again thwarted by the cops. The allottees accused Surjit of being the “mastermind” behind the unsuccessful attempts to take possession of the government flats with the intention of getting allotment in the name of those riot victims, many of them bogus, who were ineligible. “The authorities have clearly said that cases of only those persons for allotment of flats will be taken up who had submitted application to PUDA in 2000. The self-styled leader of riot victims is trying to substantiate claims of bogus applicants by showing them as residing in the CRPF Colony for the past many years”, the flat allottees pointed out. Meanwhile, the Ludhiana Sikh Migrants Welfare Board has taken serious note of the camp organised by Surjit at the Kalgidhar gurdwara here to prepare files of the riot affected families for allotment of residential flats. Kartar Singh Patna, chairman of the board, alleged in a statement here today that riot affected families were made to pay substantial sums of money against promises of getting them allotment of residential flats. “The leader of the riot victims has been indulging in
corrupt practices and was in the habit of bullying the officials by claiming proximity to senior leaders of the ruling SAD-B party. At least the management committees of gurdwaras should exercise their discretion against extending patronage to such corrupt and unscrupulous people. Such unlawful and corrupt activities are tantamount to acts of sacrilege which should not be permitted inside any gurdwara”, Patna observed.
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World Tourism Day
Ludhiana, September 27 On this day we have a look at the potential tourist sites in and around the city, which could have been developed into major tourist attraction around the world but are lying in ruins due to the apathy of the government. Lodhi Fort
The once-strong citadel, basically a military fort, which withstood many an invader, has crumbled under the onslaught of the environment in the past five centuries. Mughal Sarai
Mughal Sarai, built by Sher Shah Suri in 17th century A.D, was a much sought-after place for fatigued travellers during the Mughal rule. The respite offered by the sarai was unmatchable. Rural life museum
This museum displays the Punjabi Culture to its best. The PAU is perhaps, the only university in India to have a museum like this. The museum assumes much importance since the rural Punjab is changing fast. The old traditions and customs, which were rampant till the last decade, are now losing their stand with the intervention of technology. War Museum
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Tight security ahead of Babri verdict
Ludhiana, September 27 To avoid any untoward incident, section 144 of the IPC has also been imposed in the city. Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh said: "We’ve deployed the police force on all roads, intersections, markets and religious places in the city. We don’t want any antisocial elements to take
undue advantage of the situation by instigating the feelings of residents. That is why we’ve decided to deal strictly with all people who try to disrupt peace in the city”. The city had witnessed massive protests by the Muslim and Christian communities after a church was in Malerkotla was burnt. A large number of Christians held a protest and even burnt tyres on the road near the Christian Medical College & Hospital. Similarly, a big group of Muslims gathered in Field Ganj area and raised slogans against the United States. |
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Prisoners bribe cops for
hospital visits
Ludhiana, September 27 Ironically the prisoners, who had been transported to the hospital to be examined for abdominal pain, ended up making visits to the dental ENT and orthopaedic departments, spending almost seven hours in hospital premises. Though the working hours at the hospital's outpatient departments are till 2 pm, the prisoners landed up there after 2:30 pm when all the doctors had left for the day. In such situations the doctor concerned is called, which takes about an hour, and another hour is taken up with examining the patient and completing other formalities. Often the doctor's visit is delayed if he is not immediately available, which gives prisoners more time for recreation in the hospital premises. Despite repeated reminders by the Civil Hospital’s senior medical officer, Dr US Sooch, officials of the Central Jail have failed to take notice of the OPD hours and are continuing with the practice of bringing prisoners to the hospital during the odd hours. It is rather sad that the prisoners who have committed crimes of heinous nature too roam around in the hospital premises. While registering a complaint, a senior physician at the hospital said: "The hospital is being used as a recreation arena as the prisoners
come and stroll in every block while waiting for the doctors. Their prolonged presence in the hospital intimidates the general public and many a time these prisoners are under the influence of liquor. Many criminals with strong political links get admission as indoor patients after getting referred to the Civil Hospital”. Jail hospital
The city’s Central Jail has a 30-bed hospital, which has a permanent medical officer along with paramedical staff. But majority of the prisoners are sent to the Civil Hospital for various examinations, which gives them the liberty to be out of the jail for hours. The cops accompanying the prisoners take Rs 500 for every four hours stay outside the jail. |
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Family of martyr living in penury
Ludhiana, September 27 For the local police the sacrifice of Santosh Kumar, a tea vendor, was indeed great, but his courageous act brought gloom in the lives of his wife, Parvati, and three little children. Living in misery, the family is camping in the city following Santosh’s death. They are putting up in a dingy room in Singpura area near the Jagraon bridge. Parvati hopes Indian Railways will offer her a job as was promised during her husband’s cremation. "The state government was helpful enough to give Rs 75,000 to me and deposited Rs 2.25 lakh in a bank for my three children. The money would be given to them when they reach the age of 18. I also received about Rs 50,000 from various social organisations at the time of my husband’s cremation. I’m thankful to all for making the contribution," said Parvati. She added: "You might be thinking it was a sufficient reward for the life of an illiterate man. But can the money bring back my husband to me?” Parvati rued much of the money was spent at the time when her husband was cremated. Her relatives also took advantage of her distraught condition and fleeced her of a few thousand rupees. Subsequently her daughter suffered from a chronic disease and lot of money was spent on her treatment. Jobless, she is now left with few thousand rupees and visibly concerned about her financial condition. "I desperately need a job so that I could have a regular income to run the house. For how long I keep on spending from my pocket. The monthly rent of the room in which I live is Rs 1,300. Further the expenses incurred on electricity and food are eating into my bank balance. I request railway officials to keep their promise and give me a job and house," said Parvati. "Bravery at what cost? Soon my children would not have food to eat. I’m only left with a few thousand rupees. How will I raise my children once this money is spent? He (my husband) shouldn't have stopped the terrorist. At least my children wouldn't have to suffer like this," she added. Heroic feat
Santosh Kumar, a tea vendor in the city, caught hold of the dreaded terrorist Bhootna while the latter was escaping from the train station on August 25. In order to free himself Bhootna shot Santosh who was fatally injured and died on the spot. However, the suspect could not run far enough and was soon surrounded by the cops and subsequently arrested. According to senior police officers, even Bhootna had praised the tea vendor’s bravery and said he would have fled the scene had it not been for Santosh's courage. |
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Bhagat Singh is a forgotten hero
Ludhiana, September 27 Barring a couple of NGOs, social and political organisations, many did not pay homage to the martyr. Sadly, it was only today that the statue of the great son of the soil standing tall at Jagraon Bridge attracted some attention when members of the BJP Yuva Morcha gathered at the spot to raise slogans and pay tributes to their hero. But the youngsters were an exception. Holding flags in their hands, they pledged to walk the path shown by revolutionary freedom fighter Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh. But this act of theirs, instead of winning applause, brought jeers from the onlookers, who, very ruthlessly, commented on the "madness of the group of youngsters". "This is how our countrymen respect the national heroes. If they can't pay respect to the martyrs, the least they can do is, laugh at the ones who do so. This is really disgusting," remarked Bhartinder Singh, BCom student, about passersby laughing at the group of youngsters gathered to celebrate the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh at Jagraon Bridge. The martyrs' birth anniversary was also celebrated by members of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Club, who lit candles in the memory of their hero and raised slogans to commemorate the day. They also pledged to follow his path as part of their tributes to the great freedom fighter. Besides that, a couple of political outfits held small functions to mark the day. But overall, the scenario was dismal as most city residents, especially youths, expressed ignorance about the day's importance. Unfortunately, most of the youngsters even expressed ignorance about who Bhagat Singh was. "Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life for the country but the sad part is that today he is hardly remembered. The country should have been proud of him. Worst of all is the fact that our children do not even recognise him," remarked Sarita Ahuja, a housewife. "The Indians glorified Bhagat Singh as a martyr and were inspired by his reckless bravery. Even today, the heroic spirit of Bhagat Singh is an outstanding source of inspiration for all. His courage, spirit of adventure and patriotism is unmatchable. But our heroes are lost in oblivion. Floral tributes are all that the government has given to the national heroes," added another student Radhika.
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Bhagat Singh’s date of birth wrong in books
Doraha, September 27
The book entitled “Simran Punjabi Viyakaran Ate Lekh Mala” written by Giani Dilip Singh Varmani and published by HVS Publications, New Delhi, mentions the date of birth of Shaheed Bhagat Singh as November 11 on page number 130 in the essay entitled, Bhagat Singh. It may be mentioned here that last year also the same blunder was being made in the book “Jeewan Punjabi Vyakaran Ate Lekh Rachna” written by Dr Avinash Kaur Bhatia and published by Jeewan Books International, which mentioned the date of birth of Shaheed Bhagat Singh as November 11 in the starting line of the second paragraph of Chapter 3 entitled “Shaheed Bhagat Singh”. Similarly, in the 12th chapter of Evergreen Punjabi Bhasha Bharati written by Subhash Gupta and Ranjit Bedi published by Evergreen Publications India Limited, the same date was mentioned. A student of class VI of a school said how could Bhagat Singh be born on September 28 when in our book we have read that the date of birth of the great martyr is November 11. The child was in no position to relent, as he took the word of the book and teacher who taught them to be the final word. “This is a blunder on the part of writers as well as publishers. If such things are being wrongly taught and conveyed to the students, what is going to happen to our nation. It is indeed a matter of shame that the young minds are being dumped with wrong messages and ultimately they are held responsible for the mistakes committed by their so-called guides,” rued a freedom fighter. A teacher of a reputed school of Sahnewal when asked about the same said she was in the teaching profession since many years and since the time they had been teaching the date of birth of Shaheed Bhagat Singh to be November 11 and that wrong date had been so engraved in the minds of the teachers as well as students, year after year, that now the actual appeared to be wrong. Abhay Sandhu, nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, rued that such blunders needed to be checked and corrected at all costs, as such misinformation not only distort history but pass wrong messages to the young minds. “Action should be taken against such writers and publishers who refuse to think twice before writing and publishing such important dates,” he said.
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Spray campaign to prevent malaria, dengue
Phillaur, September 27 Addressing DYC activists, Vikramjit inspired them to organise “Dichlorvos Mass van Spray” in all 13 wards of Goraya for the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue. While strongly criticising the working of the
SAD-BJP government, the DYC president alleged that nothing was being initiated to provide better facilities to dengue patients in the Civil Hospitals. He disclosed that the “spray campaign” would be completed in a week in Goraya.
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From Schools & Colleges
The World Tourism Day was celebrated on the campus of GMT Public School, Jalandhar bypass, on Monday. Students were made aware of the world’s largest industry i.e. tourism sector, which employs crores of people. A speech was delivered in the morning assembly regarding tourism and its flourishing nature since centuries. Students were also told about their rich heritage and culture. A CD was also shown to the students regarding eight wonders of the world, which enhanced their knowledge in great respect. Knowledge and information regarding all wonders was also imparted to them. Amrit Dhaliwal, principal, also guided the students on the occasion in an impressive manner by giving examples of the Statue of Liberty, Taj Mahal and Pyramids of Egypt. Training
St John Ambulance Association, Red Cross Bhawan, Ludhiana, had deputed Usha Chopra to impart first-aid and home nursing training to students of Government College for Women, who are associated with the Red Cross. In the concluding event of this training, students were guided about the care and first-aid for the injured. In this event, principal Gurminder Kaur encouraged the students to learn from this training and help those in pain. Red Cross teacher in charge, Dr Mohinder Kaur Grewal, head, department of botany, Jaspreet Kaur, department of home science, and Ramanjit Bhatti, department of botany, were also present. NSS camp
A one-day NSS camp was organised at SCD Government College today to create awareness about cleanliness. Principal Jasbir Kaur Makkar inaugurated the camp and inspired the students to keep the college clean and green. Prof Nachhatar Singh, Prof BS Wadhwa and Dr Amarjit Kaur initiated the programme. Senior group leader Lakshmi and Jagdeep Singh led the camp. Students participated in various activities like cleaning and maintaining discipline on the college campus. — TNS
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Stress on importance of elementary biostatistics
Ludhiana, September 27 He appreciated the participatory role of faculty in organising such kind of learning and capacity-building activities, which helps in introducing research culture in the field of medical education. The guest speaker during the conference was Dr Atul Juneja from the National Institute of Medical Statistics, ICMR, New Delhi. Dr Juneja informed that the research in biostatistics methods and epidemiology aims to help coordinate and standardise the collection of medical health statistics in the country and promote and undertake research in statistical techniques and methodology in the field of health, medicine, epidemiology and other allied subjects. In his lecture, dean academics, Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina spoke on “Introduction to biostatistics”. Dr Chhina said the workshop on the basics of elementary biostatistics was aimed to give hands-on training on biostatistical and the use of latest techniques for health research data analysis. The objective of the workshop is to train participants in basic statistical methods and to guide them on how to enter data and perform accurate statistical analysis without any scope for error. The other faculty speakers, who spoke on the occasion was Dr Shalini Arora who elaborated on presentation of data followed by Dr RK Soni from the community medicine, who spoke on measures of central tendency and dispersion.
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‘60 pc cardiac patients will be Indian by 2020’
Ludhiana, September 27 Elaborating on the cardiac aspect, Dr VK Sharma, head of the department of cardiac surgery, said, “The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 60 per cent of the world’s cardiac patients will be Indian by 2020. Studies show that of all Asians, South Asians have by far the worst problems when it comes to heart diseases. Also, nearly 50 per cent of cardiovascular diseases-related deaths in India occur below the age of 70, compared with just 22 per cent in the West. In 2000, for example, India lost more than five times as many years of economically productive life to cardiovascular disease than the US, where most of those killed by heart disease are above retirement age,” added Dr Sharma. Statistics suggest that South Asians seem more vulnerable to heart disease than other ethnic groups. South Asians in Canada appeared to have a higher rate of heart disease than Europeans or Chinese living there. “We are predisposed to the disease six times more than the West and 20 times than the Chinese. Awareness creation is the joint responsibility of doctors, media and also of an individual. Opening greenbelts, parks, organising joint programmes with doctors for mass education and fitness classes in schools are some of the means of awareness generation. The society should understand the seriousness of the problem,” said Dr Sharma. Speaking on the prevention aspect, Sukhmandeep, dietician, and Dr Som Gupta, physiotherapist, urged the audience to ensure that they follow some simple steps to keep a healthy heart inside a healthy body. These include following a good diet, getting plenty of exercise and keeping ones heart clean and drug free. “Exercise helps reduce high cholesterol. Aerobic exercises like jogging, cycling and swimming do a world of good to not only our heart, but also give us a feeling of well being by relieving our stress. A 30-45 minutes of brisk walk daily is one of the easiest and most effective of exercises. This regular moderate-intensity exercise is in every way as good as more vigorous exercise for the heart. Quitting smoking raises the body’s “good cholesterol” (HDL) levels. Smoking reduces our heart protective HDL cholesterol by 15 per cent,” said Dr Som Gupta.
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Plantation drive
Ludhiana, September 27 The drive started on September 25 and will continue till September 30. Hundreds of saplings were being distributed free of cost to the citizens of Ludhiana, along with a message to conserve environment by planting as many plants one can. The message of saving girl child is also being imparted to the public. —
TNS
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Youth Cong pays tributes to martyr
Ludhiana, September 27 Addressing party cadres on this occasion, Rana said the true homage to the great martyrs would be to follow their footsteps and be prepared to make all kind of sacrifices for the sake of unity and integrity of the country. He said Punjab could take genuine pride in making significant contribution to the freedom struggle. The DYC chief termed it most unfortunate and regrettable that the Punjab youth had lost direction and gone astray. Rather than channelising their energy for constructive activities, the youth were playing havoc with their health by getting addicted to drugs and other intoxicants. “The younger generation ought to follow the principles of great martyrs like Bhagat Singh and shun drugs and other bad habits in order to remain on the forefront to serve the country.” Among others, Dr Sonia Hora, Ajay Johar, Harish Dua, Tejinder Chahal, Munish Shah, Sunil Shukla, Kuldeep Sharma, Balraj Jagota, Rohit Mehta, Raju Dodharia, Iqbal Singh Sonu, Parvesh Tikka, Nitish Narang, Dhiraj Kapoor, Saabi Toor and Navdeep Cheema were present.
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Employees threaten to go on mass leave
Khamano September 27 A foul smell surrounds the Tehsil Office and it is very difficult to stay there for a long time. Apart from smell, worms and termites have attacked the stock. They are a nuisance to those who sit on the premises. In the past two months snakes have been spotted in the office at least three times. At present, about 2,19,400 bags of paddy and 85,400 bags of wheat are lying in the open on the Tehsil premises. About 70,000 bags of paddy of Markefed, 86,000 bags of wheat of Punjab Agro and 1,80,219 bags of paddy of warehouse purchasing agency is also lying on the premises. At Focal Point, Ranwan, about 1,23,100 bags of paddy of Punsup, 1,84,000 bags of paddy of Punjab Agro and 83,200 bags of paddy of warehouse is lying in the Ranwan Focal Point. This stock is creating serious problems for the residents of the Ranwan village. The employees have also sent letters to the authorities concerned demanding lifting of the rotting stock of wheat and paddy, as they are unable to work. It is to note that the next season of paddy is very near and there is no space for its storage. Meanwhile, local leaders of the Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal) has threatened to block traffic on the Ludhiana Chandigarh Road if the stock is not lifted in the next two weeks.
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City folk artiste for CWG
Mandi Ahmedgarh,September 27 A former student of local Sanatan Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Rishi was picked up by an international folk dancers and he was asked to be member of a 15-member delegation team led by Shelly Sharma. The team performed at 25 shows in various civic bodies and institutes in countries like Italy France Hungary Turkey earlier. He was a member of the Indian Cultural Team, which visited Holland, Poland, and Germany, besides Turkey six years ago. Recapturing the moments during tour abroad, Rishi said, "The most exciting moment of our tour was when the Indian Ambassador to Turkey invited us to his office in the Indian Embassy there and applauded our performances presented in that country.” Besides folk orchestra and bhangra, the Europeans relished the performances of Banjara, Jindua, Jhumar, Malwai Giddha, Mirza, Malki Keema and Haryanvi dance. More exciting was the experience when spectators started dancing and echoing their couplets during a presentation at civic body of Kusadasi in Turkey. Performances in Leon in Paris and during a film festival in Italy were also memorable. Rishi has already performed for the Lashkara channel and New Year celebrations by the DD-Punjabi channel. He has also acted in video songs sung by Ravinder Grewal, Harjit Harman, Sardool Sikander, KS Makhan, Sukhwinder Singh, Noorie, Maqbool and Surjit Bindrakhiya.
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Rural development projects to be reviewed
Ludhiana, September 27 According to a statement issued by the office of MP Manish Tewari, Joshi will preside over a meeting of the district vigilance and monitoring committee. He will be accompanied by a high-level team of officials from his ministry in the Government of India. According to Tewari, the Central minister has selected the mega city for his first review meeting with the district officials to ascertain the proper utilisation of Central grants being provided for the rural development to the panchayats.
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Work on ‘ring bundh’ to be completed by today
Phillaur/ Nakodar,September 27 Phillaur SDM Pritam Singh and Nakodar DSP Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh told The Tribune here today that a new “ring bundh” is being constructed and the work could be completed by tomorrow. They said though some of the villagers were facing problems as the ring bundh was being constructed in their fields, officials claimed that Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar, Priyank Bharti has assured them to provide compensation of their paddy crops by Thursday. Panic developed in dozens of villages in Phillaur and Nakodar sub-divisions due to unexpected increasing of breaches and submerging of 200-foot long Dhussi bundh, along with the Sutlej in Phillaur and Nakodar sub-divisions. Priyank Bharti, Phillaur SDM Pritam Singh, DSP Nakodar, Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh and DSP Phillaur, Parampal Singh rushed to the spot and camped on the site during the entire operation. When visited, hundreds of villagers were seen engaged in constructing a new “ring bundh” from a distance of some feet of the damaged bundh. The Phillaur SDM and Nakodar DSP told the administration succeeded to save the situation by plugging submerging bundh with the help of the government machinery and villagers, but the bundh breached at several places near Mehatpur. The SDM admitted that thousands of the residents of more than 30 to 35 villages of Phillaur and Nakodar sub-divisions could be in deep danger if timely action could not be initiated, as the bundh was breached and submerged at some places due to fast flow of the Sutlej.
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‘Govt befooling the poor’
Ludhiana, September 27 The Convener of the panchayat, Bhupinder Singh Nimana, said in a statement here today that the claim of the Badal government of "raj nahin sewa" was a fraud in the wake of use of brutal force against agitating farmers and ETT teachers. "There is “danda raj” (rule of stick) in Punjab as both senior Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal are busy making fool of poor people." Deriding the ruling coalition for its bogus claim of providing cheap wheat flour and lentils to the people living below the poverty line, he alleged that the state government was not even sincerely implementing the Central scheme for cheap food grain to the poor people. "The wheat provided by the Centre, meant to be supplied to the poor families at Rs 8 per kg, is being misdirected to flour mills, who in turn, are supplying wheat flour to the people at Rs 12 per kg. In this manner, the state government is not only cheating the BPL families, but the whole purpose of the Central welfare scheme is defeated," Nimana asserted. Accusing the higher authorities in the Food And Supply Department, convener of the panchayat maintained that the misappropriation of subsidised wheat supplied by the Central government was being done with the connivance of senior officials and top political functionaries, which needed to be inquired into by an independent agency so as to bring out the truth and bring the guilty to book.
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Are men in khaki above law? It seems so because one comes across police personnel blatantly breaking those laws, which they are responsible for enforcing. It is all the more true as far as traffic rules are concerned. Jumping red lights, triple driving on two-wheelers, driving motor vehicles without proper or even no number plates is almost a routine for the police personnel of different ranks. The other day, an Indica car was parked right in the middle of the Clock Tower chowk on the wrong side creating obstruction to the flow of traffic as a couple of home guard jawans and a policeman were standing near by. When pointed out that the car was parked on the wrong side and traffic was being obstructed, the policeman pointed towards an occupant on the front seat of the car and said, “Thanedar sahib biathe han, ki kariye (A sub-inspector is sitting in the car, what can we do?) The police personnel ought to realise that they have a bigger responsibility as far as showing some respect to the law is concerned. But who cares! Source of entertainment
The massive protest of the ETT Teachers’ Union in front of the house of Jail Minister Hira Singh Gabria brought a free of cost entertainment for the neighbours of the minister. The women, who appear to have bored with the daily soaps, seen standing at the roofs of their respective houses and seem to be enjoying the protest of the ETT teachers. Some residents got so interested in the real life drama that they even brought snacks at the rooftop and glued to the protest like a matinee show. While looking at the neighbours of the minister, an ETT teacher said, “What an irony, we are fighting for our future and for people we have become a source of entertainment.” Working best to their abilities, officials of the department of health and family welfare are subjected to “discomfiture” when they are assigned petty chores in the name of VIP duties. A senior health official was in for a chock when he was asked to certify the “pizzas and garlic bread” to be served to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal during his recent visit to the political rally at Chhapar Mela. The official was caught up in a catch-22 situation as he had to go for his court evidence but his seniors were not ready to listen to his pleas. Unable to hold back his indignation, the official while pouring out his heart to one of his friends said, “The judge is going to reward me with nice punches on my next date and look at my plight as I can’t even cite the reason for not being there for the court date.” Taking a jibe on the paradox, the official further remarked, “Taste buds of the VIP will land me in trouble as against my expertise of handling sensitive health issues, I had to ensure safety of the fast food served to the Deputy CM.” A three-year-old was watching television with her mother. Bored of the soap operas that the mother was watching for the past half-an-hour, the child demanded a change. She asked her mother to switch over the channel where “one goes and other comes”. Unable to comprehend the babble of her child, the mother started vigorous channel surfing after fervent nudging from the little one in an attempt to locate the channel she wanted to watch. Repeatedly switching over to various cartoon channels to invalidating nods by the little girl, the hapless mother was about to give up when they came across FTV. The girl, super-excited by now, yelled, “This is it!” After a close look at the channel for about five minutes, the mother realised that in the ongoing television show, models were walking down the ramp one followed by the other. The mother realised that this is exactly how the child had described the channel. Surprised, she wondered on the ability of the little one to put across the message through her baby talk, even though she could not name the channel. Boom time for astrologers
The examination time is boom time for astrologers. A session with a renowned astrologer prior to each examination season seems to have become as important for city students as attending the best coaching institute in the town. The aim behind both endeavours is the same i.e. to ensure good results. With semester examinations on, almost every single astrologer in the city is witnessing huge queries from students and their parents. Interestingly, with examinations on and stress level spiraling with each passing day, the number of students and their parents visiting fortune tellers rises manifolds, as does the frequency of their visits. An astrologer from the city said while during his school days, he used to fear exams but today he waits for the examinations as they bring prospective clients. Contributed by KuldipBhatia, Mohit Khanna, Anshu Seth, Charu Chibber and Manav Mander.
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Dalit bodies sit on hunger strike
Ludhiana, September 27 Launching a stir under the banner of Dr BR Ambedkar Yadgar Sangharsh Committee, the protesters comprising several Dalit organisations, demanded that a suitable memorial in the form of a college, stadium, auditorium or community centre at the site near Jalandhar Bypass where foundation stone of an Ambedkar Bhawan was laid way back in 1995, be taken in hand without any further delay. Speaking on the occasion, BSP leader Ramanjit Lally and other Dalit leaders lamented that the city with a population of over 40 lakh did not have a memorial in the name of Dr Ambedkar. "Foundation stone for Ambedkar Bhawan was laid on a three-acre piece of land on the back yard of the Salem Tabri police station in 1995 but successive governments had taken no step for construction of the memorial." Speakers at the rally maintained that failure of the government to erect a memorial for Dr Ambedkar, who had worked relentlessly to empower Dalits, was tantamount to an insult to the community, which would no longer be tolerated. "In order to assuage the feelings of the Dalit community, the government ought to take immediate steps for the construction of a memorial comprising a college and a community centre, which will come handy for motivating children of Dalit families to go for higher education and to hold social functions of the poor families with scant resources. If required, the existing statue of Dr Ambedkar can be shifted to the memorial site due to the ongoing work for a flyover, Dalit leaders
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No use of combine from 7 pm to 10 am
Ludhiana, September 27 The District Magistrate passed an order under Section 144 of the CrPC, wherein it was stated that the order would be enforced from October 1 to November 30. He further stated that paddy harvested at night has higher moisture content, which is not procured by the government agencies in the mandis. “Non-procurement causes resentment among farmers, leading to law and order problems and also farmers face problems to sell their produce in the mandi,” Tewari went on to add.
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Freedom fighter not given due honour
Ludhiana, September 27 The freedom fighter of the Quit India Movement was not given the guard of honour, mandatory for every freedom fighter. This was not the first time that people, who were instrumental in the freedom struggle, were ignored. Earlier, Diwan Jagdish Chander and Kasturi Lal Loria were neglected from the guard of honour. A social organisation has strongly objected the indifferent attitude of the administration. The district administration authorities were passing the buck and said the responsibility of the guard of honour was of the police. While police officials said they were not informed about the death. Dang suffered a heart attack while he was coming back from his clinic in the Moradpura area on Saturday evening.
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Power loom workers’ stir
continues
Ludhiana, September 27 The workers demanded that they would return to work only if their salaries are hiked. “Prices of all essential commodities are increasing and in this scenario our salaries should also be hiked,” said one of the workers. Lahkwinder, secretary of Karkhana Mazdoor Union, said they had handed the memorandum to the Labour Commissioner. “The workers of one of the units were attacked by the owners, which will not be acceptable. Every person has a right to raise his voice against the injustice done to him. We will not tolerate this in future,” he added.
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Cast in city to promote
‘Kabaddi ek Mohabbat’
Ludhiana, September 27 Speaking on the occasion, Gurleen said the film explored kabaddi as the game, which was once popular in Punjab and it also focused on the human relationships. The film has all essential ingredients like romance, action, humour and action, Gurleen added. Writer and actor, Ranbir Rana said the film had got “U” certificate. “It is a truly a family entertainer and the “U” certificate is a testimony to the fact,” he added. While Dev is happy that he is starting his career through this movie. “I am sure the audience will love this film and in turn also love the game, kabaddi,” he said.
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Education officer takes voluntary retirement
Ludhiana, September 27 Talking about his decision, the DEO said he had some family commitments for which he needed to be with his family. — TNS
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Ayurvedic official held for selling psychotropic drugs
Mullanpur, September 27 Illegal business of the accused had reportedly flourished after the police tightened noose around chemists and drug store owners selling banned preparations. Hari Singh, an ayurvedic official posted at Raekot, was nabbed by the joint team of the local police and narcotics cell of the district police. A rich haul of scheduled drugs being used as psychotropic and narcotic drugs was seized from his possession. SSP Ludhiana (Rural), Gursharan Singh Sandhu told the Ludhiana Tribune that officials in the narcotic cell had received information about alleged nexus among some government medical officials and chemists involved in the sale of psychotropic drugs in the town and its surrounding areas. Instead of recommending action against the chemists violating the rules, the officials facilitated them by getting prescriptions issued by some medical practitioners. When the authorities tightened noose around the suspected violators, the medical officials started selling banned drugs from their own clinics. Acting on a tip off, a joint team led by SHO Jangjit Singh nabbed Hari Singh and seized banned drugs from his clinic. The physician could not show the required documents in connection with the purchase and sale of scheduled pharmaceutical preparations, including cough syrups, tranquilisers and painkillers. The seized preparations included 2,300 tablets of Monolit, 1,000 capsules of Paravon, 344 capsules of Proxivon and 25 bottles of Erascof.
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Over 500-year-old Lodhi Fort, constructed by Muslim ruler Sikander Lodhi on a strategic location along the banks of the Sutlej in the city, has gone to rack and ruin, thanks to the official lack of concern as well as the indifferent attitude of the city residents towards it.
Time has taken off the ostentatious exuberance and esteemed magnificence of the Mughal Sarai of Doraha. Still much could have been preserved and another retained but for the indifferent attitude of the government, which has proved to be more devastating than the onslaught of time that the Mughal Sarai had to suffer.
The Museum of Rural Life of Punjab in the campus of the Punjab Agricultural University is one of the must-sees for any tourist of Punjab but the government has failed to promote it.
As a gesture of tribute to the gallant soldiers, the War Museum was set up on the outskirts of Ludhiana consisting of History Gallery, War Heroes Gallery, Uniforms Gallery, Air Force and Navy Gallery, Signal and Medical Corps Gallery, Kargil Gallery and an Audio Visual Theatre. The museum lacks visitors with only school arranging the visits of the students now and then. It was set up to perpetuate the memory of those brave sons of the motherland, who have sacrificed their lives in the freedom struggle of India with an aim to create sense of patriotism and nationalism among the people of Punjab. 
