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Traffic cop falls victim to road rage
Ludhiana, October 11 But what followed was more humiliating as the cop was allegedly abused and thrashed by another speeding motorist. The car driver, however, claimed that he applied brakes on time and saved the cop’s life. The incident took place this afternoon, when Jasveer spotted motorcyclist talking on a phone. The cop tried to intercept the traffic violator but in this process he came in the middle of the road. On seeing the cop standing in front of him, the motorcyclist maneuvered his motorbike and speeded away from the spot. Jasveer Singh, who had by that time come in the middle of the road, saw a speeding car coming towards him. Pardeep Singh, a resident of Hawas village, who was driving the car, applied breaks and allegedly hurled abuses at Jasveer. The cop objected and told Pardeep not to use abusive language. At this, Pardeep, who was travelling along with his family, alighted from the car and entered into a heated argument with the cop. The verbal duel soon turned into blows. Jasveer alleged that Pardeep manhandled him and even tossed his turban. The timely intervention of the traffic police officials saved the situation from turning ugly. The cops impounded Pardeep’s vehicle and took him to the Division No 5 police station. Pardeep was booked for manhandling a government employee on duty. Pardeep’s relatives and friends also gathered at the police station and termed the entire episode as spontaneous. “It is suicidal to jump in front of a speeding vehicle. The anger of the car driver was natural as he was travelling along with the family. The people driving in the vehicle could also sustain injuries in the process of saving the cop,” said one of Pardeep’s relatives.
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Prime 8.93 acres to go under the hammer
Ludhiana, October 11 Deputy Commissioner, Rahul Tewari, said the move was aimed at earning revenue for the state exchequer and the land would be given away for setting up a five star hotel. He said the office had been issued a vacation notice and had been asked to look for another building. They would vacate the office by October 30. The office will be shifted to five star Zila Parishad building and GLADA has been asked to construct residential houses in the Dugri area. ‘‘These will come up in a year, but we have decided to sell the land as soon as possible, ’’ Tewari said. Since the houses are not ready the employees would be adjusted in the powerhouse colony in Sarabha Nagar and Zila Parishad office. The building, that came up in 1953, houses the irrigation department’s office besides 15 to 20 residential houses of employees, a bungalow for a Superintending Engineer, two for XENs and one for the SDO. Sources in the irrigation department, however, said they had been asked to rent out a building for the office till the time the administration would be able to provide them space. The government has already auctioned prime properties belonging to the state government in the past. The canal rest house on the Pakhowal Road was put under hammer seven years ago. Later, two prime properties-Courts Complex and Sessions Court Complex- was also passed on to private parties two years ago.
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Heritage landmark to make way for new police building
Ludhiana, October 11 The Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), which has approved the building plan, will in return be entitled to sell about 4 acres of land in the premises where the present structure is located. "The new building, which will have the latest infrastructure, is coming up just behind the present Kotwali police station and will be ready in two months. It will be a double storied building with 14 rooms, a mess and a rest room. After the police station is moved into the new building, the remaining land will be handed over to GLADA," said police commissioner Ishwar Singh. "A major portion of the old building has already crumbled with only the façade and the imposing gate remaining. I’m told GLADA will come up with a market plan on this land," said Nirmal Singh, SHO, Kotwali. Declared unsafe in 1994, the police station has been posing a danger to police department employees and officials. The building is in a shambles even though it technically qualifies for being preserved as a protected monument. Any building of historical importance has to be preserved as a heritage monument if it is over 100 years old. An inscription - ‘1834’ - on the building’s huge entrance door is the only indication it was built in that year. The Ludhiana Gazetteer states the first police office that was set up in Ludhiana was a “branch thugee office” in 1848, which was probably housed in this structure. In the absence of any verifiable historical evidence many theories about the building have been floated, including one that says it was actually a stable built by the Britishers to keep army horses.
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They show the way against polythene
Ludhiana, October 11 They have set an example for society by shunning polythene from their lives and adopting the environment-friendly option of using cloth bags instead. They say in unison, “This is our bit towards saving the environment from the onslaught of plastic.” The retired Army officer and his wife run a small boutique at BRS Nagar. Plastic is banned at their shop. They are so dedicated to the cause that they have tailor-made cloth bags even for the small items. “On a visit to Delhi a few years ago, we came across store owners mostly using paper bags. That was when the idea of shunning plastic struck us,” said Brigadier Dhillon. When the couple decided to open their boutique in the city, using cloth bags was the obvious choice. “Initially we had to use plastic for some time because getting cloth bags made here was not viable. But soon, we had a manufacturer of cloth bags for us, though not without some nudging,” he said. Raj added, “After all, if people in Delhi can do it, why cannot we? All it required was a little effort in finding out a manufacturer.” They conceded that the cloth bags were an expensive option as compared to polythene ones, but it was worth it for Mother Nature. Their contribution did not end here. They were also making sure not to accept polythene either. Plastic was strictly banned in the Dhillon household as well. “You will not find plastic in our home. We have cloth bags for all purposes. We also make sure to carry our eco-friendly bags every time we go shopping so that we do not have to make use of the extremely harmful polythene bags,” said Raj. The Dhillons’ admitted having influenced many of their clients in shunning polythene bags and adopting cloth bags instead. “As they say, every drop in the ocean counts. We are sure that our bit is worthwhile,” they said smilingly.
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Killer MC truck mows down another man
Ludhiana, October 11 The incident triggered massive protest at Issa Nagri and Kadwai Nagar, as residents led by councillor Gurdeep Singh Nittu demanded registration of an attempt to murder case against the truck driver. The police, later, reached the spot and controlled the situation. The incident took place this afternoon when victim Sunil Kumar (30), a resident of Abhor, was travelling on a scooter near Issa Nagari. According to an eyewitness, an over speeding garbage truck hit the rear end of his vehicle. Sunil lost balance over the scooter and fell on the road. Within minutes, the Municipal Corporation’s truck ran over the victim. Sunil died on the spot. The driver was on the run after injuring a child near the civil hospital. The eyewitness said the panic stricken MC truck driver was in the process of escaping from the spot, when he crushed Sunil Kumar near Issa Nagri. Those residing near the civil hospital were chasing him for injuring a child. The driver identified as Jatinder Kumar, however, managed to escape from the spot. The police impounded the garbage truck and booked the driver under Section 304-A of the IPC for negligence leading to death. Till the time of filing the report the accused was on the run.
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Villagers oppose plan for shooting range
Ludhiana, October 11 The land, which was earlier owned by the village ‘panchayat’ and is now incorporated within the city’s municipal corporation limits, has suddenly evoked interest due to the rising property prices in this prime area. The matter will be taken up at a MC house meeting scheduled for October 14, on which date a court hearing of a case filed by a group of villagers has also fixed. The villagers have petitioned the court to prevent the proposed shooting range from being set up as, according to them, the way to the village cremation ground lay between the site. They have also argued that any shooting range should be set up outside the city limits as the proposed location is densely populated. Hari Singh Brar, area councilor, giving his side of the story, said: "The MC took over the land in 1983-84. The village has given areas like BRS Nagar, Rajguru Nagar and Aggar Nagar, but there is no children's park in the area. The land must be developed into an amusement park so that people in the congested area can have a place to relax and breathe fresh air," he said. Lt Col JS Brar, former in charge of the DRA, said the issue would be taken by the MC house at its upcoming meeting. "It’s very unfortunate that a few people with vested interests are creating a hindrance in setting up a shooting range. Indian shooters are doing well in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and, if the same facilities are provided in this city its residents can produce shooters of international class," he said. “Though the Punjab government had approved the proposal to set up a shooting range in 2001 and then again in 2008, some people are unnecessarily creating trouble. The range will not be the property of a single person. The civic body will remain the owner of the land and the range will only be for training shooters,” Brar added. He stated there was no substance in fears expressed by the villagers that a high wall would surround the proposed shooting range. ‘‘It is only that the matter has been blown out of proportion by certain people who want to usurp the land in some way or the other,’’ he remarked.
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Dance, literary items dominate on Day 3
Ludhiana, October 11 Extending a cordial welcome to guests, college principal Jasbir Kaur Makkar said it was a day of great pride for the college as both guests happened to be the alumni of the institution. Addressing the audience, Prof Bhandari waxed nostalgic about his days spent in the college. He attributed his success to his alma mater and his teachers who had a major role in giving a new direction to his life. Ayali expressed gratitude towards his teachers who had a powerful influence on his life. As a token of his gratitude towards the institution, he was ready to offer all help, financial or otherwise. Around 600 students from various colleges participated in event like creative writing, debate, elocution, classical dance, folk dance, giddha and bhangra. Students dressed in colourful attires mesmerised the audience with their breath-taking performances. The day ended with a vote of thanks by the college principal. Chief guests for the evening session were Avinash Rai Khanna, MP Rajya Sabha, and Dakha MLA Darshan Singh Shiwalik. Khanna exhorted students to prepare themselves for the hard and harsh realities of life rather than acquiring mere bookish knowledge. “The challenges of modern life inspire students for struggling hard to achieve the targets,” he said. Shiwalik laid stress on the character building of students, which is need of the moment. “Teachers and educationists should put in extra effort to ensure that the coming generation is properly guided, lest they should go astray and deviate from the righteous path,” he said.
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PAU Notes Ludhiana: A two-day “National campaign on yoga and naturopathy for holistic health” will kick off tomorrow at the PAU. The Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN) and Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, in co-ordination with Pracheen Nature Cure and Yoga Hospital, Lakhowal, and International Naturopathy Organisation, Punjab, are organising the campaign. Punjab Health Minister Lakshmi Kanta Chawla will be the chief guest, while Vice-Chancellor Dr Manjit Singh Kang will preside over. The inaugural address will be delivered by Dr BT Chidananda Murthy, director, CCRYN. Discussion
Keeping in mind the deliberations held during various technical sessions of the national seminar on “Impact of Climate Change on Fruit Crops” at the PAU on October 6 to 8, 2010, several recommendations were made. The recommendations were discussed in the house during the plenary session held under the chairmanship of Dr BS Dhillon, former Dean, Postgraduate Studies, PAU, along with Dr AS Sidhu, director, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessarghatta Lake, Bangalore, vice-chairman. Experts said climatic changes had a direct impact on ecology, morphology, physiology, flowering, yield, fruit quality and post-harvest performance of fruits. Production of sub-tropical and tropical fruits is being adversely affected with the rising temperature and unpredictable rainfall. The temperate fruit species from lower altitude are shifting towards higher altitudes. Wild fruit species of genetic importance are becoming extinct. It was further pointed out that green house gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide had become a cause of worry. With every one degree rise in temperature, water requirement rises to 10 per cent. The experts were of the view that biotechnological interventions could help overcome climatic stress. Various molecular markers (simple sequence repeats and single nucleotide polymorphisms) can be helpful in different crops. Emphasis on molecular techniques to characterise germplasm for fruit crop improvement is needed. Further, biodiversity of insect pests, diseases and natural enemies needs to be thoroughly studied in relation to devising management strategies. Proper quarantine measures, registration of pesticides and waiting period need to be developed in fruit crops. A proper system for certification needs to be developed. Before the introduction of any fruit species in the new area, its quarantine implications need to be viewed. Horticulture scientists suggested that in order to give a boost to horticulture industry, production of quality, disease-free planting material of different fruit crops needed to be strengthened. In horticulture, farming systems’ approach towards livelihood security needs to be given due consideration in terms of introduction of appropriate farming systems, enhancing efficiency of rainfed agriculture, conservation of natural resources, development of alternate livelihood opportunity harnessing the niche potential, capacity building, value addition and marketing. Awarded
Dr Navreet K Bhullar, ex-student of PAU, has brought laurels to her alma mater by getting the “Gatersleben Research Award” for her contribution to research work on allele mining for powdery mildew resistance genes from wheat genetic resources carried out at the University of Zurich from 2004 to 2009. Being one of the first extensive studies of molecular allele mining on crop plant, the work has evoked great interest among the scientific community. Navreet did her masters in genetics from the PAU in 2002 before moving to University of Zurich (Switzerland) for her doctoral study, where she worked as a post-doctoral researcher. Since January-2010 she has been working as the cereal research group leader at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland. Her recent research interest has been to study molecular mechanisms underlying the micro-nutrient composition in cereal grains; cereal bio-fortification through biotechnological approaches; and molecular screening of cereal germplasm to identify novel plant genes against biotic and abiotic stresses. The “Gatersleben Research Award” (incl. Euro 2500) is given every two years by the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany, to recognise crop research relevant to the development of new knowledge about the structure, function and evolution of the genetic material; conservation and exploration of diversity of crop plants, their ancestors and relatives; and contribution to the advancement of applied plant breeding. Congratulating the scientist, the VC said Dr Navreet had done the PAU proud with her landmark research. He added that it would inspire other aspiring students and researchers as well.—
TNS
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Zonal youth fest from today
Khamano, October 11 Deputy Commissioner Yashvir Mahajan, Fatehgarh Sahib, will inaugurate the function. Dr Manjit Singh, Registrar, Punjabi University, Patiala, will preside over the function. According to Dr RK Sharma, director, Cordia Group of Institutes, Sanghol, the college will provide better opportunities and facilities to the participants. Many renowned artistes like Satwinder Bugga, Ranbir Rana, Harmanjit Singh, Barinder Singh (Binu), Bhupinder Babal and Jelly are expected to grace the event with their performances.
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From Colleges LUDHIANA: Pinnacle Institute of Fashion Technology organised a one-day industry visit for students of fashion design, knitwear design, textile design department, Adinath Knitwear, today. The purpose of the visit was to make students familiar with latest machinery used in industry for fabric manufacturing, garment cutting and stitching and CAD software used in designing the fabric as per latest trends. Adinath Knitwear is one of the well-known industries and has state-of-the-art infrastructure, manufacturing facilities all under one roof. The enterprise has one of the biggest dyeing, printing, embroidery and garment manufacturing facilities with the latest technology. PIFT students had undergone practical training on various latest embroidery machines and printing machines. The industry has installed latest circular knitting machines for manufacturing the fabrics, dyeing machines for fabric dyeing at Bahadur Ke Road, Ludhiana. Students also had hands-on experience on CAD software, which is used for embroidery and printing on digital prints. Students also learnt about latest laser cutting machines and its procedures. Students got an opportunity to interact with their senior designers, production managers, fabric quality controllers who all shared their expertise with students and gave them some useful tips. PIFT faculty and students had an interactive session, where students cleared all their doubts regarding the production quality and designing. Programme
Synetic Business School, Ramgarh, today organised a faculty and student development programme. Dr SK Singla, director, GNA IMT, Phagwara; Prof Rajan Sridhar and Prof Preety Menon from GNIMT, Model Town, Ludhiana, were the guest speakers. Dr Singla elaborated upon the role of marketing research in modern management and discussed the statistical tools and techniques used in research process. Prof Sridhar spoke on total quality management in educational institutions. He said with the mushrooming of a large number of management and technical institutes, it was time for consolidation. There is a large gap between requirements of the industry and syllabus set by various universities. He put emphasis on requirement of employable youth rather than degree holders. Prof Menon discussed the role of human resource in SMEs. She said the role of human resource went much beyond hiring, training and firing. Chairman of the institution Dr MA Zahir concluded the session. He said every management institute should be associated with the industry for some industrial research. — TNS From Schools LUDHIANA: A team of three students of BCM Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh road, has qualified for the next level of the CBSE Heritage India Quiz-2010 by successfully clearing the written test held on August 28 at BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School. Students from 700 schools all over India participated in the preliminary round. Now the BCM students are gearing up to face the next level. Students who have qualified for the next phase are Eshank of Class X-D; Ankush of Class X-G and Rishab of Class X-H. — TNS
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Whatever they may claim, sweet makers don’t care two hoots for the health of the people and they only aim to earn huge profits during the festival season by cutting cost of inputs. One of the Tribune readers has some advice for homemakers- "Making sweets for the festivities at home takes a little effort, but lots of love and concern for your family's health. So give it a try, make sweets at home, and believe me, cooking can be fun. Shortage of time is just an excuse. We can surely spare four hours for every festival to dish out some healthy sweets for our near and dear ones. Heartfelt appreciation from the family will give a lot of satisfaction and sense of achievement." Picture perfect
City residents are known for their taste and love for all the good things and which is why “Manchester of India” is the favourite destination for the country's biggest lifestyle exhibitions. Incidentally, a few designers, exhibitors as well as visitors happen to be permanent fixtures at most such events. With the city playing host to a number of such lifestyle and fashion expos in the recent past, the "permanent fixtures" have, as expected, become friendly with a lot of regular visitors, including mediapersons. Such is the affinity between the "regulars" that as soon as they spot a photo journalist, these exhibitors pull out their finest wares for display and strike a pose even before the journalist is armed with his camera to shoot. (See picture) Art of emulating
Children are perfect emulators. Sometimes, you have to cut a sorry figure for your spoken word, as they hardly miss a thing. A few days ago, I was rude to my three-year-old niece, who was pleading me to take her to the Rose Garden. I was talking to someone on phone and told her: "Can't you see I'm busy on phone." Disappointed with my reply, she went to her mother. I had no inkling that she would settle score with me. Two days later, she bought a toy mobile phone and pretended as if she was talking to someone. In the meantime, I returned from office and asked her for a ride on a motorbike, pat came a reply: "Can't you see I'm busy on phone?" My wife was witness to the entire episode, she laughed and said: "As you sow, so shall you reap." Faith has no bars
With Navratras going on, religious fervour seems to have entered into the jail premises where inmates, too, are fasting. Jail inmates are fasting to rid themselves of all the misgivings. Many jail inmates are observing Navratra fasts these days. While most of the women are fasting, men are opting to go for vegetarian diet during the holy days. Milk, potatoes and fruits are specially provided for the fasting inmates. Festivities will conclude with a special pooja on the last day. No end to traffic woes
Even after the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, and the Commissioner of Police, along with other officials, visited some of the most traffic-prone areas in the city, there seems to be no respite for the commuters. The traffic conditions, especially in areas like Mata Rani Chowk, old Sabzi Mandi Chowk, Bhadaur House, Deepak Cinema road and Domoria Bridge road remain as bad as ever with extended traffic jams, and no one to regulate the traffic. There is no sign of promised deployment of traffic police on major bottlenecks. Also, patch work and road repair work and deep pot holes continue to cause inconvenience to commuters. Contributed by Kuldip Bhatia, Charu Chhibber, Mohit Khanna and Manav Mander
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Winter school at vet varsity
Ludhiana, October 11 Dr VK Taneja, Vice-Chancellor, GADVASU, will be the chairperson and Dr Vineeta Malhotra, head, department of pathology, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, will be the guest of honour at the inaugural function. Dr Sood is the director of the winter school, while Dr HS Banga and Dr Amarjit Singh, professors in the department, are co-course directors. Around 25 trainees from agricultural/ veterinary universities and ICAR Institutes of Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, are participating. The participants will be imparted intensive and extensive hands-on training in haematology, urinalysis, other body fluid(s) examination, their interpretation(s) and applied nanoscience technology, besides they will be apprised of current trends in diagnosis of rabies, good laboratory practices and high security laboratory set-up. The winter school will have 60 expert lectures by eminent academicians/ researchers/ scientists drawn from prestigious veterinary institutes of India as well as native veterinary and medical faculty. The laboratory schedule includes advanced practical training on the use of ultrasonography and endoscopy, ultrasound guided biopsies, techniques for drug/ toxic residues, scanning, transmission and atomic force electron microscopy. Dr Sood said the faculty possessed necessary expertise to disseminate knowledge and impart training for keeping the participants abreast with the latest know-how of diagnostics and how it could be made applicable at the field level for rapid and precise diagnosis of emerging and reemerging diseases, tackling threats of zoonotic and trans-boundary diseases and bioterrorism. It is expected that interactive group discussions by scientists will give a positive flip to the economy, besides an asset for generation of human resource development/manpower.
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Work going on at a snail’s pace
Machhiwara, October 11 In their complaint, they alleged that they had to suffer loses of their crops in the recent floods, as the Budha Nallah drain was not cleaned and it flooded. They alleged that the drainage department is cleaning the Budha Nallah with a single machine, which is not sufficient. Apart from this, there is no space to throw silt dug from the drain and they are throwing it in the passage. The passage leading to their fields has been blocked due to it and farmers are forced to take other routes to reach their fields. According to the letter, the drainage department has accused the forest department of the same and they said they had planted trees near the edge of the drain without any approval. The applicants have demanded that the trees on the bed of the Budha Nallah drain should be axed immediately, encroachments should be removed by the sides of the drain and clean-up drive should be done on a large scale. When Xen of the drainage department was contacted, he said they had received a complaint and they were sending one more machine for the clean-up work. He also said they would write to the forest department to axe trees from the encroachment area of the drain. Meanwhile, the protestors have threatened that they will struggle if the demands are not conceded immediately.
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Kang to get Banda Bahadur award
Ludhiana, October 11 This was stated by foundation president Krishan Kumar Bawa, while presiding over a meeting of the foundation at the Circuit House here last evening. Among others, Dr Jagtar Singh Dhiman, head, communication department at PAU, Jaswinder Singh Happy, Pawandeep Kalsi, Harchand Singh Dhir, Nirmal Singh Kaira, Baldev Singh Dhanoa, Karnail Singh Gill and Resham Singh Saggu attended the meeting. According to Bawa, an elaborate function is being organised to mark the birth anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur at the Gurdwara Janta Nagar on the Gill road on October 15 under the patronage of former legislator Jagdev Singh Jassowal. Noted “dhadi jathas, kavishars and katha vachaks” from the region will pay tributes to Banda Bahadur.
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Senior citizens more prone to disease: Doc
Ludhiana, October 11 On the World Arthritis Day, being observed today, people with arthritis and healthcare providers from around the world join together to make their voices heard and raise awareness of arthritis. Dr Bharti Aggarwal, who is rendering her services at Ludhiana Mediciti Hospital here, said it was not only to limit the disease but to improve the overall well being and quality of life of patients suffering with arthritis. The theme, she added, for the World Arthritis Day “Lets work together” also echoed the same sentiment. According to Dr Bharti, the hospital will observe the World Arthritis Day with a free check-up camp for arthritis patients. Also an educational lecture will be organised to improve awareness and to empower patients with arthritis. During interaction with those afflicted with arthritis, expert doctors will also address common myths, misconceptions about the condition and give some tips, which could enable the patients lead a healthy and better life.
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Post-harvest technologies can help check losses
Ludhiana, October 11 Dr Patil said climate change was having effects like shorter storability of horticulture crops under ambient conditions and in some cases results total loss if it rains during harvest season. “Due to their perishable nature, losses are heavy in high value crops. Efforts are on for increasing productivity, however, little attention is paid on post-harvest engineering technologies for reduction in post-harvest losses under adverse climatic conditions,” he added. —
TNS
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Land Acquisition Bill Phillaur, October 11 Grewal said yesterday that the UPA government had notified 360 special economic zones (SEZs) in India to facilitate industrialists to setup their units and provide employment, but most of these units had not seen light of the day, as the aim of the capitalists was to acquire farmers’ land at throw away prices. Grewal said fertile land should be conserved just like forestland and only barren and un-irrigated land acquired for public and private projects on the leasehold basis. The farmers should get monthly compensation not less than the interest on the price of the land, while the ownership rights must remain with them. Lease value should appreciate on yearly basis in conjunction with the Rent Law. Further, the lease should not exceed 99 years in any case, he added. Grewal said the BJP had decided to lend its voice to the farming community and would hold protests within and outside Parliament to ensure the proposed Land Acquisition Bill 2007 was tabled in the Winter Session. The party would also ensure that the UPA government considered the suggestions in the interest of the farming community.
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Farmers ignorant of health problems: Doctor
Ludhiana, October 11 On being asked, farmers bluntly said they themselves had put the crop stubble on fire. According to them, this is the easiest way to get the field ready for sowing the next crop. When asked, Harbans Singh, a farmer from Haripur village said, “It is the best and traditional way to swiftly solve the problem of crop stubble. Generally, we do this lat in the night.” Besides Harbans Singh, other farmers in the village stated that it was an easy way for them to get the fields ready for sowing the next crop. It was observed that farmers were least bothered about losing the fertility of the soil. They even expressed their ignorance about the fact that the smoke can cause a number of respiratory problems. When asked about the new machines in vogue that can cut the stubble from its root, the farmers collectively said, “Why waste money on such machines?” Burning of stubble in an open field has long being practiced by the farmers. When they burn their agricultural lands, the products of combustion are emitted directly into the air. Heavy smoke, consisting of particulate matter from these fires covers the sky. This smoke is a mixture of airborne particles of various sizes and composition, including soot, ashes, dust and numerous chemical compounds including, carbon monoxide (CO), NO2, volatile organic compounds Dr Akashdeep said the biomass burning smoke could have a potentially detrimental impact on human health from both acute and chronic exposures. Those susceptible to it are people with COPD, cardiovascular diseases, and asthmatic children.
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‘Indian industry lacks research, development’
Ludhiana, October 11 Technology availability is a hurdle for the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Previous to WTO regime, foreign companies had no choice other than entering into JV with Indian industry. But now foreign companies are reluctant to tie up with the Indian companies and prefer to put up their own base in India. Rising demand in all sectors made the Indian market more lucrative for foreign investors. “If we talk of indigenous technology development, Indian SMEs are having a vicious cycle, low technology leads to low value addition, leads to low return and further leads to low investment in technology,” said Avtar Singh, general secretary of the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings. Investment by the Indian industry in research and development and technology development is low. As the history of Indian SMEs indicates that most of the industry-developed products are by reverse engineering method. On the contrary, the SMEs abroad have a strong R&D base and most of manufacturing plants have their own R&D cells where research, development of new products, innovation, cost saving activities, etc., are undertaken. CICU has already represented to the state and Central governments for providing adequate support to SMEs as per the new policy. Our chamber has also requested to set up Rs 10-crore fund to support SMEs for their technology development and R&D. CICU is also taking steps to upgrade its membership by organising educational seminars, interaction with experts, holding competitions, etc. Upkar Singh, joint secretary, CICU, have urged the Prime Minister and Chief Minister to undertake pro-active steps such as bringing improvement in the industrial infrastructure, providing adequate funds for technology and skill upgradation, encouraging innovations for promoting R&D, ensuring 24 hours power supply, shaping favourable regulatory environment, simplifying taxation procedures and improving law and order conditions, specially for smooth working of industrial workers. These measures will create virtual market in a holistic eco-system, competence to fight with global scenario and facilitate growth trajectory for SMEs.
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CITY CONCERNS India is a land of many religions and Indians celebrate many festivals with gaiety and fanfare.Religious processions are taken out on the busy streets of Ludhiana during the peak working hours causing traffic Jams and a lot of inconvenience to the people. The biggest sufferers are people like accident victims, heart attack victims and other serious ailments like asthma and other emergencies, who get stuck in traffic jams and fail to make it to the hospital on time. It is true that festivals help in bonding families and communities together, but it is also important that festivals are celebrated to ensure that the indigenous culture is alive and vibrant. Many of these festivals bring in cheer and happiness into the families and societies. However, there a need to revise certain practices and ensure that disturbance and nuisance to community at large is minimised and undue damage to environment is avoided. The traffic police can adopt following simple practices to control traffic: If we can’t stop the religious processions, we should earmark the roads where the procession can be taken out. Roads preferred should be four-laned, so that two lanes can be allowed for procession and other two lanes can be used for smooth flow of traffic. The length of the road allowed should not be more than 1km. The timing of theses processions should be either in the morning or late evenings and preferably on holidays or weekends. The timing of these processions should be informed to the public through media in advance, so that people can plan accordingly. In no case roads leading to hospitals and other emergency services should be allowed to be used for religious or other processions. Encroachments if any should be removed from the route of procession. Adequate traffic police/civil defense/NCC volunteers should be deployed at the place of procession so that any untoward situation can be handled. Kamaljit Soi It’s time to change
Ludhaina is just like Mumbai and Delhi when it comes to traffic. The administration has failed miserably to control the situation. People are also equally responsible for that. On one side traffic congestion is a norm, on the other side traffic jams due to huge religious processions cause great inconvenience to commuters. No doubt, we have Constitutional Right to Religion, but no religion teaches us to disturb public life through religious processions. With changing time all religious and social organisations must come forward to find a solution for common good. I agree with the suggestion of taking out religious processions in the morning. These processions should be converted into "Parbhat Pheris". Parminder Singh
Road signs a must
With rising number of vehicles, the city has to deal not only with traffic congestion, but for the following also: Lack of parking facilities, narrow roads, all roads must be made double-four-six laned and every curve must have requisite road sign like zebra crossing, speed limit, 'U' turn etc, marking of white lanes should be made on every road, stray animals, beggars, jhuggi dwellers, hawkers etc to be displaced from roads, trees and poles in middle of the roads must be uprooted to ensure smooth flow of vehicles, need to declare some parts of the roads as "non-entry zone" and encroachments on roads must be checked. Implementation of these suggestions will definitely ease the traffic problem in the city. Jai Gopal Kusla
Traffic mgmt system needed
Traffic is one of the most common issues in the city. Chemical as well as sound pollution is also on the rise. Every other day automobile and car manufacturing giants unveil a new model of their bike or car, keeping the youth in mind. These companies know the purchasing power of the youth and hence, new trendy, fuel efficient and peppy models keep on pouring in from the auto-car makers. The rising number of smoke belching vehicles during the peak hours has left the traffic policemen gasping for a whiff of fresh air. They are badly affected by the evils of air pollution and a majority of them are either suffering from some ear, nose or throat (ENT) problem or have problems of burning eyes, dizziness, lung infection etc. Traffic jams result in waste of precious oil (petrol and diesel). Rising vehicular traffic is also responsible for the rise in the number of road accidents. Further, a lot of time gets wasted in traffic jams. To control traffic there has to be a proper ATM traffic management system. ATM networks hold the promise of being able to meet the performance requirements of a whole variety of services, such as voice, video, and data on a single infrastructure. ATM networks must provide traffic management that will support these diverse Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Ravi Chander Garg
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Labourer beaten to death
Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 11 The police said a case under Sections 304 and 34 of IPC was registered against Buta Singh succumbed to his injuries after he was brutally beaten up by three youths of Lehra village near Ghungrana village, near here, last evening. The accused, identified as Lakhwinder Singh of Lehra village, his brother Palwinder Singh, along with their accomplices, had allegedly thrashed the victim on the Ghungrana-Lehra road while he was returning home. Swaran Singh of Raul village and Jasbir Singh of Daraj village in Bhikhi area stated that the accused had told them that they wanted to teach Buta a lesson. They beat him up with canes and sticks and fled from the scene. Some passersby saw him bleeding profusely and rushed him to a private hospital in Dehlon, where doctors referred him to a multi-specialty hospital. He succumbed to his injuries enroute The body of the deceased was handed over to his family after an autopsy. 5 injured in accident Ludhiana, October 11 The incident took place at around 6.30 pm when a car heading from Ludhiana and a SUV heading from Jagraon collided near the octroi post. The injured were rushed to a private multi-specialty hospital. The condition of two injured was stated to be serious.
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Waiter shot at during marriage ceremony
Mullanpur Dakha, October 11 Munna, a migrant labourer, who was working as the waiter at Dheer Farms, sustained serious injuries when a shot fired by the inebriated guest from the gun pierced near his left shoulder. Had the bullet hit a bit towards right side, the victim could have died on the spot. The suspect, booked under Section 307 of the IPC, was identified as Harpreet Singh, alias Dimple of Mohalla Balochan at Agwar Lopon village. Investigations revealed that Dimple had allegedly tried to kill Munna with his licensed weapon as he had refused to obey his orders. Mandeep Singh of Mohi village and Hardeep Singh of Sangatpura village had organised the marriage of their daughter and son, respectively, at a marriage palace. Things went on smoothly till the evening when a group of guests led by Dimple called the waiter later identified as Munna. The police is yet to ascertain the factor that infuriated Dimple to fire a shot at Munna. Profusely bleeding Munna was shifted to a multi-specialty hospital in Ludhiana where a team of surgeons operated upon him. Though the operation, which ended in the morning, was successful, condition of the victim was stated to be serious. Dakha Jasdev Singh Sidhu, DSP, inspected the spot along with his team. The blood-soaked shoes of the victim and blood swab were sealed and sent to the lab for investigation. However, the weapon used in the crime was yet to be recovered. The suspect was still at large. — OC
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Woman conspires with lover to kill father-in-law
Samrala, October 11 Arvindpuri, SHO, Samrala, said deceased’s daughter-in-law Dalvir Kaur had an illicit relation with a village youth. The police got information that the old man was murdered by his daughter-in-law with the help of her lover. On the fateful night, his daughter-in-law called her lover to their home, as her husband was out for When her lover Satnam Singh Satta reached her house, the old man became suspicious and asked her daughter-in-law that he had noticed someone in the house, but she denied. The old man Bhag Singh (45) couldn’t sleep and remained seated on a chair all night. About 3 am Satnam and his daughter-in-law came out from the room. Bhag Singh caught the youth on-the-spot. Feeling threatened by Bhag Singh, both the lovers killed the old man on-the-spot and threw his body in a When they noticed the body floating in the pond, Satta allegedly tied him to a stone with a wire so that body couldn’t come out. But the police found the body and registered a case. Both the accused have been arrested and will be presented in a court at Samrala tomorrow.
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Man gets 2-yr jail in cheque-bounce case
Ludhiana, October 11 Pronouncing the verdict, the court held that the accusations levelled against the accused stands proved without any doubt. The court also ordered the accused to pay Rs 1,000 as fine. The orders came on a complaint moved by M/s GS Auto International Limited, Ludhiana. The complainant had stated before the court that the accused used to purchase automotive components of various specifications from them. An amount of Rs 2,81,322 was outstanding against the accused. On persistent requests, in order the pay the amount, the accused issued a cheque of Rs 2,81,322 dated March 7, 2001 to the complainant. It was assured at the time of handing over the cheque that the same would be encashed on its presentation to the bank. But to the utter surprise, the cheque was dishonoured by the banker of the accused with the remarks “exceeds arrangements” meaning thereby that there was not sufficient funds available to honour the cheque. Then a legal notice was sent to the accused calling upon him to make the payment of dishonoured cheque. Despite sending a legal notice, the accused failed to make the payment. However, the accused pleaded not guilty. But after appreciating the evidence on record, the court found him guilty and sentenced accordingly.
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Hard-fought win for India
Amloh, October 11 The match was interesting in the first-half. The score was India and Pakistan both 25 points each. After a lot of struggle, India succeeded to score 52 points, while Pakistan got 42 points. The winning team was given a cash prize of Rs 75,000, along with a trophy. Runners- up Pakistan got cash prize of Rs 50,000. District Police Chief Ranbir Singh Khatra was the chief guest. Khatra said youth should abstain from drug menace and take part in sports by forming sports clubs in villages. Amloh MLA Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and former MLA Ramesh Singla appreciated the efforts of match organiser Labh Singh Ahluwalia, who had selected Amloh town for the International kabaddi meet. A colourful programme was presented by Labh Singh Ahluwalia and announced to organise World Cup at Amloh soon. Pearl Group chairman
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With festival season around the corner, markets, as usual, will be flooded with synthetic khoya made from toxic chemicals, blotting paper and God knows with what sort of non-edible substances to increase the sale of sweets.