Ludhiana, October 23
Acting tough with advertising companies, who have been violating the agreement conditions, municipal corporation, Ludhiana, today slapped heavy penalties on such violators.

Pioneer Advertisers, which was allotted sites for putting up 220 unipoles in the city, has been asked to pay Rs 10 lakh immediately to the civic body for not maintaining greenbelts, which was an important condition in the signed agreement. Besides, the company will be paying Rs 1.5 lakh per month to the MC for maintaining greenbelt from now onwards.

In a specially convened F and CC meeting on advertising issue at Mayor’s residence today, which was attended by the nine-member committee (advertising) comprising Mayor Hakam Singh Gyaspura, Commissioner AK Sinha, Senior Deputy Mayor Parveen Bansal, Additional Commissioner Kamalpreet Brar, the MC cracked its whip on companies violating agreement conditions.

In the second major decision, the alternative routes to be provided to Greenline company, in lieu of some sites where their unipoles had been dislocated, have been cancelled. Greenline will now put up their ads on the new sites for just six months (till March 31, 2011), after which fresh tenders will be invited for those sites.

In case the MC fails to provide the company with the original sites, for which the latter is paying regularly, the civic body will compensate Greenline.

Besides, the sub-committee will also decide on the company’s dislocated 18 overhead signage in the city in its next meeting. The company has been allotted sites for 200 poles while they were utilising 182 poles. The sub-committee will also decide on advertisements to be displayed on pillars, kiosks, garbage dumps, bus-shelters etc.

The third major advertising company, Balaji, which was given sites for 25 unipoles, has not given the bank guarantee to the civic body and its payments are “generally” delayed. After getting assurance of regular payments, the MC waived off the bank guarantee. “Since the company’s agreement will expire within eight months, there is no need for bank guarantee now,” said an official.

The company was given sites on the Malhar road and it had asked authorities to let its hoardings be put up at Sarabha Nagar, but the proposal was rejected by authorities.

Finally, authorities asked Lacoste company officials to maintain the parks properly where their advertisements were displayed on water tanks.

It may be mentioned here that the MC hit the headlines recently for “shielding” advertising mafia in the city. Social organisations had alleged that hundreds of illegal unipoles had mushroomed as authorities did not keep a check on them.

Ludhiana, October 23
With three days to go for Karva Chauth, a team of health officials conducted a “brisk check” at various outlets selling sweets and dry fruits in the city.

The team led by the District Health Officer (DHO), Dr Jagpal Singh, raided Kays Lovely Sweets at Dandi Swami road and destroyed nearly 1.5 quintal of rotten khoya.

The DHO stated: “The khoya appeared to be rotten and we could not take the risk of taking samples and waiting for reports. So, we destroyed it. We have taken two samples from another lot and ‘kaju barfi’ which was wrapped in silver foil to ensure people get good quality sweets.”

He also said despite having been warned, the retailer had been using silver foil on sweets and several complaints had come in against him.

A large number of retail outlets have resorted to corrupt practices to make quick money. They are using synthetic khoya, inedible colours and other adulterants prohibited under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

Samples of sweets were taken from Amar Sweets in Haibowal and Haquiqat Sweets.

Another sweetshop, Nathu Ram Ghuddu Mal, was also checked and the health officials found excessive use of colours in sweets like “chanderkala” and “dal pinni”. Red colour was being used above the permissible limit, the DHO revealed.

Ludhiana, October 23
If you believed dry fruits were a safer option on Diwali, think again for traders are not only using spurious khoya and selling adulterated sweets, but also using harmful compounds to increase the weight of dry fruits.

This startling fact came to light today when the health said a check had been conducted on Reikhi Dry Fruits following complaints that almonds and dried dates were coated with wax to enhance the weight and give extra sheen to them.

“The dates and almonds have a shine. These have to be treated with a chemical compound. What it is exactly would be found out after the laboratory test,” the DHO said.

The almonds and walnuts are “de-oiled” and treated with a thin layer of wax. “After the extraction of oil, these nuts taste bland and one can know there is something wrong. So, the traders dip them in hot wax,” a health official said on the condition of anonymity. He said petroleum products were harmful if consumed.

Moreover, the almonds are dipped in an acid diluted with water. After absorbing the acid, the almonds looked bigger. These were then coated with a thin layer of sugar and colour and sold as almond candies.

Cashewnuts are sprayed with an insecticide to keep pests like weevils away. This is harmful to health.

Ludhiana, October 23
In its effort to create rags to riches story, the Division No. 5 police station and the Durga Mandir Trust have jointly undertaken the task of educating 50 children of a slum located near the Jagraon Bridge.

Though officials had to sweat a lot to persuade residents to send their wards to the school, the children showed interest in learning on the first day of their schooling. At least 49 slum kids attended classes organised in special open school started at the police station here today.

The children, aged between three and six, took interest in learning alphabets of Hindi, Punjabi and English. They were so eager to learn that they asked the organisers to open school on Sundays as well.

Appreciating the level of performance on the first day, Surinder Kaur Sidhu, a volunteer, who taught children today claimed that they (children of slum dwellers) had an extraordinary aptitude for learning.

Acknowledging that persuading slum dwellers to send their wards to schools was more tedious job than teaching them, Sidhu stated that these children could have proved harmful for society, had they not been brought to the school.

Appreciating the role played by SHO Dharam, Pal, Raj Kumar, ACP, said more slums falling under his jurisdiction would be adopted.

Ludhiana, October 23
Directly observed treatment (DOT) for tuberculosis will also be used to treat drug addicts in Punjab as doctors, NGOs and psychiatrists from Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Batala and Tarn Taran have been trained by a team of experts from AIIMS, New Delhi, in this regard.

De-addiction centres in the district have been brought under the opiod substitution treatment (OSD), wherein intravenous (IV) drug users are put on oral drugs of lesser strength which are gradually decreased, Dr Atul Ambekar, assistant professor at the drug dependence treatment centre at AIIMS, said. He was in the city today for a two-day conference of the Indian Psychiatric Society.

Speaking to The Tribune, Dr Ambekar, who has been working on drug abuse in Punjab for the last six years, said a majority of IV drug users were hooked to buprenorphine, fortvin and heroin and it was tough to persuade them to sign up for a de-addiction programme.

“Directly observed treatment has been introduced to decrease their dependence on drugs,” he said. Relapse rate in addicts was as high as that in chronic patients of diabetes and hypertension, which was why the addicts should be treated by bringing adequate changes in their lifestyle.

“Affluence and no occupation are the prime causes behind the increase in the number of addicts. Psychologists at de-addiction centres and support from the families of the addicts will bring about a significant change in their overall treatment,” he added.

Ludhiana, October 23
City women can look forward to be spoilt for choice on application of ‘mehndi’ for the upcoming ‘Karva Chauth’ festival. The beauty business of applying henna has never had it better than on this day Henna artists designing fascinating and intricate patterns on the palms and feet of girls has become a common sight in markets these days.

‘Experts’ in the art have already arrived in the city from various parts of the country. At the same time, beauty salons are also ready with various designs and patterns to woo the elite crowd.

The business of applying ‘mehndi’ gets a huge fillip during the festive season. Almost all city markets, including Ghumar Mandi, Model Town, Sarabha Nagar and BRS Nagar are crowded with various commodities on sale.

Mehndi artists from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have come to the city for the special day. Suraj Ahmed, a resident of Lucknow, is in town these days to give that special and beautiful look to women’s palms. “Every year I come to the city for few days during ‘Karva Chauth’. This is the time when I can make some extra bucks within short span,” he said.

Chotte Lal, another henna artist at the main Sarabha Nagar market, observed although ‘Karva Chauth’ is a few days away girls and women have begun coming for applying ‘mehndi’. “’We’ve started ‘advance booking’ to avoid the last minute rush and are charging Rs 200 per hand. On the last day prices shoot up,” he added.

Rajasthani, Arabian, golden, silver, Marwari and Bombay styles are much in demand this season. The designs range from the traditional floral patterns to geometrical shapes and abstract designs.

According to many Indian women, ‘mehndi’ not only colours their hands but also imparts joy and ecstasy into their lives.

Ludhiana, October 23
Lugging four shopping bags stuffed with festive indulgence, Tarun is glowing as he walks out of the Sarabha Nagar market. The 26-year-old newly wed has just finished shopping for Karva Chauth, which falls on Tuesday, when he will fast for his wife’s well being.

He is not the only man to do this. Scores of men will be keeping the fast. From applying home-made face packs to special beauty packages at salons and buying new clothes and footwear, they are going about it just like women.

While most are going to make it a traditional no-food-no-water affair, some have decided to modify the custom to help them sail through the day. Some will be fasting for their girlfriends and would-be wives.

Krishan Kumar, a 35-year-old engineer, says: “I am going to fast for the long life of my girlfriend. I will not apply henna, but will eat only after I see her face against the moon.”

Prateek, who wants to do all the rituals, rues the fact that unlike women, who get “sargi” -- a platter of eatables and gifts from mothers-in-law, he will not get one.

“Last year, I woke before sunrise and ate a small meal with some sweets. Though I enjoy keeping a rigid fast, ‘sargi’ would have been fun. Hopefully, I will get it next year,” he smiles.

They say it is an expression of their love, but confessed that it requires a lot of patience. “Unlike women, we don’t get to rest on that day so, we end up working without food or water, which is very tiring. I hope the moon rises early this time,” says Amir Chand, who has been fasting for his wife for the past 50 years.

His two sons also fast for their wives. “It strengthens the bond and makes the day even more special,” the brothers say.

Ludhiana, October 23
The ambitious e-challaning project seems to be distant dream as the district transport department is ill equipped to track vehicles.

District transport officer Ashwani Sharma had predicted that the transport department would get computerised before May 31. However, computers and other equipment, which were installed five months ago, are gathering dust. Five months have passed, but this office is waiting for computer operators to be appointed.

According to Ashwani Sharma, there is an acute shortage of manpower. There are 15 vacancies in the department. Six employees have been appointed for clerical jobs. Out of them, three employees are always on the move as they are supposed to visit various courts in connection with the cases. “We were told that computers and manpower would be provided before May 31, though computer was installed, but we are still waiting for the operators,” Sharma said.

The DTO had recently raised the issue with state Transport Minister Mohan Lal. Despite minister’s assurance the staff was not hired.

Ashwani adds, “With over 10 lakh vehicles in the district we desperately need to make the district transport office hi-tech. Many precious hours are lost in locating files everyday. If we make database of the vehicles in the city it would save manpower and help the police in detecting traffic violators.”

Ludhiana, October 23
Managing Director of IIR Exhibition Ltd, London, Nicky Manson inaugurated the three-day buyer-seller meet “Print Art 2010” here today.

The exhibition organised by the Offset Printers Association aims at highlighting technical innovations and advancements in the field.

Indian Printing Packaging and Allied Machinery Manufacturer’s Association president NS Manku was the guest of honour.

Exhibitors from Japan and Germany are also taking part in the exhibition, providing an opportunity to regional players to get acquainted with foreign technology.

Major participants include APL Machinery Private Limited, Insight Communications, Japan, Mikro Inks, Baldwin India Private Limited, Grafica Flextronica, Hi-Tech Systems and RISO India Private Limited.

Latest technologies in machines, materials, systems and products will be on display on all three days.

Ludhiana, October 23
The XVIIIth annual function of the Dr LH Lobo Memorial Trust was held today at Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH).

The function was jointly organised by the trust and the department of orthopaedics, CMCH.

The trust was established in 1983 in memory of Dr Lobo, an eminent orthopaedic surgeon and former professor and head of department of orthopaedics and principal of the Christian Medical College, Ludhiana.

The aim of the trust is ‘Furtherance of Medical Education’. Dr CV Ananthakrishnan, senior joint-replacement surgeon, and former clinical associate professor, department of orthopaedic surgery, Texas Tech University, was the chief guest while Dr Raj Bahadur, director-principal, GMCH, Chandigarh, was the guest of honour.

A scientific symposium on “Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty” was held after the oration under the aegis of Punjab Medical Council.

Eminent orthopaedic surgeons from the country and abroad, with extensive experience in the field, participated in the symposium.

Dr Bobby John, professor and head, department of orthopaedics, CMCH, felt that revision knee arthroplasty was the need of the hour, as many patients with knee arthritis were undergoing knee replacement surgeries and would need a revision knee surgery at some point of time.

This symposium was conducted to sensitise the doctors and patients in the region to the intricacies of revision knee arthroplasty.

According to Dr Anupam Mahajan, associate professor, department of orthopaedics, CMCH, the average age of doing a knee replacement was going down as it was getting more acceptance in society.

Mullanpur Dakha/ Jagraon, October 23
Solution to alleged row between rice sheller owners and commission agents is in sight with the Chief Minister planning to meet them. The row between them had led to slowing down of the paddy procurement from grain markets of the region.

Principal secretary Darbara Singh Guru announced this during his visit to grain markets of the area yesterday. Responding to a complaint lodged by a few rice sheller owners regarding alleged procurement of paddy by compromising with standards laid down by the Central and state procurement agencies, Guru assured them of finding a solution after holding discussions with the Chief Minister. Claiming that procurement process was running smoothly despite numerous impediments, Guru asserted that Rs 4,750 crore had already been paid by the government agencies.

Guru said 54 lakh tonnes of the paddy out of 56 crore tonnes had already been purchased by the government agencies. The authorities have been directed to procure and lift the produce within 72 hours of its arrival.

Referring to information collected during his visits to 13 districts of the state, the chief secretary maintained that things were normal at almost all mandis visited by him. Even if there were some heaps lying un-purchased, it reflected peasants’ confidence in the system, argued Guru when a commission agent contradicted his claim.

Appreciating administration’s attempt to get the mandis cleared, Guru advised administrative officers led by Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tewari to devote extra time to ensure speedy disposal of paddy arriving the markets.

Khanna, October 23
Irked over the non-lifting of paddy by purchasing agencies, farmers blocked the traffic by parking their paddy-laden vehicles on the Samrala Khanna road. The slow procurement process in the name of the moisture-laden paddy had annoyed them.

Former chairman Harbans Singh Rosha and kisan union leaders alleged that the farmers were forced to wait for longer hours as state government agencies and the FCI had failed to purchase the paddy on time.

They said despite rain the government had failed to make arrangements for their welfare. They threatened to intensify their struggle if their demands were not immediately accepted. They demanded that the specifications of moisture should be lowered to 22 per cent so that their produce could be immediately sold in the grain markets.

Meanwhile, the kisan union members and farmers also blocked traffic on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh Road near the Focal Point.

Ludhiana, October 23
Beaming smiles, folded hands and a modest body language was the order of the day at police stations today, as the otherwise boorish cops got together to welcome schoolchildren.

Almost all SHOs in the city invited students to their respective police stations to show them their working.

The initiative was taken following the order from Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh.

The visit to police stations was part of the ongoing drive initiated by the Commissioner to bridge the gap between the police and public.

The interaction was organised to encourage public participation in helping the police tackle growing crime rate and traffic chaos in the city.

The visiting guests were given a lowdown on the working of police stations and the way alert was sounded in emergency situations through wireless.

The invitation from the police came as a surprise to children. While boys seemed excited, girls were a little apprehensive.

“The idea behind organising the visit was to dispel any apprehension associated with the police. Our endeavour is to encourage interaction between youngsters and the police so that they approached us without hesitation,” said division No. 2 SHO Surinder Mohan.

Model Town SHO Maninder Singh said: “We want to break the clichéd image of boorishness associated with us. We are people-friendly and are focussing on the coming generations so that they respect the men in khakhi for their work and not for their uniform.”

Ludhiana, October 23
Five police stations are currently in a keen race to find a place in the ongoing Police Station Visitor Weeks (PSVW) Competition.

Sadar, Dehlon, division No. 8, division No. 5 and Kotwali police stations are engaged in a stiff battle to win the prize of the best police station in the world.

The event is being organised by Altus to assess the quality of service delivered by the participating police stations.

A six-member team comprising Mahesh Sharma, Mahesh Kakkar, Sanjiv Kumar, Dr Gurpreet Singh, Vijay Baweja and Kewal Bidhuraja visited the division No. 5 police station to identify some of the best practices in use by the police today.

Interacting with the TNS, the delegation said the aim of the competition was to improve the quality of local police service according to international standards. The team also assessed the treatment of the police towards the poor and people from the lower strata of society.

“Our motive is to see the police win trust and cooperation of people so that the latter do not hesitate helping the police in detecting criminals,” said Mahesh Kakkar.

Ludhiana, October 23
The riot victims who have not been able to get MIG flats in the first draw of lots by the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) will get another chance to try their luck. The second draw of lots for MIG/LIG flats for riot victims will be held in the next few days.

Talking to The Tribune, GLADA Chief Administrator AK Sinha said since a majority of applicants had applied for MIG flats, all could not be accommodated.

Of the 600 MIG/LIG flats given, around 170 aspirants were allotted MIG flats, while the remaining got flats under the LIG category.

“Those not satisfied (who got LIG) can again try their luck in the second draw. A decade ago when the state government had decided to give flats to riot victims, there was no such condition that MIG aspirants would get MIG flats and those who had applied for LIG would get the LIG flats. All were to be accommodated,” said Sinha.

Welcoming the recent decision, Ludhiana Sikh Migrants Welfare Board chairman Kartar Singh Patna said it was a right decision. “Many of us had applied for MIG flats but were allotted LIG. There was resentment amongst us. But with this decision, at least we will get another chance to try our luck for MIG flats,” said Patna.

Resentment had prevailed among riot victims after their category was changed from MIG flats to LIG flats.

They had alleged bungling in the draws to beneficiaries on October 12 by GLADA officials.

The riot victims had also said LIG flats allotted to a majority of applicants were in fact flats constructed for the economically weaker section (EWS).

The board will meet on October 25 to decide on their future course of action over the alleged irregularity.

Ludhiana, October 23
The department of veterinary and animal husbandry extension, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, organised a refresher course in association with the dairy development department, Punjab, on feed manufacture, balanced and quality feed for milch animals.

Fifty feed millers from different parts of the state got information on quality of raw materials, formulation of ration for different categories of animals, care of feed machinery, etc.

Dr KS Sandhu, director of extension education, said dairy business was flourishing and main expenditure on dairy farming was on cattle feed. It was thus important to make feed using economical means without compromising on quality.

All new technological developments and issues related to new research must be under focus and the health of animals to produce quality milk and other products must be assessed, he added.

Dr HK Verma, head, veterinary extension, said a feed manufacturer must know everything about the technology used, including those related to assessing quality of food ingredients, storage, ration formation, standard set-up of plant, machinery maintenance and unconventional feed.

This training is mandatory for the renewal of licence of feed manufacturers after three years.

The course is also compulsory for those who manufacture mineral mixtures for the cattle and buffaloes and who sell or hold feed ingredients for livestock feeding.

Technical and physical support was provided by Dr MPS Bakshi, head, department of animal nutrition.

Dr Parminder Singh, course coordinator, said latest developments in the field of feed manufacturing technology were discussed.

Dr RS Sahota, professor, extension, said the university was making efforts to help farmers by various means.

Ludhiana, October 23
A brokering firm organised a seminar on Investment Opportunities-2010, here today. The seminar was part of firm’s efforts to create awareness and understanding regarding the financial market.

The event provided knowledge about financial education and wealth creation to individuals. The firm aimed at abridging various misconceptions regarding investments.

The seminar was attended by over 300 investors. Experts from fundamental, technical and commodities sections of the firm came together to discuss the importance of wealth conservation and its effects on financial planning.

Naveen Mathur, associate director, commodities and currencies, said: “Commodities are a unique asset class that provide diversification benefits to an investment portfolio. These are used in combination with traditional assets like stocks and bonds to reduce overall portfolio long-term risk, while increasing upside potential. Benefits of adding commodities to a diversified portfolio are their low correlation to stocks and bonds that can help reduce overall portfolio risk.” Shardul Kulkarni, senior technical analyst, said: “The markets are poised at such a stage where the bulls and the bears are fighting it out near the previous peak of 21,000. While the bears argue about expensive valuations in many counters, the bulls bank on liquidity from the West to fuel the rally to higher levels.”

Ludhiana, October 23
The PAU youth festival marked its third day with collage making and cartooning competition. “Fashion Today” was the topic for the collage making competition. “The corruption in the Commonwealth Games” was the topic was given for cartooning. Students participated with full vigour in the competition.

The events were judged by Gurminder Kaur, Government College for Women, Prof Gurcharan Singh and Prof Sunmeet Kaur. The results will be declared on October 30.

Ludhiana, October 23
At last the budding and aspiring golfers of the city have something to cheer about as the legendry cricketer and amateur golfer, Kapil Dev, today threw open a golf academy near Mullanpur on the Ferozepore road here today.

Kapil Dev also honed the skills of 43 budding golfers on the occasion. The first batch of the trainees of the academy comprised children between the age group of 8 and 16 years, who were introduced to the game in an exciting event entitled “Initiation of Future Champions”.

The budding golfers were fascinated by the display of great golf shots by the legend himself.

Kapil Dev, in his short speech, exhorted the young players to play the game in the true sense. “It does not matter what game you play. The only thing that matters is giving your 100 per cent to the game,” said Kapil.

He also requested the academy authorities to build a hockey stadium so that hockey players could also hone their skills and win laurels for the country.

The golf academy is also designing an 18-hole par 71-championship golf course in the vicinity of the academy.

Viren Thappar (14), winner of the inaugural edition of the Imperial Cup held at Phillaur Golf Course, also displayed his golfing skills.

Ludhiana, October 23
Ten top women hockey teams of the country will clash in the 14th edition of the Mohinder Partap Singh Grewal Women Hockey Tournament to be played at PAU from October 25.

Ludhiana, October 23
Cagers Amayjot Singh and Nagma Mirza will lead the boys and girls basketball teams, respectively, in the 61st Junior National Championship to be held at Navi Mumbai from October 24.

The teams left the city yesterday.