Ludhiana, December 17
Two persons were crushed to death, while three others sustained minor injuries after an over speeding truck lost control and rammed into two vehicles near Samrala Chowk here today.The incident took place this afternoon, when the truck driver, Mahinder Singh, moving towards Cheema Chowk to Samrala Chowk lost control over the truck and ran over a motorcycle driver and a scooter driver.

The victims identified as Ramesh Tiwari (35) and Thakur Das (30) died on the spot. The three injured were rushed to nearby clinic for treatment.

According to eyewitness, the truck driver was already on the run when he crushed two persons. He had rammed his truck into a vehicle in Samrala Chowk and was trying to flee the spot. In the rush, he crashed into two more vehicles and killed two persons on the spot.

The truck first hit Thakur Das, who was seated on a scooter that was parked on the roadside. After running over Thakur Das, the truck crushed Ramesh Tiwari, who was on a motorbike and driving towards Cheema Chowk. Three more persons, who were walking on the roadside, were also hit and injured.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, after literally being on a killing spree, Mahinder Singh, the driver of killer truck fled the scene leaving the truck behind.

Ramesh was working as manager in a Transport Company, while Thakur Das was a labourer at Transport Nagar.

The incident triggered resentment among the labour unions, who came out on the road in large numbers and staged dharna on the busy Samarla Chowk. The dharna was continuing till the filing of this report. Serpentine queues of vehicles were observed till late evening.

The protestors were demanding the arrest of truck driver stating those killed were the bread earners of their families.

In the meantime, the police has registered a case and have started the investigation. The SHO of Division No 6 said hunt was on to nab the truck driver. 

Ludhiana, December 17
In a daring theft bid, thieves struck at Vijaya Bank located near the Mata Rani Mandir Chowk, but failed to lay their hand on cash stacked in it.The incident took place last night when the thieves broke the locks of Vijaya Bank situated on the first floor. After breaking the locks, the thieves entered the strong room of the bank, but failed to open it.

Fortunately, the alarm went off following which the thieves fled away from the scene.According to bank employees, the thieves entered the bank from the top of the building.

The police suspects that the thieves might have jumped over the building from a flyover located close to it.

The matter came to light when Chief Manager of the bank, KG Rama Krishan, reported the incident to the police. The bank authorities did not reveal how much cash was in the bank.

The police have recovered a few tools, which suggested that the thieves were not professional and were trying to cash in huge amount of money in a single strike.

Ludhiana, December 17
The city has no dearth of money and to top it, the show-off culture is enough to “spoil” the young generation. A majority of upper middle class and elite class members are unmindful of the repercussions of pampering their wards by providing them with luxurious cars and expensive gifts.

Instead of concentrating on their careers, the youngsters are busy leading a plush life, thanks to the easy access to money.

Cars like Honda Civic, Accord and Skoda can be seen parked outside several colleges and are perceived as status symbols.

Nikita Anand (name changed), a student of Khalsa College for Women, said: “We are a family of four and there are three cars. None of the cars are small. I have no choice but to get Verna to college. If my parents can afford to give me a car, I don’t think anyone should have a problem. They don’t want to send me with a driver either. So this is the best option.”

At the same time, it gives inferiority complex to other students who aren’t as “fortunate”. Satpreet Kaur, a student, said: “I come to college in an autorickshaw while several other girls come in cars. Unequal distribution of wealth is unfair but I believe in destiny. I thank God for what I have. I feel a student’s life should be simple.”

Not just cars, parents give expensive gifts to their children. Intellectuals feel that children need quality time of parents rather than material things.

Pappo Abnash, a social activist, said at this tender age, parents needed to look after and guide their child. “But parents don’t have the time for children and pamper them to compensate. We need to provide moral values to our wards, which will stay with them throughout their life. We have to make them responsible citizens and not selfish people chasing worldly pursuits,” he said.

Jasbir Kaur Makkar, Principal of SCD Government College, said she was against such show off. “Even if parents have a lot of money, they should not let their wards lead a carefree life. These are formative years. They need to be taught about realities and hardships of life. Parents must not provide them with easy money,” she said.

Ludhiana, December 17
The Municipal Corporation (MC) would soon be providing online facility for the payment of water supply and sewerage bills and house tax.The civic body is set to introduce and e-billing system which would provide residents with a facility of paying the bills online.

In the first phase, the MC would be issuing details of pending bills and their status on its website. The MC has already issued ID numbers to customers on the bills issued to them.

In the second phase, the MC will gear up for the online payment of these bills, for which it will ask banks to present their offers. Sources said while the facility of viewing the bills would be available to the residents in the coming days, it might take another month for them to pay the bills online.

Superintendent Engineer of the computer branch, DPS Wadhwa, said they were on the verge of completing the e-billing process. “It will benefit residents as it will facilitate them in the payment of their bills of water supply and house tax online,” he said.

Ludhiana, December 17
While cricket is catching the fancy of the city youths, football is struggling to attract spectators to the Guru Nanak Stadium.Even the much anticipated clash of two arch rivals JCT and Kingfisher East Bengal simply went unnoticed as the cash strapped organiser of the I- league did not put up a single hoarding outside the stadium to draw crowd.

The decision of not putting up a hoarding outside the stadium has drawn a lot of criticism from the football fraternity.

The soccer players were miffed at the development and complained that the “erratic” methods of saving money would have an adverse effect on the sport, which was losing its sheen in the state.

“With no hoarding and display board, how would people know that some game was in progress inside the stadium? How much it would cost to put up a hoarding?” asked Sukpreet Singh, an armature football player.

Earlier, the I- league organisers used to invite school students and employees of the JCT to watch the encounter, but over the years the organisers opted for cost-cutting measures, which drastically affected the popularity of the game.

A football fan while expressing disappointment over the state of affair said if things would remain the same than the game would lose its charm completely.

“Match between East- Bengal and JCT virtually went unnoticed. You can well imagine what the authorities are doing for the revival of football in the state,” he added.

Inder Singh, general secretary, maintained that he was providing the best of the facilities in theavailable budget.

Ludhiana, December 17
The management of Singh Sabha Gurdwara in the Model Town Extension locality here is under a cloud following allegations of unlawful possession of shops in the market developed by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), and also raising illegal construction to extend a shop by coverage of verandah (a public passage) where a charitable dispensary and dental clinic is run.

According to LIT officials, six shops were purchased by the gurdwara management for establishment of a charitable dispensary through open auction long time back. Over a period, some of the adjoining shops, lying vacant (unsold) were also occupied by certain persons having proximity to Avtar Singh Makkar, president, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, who was heading the gurdwara management before his election to the SGPC.

Not only this, one of the corner shops out of the six hops - where dispensary was being run, was unlawfully extended by construction of a wall and coverage of verandah left in front of the shops as per the layout plan of the market.

The unlawful possession on the unsold shops and illegal extension of another came to light when MM Vyas, the newly nominated chairman of LIT sought details of all unsold commercial and residential properties of the Trust so as to chalk out a plan for their disposal.

The LIT officials said a notice for demolition of illegal construction in the verandah of the market had been served to the gurdwara management, and shops under illegal possession were also vacated. "We have put our locks on the vacant shops and these will be sold through open auction in the near future," an official said on condition of anonymity.

Manwinder Singh Makkar, a city councillor and son of SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, confirmed that shops under unlawful possession of certain persons close to the gurdwara management had been handed over to the LIT officials.

He, however, sought to justify allotment of more shops to the gurdwara management for expansion of dispensary, claiming that it was for a noble cause and the dispensary was providing high quality medical care at nominal cost to the area residents.

On receipt of the notice for removing illegal construction in verandah of the market for extension of a shop, Makkar said he was not aware if any notice from LIT in this connection was received by the gurdwara management which is run by a 5-member committee, while indicating that the encroachment would be cleared if desired by the LIT.

Ludhiana, December 17
The PAU College of Basic Sciences and Humanities is organising “INSPIRE” camp from December 20 to 24 in the Dr Borlaug Wheat Auditorium.Giving details, the dean of the college, Dr RS Sidhu said that nearly 225 students from six schools of Ludhiana district were participating in the camp.

He informed that the department of science and technology (DST) of the Government of India had initiated this special programme to identify talent among schoolchildren and to motivate them towards the study of science.

He said that Dr SS Johl, an eminent farm economist and former Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala, would inaugurate the event on December 20. Dr Manjit Singh Kang, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, will be the chief guest at the valedictory function on December 24. 

Ludhiana, December 17
Yellow rust is the most threatening disease affecting wheat cultivation in Punjab. The disease develops under conditions of low temperature, especially in sub-mountainous areas. Alerting farmers, Dr HS Rewal, head, department of plant pathology, said that the disease could be easily recognised from the appearance of elongated yellow powdery stripes on the lower leaves of the wheat. On touching the affected part, yellow dusty spores adhere to the fingers. The disease initially appears in small foci from where it spreads to the entire field. The disease first appears in the sub - mountainous tracts from where it spreads to the plains of northern India, he added.

Further elaborating, Dr Rewal stated that the recent surveys of wheat fields conducted by the PAU plant pathologists in the sub-mountainous tracts of the state revealed the occurrence of this rust on wheat crop in Chhadhauri village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district.

In view of early occurrence of yellow rust, the PAU experts advised the farmers of the region to monitor the wheat crop at regular intervals. On noticing the disease symptoms, the farmers should go for spot application (only on affected crop) of tilt or shine or bumper, using one ml of the fungicide in one litre of water in order to check the further spread of this disease in the field, said the experts. For further queries, the farmers may contact the PAU department of plant pathology on telephone No.0161-2401960/Extension 319. —TNS

Ludhiana, December 17
The city witnessed spirited, fervent and emotional activity through the day here today on the occasion of Muharram, which was observed with great piety to mark the victory of virtue over evil.

Muslims from all parts of the city flocked to Jama Masjid and other mosques to pay homage to martyr Hazrat Imam Hussain, who lost his life on this day in the year 680 AD while fighting a fierce battle.

A special congregation was also organised at Jama Masjid, which was presided over by Shahi Imam of Punjab Habib-Ur-Rehman Sa-ani Ludhianavi. Cabinet Minister Hira Singh Gabria was also present as the guest of honour. Together, the congregation bowed down to pray to the Almighty and recalled the sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain. They also exchanged pleasantries with each other.

The Shahi Imam spoke at length about the significance of this day to the congregation and said the Muslim community observed this day with full religious fervour throughout the world.

"This day is very pious for all of us and today, we should all vow to be faithful towards our faith throughout our lives," he said.

The Shahi Imam went on to add, "On this day, Hazrat Mohammad lost his life for the sake of the religion. Nobody can ever forget his supreme sacrifice. He is still alive in our hearts and will be remembered by every Muslim till eternity."

He motivated the congregation to follow the path shown by the great martyr and pledge to lay down their lives for the sake of religion.

After the prayers, members of the Muslim community took sometime out for shopping. 

Ludhiana, December 17
Pensioners of both state as well as the Central governments expressed concern over the non-implementation of the recommendations of the sixth Central Pay Commission and the fifth Punjab Pay Commission. Representatives of different pensioners’ bodies lamented that not only the benefits due to them were being denied, but also a few accepted recommendations were yet to be given effect.

Speaking at the “Pensioners Day” celebrations, organised by the Pensioners Information Centre Management Committee (PICMC) at Pensioners’ Bhawan in the mini secretariat here today, the pensioners of the Punjab government reiterated their demand for fixation of the revised pension based on salaries under the revised pay scales and pay bands on the notional basis.

They further demanded lump sum payment of arrears of revised pension, fixed monthly medical allowance at Rs 1,000 per month, cashless treatment facility at recognised hospitals on the panel, old age allowance slab on attaining the age of 70 years, house rent and house maintenance allowance equal to one months pension every year and travel concession to both husband and wife as well as family pensioners.

More than 300 pensioners, representing at least 24 different associations participated in the function, which was presided over by PS Rawat, deputy general manager, Bank of India, Ludhiana zonal office.

Welcoming the chief guest, PICMC chairman BR Kaushal explained the significance of the day, observed all over the country on December 17. He dwelt upon the project of pensioners information centre, describing it as first of its kind.

In his address, Rawat applauded the zeal and spirit of pensioners in successfully running the pensioners’ bhawan. He assured all possible cooperation and assistance to pensioners in their bank transactions and also announced to provide financial assistance for the bhawan project.

The chief guest presented at least 24 pensioners shawls, mementos and citations.

Ludhiana, December 17
The chopping of 12 eucalyptus trees along Sidhwan Canal near the Sangowal bridge, brought to the fore by MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik, rocked the district grievances committee meeting convened at Bachchat Bhawan here today. He said the forest department had recovered Rs 21,000 as compensation but the remuneration was higher.

The meeting was headed by the Deputy Commissioner, Rahul Tewari, who assured the complainant that SDM (W) Prem Chand had submitted a report following which action would be taken against the guilty. He also instructed the Divisional Forest Officer, DS Brar, to take departmental action in the matter.

Thirty out of a total of 63 complaints put up before the grievances committee were redressed. Illegal possession of a part of Tibba Road by some shopkeepers and factories was also taken up at the meeting by former councillor Pran Nath Bhatia. Bhatia objected to the report submitted by the SDM that the possession was not illegal. The DC said a committee would be set up to demarcate the area again.

MP Sukhdev Singh Libra, who is a member of the grievances committee, pointed at the unlawful act of the sarpanch of Ikolaha village of filling up the village pond to build a concrete structure. The DC ordered the Block Development and Panchayat Officer to stop further filling.

The removal of encroachments to widen the main bazaar of Malaud, repair of roads in Focal Point, Ludhiana, and replacement of a transformer on Jaimal Road were among the other complaints that came up at the meeting. The Municipal Commissioner, AK Sinha, while replying to a matter pertaining to illegal colonies and penalty from the license holder companies, said Rs 1.9 crore had been recovered out of a total penalty of Rs 3 crore.

Ludhiana, December 17
Parents of the youth, who got drowned in the Sutlej on November 6, have alleged that his friends forced their child into committing this act.The victim identified as Varinder Singh Rawat was swept away by the water current while performing a ritual.

Now, after a month of this incident, the parents have in a complaint lodged with the police stated that their son was forcibly drowned into the Sutlej as he was having some financial dispute with his friends.

Chattar Singh Rawat, father of the victim, said he had lodged a complaint with Additional Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Kuldeep Singh, who has further marked the probe to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Balraj Singh Gill. — TNS

Mandi Ahmedgarh, December 17
QSCert, a Slovak-German company and management systems certification body of the international level, has said the management system at the Dakha and the Sidhwan Bet police stations in the Ludhiana (rural) police district meet the requirement of the Organisation of Standards. Both police stations were presented the ISO 9001:2008 certificate.

Prevention and detection of crime, maintenance of law and order, protection of public property, security of citizens, VVIP security, community policing and control and use of intelligence are the various aspects that were evaluated before issuing the certificate.

The district has initiated a process to get the other police stations certified according to international standards and the process would be completed within two months, sources in the department claimed.

Kulwant Singh, in charge of the team coordinating inspection and evaluation of functioning and preparedness of various police stations of the district, said the police stations at Sudhar and Jagraon Sadar were being inspected for the certificate.

The SSP Ludhiana (Rural), Gursharan Singh Sandhu, said besides elevating the image of the police stations at the state level, the exercise would encourage officials at other offices to improve the functioning further.

Ludhiana, December 17
Ropar survived a scare before romping home victorious 18-16 in handball final in the girls’ section on the second day of the 25th Sports Festival being organised by the Mata Sahib Kaur Sports Club at Jarkhar village, about 15 kms from here today.

In the league phase (boys’ section), Ludhiana drubbed Rup Nagar 14-2; Mohali outplayed Bathinda 13-8; Faridkot got the better of Amritsar 34-29; Patiala toyed with Gurdaspur 18-3 and Sangrur prevailed over Mohali 28-24.

In hockey (girls), Shahbad Markanda Academy registered two wins. In the first encounter, they blanked Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana, 6-0 and then outclassed Takakhanwas (Moga) 3-0 to move to next round.

In the boys’ section, two matches were played in which EME, Jalandhar, and IAF, Delhi, came out triumphant.

EME, Jalandhar, managed to squeeze past BSF, Jalandhar, 2-1 while, IAF, Delhi, defeated Justice XI, Jalandhar, 4-1.

In basketball (junior girls), Kapurthala proved too good for Ludhiana whom they outnumbered 27-20.

Though the event had started yesterday and some hockey as well as handball matches were held, it was formally inaugurated today. Punjab Cabinet Minister Hira Singh Gabria and MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik declared the festival open.

Earlier, the games torch was brought to the stadium in a procession which started from Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana, and travelled to Manji Sahib Gurdwara at Alamgir before reaching Jarkhar, where hockey Olympian Sardara Singh received it and took a round of the stadium.

A contingent of nihangs exhibited an impressive martial arts show, while young girl trainees performed gymnastics.