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51 water samples fail
Ludhiana, January 28 Sherpur, Laxmi Nagar, Sherpur Nagar, Jivan Nagar, Fauji colony, Ishwar Nagar, Dashmesh Nagar and some localities in Dhandari Kalan and colonies nearby were the worst hit with over 450 persons falling prey to gastroenteritis. More than 12 persons lost their lives to gastroenteritis in 2010. District epidemiologist Dr GP Mangla, who is regularly conducting surveys of the areas bearing the brunt of poor sanitation and unavailability of drinking water claimed there was "improvement. But the problem were multifaceted and needed to be redressed soon so that further residents did not fall prey to gastroenteritis in the slum areas," he added. The Municipal Corporation, he said, has been given details of the "failed" water samples and also been asked to ensure supply of potable water. The Health Department will soon begin an awareness campaign on summer diseases.
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Rly station sparkles for a day, courtesy GM’s visit
Ludhiana, January 28 With the top brass of the Ferozepur division of Northern Railway camping in the city for the past few days to oversee the arrangements, the railway station looked spic and span. Safai workers, electricians and other maintenance staff were seen at work till the moment the inspection special train carrying the officials arrived.Leaving nothing to chance, a 100-m stretch of the main road passing in front of the hospital was recarpeted overnight. The inspection special train of the GM, which arrived almost an hour late, rolled in to a red-carpet welcome at platform No. 1. Talking to mediapersons here, Budla Koti said in the wake of enhanced threat perception to railway passengers and installations in the region, the Ludhiana railway station, along with 27 others in Northern Railway, would come under electronic surveillance from the next financial year. He said the work on the first phase of the Rs 38-crore project had been completed and CCTVs as well as baggage scanning machines had already been installed at 10 railway stations in Delhi. Twenty eight other railway stations, including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, and over five dozen in Jammu and Kashmir will get the electronic surveillance system installed during the next financial year. Budla Koti was here to inaugurate the upgraded sub-divisional railway hospital, which will provide better healthcare facilities to railway employees, pensioners and their dependents. Nivedita Budla Koti, president, Northern Railway Womens Welfare Organisation, inaugurated the computerised registration facility at the upgraded hospital. He said the proposed super fast Chandigarh-Amritsar Doronto Express will hit the tracks by March, connecting the city with the state capital. Till the completion of the remaining portion of the Ludhiana-Chandigarh rail link, a Rs 1,103 crore project expected to become operational by December 2012, the train will run via Ambala. Once the leftover portion from Morinda to Sahnewal is complete, the train will switch over to the route of New Mohali, Kharar, Sirhind, Sahnewal and Ludhiana. He said the railways were aware of the problems being faced by the travellers due to a heavy rush in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar-bound trains during the festival season. The same problem was being faced by the industry on account of shortage of parcel wagons for outward-bound goods. “Necessary steps will be taken to run more special trains to cope with the demand and additional wagons will be provided to the Ferozepur division.” Inaugurating the railway hospital, Budla Koti assured the railway employees and pensioners of considering their demand for posting specialist doctors, expanding patient care facilities and setting up a separate female ward on a priority basis. He did not rule out the possibility appointing specialist doctors on contract till regular posts were created for the upgraded hospital here.
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Of fallen hero, ignorant babu
Ludhiana, January 28 While he washed his hands off the matter, the statement has come as a bolt in the blue for Parvati, widow of Santosh, who died helping the police nab a dreaded Babbar Koti also expressed ignorance about any promise of an employment with the railways to Parvati, who is looking after her three children. He said the railway ministry might be aware of it, but the matter had not been brought to his notice. His remarks come at a time when MP and Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari is pursuing the issue and assured the wife of martyr that government would do needful to secure her future. The sacrifice of Santosh Kumar, a tea vendor at railway station, was indeed great, but his courageous act brought gloom in the lives of his wife, Parvati, and three little children. Living in misery,
the family is camping in the city following Santosh’s death. They are putting up in a dingy room in Singpura area near the Jagraon bridge. Parvati was hoping that Indian Railways would offer her a job as was promised during her husband’s cremation. But the reply of GM has dashed all her hopes to ground. “Now what would happen,” asked Parvati to her brother-in- law. “GM came to me and told me that he did not know any thing about the incident. It has been over two years since I am running pillar to post for securing the future of my children. And now they have turned down my request for job. Where would I go now,” said
Parvati.
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Infighting rears ugly head at Youth Akali rally
Ludhiana, January 28 District YAD president and city councillor Simarjit Singh Bains, who was thrust into the news last year when the police booked him for allegedly stripping and beating up a ‘tehsildar’-cum-executive magistrate, was completely sidelined at the rally. After reaching the venue following Majithia’s arrival he sat next to Paramjit Singh Sidhwan, advisor to Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, for a few minutes.After a while Bains suddenly got up and began walking to leave the stage when he was stopped by another Akali leader, Swaran Singh. On the latter’s insistence Bains sat down on a chair in the corner and waited for the function to end. The party too seemed to have paid a price for sidelining Bains as many in the audience at the rally were migrant labourers, who normally do not vote for SAD. The rally was thin compared to the YAD rally recently held in Sahnewal.
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The importance of being Sukhbir’s brother-in-law
Ludhiana, January 28 Majithia, a young MLA from Majitha, grabbed immense attention from not only young party leaders but also senior leaders having decades of experience, who unashamedly called him an ‘‘angel’’, “saviour” and ‘‘heartbeat’’ of the people of the state. He was in the city to address the rally, which was marred by factionalism led by two groups led by state jails minister Hira Singh Gabria and district YAD chief Simarjit Singh Bains. During the rally all the senior party leaders hailed Majithia one after the other and sang paeans in his praise. Gabria, who asked his cheering supporters to hail Majithia, said “naare mere naam de nahi, Majithia sahib de lagao” (cheer Majithia, not me), while addressing the rally participants. SAD general secretary Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, a senior Akali leader, referred to Majithia as ‘dil di dhadkan’ (heartbeat) of the people of Punjab. He also threw light on the latter’s background, saying Majithia was not only related to Sukhbir but also belonged to an “illustrious” family himself. Majithia is the sister of Sukhbir’s wife who in turn is a member of parliament. Not to be left behind was another leader, Amarjit Singh Bhatia, who called him Majithia a ‘‘saviour’’ and ‘‘angel’’ for the masses.Soon after the rally was over, several leaders were heard discussing how Majithia despite being just an MLA was treated as well as the chief minister himself. During his address, Majithia kept on taking digs at the central government accusing it of “discriminating” against Punjab. Demanding fair share for Punjab in central taxes collected in the state, he said it was a “matter of great regret” that Punjab was getting only a meager share of 1.29 per cent of central taxes collected from the states whereas Uttar Pradesh received 21.7 per cent. Majithia also lashed out at the UPA government for not revealing the identities of Indian numbered account holders in Swiss banks despite the Supreme Court’s repeated orders to do. ‘‘All out efforts are being made to suppress details of the black money accumulated by Congress party leaders including those close to 10 Janpath (party chief Sonia Gandhi)”, he alleged.
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Four protests strike educational institutes
Ludhiana, January 28 Against the "arbitrary" attitude of the college principal, the students of Arya College for Boys went on strike today. The students did not attend a single class to register their protest. Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, the president of Arya College Students' Union, Paramjit Singh Kaka, said that students were fed up due to the "dictatorial" attitude of the principal. "We can not stand, talk or laugh freely on the college campus. In case somebody comes to meet us, the principal raises objections. We feel as if we are in a jail. In college things should should not be that strict", maintained Kaka adding that the principal had later called the students to listen to their grievances. "We will discuss issues in detail on Monday", added Kaka. College Principal TL Joshi however said that one student was suspended from college as he had misbehaved. "But later he apologised and we have asked the respective student to attend classes from tomorrow", claimed the principal. He also said that strictness was there to maintain discipline. Students of Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), who sat on a hunger strike yesterday, were joined by their female counterparts today. The students namely Sandeep Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Satvir Kaur, Parminder Kumar and Jaswinder Kumar- all postgraduate students, joined their colleagues. It was the second day of their hunger strike. The students have been demanding that vacant posts across various agricultural departments in Punjab be filled at the earliest. A memorandum was sent to the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, which was received by Additional Deputy Commissioner SR Kler, who forwarded the memorandum to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab.The students decried the behaviour of the government and held that lack of a planned approach was the main reason behind decline in agriculture. Students firmly resolved to adhere to their chosen path and talked freely about various issues plaguing agriculture in the state. Also DP Maur, general secretary, Joint council of Trade Unions, a consortium of 17 unions, Ludhiana, informed that there were over three-lakh vacant posts in Punjab, he pledged support for the cause espoused by students. Other than that, law students of PU Regional Centre here too went on strike against the failure of regional centre in appointing law faculty for teaching two courses, “Code of Civil Procedure and Code of Law Procedure”. The agitating students said that for the main programmes, no teacher took any class. “We have been raising hue and cry but to no avail. Authorities hardly find time to listen to our grievance”, said Sarabjit Singh (name changed), a law student. Meanwhile, members of PCCTU local unit of Kamla Lohtia SD College observed dharna on the college premises today. The dharna was held in the third and fourth periods due to “non-fulfilment of long-pending demands”. Unit president Rohit Kumar said that those in service for the past 12 years, were not being given the benefit of provident fund by the management. “The college is having sufficient funds to give all these benefits. It has received a grant of Rs 1.20 lakh for development from the UGC apart from collection of fee from students, still benefits to the staff are being denied”, he said. Prof Manjit Singh Komal, district president, PCCTU, and Prof VK Bhardwaj vice-president, PCCTU (Punjab), joined the staff in college today to discuss the matter.
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More heads set to roll
Ludhiana, January 28 The scam had hit headlines after the inquiry conducted by MC Additional Commissioner Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar indicted 11 officials of the civic body, along with two of the finance department, for issuing payments of around Rs 75 lakh to contractors against fake bills produced by them. Taking note of it, the local bodies department had suspended 11 officials and recommended the suspension of two officials from the finance department. The suspended officers include a Superintending Engineer (SE), three Executive Engineers (XENs), three Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs), two Junior Engineers (JE) and two officials of the accounts branch of the civic body. Later in an inquiry conducted by the Chief Vigilance Officer of the local bodies department, over six more officials were indicted whose name had figured in the scam, but they had claimed that they had no role to play and that their signatures had been forged. However, a chargesheet was pending against the MC employees. The state government had asked the MC officials to add the name of all these officers in the draft of the chargesheet that was to be sent to the government for action. Sources said officials of the building and road (B&R) branch of the civic body had almost finalised the draft of officials against whom the chargesheet was to be recommended. Highly placed sources in the MC revealed that the CVO had indicted more than half a dozen such officials, who were not suspended, but their name had figured in the scam. The sources said the draft was expected to be forwarded to the government next week for approval. MC Commissioner AK Sinha said a chargesheet would be recommended against those who had been indicted in the inquiry report.
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LIT sells 16 properties, richer by Rs 7.89 cr
Ludhiana, January 28 Three double-storey shops in the Rajguru Nagar scheme, with a reserve price of ` 91.62 lakh each, were sold for ` 1.35 crore (highest) and ` 1,11.50,000 (lowest). Of the four built-up booths in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, each having a reserve price of ` 20,14, 543, the highest bid went up to ` 42.25 lakh (premium of 110 per cent) while the one sold at the lowest bid fetched ` 39 lakh. In the Model Town extension scheme (C-Block), a built-up booth went for ` 17.5 lakh (reserve price ` 16.17 lakh) while two more with a reserve price of ` 14.70 lakh each, were sold for ` 16.9 lakh and ` 16.5 lakh. Two built-up booths in the D-Block of the same scheme with a reserve price of ` 24.3 lakh each were auctioned for ` 30.25 lakh and ` 30 lakh. Four residential plots of 100 sq yards each on offer in the 24 acre Dr Kitchlu Nagar extension scheme were sold at a premium ranging between 52 to 68.5 per cent over the reserve price. A corner plot with a reserve price of ` 25.41 lakh was sold for ` 42.8 lakh while three others with a reserve price of ` 23.1 lakh each went for ` 38.4 lakh, ` 38.2 lakh and ` 35.15 lakh. The LIT had made an offer to sell 34 commercial properties and four residential plots. While all residential plots were sold at a sizeable premium, as many as 22 commercial properties remained unsold due to insufficient bidders. These include 13 constructed booths (Model Town extension scheme), a built-up shop-cum-flat and four booths (Bharat Nagar extension scheme), and two booths and two booth sites (Maharishi Valmiki Nagar scheme).
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‘Safarnama’ at BCM School
Ludhiana, Janaury 28 Students attired in colourful dresses presented a cultural programme. The participants danced to the tunes of ‘peacock dance, ‘Rajasthani Kaal Belia’, ‘Arabian Dance’ and left the audience mesmerised.
— TNS
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Residents block highway
Khanna, January 28 The protesters also burnt the effigy of Member of Parliament Sukhdev Singh Libra. They threatened that they would stall the ongoing work in the town if their demands were not met immediately. They demanded a passage for local traffic on the Malerkotla
chowk, civil hospital and grain market. Long queues of vehicles were witnessed on both sides of the highway due to the
blockade. SDM Inderjeet Kaur Kang along with the SSP Khanna reached the scene and assured the protesters of taking up the issue with the authorities concerned at the earliest.
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7 booked for clash at PAU
Ludhiana, January 28 The accused have been identified as Gauravdeep Singh, Gesty, RB Gadaria, Atwal, KP, Ranjit Mehta and Shergil. They have been booked under Section 307 of the IPC following a statement of the victim, Gurdeep Singh, a student of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. The assailants were armed with sharp-edged weapons and declared that they would not spare anyone who tried to save Gurdeep Singh. They even smashed the victim’s car. The victim said the assault was a fallout of old rivalry. The suspects are on the run.
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12 booked for assault on ETO
Ludhiana, January 28 The accused have been identified as Gollu, Tony, Nonny, Jony, YP, Mohna, Deepu, Raju, Lambu, Lucky, Rinku and Raju, besides some others. The GRP Station House Officer (SHO), Baldev Singh, said the accused were carrying iron rods and sharp-edged weapons. Sources claimed that the accused had planned to attack Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner (AETC) Rishipal, who had tightened the noose around the “peti” mafia by conducting late night raids at its hideouts. The SHO said a case under Sections 307, 186 and 353 of the IPC had been registered against the accused, who had reportedly fled to Chandigarh to seek anticipatory bail from the High Court. However, the families of the accused alleged that they had been falsely implicated in the case. “The victims have received minor injuries, but the police has booked them in an attempt to murder case,” one of them said waiting at the GRP police station.
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Drugs seized
Ludhiana, January 28
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BJP yatra a ‘gimmick’
Phillaur, January 28 Kainth said political parties must refrain from lending a political colour to Republic and Independence Day celebrations. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir were nationalists like any other citizen and the party shouldn’t have tried to manipulate the situation to draw political mileage. Kainth added that the hoisting of the national flag on the Republic Day alone wasn’t the only way of expressing one’s patriotism. He expressed his concern at the desecration of the national flag during the yatra of the BJYM as activists were seen ignoring the flag while getting themselves photographed.
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Stage set for Kila Raipur sports festival
Ludhiana, January 28 Addressing mediapersons here today, Gursandeep Singh Grewal, president of the organising committee, Grewal Sports Association, said the annual rural event would see nation’s top athletes in action, while top hockey outfits of the country would slug it out for top honours for the prestigious Bhagwant Memorial Gold Cup, weighing 1 kg of gold. Competitions in traditional sports like kabaddi, bullock-cart race, dog races, camel races in addition to regular games like hockey and athletics would be held during the festival, said Grewal. Performances by “bazigars” and Nihangs, martial arts display by a team of Miri Piri Academy, participation by Khalsa kabaddi team sponsored by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Malkham display will be the main draw of the festival, he added. A committee with Gursandeep Singh as its chairman, and Sukhvir Singh Grewal, Jagtar Singh, Jagjit Singh and Satwinder Singh as members has been formed to supervise the arrangements being made for the conduct of the “Rural Olympics”, the GSA president said. Jagjit Singh (rowing) along with Inder Singh and Parminder Singh (both football), Rajpal Singh (hockey) and Punjabi artist Karamjit Singh Dhuri will be honoured for their contribution towards sports and culture on the concluding day. While competitions will start on February 3, Punjab Cabinet Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon will inaugurate the festival formally on February 4. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal will be the chief guest of the final day.
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Ludhiana, January 28 She romped home in the 800m race and also bagged top honours in the 1500m race. Manpreet Kaur of BA II too made her presence felt, claiming two titles. She finished ahead of others in the long jump event and then went on to win the cycling race. Earlier, Gurminder Kaur, principal of the college, declared the two-day meet open. Arjuna awardee (basketball) Sajjan Singh Cheema was the chief guest today. The principal read out the annual report, highlighting the achievements of the college students during the current academic session. She appreciated the girls who brought laurels for their alma mater in hockey, basketball, weightlifting and powerlifting in the Panjab University Inter-College Championships. The college secured second position in kho-kho in the inter-college competition, she added. Results: 800m: 1 Dolly, 2 Preeti and 3 Raman; long jump: 1 Manpreet Kaur, 2 Sarabjeet Kaur and 3 Nisha; cycling: 1 Manpreet Kaur, 2 Pooja Rani and 3 Rajni. Shot put: 1 Jasdeep Kaur, 2 Priyanka and 3 Ravneet Kaur; 100m hurdles: 1 Preeti, 2 Sapna and 3 Sarabjeet Kaur; 1500m: 1 Dolly, 2 Manpreet Kaur and 3 Preeti. — OC
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Navpreet, Lovepreet best athletes
Ludhiana, January 28 Jaspreet Kaur was named the fastest runner as she won the 100m sprint, followed by Lovepreet Kaur and Gurmeet Kaur, respectively. In 800m race (girls), Lovepreet Kaur proved too good for her rivals as she won the first position. The second and third positions were clinched by Harleen Kaur and Balpreet Kaur. In the boy’s section, Navpreet Singh won gold in long jump event. Lavjot Singh secured the second position, while Gagandeep Singh had to content with the third position. — OC
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Sital fastest in 100m race
Mandi Ahmedgarh,
January 28 Results: Women: 100 m: Sital Devi 1, Sapna 2, Seema Rani 3. 800 m: Seema Rani 1, Charanjit Kaur 2, Ranjit Kaur 3. Shot put: Kiran Bala 1, Paramjit Kaur 2, Sital Devi 3. Men: shot put: Kuldip Singh 1, Major Singh 2, Jaswinder Singh 3. Volleyball: Commissionerate b Ludhiana (rural); Khanna b Fatehgarh Sahib.
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