Ludhiana, April 28
Bogged down by helplessness for not being able to find their beloved son till the evening, the parents of Manthan were devastated and parents were seen rushing to astrologers earlier in the day. Both the boy’s father, Ajit Singh, 32, a native of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh who runs a knitting unit in Meharban, and his mother, Kiran, were well aware they are running out of time.

After failing to get any word about Manthan till evening his parents visited astrologers, hoping the latter would give them some clue about their child. “What shall we do - it has been more than 24 hours and there’s still no clue about our child. Someone in the locality told me about an astrologer who can tell the location of a missing child. Without wasting any more time I visited him and he told me my son was being kept in a house located in a southeasterly direction. I wish my child is safe,” Ajit had said before the boy was located.

The couple also has a seven-year-old daughter, Archna. Kiran, who was being consoled by the residents, said her daughter was not having food and since the time her son was abducted. Both of them last met yesterday morning. When Manthan went missing Archna was still in school. “She saw me searching for Manthan and started crying. I picked her up in my lap and consoled her but inside my heart I was feeling terrified, and I needed to be strong,” said Archna.

Ludhiana, April 28
Northern Railway engineers on Thursday began the daunting task of dismantling the century-old Lakkar Bridge underneath which lie overhead high tension power cables for locomotive traction. The much awaited exercise will clear the way for construction of a rail overbridge at the site to ease traffic congestion in the city.

As the operation is fraught with risk the entire area was cordoned off to keep out people. All the major branches of the railways’ engineering wing, especially that dealing with overhead wires, were involved in the task. An overhead high voltage power cable that was connected with the bridge was first removed and shifted to poles.

Later, executive engineer William Jeet Singh, who is supervising the operation, asked representatives of the firm awarded the contract to build the rail overbridge to deploy their staff for cutting the old bridge’s iron bars with gas cutters.

In view of the magnitude of the task railway officials had asked executive engineer Pradeep Puri, who was involved with the project till 2009, to be present at the site. Northern Railway deputy chief engineer SK Sharma was also present to monitor the operation.

Railway officials also kept an accident relief train on standby to be used if required.

At around noon after cutting the iron bars with gas cutters a crane lifted a span of the bridge on the side of the yard. However when the crane lifted the whole span balance of it was shifted on one side due to which part of span touched the overhead power cables passing below.

However, acting swiftly railway officials deployed some more men at the other side to pull the other side of the bridge span with ropes and finally it was successfully lifted from the high voltage wires and placed on the ground.

The officials then turned their attention to working out a strategy for removing the other three crucial bridge spans, two of which lie above the Amritsar-Delhi trunk rail line on which over 150 trains pass every day. Sharma expressed hope the whole operation would be completed successfully and in time.

Ludhiana, April 28
The exercise of dismantling the century-old bridge grasped public attention as a large number of residents thronged the site where the massive exercise of dismantling the bridge was going on.

With expressions of nostalgia, curiosity and surprise on their faces, the onlookers stood through the entire exercise, giving a tough time to the personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) deployed at the site of the Lakkar Bridge in tackling the crowd.

As their was a lot of risk involved in the whole exercise, the Railways officials had cordoned off the whole area and personnel, including women constables, were deputed at the site to avoid any sort of intrusion of public. Security arrangements were so tight that even representatives of media faced a lot of trouble in going to site for the coverage of the event.

Even then a large number of them peeped through gaps in the wall or barricading and railings installed near the site to get a glance of the whole exercise. Lajpat Rai Thapar, a resident of a nearby house, sat for the whole day on his window pane looking at the drive. Similarly, his other family members also showed curiosity for the ongoing exercise. In the same manner, Gaurav Sabharwal, Dev Bhushan Aggarwal, Ajay Kumar had specially come to see the drive from Namak Mandi and Karta Ram Gali localities.

Ludhiana, April 28
Knowing well that dissembling a bridge underneath which lie overhead high tension power cables for locomotive traction is a daunting job that is rarely performed, Northern Railway is getting the entire operation recorded on video for use in training officials and engineers in future.

The importance of the exercise can be judged from the fact that it took over a decade for railway officials to evolve a strategy on dismantling the Lakkar Bridge, that has been the main hindrance in construction of a rail overbridge. The reason is simple: The century-old bridge is built above the high voltage electric train wires. “It’s definitely a reason for delay as we cannot afford the inconvenience to general public due to disruption of vehicular traffic" said Northern Railway deputy chief engineer SK Sharma.

Now when the department has started the dismantling exercise it is certainly a historic moment for the officers. It is due to it only that they have hired a professional videographer to record every minute of dismantling.

Sources in Northern Railway said as the job is very tough officials wanted to ensure future engineers and officers of the department learn a lesson from the exercise. The officials also feel there is always scope for improvement in every work so they want to learn from the mistakes that they make in executing the process. It is due to these reasons that the operation is being recorded on video.

Asked to comment on the matter, Sharma said: “Since this exercise is rare it is being videotaped for being included in training given to new engineers.”

Ludhiana, April 28
It was a good day for the cash-strapped Municipal Corporation (MC) as it earned ` 62 lakh from the auction of scrap of the operation and maintenance (O&M) branch, while the reserve price of the scrap was just ` 32 lakh.

It was after a decade that the MC officials had decided to hold the auction for the scrap of the O&M branch, which comprised largely worn-out generators and other commodities of pipe fitting.

The auction was conducted at Moti Nagar godown of the branch and senior MC officials, including Additional Commissioner Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar, Senior Deputy Mayor Praveen Bansal, Superintendent Engineer (SE) VP Singh, Executive Engineers (XEN) Kamlesh Bansal and Manjit Singh were there to monitor the auction. Despite the fact that the MC had kept a high reserve price of ` 32 lakh for the auction, more than 50 bidders from various districts of the state took part in the auction. When contacted Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar said it was wrong that the MC was facing any shortage of funds, adding that they were having enough funds for getting the works done. But she said funds would certainly prove beneficial to them.

Ludhiana, April 28
Arrival of wheat in grain markets of the district has reached its peak with sky becoming clear and rise in day temperature. Out of 8.48 lakh metric tonnes expected, about 6.32 lakh metric tonnes has already arrived in the different grain markets. Officials maintain that the harvesting season was expected end by May 5 in the Ludhiana district.

About 60,000 metric tonnes of wheat was reaching different grain markets of the district daily. Talking to The Tribune, district mandi officer Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal said wheat was arriving in bulk and being lifted from grain markets these days. “Employees/inspectors from different procurement agencies ensure that the farmers are paid within 48 hours. In Khanna alone, 82,000 metric tonnes of wheat out of expected 92,000 metric tonnes has already arrived. We will get the entire produce within four to five days,” he added.

While the soaring temperature has made farmers happy, city residents have started feeling “uncomfortable” due to onset of peak summer season and power cuts. Dr KK Gill, assistant agro-meteorologist, Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), said the rise in temperature is normal. Last year, maximum temperature rose to 40°C in the third week of April. This year, April was cooler as compared to the last year, he added.

“This time, temperature rose to 40°C for just a day. Today, maximum temperature has been recorded at 38.6°C. Minimum temperature has increased by 2 to 3°C. Last night, minimum temperature was recorded 25.6°C. But, April remained cooler as compared to 2010. There is no forecast for rain and temperature will hover around 40°C till May 2. This is the best time for harvesting and threshing,” Dr Gill added.

Homemakers have, however, expressed concern over their wards going to schools and colleges during peak summer. They hope that authorities will declare summer vacations in schools and colleges earlier if temperature kept on increasing in coming days. 

Ludhiana, April 28
Extending its full support to Anna Hazare in order to effectively deal with corruption at various levels, the Marxist Communist Party of India - United (MCPI-U) has urged the Jan-Lokpal Bill drafting committee to effectively chalk out a comprehensive Bill that will cover all key offices of the executive, legislature and judiciary.

The party’s state committee, which met here yesterday under the presidentship of Kiranjit Singh Sekhon, stated that people had spontaneously responded to the call given by Anna Hazare.

This made the government relent and constitute a drafting committee for the Jan-Lokpal Bill.

Kuldip Singh, secretary, state unit of the party, said there was a need to build a mass movement for putting an end to corruption, which had virtually become a part a parcel of the prevailing system of governance. “The system has to be replaced with more favourable people-oriented system of governance,” the party asserted.

While welcoming the initial action taken for seeing the anti-corruption Jan-Lokpal Bill through, the MCPI criticised a few corrupt elements, both inside and outside the government, for creating hurdles in drafting of the Bill as well as the movement against corruption.

The party called upon all trade unions and working classes to observe International Labour Day (May 1) as a “protest day” against rising prices, unemployment, rampant corruption, while also focusing on other local issues and demands of the workers and peasantry. 

Ludhiana, April 28
Factionalism within the SAD once again come to the fore with rebel Akali councillor, Simerjeet Singh Bains, openly lobbying against municipal officials and mayor Hakam Singh Giaspura.

Bains, who’s room in the C-zone office was allegedly closed at the behest of the mayor, met Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal at his residence in New Delhi and apprised him of the entire incident.

Talking to The Tribune on phone he alleged that the room, which they had opened during the tenure of the Congress government for resolving difficulties of people, has been shut during the Akali’s regime. This is unjustified. He alleged that the mayor with the help of a few municipal officials and unions had hatched a plot to defame him after the arrest of Zonal Commissioner in the graft case.

Bains also urged the Deputy Chief Minister to the top brass of the municipal corporation removed. He alleged that the top brass was hand in glove with the mayor. Targeting the municipal commissioner for siding with the politician, Bains said, “ Such officials should remain neutral.”

This is not for the first time that the firebrand Akali councillor has been up in arms against top brass of the civic body. Earlier, he had accused former municipal commissioner, Vikas Pratap, of taking Rs 25 lakh bribe for allotting the Gill Chowk project. His name had also figured in an attack on a sub-registrar. Now, he has been blamed for getting Zonal Commissioner AS Sekhon arrested in the graft case. Meanwhile, there was a talk of municipal commissioner AK Sinha’s being transferred from the city. 

Ludhiana, April 28
"Rabies is fatal, protect your pets and yourself", this was the conclusion that emerged out of a lecture and discussion on rabies held at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, which was organised in view of the World Veterinary Day celebrations here today.

The College of Veterinary Science, GADVASU, celebrated the extended "World Veterinary Day" from April 21to 28. The day is celebrated all over the world on the last Saturday of April.

Every year, the World Veterinary Association proposes a theme for this day and "Rabies" is the chosen topic for this year. It is a vaccine-preventable disease, however, it kills more than 50,000 persons worldwide every year, mostly children. 99 per cent of all human cases are caused by bites from infected dogs. Vaccination in animals reduces the incidence of the disease, eliminates suffering and avoids recourse to mass culling while also saving human lives.

On the closing of the World Veterinary Day on Thursday, a function was organised where Dr BS Sandhu, associate professor, shared his views while speaking on rabies and Dr SS Rath, professor of parasitology, talked about the parasitic infestations of the pets and their control measures. Dr PD Juyal, registrar, GADVASU, talked about the role of veterinarians to safeguard the human health along with treating the animal disease. Also as a member of the World Veterinary Association, Juyal said that rabies was a dreadful disease and vaccination against this disease was mandatory for pet dogs to safeguard the family members and human population. The function was also attended by Dr SPS Sangha, dean, College of Dairy Sciences and Technology and controller of examination of GADVASU. Dr S Prabhakar, head, Department of the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, said that during the free anti-rabies vaccination and deworming camp organised during the week for pet dogs, a total of 140 pets were given anti-rabies shots and 108 pets were dewormed.

Ludhiana, April 28
The Rising Youth Association, a city-based NGO, while welcoming the ban imposed on polythene bags in the state from May 1, has demanded scrupulous implementation of the orders in the wake of havoc being wrecked by polythene bags on the environment.

Addressing the general body meeting of RYA, president Gurinder Chahal said since many of the neighbouring states of Punjab, including Himachal Pradesh, UT Chandigarh and the national capital had already imposed the ban on polythene bags, it was high time that Punjab followed suit. "But the intended purpose will be solved only when the provisions of the Punjab Plastic Bags (Manufacture and Disposal) Control Act are earnestly implemented; and the usage polythene bags, which have a thickness of not less than 30 micron, is completely banned."

Chahal stressed the need for creating awareness against use of plastic bags so as to make the people shun the non-biodegradable material in the larger public interest. In the absence of voluntary support from the public, the ban on polythene bags was also bound to meet the fate of similar bans imposed on child labour, smoking at public places and noise over and above a permissible decibel level.

In a bizarre incident, a 30-year-old man, whose feet were amputated 10 days ago following an accident, today left everybody shocked when he crawled from the second floor of the Ludhiana Civil Hospital, where he was admitted in a ward and left the hospital as the staff remained a mute spectator. Inderjeet Verma clicked him crawling from the staircase. The patient hid his face and even removed his shirt to cover his face so that he could not be identified.

 

OFFICIALSPEAK

‘...WAS MENTALLY UPSET’ Namodar was mentally upset. He tried several times to leave the hospital in the past. He was taken back to his ward. This morning, he bit several staff members of the hospital when they tried to stop him. — Dr US Sooch, Senior Medical Officer of Civil Hospital

Ludhiana, April 28
Turning a blind eye to the repeated complaints against Vipin Kumar Saini working as lab technician at the government dispensary at Purian in Sidhwan Bet block, who was recently arrested in the multi crore fake farm council scam, the working of the department of health and family welfare, Punjab, has once again come under scanner.

The crime branch arrested Vipin Saini on Monday for misappropriation of government funds and public money under his fake firm.