Ludhiana, September 9
With the continuous heavy rainfall since Thursday evening, city residents had a harrowing time on Friday as streets turned into streams. Many of them caved in including a stretch of Daba Road near Maghar Di Chakki and another part of a street near the Punjab Handloom House in Maya Nagar. A large tree reportedly fell near the CRPC branch near the police commissioner’s office at the mini secretariat.

Following a relatively light spell of rain on Thursday night residents woke up to a cloudy morning and it began raining heavily at about 11 am. The rainfall continued for over a couple of hours and by that time the streets were flooded with water.

The areas worst affected were in the old city including Chaura Bazaar, Meena Bazaar and Mata Rani Chowk, where knee-deep water had accumulated.

Long lines of vehicles choked the streets, leading to interminable traffic jams. Many vehicles got stuck in the water, leaving commuters stranded in the middle of the road.

Rainwater also accumulated on the Domoria Bridge, on the Shingar Cinema and Rahon Roads and in Basti Jodhewal, Haibowal, Shivaji Nagar and Gurdev Nagar.

Even the area adjacent to the municipal corporation’s Zone A office was submerged in knee deep water that also entered some of the shops and houses nearby. The street near the MC office looked like a rivulet and the scene was similar in Chaura Bazaar, around the Clock Tower and on the old GT Road.

This is the second spell of heavy rainfall this monsoon season. On August 12 the city received 400 mm of rain over a span of 12 hours, throwing life out of gear. Losses due to the showers in the district were estimated at Rs 88 crore.

MC officiating commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi admitted rainwater had accumulated in some parts of the city. “However, efforts are on to ensure streets are not submerged. Anyway, the water has receded in most areas by now,” he claimed.

Ludhiana, September 9
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has said the city witnessed 37.9 mm of rainfall from 8.30 pm last evening to about 2.30 pm this afternoon.

A portion of Daba road that caved-in following heavy rain in Ludhiana on Friday. photo: Inderjeet Verma

Experts at the PAU said it was unusual as the average rainfall for the entire month of September was 100 mm. “This time, till today, the city has witnessed 50.7 mm of rainfall. There are chances of light showers in the next 24 hours as well,” Dr KK Gill, agrometerologist, said.

“Monsoon is still going on and this rainfall is due to the disturbance in the south easterly winds. But there are chances that in the next 36 hours, the weather would clear,” Dr Gill said.

On August 12, the city witnessed 400 mm of rainfall, which was four times above normal as the rainfall for August is 102 mm. For the entire monsoon season, the normal rainfall is 580-600 mm.

This monsoon, the city has witnessed a lot of rainfall, with 350 mm in June, 150 mm in July and around 480 mm till August 12.

Ludhiana, September 9
Taking a cue from the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, who has taken a pledge to donate his eyes, Health and Family Welfare Minister Satpal Gosain is willing to donate his body after death.

Gosain said: “Why only eyes? I will take the pledge to donate my whole body. It is a very noble cause. The Prime Minister has done a commendable job by taking this pledge.”

Former MLA Harish Rai Dhanda is also willing to join this cause. “I will also take the pledge to donate my eyes. The Prime Minister’s action is inspiring,” he said.

Dr Ramesh, chairman of Punarjot Eye Bank Society, said: “On our motivation, many people have come forward to donate their eyes. Local Bodies Minister Teekshan Sood and his family members have also filled the form pertaining to eye donation.”

“We have started widening our network by involving city doctors and requesting them to motivate patients to donate eyes. We held a programme in collaboration with the Indian Medical Association, Ludhiana, and the Ludhiana Opthamological Society. So far, we have transplanted 3,500 corneas free of cost,” Dr Ramesh claimed.

About 1 lakh corneas are required every year for transplantation in India. But only 40,000 are available. The ministry of health and family welfare is making efforts to generate awareness about eye donation.

Ludhiana, September 9
For the second time in the last few months, Milkfed (Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation Ltd) has increased the prices of its popular Verka brand milk products.

A 200 gm cheese pack has become more expensive by Rs 4 and pouches of curd and ‘lassi’ by a rupee, officials of the state-owned group confirmed. Now, 'lassi' will cost Rs 20 a litre while the price of cheese and curd will be Rs 40 and Rs 12 per 200g packs, respectively. The new prices are effective from September 5.

Earlier a litre of ‘lassi’ was available for Rs 19 and a 200g pack of cheese or curd cost Rs 36 and Rs 11, respectively.

Justifying the price hike, SR Saini, general manager of the city’s Verka milk plant, said: "The move is only to 'adjustment' the prices of milk products to prevent customers from being shortchanged. Because of the shortage of coins shopkeepers often give people toffees instead of change”.

Asked why the prices were not reduced by a rupee instead of increasing them by that amount, Saini replied: "The costs of product inputs are rising by the day. A year ago our milk procurement price was Rs 380 per kg of fat, but now it’s Rs 440 per kg of fat. Hence it’s not possible to cut prices by even a rupee. Also, the input costs for dairy farmers have increased as fodder has become more expensive. Besides, the recent hike in diesel prices has jacked up transportation costs."

Reacting to price hike, Gurjot Walia, a resident of the city’s Dugri locality, said: "The increase in prices of Verka milk products will hit my daily budget and I’ll have to shell out extra money every month for buying the required quantity”.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 9
What originated as a small gathering of local residents for worshiping snakes, embodiment of Guga Peer over 150 years ago has emerged as a mega festival during the past three years.

The administration, organisers and vendors are busy in giving finishing touches to the preparations for the event commencing tomorrow.

Though originally the fair had started a small congregation of the devotees of Guga, it has now transformed into a big festival with immense political, economical and social importance.

Meanwhile, to supplement the arrangements made by the administration, various social organisations of the town and surrounding villages have come forward to organise ‘langars’, ‘chabeels’ and medical assistance camps for the welfare of devotees and volunteers during the Chappar mela.

Hind Hospital, Bharat Vikas Parishad and the CB Welfare Association will organise separate camps near the main gate of the Guga Mari and the police control room.

“We have already arranged for two ambulances and besides providing the first aid, the volunteers will shift patients to medical healthcare centres at local town and nearby cities,” said Dr Rajinder Mittal, chairman of the CW Welfare Association.

Investigations revealed that a number of valuable lives had been saved due to prompt medical assistance by the organisers of the camps during the past years. A substantial number of drugged victims, who had become unconscious after consuming drug-laced ‘prasad’ given by some swindlers, and accident victims were saved due to easy availability of medical assistance.

Ludhiana, September 9
Toll-free number 1053 launched the Ministry of Telecommunication for eye donation is yet to become popular in the city. This number was issued by the Ministry of Telecommunication to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare about two years ago so that those willing to donated their eyes or that of their relatives after death could get themselves registered through this number.

According to sources, “A few persons have used this number in the past two years. Reason: People get discouraged, as it is accessible only from a landline. This number remains out of order most of the time despite numerous complaints lodged to rectify the fault.”

Dr Ramesh, chairman, Punarjot Eye Bank Society, said, “This number should be made accessible even from the cell phone so that more and more people could use it.”

Toll free number 1919 is active in six states for eye donation. Yesterday, Dr AS Rathaur, Assistant Director General, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, who was in the city to attend a function also asked Chief Medical Officer Dr Daleep Kumar and Dr Ramesh to get the number 1053 changed to 1919.

However, Dr Daleep Kumar, CMO, Ludhiana, said he would urge the Ministry of Telecommunication to get the number changed from 1053 to 1919. “I am not aware of 1053. I will ask the concerned officer about it and tell you afterwards,” the SMO added.

Ludhiana, September 9
The anti-power theft police station of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has registered power theft cases against two persons and deployed teams to arrest the defaulters. The PSPCL’s enforcement wing has detected and slapped a penalty of Rs 8.76 lakh in eight cases of power theft.

According to police officials, Rajesh Attri, a resident of the Jassian Road in Haibowal Kalan, was caught stealing power during a raid conducted by the enforcement wing. PSPCL officials had lodged an FIR with the anti-power theft police station and imposed a penalty of Rs 3.17 lakh on the defaulting consumer. Another consumer, Bhupinder Singh of Mullanpur, was also caught in the act. A case of power theft has also been registered against him besides imposition of a penalty of Rs 1.04 lakh.

The officials of the enforcement wing said nearly 300 connections of domestic, commercial and industrial consumers were inspected in the past a few days and six theft cases were detected. A total penalty of Rs 4.55 lakh was imposed on the defaulting consumers while the anti-power theft police was also asked to register cases against them.

Besides power theft, the inspection led to detection of 30 cases of wrong meter reading, one of unauthorised load and 40 cases of other irregularities in usage of electricity. A cumulative demand of Rs 11.5 lakh had been raised against the defaulting consumers.

Machiwara, September 9
A 22-year-old newly married youth was crushed to death when a mini bus ran over him last night. Following the incident dozens of residents of Manewal village blocked the traffic and damaged the mini bus. The victim has been identified as Sher Singh who married two months ago.

Sources said Sher Singh, a farmer, was riding his motorcycle on the Rahon road and had reached near Manewal village when a mini bus of a spinning mill hit him. He died on the spot. After the villagers came to know about the incident, they reached on the spot and blocked the traffic on the road.

The angry villagers were about to set the bus on fire but the SHO of the area managed to pacify them. The driver of the bus, in order to save his life from the angry villagers, hid himself. Later, he was taken into police custody.

Sher Singh’s family members kept his body on the road for about half-an-hour and agreed to stop the agitation only after an assurance from the police officials to take a stern action against the accused. The body was handed over to the family members after postmortem today.

Ludhiana, September 9
The snatchers seem to be moving fearless in the city. In the latest incident two motorcycle borne youths snatched away with gold chain of a girl in Model Town area today.

Narrating the incident Krishan Kumar, father of the girl, said he was ferrying his daughter to the college on a scooter.When they reached near Children Traffic Park located in Model Town, two youths riding on a motorcycle came from behind and the pillion rider lashed on the neck on the girl and snatched her gold chain.

The girl started screamed and Krishan stopped the scooter to check whether his daughter was safe. In the meantime, the snatcher had fled the scene.

Ludhiana, September 9
Youth festival holds a new charm for photography enthusiasts in the city as the photography event has been included in it.

Though eight colleges from the city would participate in this event, only one participant from each college could take part in it. Five photographs have to be clicked in 2.30 hours on a given theme, while the theme will be given on the spot.

As per the university rule book, Photoshop will not be permitted. Judges will format the memory card before the event starts.

In the preliminary round, participants will submit their five developed photos. From these, the judges will choose the best photograph. In the final round, the photographer of the best picture from all eight participants will be adjudged as the winner.

“It is a very good decision of the university. Government should encourage the youth in developing such skills,” said Prof Ashwani Bhalla from SCD Government College. “This event will bring out talent of the participants. This will also let them discover their latent talents and they could also take it up as a profession,” he added.

Government College for Women, Master Tara Singh College, Mata Ganga College Manji Sahib Kotan, SCD Government College, Khalsa College for Women Guru Nanak Girls College are among the colleges that will participate in the event.

Ludhiana, September 9
In response to the decision taken by the state body of the Medical Laboratory Technicians’ Association, laboratory technicians working with the health and family welfare department will go on strike on September 12 for three days and stage a dharna outside the office of the civil surgeon to protest against indifferent attitude of the state government towards their genuine demands.

With the contractual workers of tuberculosis wing of the health and family welfare department already on an indefinite strike for the past eight days, the day today working of the department has got disrupted.

A meeting of the district unit of the association, held here today under the presidentship of Bharpur Singh, decided to join the call for the three -day strike after the government adopted a stubborn attitude.

Activists of the body said if the government failed to accept their pending demands, they would be forced to intensify their stir by sitting on an indefinite hunger strike outside the residence of Punjab Health and Family Welfare minister Sat Pal Gosain from September 25 onwards.

Khanna, September 9
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has held Capt Amarinder Singh, Paramjit Singh Sarna and a few other Congress leaders accountable for the Sehajdhari letter case in connection with the SGPC poll and demanded action against them. He termed the news about cash crunch in the SGPC as mere speculation. Badal also addressed rallies at Samrala and Payal in support of party candidates for the SGPC elections.

A showdown was averted at Samrala when a large number of Powercom employees, who had gathered to show black flags to the Chief Minister, were persuaded by the police officials to defer their programme after the Chief Minister agreed to meet them.

Ludhiana, September 9
After a youth was killed and several others were injured in the shoot-out in Kamla Loti College a few days ago, the colleges in the city are gearing for strengthening their security set up in order to avoid the repeat of such incident. Most of the authorities have installed doorframe metal detectors and CCTV cameras at the entrance to discourage armed outsiders from entering the colleges.

Jasbir Kaur Makkar, principal, SCD Government College, said to keep a tab on the entry of outsiders, 11 CCTV cameras had been installed at different places on the college premises.

“We have deployed security guards to discourage miscreants from entering the premises. Doorframe metal detectors will surely help the college authorities in tightening security,” Makkar said.

Another college principal said the row over the leadership of college unions was behind the ruckus. The college principals should take steps during these months to foil any attempt on the part of miscreants to disrupt harmony in the college.

“The college is an educational institution not a jail. The police has to play a major role in keeping a tab on anti- social elements,” he added.

“We have been told to stop people with their faces covered from plying two-wheelers inside the campus,” said Arun Joshi, a senior security guard at the PAU.

Ludhiana, September 9
Baba Jaswant Singh Dental College & Hospital organised a free dental check up and awareness camp at Karma Hospital. A team of dental surgeons comprising of Dr Ekta Singh Suneja, Dr Vikrant Sharma, Dr Preetinder Singh Mokha, dental interns and paramedical staff examined the patients.

Those who attended the camp were informed about the oral health hygiene routine, prevention methods and significance of periodoc dental check up and timely treatment.

Jagraon, September 9
A class XI student of Sanmati Government Science and Research College, Jagraon, allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance at her house last night. The 17-year-old was a resident of the Kacha Malak road, Jagraon.

As per information, the victim took the extreme step after being allegedly raped by a youth of the same college some days ago.

Sources said the victim’s classmate Rajwant Kaur had an affair with Pardeep Singh, a BSc final year student of the same college. A few days ago, when Rajwant was going to meet Pardeep at Moga, she took the victim along with her.

When they reached Moga, they found Darshan Singh, another BSc final year student of the same college, with Pardeep. After that all of them visited a farmhouse where Pardeep and Rajwant went to a room. In the meantime, Darshan Singh, who was sitting in a separate room with the victim, allegedly raped her.

When both the girls were returning from Moga, a relative of the victim saw them and informed her parents. When girl’s parents asked her if she had visited Moga, she denied and told them that she was in the college.

But when her family members enquired from the college they came to know that she was absent on that very day. It was also found that her classmate Rajwant Kaur and both the boys, Pardeep Singh and Darshan Singh, were also absent from the college on the same day. After the whole incident came to light, the college authorities suspended all four students.

It was then that the victim narrated the incident to her family. Feeling embarrassed after this incident, the victim consumed some poisonous substance and committed suicide last night.

Meanwhile, the police has registered a case against the three persons, including the girl, on the complaint of the family members of the victim. When contacted, the investigating officer said, “The police has registered a case under Sections 376, 306 and 120-B of the IPC against Pardeep Singh of Dhoorkot village, Darshan Singh of Jhandeani village and Rajwant Kaur of Jagraon and the investigation is going on.”

According to the police, the body of the victim has been sent for the postmortem at the Civil Hospital, Jagraon. None of the accused was arrested till the filing of this report.

Ludhiana, September 9
A 72-year-old man was allegedly shot at by his nephew over a land dispute at Sunet village near BRS Nagar here last night. The victim identified as Sohan Singh was rushed to CMC hospital for treatment after the shot fired from the close rang broke the thighbone of the victim.

Baldev Singh, a resident of Sunet village, said Sukhdev Singh, brother of victim Sohan Singh, was at loggerheads over an acre worth Rs 5 crore.

Sonhan Singh, a bachelor, was thrashed by Jatinder nearly 10 days ago when the former came to see the disputed land.

“We had even reported the matter to the police and filed a written complaint against the culprits,” said Baldev Singh.

Last night Sukhdev Singh entered the one-room accommodation of Sohan Singh and entered into a heated argument with the latter.

Sukhdev Singh told the victim to transfer the entire property in Jatinder Singh’s name. When Sohan Singh refused Jatinder Singh entered the room and shot at the victim’s leg.

Jatinder managed to escape from the spot. “Sohan Singh was lying in a pool of blood. His leg was broken and he was screaming in pain.

We rushed him to a hospital where he was operated upon,” said Baldev Singh.

The police said a country-made weapon was used for committing the crime. The Sarabha Nagar SHO said a case had been registered and manhunt launched to nab the accused.

Ludhiana, September 9
“Shane Warne has been my idol since I was a child”. Children playing gully cricket will echo similar sentiment, but this city lad’s action speaks louder than words.

He has not only excelled in bowling but in batting also. BY taking 25 wickets in three matches in an inter-district cricket tournament, he has proved that he can weave magic with the red cherry.

Sandeep Singh (17) first played the cricket a decade ago. Rolling his fingers for the leg-spin was the outcome of his natural instinct. This leggie’s favourite delivery is googly, as he loves to beat the batsmen. He can also wield his bat in the field in the need of the hour.

He has been a consistent performer gobbling 12 wickets and scoring 250 runs in last year’s tournament as well. He has also played and done well in under-22 inter-district championships.

His outstanding performance is the result of 6 to 7 hours of training everyday. “I train at Arya College for a few hours in the morning and then from 3pm to 7pm.” After reaching home in Shimlapuri it is time for hitting the ball in the nearby nets under the lights.

The coach is also proud of him. “He is a promising young bowler. With his variety, line and length, he is one of the finest leg spinners in his age group in the country,” says Charanjit Bhangu, chief coach, Ludhiana District Cricket Association. “He is hardworking and sincere. He impressed the selectors in Ranji camp held recently.”

His father Avtar Singh loves the game and wants to see his son do well in it. Youngest of his three sons, Sandeep is the first one in the family to take up cricket and has his eyes set on the wicket and donning the blue.