|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Shahrukh comes calling, fans go berserk
Ludhiana, October 19 Some of them tried to get on top of the railing around the mall floors, making it difficult for security personnel to control them. Mall officials and persons anchoring the event asked the fans several times to leave the escalators, but they did not bother. The “name plate” of a senior police officer helped school girls Stubi and Tanvi to enter the area reserved for pass-holders. They told the security that they were nieces of the officer. A few fans presented themselves as journalists to enter the restricted area. Traffic jam
Residents of the city had to face traffic chaos on the Ferozpur Road. Traffic inspector Jatinder Singh said traffic near the U-turn around the mall, where the star was to make an appearance, was disrupted when Shahrukh returned. “Six traffic personnel were deployed on that particular point for the convenience of the public. The road was cleared after over an hour,” a police official
stated.
|
|
A date with a superstar
Ludhiana, October 19 For young men, the actor's visit was an inspiration to revel in their masculinity. The women were happy discussing their sentimental mush, packed with a no-holds-barred talk on six-pack abs. "Shahrukh may not be a great looker, but he has a sex appeal that's hard to miss," said 18-year-old Supreet Kaur. Her friends offered even more graphic details on the looks of their favourite hero. Many fans were seen cheering loudly and clicking away furiously on their cameras and cellphones as Shahrukh performed some dance numbers on the stage. For most of the fans, a photo-op with the actor was foremost on the agenda. "I only hope that somehow I manage to get my picture clicked with him. I want to post it on Facebook. I'm sure it would become the talking point among my friends," said Jass, a diehard fan of the actor. Cops had star in their eyes!
For the security personnel on duty, the actor's visit was a break from their mundane schedule. "It's a starry affair for us today," quipped a cop. Rajesh Kumar, a constable, said he was excited. "It's different today. You don't get to be on this kind of duty every day. When I discussed this with my family, my son sounded even more excited than me. After all, it's Shahrukh Khan's visit." Another cop Kabul Singh thanked his stars for being assigned the duty inside the mall. "Otherwise, I would have had to brave the sun and would have also missed out the star's visit." |
|
Romance passe, science fiction hit with youngsters
Ludhiana, October 19 On the website of the film, there's a video in which Shahrukh talks about G.One's H.A.R.T. He says you can wear your heart on your shirt. The H.A.R.T. toy is cool, as Shahrukh puts it," said 15-year-old Sahib Singh, who is big on social games in cyberspace. The genre of the film - science fiction - with its mix of magic and thrill was yet another fascination for the youngsters. "Romances are a passé. So are action films. I would, any day, watch a film on science fiction. But it has to be gripping enough to sustain my interest. And if there's some dose of realism, it would be fine," said 20-year-old Manav Shukla. Among the pre-teens, Shahrukh's visit was just the right occasion to express their admiration for the hero, who could, with equal ease, flex his muscles like a superman and shed tears like a weakling. As school students Bakshish and Navpreet, who were waiting patiently for the actor to arrive, said Shahrukh, with all his starry qualities, was their favourite hero. Shahrukh Khan's RA.One has a Ludhiana connect. His character in the film rides 'Hero Buzz' cycle. "We have a tie-up related to the integration of the product (cycle) with the film. In the film, a father teaches his son to ride a cycle," said Ashok
Bawa, senior GM (publicity), Hero Cycles. The actor visited Hero Cycles factory today. For the factory workers, it was an exciting moment packed with glamour and fun.
|
|
|
Only 219 traffic cops for entire city!
Ludhiana, October 19 As per the traffic department’s directions during Diwali days, more cops have been deputed at places where there are chances of traffic jams during peak hours. The areas that have been identified as traffic-prone include Jagraon Bridge, Vishkarma Chowk, Mint Gumri Chowk, Ghumar Mandi, Ishmeet Chowk, Dugri Bridge near Jawaddi and Kailash Chowk. Sajjan Singh Cheema, ADCP (Traffic), said though there was a problem of shortage of staff, the department was trying to streamline the traffic flow. More men had been deputed at traffic bottlenecks. “We are focussing on the regulation of traffic more than the issuance of challans. But in the last one month, the two recovery vans of the department have towed away about 24 vehicles that were wrongly parked at various places,” he said. Traffic in charge Jatinder Singh said at all bottlenecks, about four to 10 traffic cops had been deputed. “Still, people park their vehicles in a haphazard manner at market places. PCRs, Taveras and NGO volunteers have been involved to curb traffic congestion at bottlenecks,” he said. Limited posts
Since 1985, when the population of the city was about 10 lakh, no posts have been sanctioned by the respective governments. In 1985, the sanctioned posts of traffic cop in the city was 250 and today, after more than 20 years, the number of sanctioned posts still remains 250. As if this is not enough, the city only has 219 cops against the sanctioned 250 posts. |
|
Godown owners in a pickle
Ludhiana, October 19 Foul smell was emanating from the godowns. Dr Kulwinder Singh, District Health Officer, and Manoj Khosla, Food Safety Officer, said: “We were in search of adulterated ‘khoya’ but when we reached Dera Uddu, we detected many
big containers containing mixed pickle ridden with fungus. We seized the pickle and also took samples.” Similarly, 25 quintals of pickle were seized by the department from another godown belonging to Vickey near Dera Bajigar. “Here too the pickle was in a bad shape and full of fungus. We seized it and took samples for analysis,” he said. The health team conducted the raid on the directions of the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Daleep Kumar. The team also took two samples of “rasgullas” from Grewal Sweets and Lucky Sweets. More oil added to camouflage fungus
The pickle was being sold for Rs 15 per kg. Since the pickle was infested with fungus, the manufacturers used to sell it by adding more salt and oil in
it. — Manoj Khosla, Food Safety Officer |
|
City-New Delhi Shatabdi on track
The new Shatabdi train, first with Ludhiana as originating and terminating point, was announced by the then Union Railway Minister Mamta Banerji in February. But making the train operational was not easy as the Ludhiana railway station does not have a base kitchen and train washing facilities required at the originating and terminating points. There were rumours that the train might be given over to Jalandhar if not altogether scrapped. Setting speculation to rest, Northern Railway Senior Divisional Commercial Manager MM Singh, who was in the city to oversee the arrangements for the commencement of the train, said the new Shatabdi would commence its commercial run from November 4 as per the schedule given out in the time table which came into force from July 2011. “All arrangements for the Shatabdi are in place, but the final go-ahead has to be given by the Northern Railway headquarters in New Delhi,” he said. Singh, who was accompanied by several railway officials from commercial (catering) and operational wings, said the options for catering arrangements were being explored. The railways will make arrangements to serve high tea and dinner at the departmental level to passengers while procurement of some food items from private caterers was also being considered. “As far as maintenance and washing of the train is concerned, it will be carried out at the New Delhi railway station while the coaches will be cleaned at Ludhiana to prepare the train for its return journey,” he said. |
Investigate illegal felling, MC urged
Ludhiana, October 19 SS Chana, president of the federation, said Ludhiana was the most polluted city in the country and at the same time, trees were being felled. “Trees are being cut without taking permission from any government agency. Instead of planting saplings, some people, in connivance with MC officials, have uprooted 40 trees from a park,” said Chana, a retired Indian Forest Service officer. The federation said the eucalyptus trees were about 30 years old, with an average girth of 10 ft. The trees, including sheesham, were worth several lakhs. “There is no clue who felled the trees. Even the stumps have been dug out with the help of a JCB machine, which has ripped out walkways and damaged the boundary wall of the park,” claimed Chana. The park management committee (PMC), MC landscaping officer and Zonal Commissioner are giving different versions about the incident. “According to the PMC president, the trees were felled by MC officials and he got the stumps removed. The landscaping officer has refuted this claim, while the Zonal Commissioner, who is in charge of the horticulture wing, says there were no trees in the park. In that case, why has the MC been paying maintenance grant to the PMC?” asked Chana. The complaint submitted to the MC Commissioner reads: “It is important to know who ordered the cutting of trees and for what reasons. If the trees were felled by the MC, as alleged by the PMC, the timber removed must have been accounted for in the stock registers, including the mode of its disposal and the revenue accrued to the MC. If not, it is the responsibility of the MC to find out who has cut the trees surreptitiously.” I have marked an inquiry into the matter. If any person is found guilty, we will take strict action against
him. — AK Sinha, MC Commissioner
|
|
Mayor, MC officials ‘woo’ safai karamcharis
Ludhiana, October 19 In the meeting to be held with the CM, the leaders will raise some pending demands. The state government’s decision to outsource work pertaining to solid waste management to private
companies will also be debated. Safai karamcharis had gone on a strike from October 4 to 9 following the government’s move. Even in Ludhiana, A2Z Waste Management Ludhiana Ltd, the private company having contract of solid waste management for the city, has been facing tough resistance from private garbage collectors ever since they started operating on August 15. The private garbage collectors lamented that the company officials were offering them jobs by paying
peanuts. The company is now collecting garbage under police protection from only a few parts of the city. As the Assembly elections are nearing, the state government does not want to take any chance with the Valmiki community, members of which are associated with the garbage collection.Valmikis have a big vote bank and which is why the government machinery is making all efforts to persuade them before their meeting with CM. MC Commissioner AK Sinha said leaders of different associations from the Valmiki community were called for a meeting in his office today. “The officials from A2Z Waste Management Ludhiana Ltd were also present there and we briefed them about the benefits of solid waste management for the city as a whole. We even tried to persuade them that new jobs will be created with a private company taking contract. We hope that their meeting with the CM would be a success,” claimed Sinha. Assembly poll In a meeting to be held with the CM, leaders of the Punjab Safai Karamchari Sangharsh Morcha will raise some pending demands and will also debate the state government’s decision of outsourcing work pertaining to solid waste management to private companies.
|
|
Notice to Punjab Mandi Board
Jagraon, October 19 Universal Human Rights Organisation general secretary and RTI activist Iqbal Singh Rasoolpur gave this information during a press meet here today. Rasoolpur had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court following which the Punjab Mandi Board appeared before the court and gave a written undertaking to complete the construction of the said link road till October 9, 2011. But as the state government failed to construct the Jagraon-Mallha link road on time despite orders of the court, Rasoolpur had sought information regarding the present status of the construction work on the Jagraon-Mallha link road from the Punjab Mandi Board. But the board had failed to provide the information sought by Rasoolpur following which he approached the State Information Commission.
Rasoolpur, who was accompanied by some prominent residents of as many as 12 villages connected with the Jagraon-Mallha link road, had also sent a legal notice to Punjab Mandi Board secretary for his failure to complete the work on time. Through the notice to the Punjab Mandi Board secretary, Rasoolpur had asked him why a contempt of court case shall not be filed against the board and the state government for the board’s failure to complete the construction of the link road. But the board has still not replied to the notice sent by him. Now, he is also considering to file the contempt of court case against the Punjab Mandi Board and state government. The 13 kilometres long Jagraon-Mallha link road, which connects more than 30,000 people of about 12 villages with
Jagraon, has been in a bad shape for long. The link road was last repaired more than eight years ago. The link road had completed its expiry term in 2008, but the state government had paid no attention towards this in spite of repeated requests by the residents of these villages. The Punjab Mandi Board, following the notice sent by the High Court while hearing the petition filed by Iqbal Singh Rasoolpur some months ago, had given a written undertaking in the High Court stating that the construction of Jagraon-Mallha link road would be completed by October 9, 2011.
|
|
shagun scheme
Jagraon, October 19 This is despite the fact that even the Punjab and Haryana High Court following a petition filed by the Universal Human Rights Organisation had ordered the Public Welfare Department of the state government in March, 2011, to provide the money to all beneficiaries within three months. Though more than six months have passed after the order of the High Court, yet the state government has failed to provide the money. This way, the state government has not only cheated the people but also shown disrespect to the orders of Punjab
and Haryana High Court. Divulging details, Universal Human Rights Organisation general secretary Iqbal Singh Rasoolpur said, “These girls had got married between 2001 and
2003, but still they are waiting for the Shagun grant.” Rasoolpur said the Universal Human Rights Organisation had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in February, 2011, urging that the money be paid to around 400 beneficiaries following which the High Court had instructed the Public Welfare Department of the state government in March, 2011, to provide the amount to the beneficiaries within three months. The total amount of the Shagun money to be paid by the state government to these beneficiaries stands at Rs 20 lakh. Rasoolpur added that as the government had failed to abide by the orders of the High Court, the organisation will soon file a contempt of court case against the Public Welfare
Department of the state government.
|
|
|
A home away from home
Ludhiana, October 19 They are here under a cultural exchange programme through Youth for Understanding (YFU). About 20 to 25 students aged between 15 and 17 come from different countries under the programme for 10 months from July till May. They come and live with families that are ready to be their hosts. They take admission in Class IX in a school that is chosen by the organisation. Eline and Judita are in BCM Arya Model School, Shastri Nagar, while Aura is studying in Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar. About the experience of being here, Judita from Lithuania says she is here because destiny blessed her. She says earlier she had chosen the United States, but luckily she changed her mind. Eline loves Indian festivals, the colourful clothes and variation. For Judita, Indian weddings are like festivals. “It is a unique and special experience, she says. Living with Khullar family as her host family in BRS Nagar, she has enjoyed and seen many Indian traditions. Comparing the life in Europe, they find people very religious here. Aura has seen the mundan ceremony, Karva Chauth and even a funeral. “Here people are very religious, but back home, people are not that religious. My parents don't believe in God, though my grandparents used to,” she says. They have enjoyed the city food. “In the beginning, I didn't like the spicy food. But now I don't know how I am going to live without it,” says Judita. Eline had never taken tea before coming to India, but admits to have become addicted to it. She also enjoys having daal and aloo parantha. Aura likes parathas and chapattis, but she still cannot eat spicy food. They say they never wore uniforms in school. Judita says they used to have breaks after every class, but here there's only one break. “We could go out in the breaks, visit malls and come back for classes,” she says. Eline loved clubs and sports facilities in her school in Norway, but there is pressure of studies, getting good marks and tuitions here. “We have to complete about 32 hours in a week and there are so many options to choose from. From about 100 options, we have to choose about 20 subjects in high school and the time-table is designed for us accordingly,” says Aura. “We used to go to different classrooms for different subjects. Sitting in the same classroom for four hours is boring,” she says. They have made many good friends in school. Judita finds boys shy and Eline says although she is friends with them, some of the students she met were not trustworthy. Children there are more independent, says Eline. “But overall people are loving and caring,” she says. Aura is continuing with the studies online after the school is over. Judita is going to sing a Hindi song at an upcoming function in the school “Suni jo unke aane ki aahat, gareeb khana sajaya humne,” as all three of them have learnt Punjabi and Hindi thoda, thoda, says Eline. When asked if she is the host mother of Aura? Neeru Khullar replied, “I am her mother”. Aura has been part of the family right from the day she came, she shares. “Duration of the exchange is long, so that the children can build an emotional connect with the family they stay with,” says Adarsh Brar, student counsellor, Youth for Understanding. While the boarding expenses of the visiting students are borne by the host families, the education expenses are usually paid by themselves. Before they leave, the natural family also stays with the host family for some time. So the bond is of a real relationship and real family, and not like guests, says Adarsh. They usually don’t sit for the examination as the aim of the programme is cultural exchange.
|
|
|
PAU NOTES
The workshop was supported and facilitated by AusAID through the University of Melbourne, Australia. Dr Richard G Benyon, principal research scientist, Forestry Hydrology, University of Melbourne, Australia, Dr Nico Marcar, principal research scientist (retd), Dr Tivi Thivianathan, scientist, water resource assessment section, Climate and Water Division, Bureau of Meteorology, Canberra, and participants from various departments of Punjab and NGOs attended the training programme. Chief guest Dr SS Gosal, director of research, PAU, expressed his concern over the depleting underground water table, increasing water-logging and wastage of water. Saying water is one of the critical inputs for the sustenance of mankind, he said although it was abundant in nature, yet only 1 per cent of the water was available as fresh water for human consumption and other activities. Dr Gosal said the increasing demand for wood could not be met only from natural forests. Greenbelts around cities could be
created and water could be used to irrigate them, he said. PAU adopts village
The department of Soil Science of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has adopted Lalton Khurd village of Ludhiana district to develop as a ‘model village’ for site-specific need-based management of fertiliser nitrogen using leaf colour chart (LCC) in crops. A function was held today to launch the "LCC Awareness Campaign" which saw the participation of farming families of the village. Dr Upkar Singh Sadana, head, soil science, urged farmers to follow LCC-based recommendations for appropriate use of urea in crops. Dr Sadana said a team of PAU scientists would work for one year in the village to educate all farmers regarding site-specific need-based management of nitrogen fertilisers in the crops. Dr Varinderpal Singh, coordinator of the campaign, said farmers had developed a tendency of applying fertilisers in excess. In quest for achieving high yield levels and to avoid risk of nitrogen deficiency, farmers derive satisfaction from dark green colour of the crop plants achieved by excessive use of urea, the major nitrogen fertiliser. Dr Singh said excessive dose of urea increased insect-pest attack and thus led to consumption of high doses of insecticides and pesticides, thereby, resulting in an increased cost of production, environmental pollution and deterioration of the quality of produce.
|
|
at the crossroads
Ludhiana, October 19 Unemployment is a curse that ultimately leads to frustration and results in many social evils. Youngsters with degrees in their pockets roam about dejectedly in search of jobs. For months together, or even for some years, they remain unemployed or under-employed. But the jobs they are capable of elude them mockingly. I am reminded of my own days of unemployment after my graduation from Hindu College, Amritsar, in 1950. I wanted to do postgraduation in English, but Khalsa College, Amritsar, had discontinued MA in the subject and had got affiliation from the university for MA (Punjabi). I had no inclination towards that subject as I had no knowledge of even its alphabets, being a student of Urdu and Persian. So I went to Delhi to get admission in University Camp College for doing MA in English. The plan was to get some job in the daytime to support myself as the classes were held in the evening. For the purpose, I went from pillar to post for three weeks in search of a job, while I had been admitted in the college in September, 1951. My decision to go to Delhi was not sudden, rather I had spent one year in seeking a job in Shimla, the capital of Punjab at that time. In March, 1951, I appeared for test and interview in the Punjab Civil Secretariat for the post of translator in its press branch. I was fully qualified for that post as I had first class graduate degree, besides the required knowledge of Urdu. In the press branch, the vacancy was for translating into English the important news in Urdu papers. Not less than 50 candidates appeared in that test, while the interview was taken the same day. But in the end, after a month long wait, no one was selected. That was my first visit to Shimla. In July, the same year I again went to Shimla for taking test in Punjab High Court for the post of translator. It was again for translating the Urdu verdicts of the lower courts into English for the High Court Judges. After about a month, those who had fared well in the test were called for interview. I went again to Shimla for the interview and was told after that to wait for some time for the result. Back in Amritsar, I spent many days, full of anxiety, for the expected appointment letter. Expected, because a person known to me in the High Court had informed me earlier that I was eighth in the list of 12 successful candidates. That expected appointment letter never reached me as someone else had been adjusted against my position in the list on humanitarian grounds. These three visits to Shimla took away the wind in my sails and I thought it fit to pursue higher studies in Delhi. But in Delhi, I could not get a job for three weeks, that is from 10 September, 1951, to 30 September, 1951. My routine in those days was to leave my friend’s government quarter in Bara Hindu Rao at about 9 in the morning and knock at the doors of private and government offices for some sort of a job. Mostly, I went to these offices after perusing vacancy columns in the dailies. Till about 2 pm, I felt exhausted, mostly due to non-availability of a job. So I went to Narula Cafeteria in the Connaught Place for my frugal lunch. Thereafter, I went to the Nehru Park nearby for my siesta on a bench there. Before having my nap or after that I invariably leafed through two books which were always in the basket of my cycle. Those books were Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw and Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Angels. As luck would have it, I received an interview letter for a post in the office of the Accountant General, Punjab, for which I had applied before going to Delhi. So I again went to Shimla and was selected for the post of an auditor on October 2, 1951. The rest is history in my case. But those three weeks of unemployment, away from home, still rancour in my mind. Hence my sympathy is for the unemployed as well as contractual teachers who had been recently caned mercilessly in the city.
Contributed by NS Tasneem
|
youth
festival
Ludhiana, October 19 Results: Clay modelling: Manpreet (COA) 1, Suman Kumari (COBS&H) 2 and Aatma Singh (COHS) 3; poem recitation: Kusum Dua (COBS&H) 1, Ramandeep Singh (COAE&T) 2 and Preetinder Kaur (COHS) 3; haas rass: Mahesh Kumar (COBS&H) 1, Bikramjit Singh (COA) 2 and Gursharan Singh (COA) 3; photography: Anmol Toor (COHS) 1, Amandeep Sharma (COBS&H) 2 and Rohit Kapila (COAE&T) 3; on-the-spot painting: Aanchal Gupta (COHS) 1, Divya Rani (COBS&H) 2 and Navita (COA) 3; elocution: Gurleen Kaur (COAE&T) 1, Subhash SP (COBS&H) 2 and Ankita Sharma (COHS) 3. — TNS
|
|
Mall in row over copy right violation
Ludhiana, October 19 Hardeep Singh (executive licence) from the PPL filed a complaint with the Station House Officer (SHO) of Sarabha Nagar. “By not taking permission from the PPL, the mall authorities have tried to save around Rs 1 lakh in the three-hour event,” he said. He complained that the mall authorities did not take an NoC from the PPL to play music in the event. “We have filed a complaint against the mall authorities. Now, the police has to take action as per law,” he said. Gurdev Singh, SHO of Sarabha Nagar, said: “Hardeep Singh from the PPL has given an application that the mall violated the Copy Right Act. We will conduct an inquiry into the matter. If the mall authorities do not produce evidence, we will take action.” Gagan, assistant manager of the mall, said: “It was a big event and all responsibility of taking permission was with the organising company, Flash Media, which is based in Mumbai. So, we are not responsible. They might be having the required documents.” But Hardeep Singh said: “As per Section 2 SF of the Copy Right Act, the venue is responsible for communication to public or public event.”
|
|
Ailing boy needs help
Ludhiana, October 19 Kind-hearted philanthropists and well wishers can help this poor and deserving patient by sending in their contribution to the Medical Superintendent, CMCH, by a crossed cheque in favour of “CMC Ludhiana Society” with Aniket’s name mentioned at the rear of the cheque. Youths snatch
Rs 70,000
PHILLAUR: Five motorcycle-borne youths snatched Rs 70,000 from Hans Raj, a resident of Nagar village. Hans Raj and his son were on their way home when the incident occurred. The youths attacked them with sharp-edged weapons and fled with the money. Passersby rushed them to the Civil Hospital.
|
|
Global Handwashing Day observed
Sahnewal, October 19 Dr MA Zahir stated that Zyan Education Trust was organising a training programme for BPL families. “This year, they will train 300 persons,” he said. Kamalpreet highlighted the importance of handwashing day. Students recited poems and prizes were distributed among them.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Ludhiana, October 19