Ludhiana, March 11
With the Punjab Government formulating master plans for various towns and cities in the state, including the mega city, through various amendments in the Punjab Regional Town Planning and Development Act 1995, the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA), various local area development authorities (GLADA in case of Ludhiana) were notified as the competent authorities for the implementation and enforcement of master plans outside the municipal limits, whereas the responsibility was vested in the civic bodies within the city limits.

However, if the proliferating growth of unauthorised colonies in the city, or elsewhere in the state (where master plans have been notified) for that matter is any indication, Section 80 of the Act is being violated with impunity by unscrupulous developers, while the regulatory bodies have become mute spectators.

Section 80 of the Act clearly lays down that after coming into operation of any Master Plan in any area, and subject to the other provisions of this Act, no development in respect of, or change of use of, any land shall be undertaken or carried out, in that area - (a) without obtaining the permission in writing as provided for hereafter ; and (b) without obtaining a certificate from the Competent Authority certifying that the development charge or betterment charge as leviable under this Act have been paid.

Not only the inaction on part of the competent authorities (GLADA and MC in this case) has failed to effectively check the ever-increasing number of unauthorised colonies, the revenue officials and even the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) have also become party to the unauthorised development of colonies all over.

According to senior government officials, the Punjab Government, Department of Revenue and Resettlement (Stamp and Registry branch) had issued instructions to all deputy commissioners, sub-registrars and tehsildars way back in August 2009 not to indiscriminately register sale deeds of any piece of land with an area of less than 1000 square yards. The memo explicitly said the sale deed of such piece of land shown as agricultural land would be registered only after the prior approval from the Registrar (deputy commissioner), who in turn would ensure that the land does not fall in any unauthorised colony or is intended to be used for commercial purpose.

But unfortunately, these instructions are not being carried out at all by the revenue officials, with the result that sale deeds of plots in unauthorised colonies are being registered without any hindrance at the collector rate.

Similarly, the PSPCL is also issuing electric connections in illegal colonies based on the orders of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission, or at times under pressure from the populist decision of the state government.

Sources in the government departments concerned claimed that the menace of development of unauthorised colonies could be effectively checked if the competent authorities (read GLADA and MC) tone up the regulatory mechanism, the revenue officials scrupulously carried out the government instructions with regard to the registration of sale deeds and the PSPCL took a stand against issuing electricity connections in unauthorised colonies, or buildings constructed in violation of the notified master plans.

Ludhiana, March 11
The Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) is all set for the class XII examination starting on March 12.

PSEB officials have taken some initiatives to make the exams effective and "copying free". By taking these initiatives, the board has set up a control room at the head office to get fast feedback from the students and teachers.

According to the board officials, if the students and teachers have any problem with the examination arrangements or any exam, they can complain directly to the head office. It would be more convenient for the students, as they can lodge a complaint at the control room if the paper comes out of syllabus, the officials said.

Moreover, the students would be videographed by the PSEB to curb the copying menace.

The number of fake students, sitting in the examination on another's identity in the board exam, would also be curbed through the process of videography.

Dalbir Singh Dhillon, chairman, PSEB said, "We are doing our best for the good management in the examination. Through the control room at the head office, the students can give their feedback by calling on control number. We are committed to curb the practice of copying. We are going to install the CCTV cameras at sensitive centres. Otherwise, we have hired video-graphers to get the visuals of all students who appeared in examination."

The board has established 3,550 examination centres across the state in which 2,000 centres are for class X, whereas 1,550 centres are for class XII.

More than 18,000 teachers would be deployed for the examination duty. The number of examination centres in Ludhiana district is 389.

Ludhiana, March 11
Despite instructions of the health department that “golgappas” should be served by wearing gloves, a majority of “golgappa” vendors are busy serving these the unhygienic way. And officials of the health department are yet to swing into action against the violators.

About nine months ago i.e. on June 30, a hygienic campaign was initiated by the health department, making it mandatory for all “golgappa” vendors to wear gloves while serving these. However, it was observed that a majority of “golgappa” vendors in Bhadaur House, Dandi Swami, Civil Lines, Ghumar Mandi, Model Town, Sarabha Nagar, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Model Gram, Lajpat Nagar and Agar Nagar etc continue to serve "chat" and "golgappas" without wearing gloves. It has been observed that many vendors still use steel plates and wash these in very dirty water kept in a bucket and very few use disposable glasses or plates.

Rajesh Kumar, one of the vendors, said,"The disposable bowls cost more to me. What will I earn? So I keep a bucket of water with me to wash off the used plates. As there is no tap nearby, so I use the same water for washing."

It needs to be mentioned here that a few years ago more than 100 people suffered from vomitting and diarrhoea after eating golgappas. Ironically, people still enjoy “golgappas” served through the unhygienic way.

Dr Kulwinder Singh, District Health Officer, Ludhiana, said,"We will soon start checking these vendors and instruct them accordingly."

Manoj Khosla, Food Safety Officer of the health department, said,"We will issue these vendors instructions notice to ensure the hygienic way of serving ‘golgappas’."

Ludhiana, March 11
Have you read latest Punjabi comics? The question might sound whimsical to many as not many have heard about comics in Punjabi.

Some comics that have been translated into Punjabi from English or Hindi have been able to sustain only due to a small market, many contend.

According to Gurbhajan Singh Gill, president, Punjabi Sahit Akademi, the market for these has not been able to take off as most of the translations did not have the spirit of Punjab and were not created for the children here.

According to him, another reason for lesser development of the genre in Punjab is that comics are purely an urban concept. In the cities, because of the indiffernt attitude of people towards Punjab, these could not flourish and develop.

If there can be Malayalam comics published in lakhs, why can't these be published in Punjabi? It is the attitude that has to change, he says.

If the language is to thrive in future, there is a need for children to connect with their mother tongue, says Karamjit Grewal, who has won awards for children’s literature. "These would connect with children not only emotionally, but also linguistically," he said. "I remember growing up reading Archies and Chacha Chowdhary and these are still close to my heart. I feel that good comics in Punjabi would also create a bond if these are brought out well. These can go a long way in creating that love, not only for the comics but also for the language," said Gurpreet Singh, a resident.

Ludhiana, March 11
Harpreet Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib was adjudged as Mr Punjab in the 39th edition of the Senior Mr Punjab Bodybuilding Competition. The competition was organised by the Punjab Amateur Bodybuilding Association (PABBA) at Milan Palace in Dhuri, Sangrur district, here today. Harpreet was awarded a motorcycle for his achievement.

As many as 163 participants drawn from all over the state shrugged their shoulders in the one-day event in which Harpreet overcame stiff resistance from his immediate competitors to emerge as Mr Punjab-2012.

The judges' panel consisted of Dr Deepak Prashar, GL Sharma, Vijay Kumar, Brijesh, Kaushal, Mohd Akhtar, Arvinder Singh, Tarsem Kumar and Munish who watched the bodybuilders' overall muscle development and announced the final results.

Results: Below 55 kg-1.Harbans Singh of Barnala 2. Ranjit Singh of Sangrur 3. Jagdeep Singh of Tarn Taran

55-60 kg: 1. Bhupinder Singh of Tarn Taran 2. Achin of Ludhiana 3. Jaswinder Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib

60-65 kg: 1. Manpreet Singh of Gurdaspur 2. Karanjit Singh of Amritsar 3. Jatinder Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib

65-70 kg: 1. Ashok Kumar of Kapurthala 2. Rakesh Kumar of Amritsar 3. Narinder Sharma Of Jalandhar

70-75 kg: 1. Parvesh of PAP, Jalandhar 2. Jugal Kishore of Jalandhar 3. Amarjit Singh of Ludhiana

75-80 Kg: 1. Vishal Kumar of Jalandhar 2. Narinder Kumar of Jalandhar 3. Anmoldeep Singh of Amritsar

80-85 kg: 1. Harpreet Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib 2. Sudesh Pawar of Jalandhar 3. Jagdip Singh of Ludhiana

85-90 kg: 1. Jagdish Kumar of PAP, Jalandhar 2. Raj Sandhu of Patiala 3. Kapil Handa of Fatehgarh Sahib

90-100 Kg: 1. Sukhwinder Pal Singh of Hoshiarpur 2. Parminder of Ludhiana 3. Jaspreet Singh of Bathinda

Above 100 kg: 1. Narinder Singh of PAP, Jalandahr 2. Charan Mohan of PAP, Jalandhar 3. Omkar Singh of PAP, Jalandhar

Dr Randhir Hastir, president of the Punjab Amateur Bodybuilding Association, distributed the prizes. Ravi Prashar, general secretary of the PABBA along with others office-bearers of the association was present at the prize distribution function.

Ludhiana, March 11
It may perhaps come as a surprise to many city residents, but women commit more traffic offences compared to men.

The recently launched tow-away drive by the city traffic police has found that compared to men, more women were found to park their vehicles erratically and violate the yellow line.

Kulwant Kaur, a traffic in charge, said, "While men had started following the parking rule, it is taking much too long for women to understand that they have to park the vehicles behind the yellow line."

Tears also come handy for many women traffic violators, as when they are caught for parking their vehicle in the middle of the road, they start crying and are often let off by the traffic police.

A traffic cop said women, in order to evade challan, often speed away their vehicle. Listening to mobile phone while driving is turning out the second common offence among women.

"It just so happened, I indicated the woman, who was talking on mobile phone, to pullover the vehicle. Instead of stopping the vehicle, the woman tried to speed away. I got hold of the car and was taken along with it. The woman on seeing me hanging with the car started screaming. Ultimately, I alighted from the vehicle and let her go," said the traffic cop.

According to the traffic police officer, women commit more traffic violations when they are going to take their children from school.

"As women love multi-tasking before visiting school to take their children, many prefer to do hurried shopping. In order to finish their work in a hurry, they park their vehicles in the middle of the road and their vehicles are towed away," said Joginder Singh, Traffic Munshi, who compiles the record.

The challan timing also substantiates the claim of the police. Nearly 70 per cent of the women have been challaned for wrong parking of vehicles during the afternoon, whereas only 30 per cent of men have been challaned for wrong parking during the afternoon.

Ludhiana, February 11
Saras Mela has helped in bringing together cultures and artifacts from various parts of the country under one roof. The fest is currently underway at the Government College for Women. The event has rekindled interest in fast disappearing acts like puppet shows and ‘bioscope’. Children were seen enjoying puppet show and peeping into ‘bioscope’ from Rajasthan at the fair. ‘Kachighori’ also grabbed the attention of many visitors.

Visitors enjoy a puppet show; and A sculptor with religious idols at the fair. Tribune photos: Himanshu Mahajan

Art pieces and artifacts from various part of the country appear to be very popular with the visitors. Traditional wooden and leather decorative artwork created by the rural women of Madhya Pradesh, jute bags from Anand in Gujarat, drew attention. Show pieces created from seashells and stones at the stall 
from Odisha also attracted visitors.

Decorative items and furniture are receiving huge appreciation. "I bought a nice wooden recliner. Despite being created purely from wood, it doesn’t require any padding. It is created in such a way that it is very comfortable," said Deepak, a resident. A girl who bought wooden bangles said that these are traditional in looks and contemporary in usage. Ravi came back today to buy his favourite wooden clock that is shaped in the form of a watch. "It looks elegant and classy. I just strolled by it yesterday, but couldn't deny myself buying this excellent piece," he said.

Stone terracotta artifacts from Haryana are not only decorative but also utilitarian. The wooden and wrought iron furniture from Saharanpur was also being appreciated by the residents. "I bought some very interesting and colourful lamps, something I had never seen," said Neelam, a resident of Civil Lines.

Ruby Aneja, who bought a purse decorated with beads and a terracotta vase, said that it was great to see so much variety and talent from different parts of the country. The prices are also very reasonable, she added.

Doraha, March 11
A resident of Ghudani Kalan village delivered a baby girl in 108 Ambulance while she was being taken to hospital last night. Both, the mother and the child, are reported to be safe.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Sukhjinder Singh said, “We got a call at 9:00 pm last night that there was a delivery case at Ghudani Kalan village which needed immediate attention. We left for the village and reached there within fifteen minutes. On our way back to the Civil Hospital Payal, the pregnant lady, Mausam, developed an intense pain and the delivery had to be done. Mausam delivered a baby girl in the ambulance. Acting decisively, we made all the provisions for a safe delivery and handled the baby with utmost care.” Raj Kumar, another EMT, said, “Those particular moments were very crucial both for the mother and the baby as even a slight mistake could have cost dear.”

Pilot Balraj Singh said that as the condition of the lady worsened, he tried his level best to reach the hospital, but, he said, “The baby was not to wait anymore and I could not believe my ears when the shrill voice of the baby girl reached me.”

Jagdeep Singh, cluster head of "Ambulance 108" of Ludhiana-1 said, “In such a situation we are caught up in a real fix. Information about delivery cases come in quite late, when the condition of the mother is quite bad. There is generally very little time for transportation. The crew members should be informed beforehand so that lives are not at risk.”

Jagraon, March 11
The Community Police Officers (CPO) scheme, initiated in whole of the state by Punjab Police, in association of the general public has been proving little effective in Jagraon. It was clear from the fact that there was no end to the incidents of the theft in the town despite the deployment of the CPOs.

The thieves are even targeting the roadside shops, where the CPOs are paid under the joint venture of police and public, remain present throughout the night.

A large number of the shopkeepers feel that the majority of CPOs do not perform their duty, sincerely. Moreover, several shopkeepers rue that they often find the CPOs of their respective areas missing at the night. In such a situation, some of the shopkeepers have even stopped paying the monthly fee they are required to pay under this scheme.

“What is the benefit of paying extra money for the service which does not do any good to us? There is no decline in the incidents of theft in the town. In such a situation, the money that we pay for the CPOs feel like an extra burden on us,” says Balraj Singh, a physician at Jagraon.

The shopkeepers of the local College road claimed that though the CPOs were collecting the fee under the scheme from them yet during the might none of them remains present on the road.

“In an average, there are three thefts on this road in two months. I have checked several times and always found that there was no CPO who remains present on our road during the night. Therefore, we were getting no benefit out of this scheme,” rues Vipin Kumar, a shopkeeper and resident of the College Road.

The people felt that there was a need to, thoroughly, revamp the scheme to make it effective. The residents have demanded from the police authorities to make Community Police Officers scheme more purposeful.

SSP Ludhiana, rural, Amar singh Chahal was not available for comments despite repeated efforts.

Ludhiana, March 11
The authorities of SAB channel have landed in the soup for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

The matter came to light when Dheeraj Chauhan, a resident of BMEM flats near Jagraon bridge, objected to the content shown by the television channel during one of its serial.

The police took swift action and booked the authorities. According to Dheeraj Chauhan, the characters in the serial mocked at Lord Valmiki in one of its episodes.

He lodged a written complaint against the channel authorities to the Police Commissioner.

Following the investigation, the police booked the channel authorities and the serial writer, Ashwani Dir, under section 295 of the IPC for hurting religious sentiments of the people.

Ludhiana, March 11
High drama was witnessed near the Christen Medical College and Hospital (CMC&H) after two groups clashed over a piece of land. The incident took place this afternoon when around 20 men, who arrived in two mini- trucks, started constructing boundary walls on the vacant land.

Ashraf Masih, the official in-charge of security department of CMC hospital, has levelled allegations against the police for helping the men in the attempt to ‘grab’ land. Ashraf Masih said, "The security guards informed me about the ongoing construction work. Without wasting time I reached on spot and raised objection. The land grabbers had prepared the construction material well in advance and were erecting the gate. In the meantime, the hospital authorities informed the police about the attempt to grab land. Although cops, led by Pritpal Singh, additional SHO, reached the spot, the police did not stop the construction work and told us to show land documents." He added that the local community members also gathered near the construction site and staged their protest.

The matters took an ugly turn when someone pelted stones at vehicles used by the men for construction of land. The construction workers ran for cover and soon fled the scene. Ashraf accused that instead of arresting the men, police helped them in escaping.

On the other hand Rajinder Kumar, SHO, Division No 3, slammed the allegation leveled by Ashraf Masih, calling it baseless. He said, "Ashraf was misleading the residents by claiming that illegal construction was taking place on the land. The reality was something else."

He further said, "We have not helped anyone in any manner. Ashraf Masih and his men are trying to tarnish the image of my colleague Pritpal Singh. A resident named Rajinder Singh has rented the 360 square yard land which belongs to the United Church of Northern India. Singh is paying a monthly rent of Rs 5000. He also got the courts order to construct the gate at the land. Who are we to stop him."

Ludhiana, March 11
A meeting of the executive committee of the Punjab School Private Organisation, Rajpura, was held, here today. More than 80 delegates participated from schools across the state. District presidents MK Chawla hosted the meeting.

The delegates discussed the various issues related school education. They criticised the semester system and other policies of the Punajb School Education Board (PSEB). Didar Singh, president, criticised the hike in examination centers fee.

Ludhiana, March 11
Education Ministers in Punjab have failed to "pass" their electoral examination for the past 20 years. None of the ministers, holding the education portfolio, has made it back to Punjab Assembly election since 1992.

Interestingly, 20 years ago, after the governor rule in state, Lakbir Singh Randhawa was elected as Education Minister in 1992. But the Congress party did not give him party tickets in the next Assembly Elections. In 1997, Akali-BJP alliance formed government and Tota Singh was the Education Minister, who was defeated in next Assembly Elections in 2002. Khushal Behal was the next Education Minister

In congress led government in 2002. He was replaced by Harnam Das Johar during reshuffle of cabinet. Both ministers was failed to reach the assembly.

In the last Akali-BJP tenure, Bibi Upinderjit Kaur was the Education Minister for four years but after the Akali Dal expelled the Manpreet Badal from the party, Sewa Singh Sekhwan was elected as Education Minister.

History again repeated when in the recently announced results Bibi Upinderjit Kaur and Sewa Singh Sekhwan both Cabinets Minister were defeated in the Assembly Elections.

Jaswinder Singh, a government teacher said, "It is a reflection on their work. The education standard has been decreasing in the state for the past two decades. Our governments and ministers are responsible for this. So it is the verdict of public that the ministers have to realise it."

"Teachers are opinion makers in the society, governments should not annoy them. The teachers hold demonstrations more than any other community. And more often, they target the constituency of the Education Minister so negative publicity works in this case," said another teacher.

"Education standards is going down day by day in the state. All the governments and ministers of both the parties have same attitude toward education. So people vote the ministers out of power," said Sandeep Singh, a teacher.

Ludhiana, March 11
The Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, is organising a free non-scalpel vasectomy camp on March 13. The camp is being organised with the help of Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, and the district family welfare officer under the national health & family welfare scheme of Government of India.

According to a press release, "Non-Scalpel Vasectomy is a permanent method of family planning. It is a very simple operation and takes few minutes to operate. There is no stitch."

First 50 acceptors will have a choice to take Avon Cycle or Rs 1100.

Bharat Vikas Parishad honours the blood donors at Mandi Gobindgarh on Saturday. photo: Bhushan Sood

Mandi Gobindgarh, March 11
Bharat Vikas Parishad Vivekanand’s youth wing of Mandi Gobindgarh in collaboration with Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh organised a blood donation camp at Ram Bhawan which concluded, here last evening. The volunteers of the parishad donated 102 units of blood during the camp. The camp was inaugurated by the chief guest Tarsem Lal Mangla. Brahman Sabha chief Devi Dayal Parashar and social worker Parkash Chand Garg distributed certificates and trophies to the donors.

Doraha, March 11
Once again the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) is going to upset the mental state of the examinees whose final exams and the IPL dates, much to their displeasure, are sadly coinciding with one another.

“My first exam is of English on April 4 and on the other hand it is my favourite match on the same day. The craze shall simply be irresistible. However, hard I may try to stop myself from watching the match; I shall end-up deciding otherwise. All my rational thoughts leave me when it comes to the watching of the match. I keep on feeling sorry for myself when I am not able to watch such a crucial match so I always leave logic behind and tend to obey the dictates of my heart,” feels Manmeet, a BA I student of a local college affiliated to PU, the theory exams of which are scheduled to start from April 3.

“I know beforehand that watching the match shall affect my result, adversely, but I am helpless. I may be resolute now but when the IPL is actually going on and I am forced to study in my room, I feel as if I am trapped and missing a thing which has always been my favourite,” says Gagandeep Singh, a BA II year student). “The thought that my child is a topper but at the same time crazy for the game, is getting on my nerves from now itself. This is the reason that she has starting preparing much in advance lest she should find herself helpless on the D-day deciding between match and her final preparation,” opined the mother of Deepika, a final-year student. A match crazy father said: “But what can the children do when their parents, too, are so over obsessed by the idea of watching the world cup? It is real injustice with the students. We, as parents, in order to avoid any sort of distraction for our kids and that too at the eleventh hour, have to keep our television sets switched off.”

“My son is in BCom II year. His studies are crucial for him in everyway. Even then, I am sure I would not be able to stop him from watching the television, come what may. Last year, too,when he was in first the year, he had to face the brunt of watching the matches but it seems that he had failed to have learnt any lessons from his past experience as this time too he is wavering when asked about the drawing a line,” viewed Deepak’s mother. A spontaneous expression of a BSc student was, “Only if the power fails, genset refuses to work and inverter is not charged, that I shall be able to excuse myself from missing a game, which I feel is my life blood. Otherwise, even the final exams at that time become too small a hurdle to be crossed when the craze for the game so overpowers my rational being.”

“I know I would not be able to resist myself from watching the match. Why cannot sports bodies wait for another month or so. Why are we made to suffer everytime. Why could they not find any other time in whole year, suitable, for fixing the dates for these matches,” a collegiate.

Ludhiana, March 11
Director General of School Education passed the instructions to shut down the residential and non-residential special training-centres for out-of-school children, running across the state, till March 3l.

Over 256 centres are running in the Ludhiana district and where more than 7,000 students are studying. Nearly 3400 children were found out-of-school in a recent survey, who were aged below 14. These centers prepare the students for the schooling according to their age group.

The DGSE said, the schools would not charge any admission and other fee from these students. The teachers would be responsible for the attendance of these shifted students. These students would study along with other mainstream students in the same classes. Teachers would have to give more time to weak students and will make sure that no discrimination is reported with these students. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan staff would visit the schools to monitor the status of these students and submit report to the District Education Officer. Barjinder Singh, district coordinator training centres said, "We got the instructions from DGSE office and we have passed it to all the centres. We are feeling glad that a huge number of students are joining the school with our efforts".

Jagraon, March 11
The local police have arrested a youth for allegedly abducting and raping a girl. The accused has been identified as Amandeep Singh, alias Deepa.

The police has registered a case in this regard and started investigation. The medical examination of the victim revealed that she was raped.

According to the investigation officer, Hari Mittar, Amandeep Singh 'eloped' with the victim on February 27 and took her to Jaipur, Rajasthan, where he raped her for 12 days. After that he kept wandering along with the girl in various cities for some days before finally arriving at Nanaksar near Jagraon where he was arrested. During the initial investigation, the accused has admitted raping the girl, added the investigating officer.

“When there was no money left with him, he brought the girl back to Nanaksar. We received information about the accused being in Nanaksar and made the arrest yesterday,” said Mittar.

The police has handed over the victim to her family members. The accused was presented before a local court today from where he was sent into police remand.

Ludhiana, March 11
Alert security guards of a factory unit located in Ladhowal nabbed a factory employee who was trying to steal T- shirts.

Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Phillaur, who worked at Glaze Garment, tried to sneak away seven T- shirts, but was spotted by an alert security guard who nabbed him. The suspect was handed over to the police.

According to the security guard, Sukhwinder Singh, who is quite thin in stature, wore seven T- shirts, one over another, in an attempt to pass undetected.

He tried to leave with other workers after the day’s work, but was caught, as the security guard found him to be unusually bulky. During the search, the guard found him to be wearing seven T- shirts.

Ludhiana, March 11
Sandhu Automobiles XI defeated Impact Bajaj XI by 34 runs in an exhibition cricket match played at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) campus ground, here today.

The match was organised to encourage the employees of the two concerns towards physical fitness. The family members of these units were present there to cheer up their respective players.

Batting first, Sandhu Automobiles XI scored 145 runs in the stipulated 20 overs. The main contributors were Sunny and Bunty who chipped in with 37 and 16 runs, respectively.

For the Impact Bajaj XI, PS Bajwa and Gurdeep picked up three and two wickets, respectively.

Chasing the target, the Impact Bajaj XI's, the innings folded at 111 runs in 17.3 overs in which the main scorers were Gurdeep and Uttam who made 17 and 16 runs, respectively.

For the winning side, Bunty claimed four wickets while Varinder Kumar scalped two victims.

KS Bajwa and PS Bajab, the CEO and vice-president, respectively, of the Impact Bajaj Co along with MD of Sandhu Automobiles, AP Sandhu distributed the prizes among winners.

Ludhiana, March 11
In a keenly contested bout, Harman, respresenting Alamgir akhara, pipped Dimpi of Shivpuri Akhara, to bag the title in the Annual Nihal Chand at Pehalwan Memorial Wrestling Tournament. The tourney was conducted by the Jai Bajrang Bali Akhara, here today.

Nearly 200 wrestlers from Punjab and from the neighbouring state, Haryana, vied up for the top honours in the tournament.

Subhash Bassi, Nirmal Singh Lambardar, Palwinder Singh and SAI judo coach, Rakesh Singh gave away prizes to the winners.

The members of the organising akhara, Surjan Pehalwan, Vinod Kumar Rana, Rajinder Kumar, Ram Kumar, Shveta Rana and others congratulated the winners and thanked the guests.