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Be ready to shell out more
Besides this, to check water wastage, the department is also planning to install meters on water supply lines in all houses of the state. The department is presently charging a lump sum monthly amount (see box) for water supply. Due to which, people are wasting ground water. A senior official of the corporation said a presentation in this regard (installing meters) has been prepared by the Chief Engineer (Operations and Maintenance Cell) of the department. “This presentation was presented during a seminar related to water wastage organised in Chandigarh last month. The same presentation has also been submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The local bodies department has assured the court that the process of installing meters on water supply lines is in the offing. Once a policy in this regard is framed, all houses in the state would have water meters, like the ones we have for electricity,” the official added. He said the state government might also charge for water supply and sewerage from houses up to 125 square yards, which are presently exempted. “If someone is using water supply and sewerage, he should pay some nominal amount,” said another official from the O&M Cell of the corporation. But Senior Deputy Mayor
Parveen Bansal claimed that presently there is no such proposal of charging for water supply and sewerage bills from houses up to 125 square yard. “I am sure that there is no such proposal and we will not let the state government take any such decision,” claimed Bansal. The municipal corporation might not get some funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) till it completes the reforms suggested by them. The reforms include stopping of sops like non-billing for water and sewer bills till 125 square yard of houses, implement e-governance and much more. Political compulsions are not allowing imposition of water and sewer bills on houses up to 125 square yards.
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Jailed Sikh leader’s health worsens, admitted
Ludhiana, April 7 Jindu said the administration of the Central Jail was playing with the life of inmates by selling cigarettes inside it just to pocket a few bucks. “Smoking is banned in public places following the Supreme Court’s order, but no law exists in the jail. The inmates can smoke anywhere and it is being freely sold,” said Jindu, who has been on a hunger strike since April 1. Gurdeep Singh Gosha, SAD (Delhi) youth wing; Jaswinder Baliewal SAD (Delhi) state president; Jasdeep Singh Konke, Balwinder Singh Bhullar SAD (Delhi) trade Cell, and Baljinder Singh Jindu, president, Sikh Welfare Council and a pro-Khalistan activist Daljit Singh Buttu were arrested for making provocative speeches during the state- wide bandh called to protest against the proposed execution of Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted for assassinating former Chief Minister Beant Singh, on March 28. These leaders were earlier produced before Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Sukhdev Singh through video conferencing on April 2. Sources said the police opted for video conferencing following inputs that their supporters were planning to stage a protest outside the venue where the latter were to be produced for hearing. They have neither hired a lawyer to fight the case nor applied for a bail bond. The next hearing of the case is fixed for April 9. |
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Nine of a family faint after consuming milk
Jagraon, April 7 The victims are being treated at a local private hospital. The condition of one person is stated to be critical. The victims have been identified as Sikandar Singh, Paramjit Kaur, Nishan Singh, Gagan, Palwinder Kaur, Kinder Kaur, Teena, Jagga and Satnam Singh. All of them had consumed milk after having dinner last night. They went to sleep, but no one woke up today morning. Sikandar’s uncle Balwinder Singh got them admitted to the hospital. Balwinder Singh said, “I did not consume milk while rest of the family members did so after the dinner. When I woke up today morning, I found asleep till late morning. When I went to wake them up, I found all of them unconscious following which I brought them to the hospital.” He suspects that there might be something poisonous in the milk as only those who had consumed it fainted. According to Balwinder Singh, they purchased the
milk from a milkman of the same village. Dr Surinder Gupta, who is treating these persons, said there might be something wrong with the milk. Though he added it is too early to arrive at any conclusion. In charge of the Bus Stand Police Post Balwant Singh stated that the police had collected samples of the milk and sent it for laboratory test. Action will be taken after receiving the report, he added. Dr Arun Gupta, SMO, Jagraon Civil Hospital, stated that a team of doctors had collected the milk samples as well as the flour used by the family for preparing meals. “We have sent the samples for the test. Things will become clear only after the reports are out,” he added. |
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Short of attendance, students create ruckus
Ludhiana, April 7 Not only students, but parents too met college authorities in this regard. They urged the authorities to give roll numbers to their children. Career of their wards will be at stake if they were not allowed to sit in the examination. Many feel that the culture of truancy in colleges is harming the academic atmosphere in the city. Dr HS Singha, Director, Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, said, “It is surprising to see parents defending their children even though their wards are at fault. A college professor said such students not only spoil their own future, but also set a wrong precedent for others. They should be dealt with sternly.” Students, whose attendance was short, were told in December and January to improve it. They woke up during examination and want permission to sit in it, Dr Singha added. “Let alone general courses, students from professional courses also miss classes,” said a faculty member from another private college. “The thing is that there is too much discipline at schools, but the same is missing in colleges,” said Saurabh Kapoor, father of two. “Higher education needs to improve and should be made more activity oriented. And discipline should be instilled along with freedom to fuel creativity and originality amongst students in colleges as well,” he said. Apart from improving educational standards by bettering the infrastructure in colleges, there is a need for better rules and atmosphere for instilling a sense of discipline amongst students in colleges, says Amit, who is pursuing MBA. “Bight students suffer due to a few undisciplined ones. There is so much competition and zeal to excel among students in metros like Delhi and Bangalore,” he says. |
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Businessman’s house burgled
Ludhiana, April 7 According to complainant Munish Gupta, the incident took place on the night of April 5. Gupta had gone to Delhi in connection with a business dealing. Back home, his wife Komal, children and Munish’s mother decided to eat out. Harnek Singh, the driver, took the family to a restaurant located on the Ferozepur road at 8. 45 pm. The family returned home at around 10 pm and was shocked to find the house ransacked. The thieves entered the house by breaking open the door. Gupta suspects that the theft could be the handiwork of an insider who knew where the cash and jewellery were lying. They broke open an almirah in the store and opened the locker where the cash was kept. The thieves wasted no time and wrapped up everything in 60 minutes. The suspect was aware that the family was dinning out and might return home soon. Gupta suspects involvement of a construction labourer behind the theft. |
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Swindlers dupe 10-yr-old, flee
Ludhiana, April 7 A 22-year-old cousin of Sudhanshu was present in the house when this incident took place. He left the house to inform Sudhanshu’s mother Ramma, who works a maidservant in the locality, on seeing the men. It did not take much time for Ramma to understand that swindlers had struck the house. She rushed to the house and was shocked to find his son missing and the house ransacked. She stated that someone had abducted his child
and stolen cash lying in the house. An alert was sounded and the police swooped into action. But Sudhanshu returned home and told his mother that the men made him sit on a motorcycle, but they abandoned him and fled from the spot as soon as they reached a level crossing on the Dugri road. The police has registered a case in this regard. |
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Tipsy man drinks acid, dead
Ludhiana, April 7 He got so drunk that instead of pouring liquor he poured acid into a glass and consumed it. He was rushed to a multi-specialty hospital where he died here today morning. |
Reliving the golden past
Ludhiana, April 7 Usmaan, presently living at Field Gunj, is aware of this page from history. He said he had heard numerous tales of Emperor Zaman Shah from his father and grandfather. “After the decline and fall of the Durrani kingdom, its rulers, Zaman Shah (1793-1800) and Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk (1803-1809) took refuge in India. After being overthrown, captured and blinded in 1800, Zaman Shah managed to escape to Bokhara and finally to Ludhiana. For the rest of his life, he lived here in a haveli in front of the Bhadaur House, at a short distance from the Clock Tower,” he said. Today, the haveli has given way to telephone exchange. Two bazaars and two roads in the city are named after the Emperor, Zaman Shah’s, sons. Karimpura bazaar is named after his son Shehzaada Karim while Mozpura bazaar is named after his son Shehzaada Mozid. Although, we popularly call Mozpura bazaar as Mochpura bazaar, its original name is Mozpura Bazar. Two roads, Kamraan Road and Shahpur Road, are also named after his sons Shehzaada Kamraan and Shehzada Shah. Mustkeem, another resident, said, “A few in the city know about this glorious past. Muslim emperors lived here for several years and even areas and bazaars are named after them. The government has done nothing to make the people acquaint with this past. A board in the bazaar or roads should have been displayed telling the historic importance of the place,” he said. He added that the haveli, where the emperor used to live, has been demolished and it has given way to telephone exchange. “It should have been preserved but alas. A few years ago, a portion of the wall was preserved in the telephone exchange, but today it is all gone,” he added.
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Procurement: Arrangements made, wheat crop awaited
About 8.66 lakh metric tonne wheat was procured last season in the Ludhiana district alone. It is expected to increase by seven to 10 per cent this year. According to market officials, all arrangements, including that of water, power and shelter have been completed in the grain markets. The authorities claimed that there wasn’t any shortage of wheat bags and storage in the district. There are 102 grain markets in the district in which Khanna and Jagraon are the prominent ones. And as per the market board there are 13 principal yards. District Market Officer Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal said: “Harvesting of crop is almost one-week late due to the weather conditions. Though were expecting bumper crop, wheat is yet to reach the markets.” “We have installed four water coolers in each of the 13 principal yards. Moreover, we have arranged power, water and shelter in all these markets,” Dhaliwal added. According to the officials, Wheat crop is expected to reach these 30 markets by April 10. But the season is expected to begin from April 20 or April 25. Meanwhile, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Rajewal), President Balveer Singh Rajewal said,” The authorities have failed to lift the rice from godowns. This might create shortage of storage space. We have urged authorities to implement the system of direct lifting from markets.”
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Brucellosis a contagious disease
Ludhiana, April 7 Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonoses (transmitted from animals to human beings and vice versa), which can infect cattle, goats, camels, dogs and pigs. The bacteria can spread to humans if come in contact with infected meat or the placenta of infected animals, or eat or drink unpasteurised milk or cheese. Slaughterhouse workers, farmers and veterinarians are at a higher risk. Human brucellosis was a severely debilitating disease that required prolonged treatment with a combination of antibiotics, often leaving permanent and disabling sequelae, and resulted in considerable medical expenses in addition to loss of income due to loss of working hours. Experts at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) said, “In humans, the disease manifests itself in a protracted manner with undulating fever, joint pain malaise, loss of condition and spondilytis. Complications can be diverse depending on the specific site of infection with bone and joint involvement being the most frequent complication of brucellosis.” “Epididymoorchitis is the most frequent genitourinary complication in men. Brucellosis during pregnancy poses a substantial risk of spontaneous abortion or intrauterine transmission of infection to the infant. Invasion of central nervous system occurs in about 5-7 per cent of cases of B melitensis infection. Brucella endocarditis occurs in less than 2 per cent of cases but accounts for a majority of deaths. Acute brucellosis may begin with mild flu-like symptoms, or symptoms such as biphasic fever, back pain, chills, excessive sweating, fatigue, abdominal pain, orchitis, headache, joint pain and loss of appetite,” said Dr SNS Randhawa, director, research, GADVASU. Expressing grave concern over the disease, the department of biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, New Delhi, will start a project on the development of brucellosis translational research programme- “Studies on Molecular Epidemiology of Brucella Infections in Northern India” in two departments of the university.
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10-yr on, no link Road
Jagraon, April 7 The villagers said 13-km long Jagraon-Mallha link road was repaired more than eight years ago. The road had completed its expiry term in 2008 and since then the residents of these villages have been running from pillar to post to get the road constructed, but their efforts have failed to fructify. The road, which connects more than 30,000 people of about 12 villages with Jagraon, also happens to be the native village of two-time former MLA and chairman of the District Planning Board Bhag Singh Mallha. Even though Mallha has promised the residents of these villages to get the road constructed several times, he, too, has failed to keep his promise. The residents added that they had even took up the matter with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during his Sangat Darshan programme in Jagraon last year, but that, too, did not serve the purpose. Though the CM issued directions to the officials of the Punjab Mandi Board to complete the construction of the road as soon as possible, the work has made a little progress so far. Moreover, the residents of Chakar village had not cast their vote during the SGPC elections held in September, 2011, because of failure of the government. Besides, the residents of these villages as well as various NGOs have been raising the issue at different levels, but nothing concrete has been done. The state of affairs is such that even the intervention of Punjab and Haryana High Court has failed to wake up the authorities concerned. The High Court while hearing a petition filed by Iqbal Singh Rasoolpur of the Universal Human Rights Organisation, a few months ago, had served a notice on the Punjab Mandi Board. Following the notice, the officials of Punjab Mandi Board had given a written undertaking in the High Court stating that the construction of the road would be completed till October 9, 2011. Despite the undertaking in the High Court, the department has failed to complete the work so far. When contacted, Jagraon Mandi Board SDO Gurmel Singh stated that the work was delayed due to the Assembly elections held recently. He added that the work would be completed within a few days.
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Degrees conferred on 400 students
Ludhiana, April 7 Four hundred degrees were awarded to students from disciplines like MBA, MBA-IB, MCA, MSc-IT, BBA, BCA, BSc, and B-Pharmacy at the Campus-II of the PCTE. Prof Atul Tandon, Director, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, was the chief guest. Students, who had bagged gold medals in university examinations, were awarded in the convocation. Those who had excelled in literary, cultural and sports events were given college colours. Shruti Sharma, an MBA student, was awarded with HS Gill Memorial Gold Medal along with cash prize of Rs 11,000 for being the outstanding student of the college. The award was given for excelling in academics, cultural and extra-curricular activities at the college and national level. Dr KNS Kang, Director General, PCTE Group of Institutes, congratulated the graduates and prize winners. The graduate and postgraduate students of the Khalsa Institute of Management and Technology for Women were awarded degrees by Dr AK Bakshi, Vice-Chancellor, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut. He exhorted the students to make use of their intellect in shaping their personality for the care of community. Their role as good corporate citizen should stand and appreciated if they care for the environment and national objectives of economic well being. Ishwar Chander Sharma, Director, Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, was the guest of
honour.
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Check emails on regular basis, DPI tells colleges
Ludhiana, April 7 This will make it easier for colleges to send and receive any instructions, notifications or circulars from the DPI and will reduce the time-lag because of sending the information manually. Jasbir Kaur Makkar, principal, SCD Government College, said this would streamline the process and would make it easier for colleges to receive instructions without delay. “It has been directed that emails should be checked on a regularly basis,” she said. The information has been sent to nodal colleges which have passed the instructions to the colleges in their areas. Officials and faculty members of some colleges said such initiatives were long awaited. “In this age of technology and rapid communication, paperwork is still being done, which will amount to delay of receiving of information and thus implementation of these instructions,” said a faculty member. “Inboxes these days are swamped with emails. So separate email addresses will cut out the risk of important emails to colleges going unnoticed,” said another member.
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Training for special children
Ludhiana, April 7 More than 700 students have been enrolled in resource rooms, meant for those who cannot attend school without a caretaker. While 800 children have been enrolled in home-based education programme under which a teacher visits students to teach them. The district unit of Inclusive Education for Disabled Child is chalking out plans for the welfare of special children. Tricycles, wheel chairs and other required equipment are also given to students. Gulzar Sah, district coordinator, Inclusive Education for Disabled Child (IED) said, “Education is the basic right of everyone. These children should not be deprived of the same.” Ritu Atari, Inclusive Education Resource Teacher, said, “We impart training to special children in our resource rooms. Later, we get them enrolled in mainstream schools.”
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Leadership programme
Ludhiana: A two-day leadership programme was organised at Sat Paul Mittal School on April 6 and 7. Fun-filled games and life skill activities made their learning experience richer, joyful and rewarding. Graduation ceremony
Saraswati Modern Senior Secondary School, Hambran Road, organised a graduation ceremony on Saturday. Kamla Jain, founder and president, was the chief guest. The function started with the lighting of the lamp by the chief guest. Orientation programme Guru Nanak Public School, Sarabha Nagar, organised an orientation programme “Parents our Partners”. An interactive session was held between parents and teachers. Principal Mona Singh urged parents to spend quality time with their wards. Kindergarten section of Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines, welcomed new students. A ‘havan’ was held. Principal Navita Puri welcomed the freshers. World Health Day
World Health Day was celebrated at GMT Public School. Students were told about the importance of health and hygiene. Ramanpal delivered a lecture on the importance of healthy food habits and balanced diet. Welcome party
A welcome party was held at Green Land Senior Secondary Public School, Jalandhar bypass. Students were warmly welcomed by teachers with balloons and sweets. Children were dressed beautifully and they danced to the tune of popular numbers. The school campus was decorated. New course
SCD Government College is going to introduce MCom business innovations from this academic session. Students having non-commerce background can also opt for the course. Students will have to take O-CET entrance exam on June 16. Jasbir Kaur Makkar, principal of the college, said they had provided a state-of-the-art infrastructure with modern teaching aids and expert faculty to students. Quiz
The Industry Institute Interface Cell of Kamla Lohtia SD College organised a business standard B-school quiz in the college. Around 130 students participated. Deepak Dhingra, in charge of the cell, said such activities would help students enhance their knowledge and competitive skills. Karamjit won the quiz. Books and certificates were given to students. Farewell party
A farewell party was organised at the auditorium of Arya College. Bhangra, mimicry and Punjabi songs marked the occasion.
— TNS
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MC ELECTIONS
Ludhiana, April 7 It is learnt that Senior Deputy Mayor Parveen Bansal has helped Lal enter the BJP. Bansal had unsuccessfully contested the recently held Vidhan Sabha elections on BJP ticket from the Ludhiana North constituency. At that time, Sarabjit Lal, despite being in the CPI, had supported Bansal in these elections. “I had worked hard for the party (BJP) during the Vidhan Sabha elections,” said Lal. After BJP district president Rajiv Katna resigned from his post a few days ago, Bansal’s name is making rounds for the post of the BJP district president.
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Theft in BRS Nagar
Ludhiana, April 7 When he reached home he was shocked to find it ransacked. The
thieves entered the house the breaking the kitchen’s window. The police suspects handiwork of an insider in the robbery as they consumed beverages lying in the house and picked things at will. The Sarabha Nagar police has registered a case in this regard.
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Body found
Ludhiana, April 7 The deceased was identified as Gurjeet Singh of Maloutt, Muktsar. A case has been registered and the body has been sent for an autopsy.
— TNS
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Ludhiana, April 7
Ludhiana, April 7