Ludhiana, April 18
Health services were hit here today for more than two hours at Lord Mahavir Civil Hospital as the staff went on a strike against the non-payment of salaries since February.

It was at 9 am when all the staff members, including doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, pharmacists and safai karamcharis gathered in the lawn as a sign of protest. The agitated employees did not attend to the patients for over two hours. However, emergency services and postmortem were conducted.

A large number of patients who visited the OPD were inconvenienced as no doctor attended to them. Dr Davinder said they had not received salaries since February.

Amarjeet Kaur, a matron, said: “I am with the other employees. It is difficult to work without salary.” Lovi Kalyan, a nurse, said: “We are supposed to take care of patients. But we also have children, whose admissions are going on and we need salary to get our wards admitted to the next classes. We held a strike on March 26 and the Civil Surgeon assured us that the salaries will be released along with arrears on March 31. And today it is April 18, nothing has been done.”

The demands of the employees include immediate release of salary, 40 per cent arrears, and giving promotions on the basis of four-nine-14 years.

Some employees said: “We have learnt that our pay bills were not prepared on time and so, our salaries got delayed.”

It was around 9.30 am when the Civil Surgeon, Dr Subhash Batta, arrived at the hospital and interacted with the employees. But the employees continued with the strike till 11.15 am. They resumed their duty around 11.30 am after the Deputy Commissioner, Rahul Tiwari, called up the Civil Surgeon to know the reason for the strike. Dr Batta assured the employees that they would get the salaries soon.

Ludhiana, April 18
The three-hour strike by the hospital employees not only left the OPD patients in the lurch, but also indoor patients, who were not attended to.

A 70-year-old tumour patient, Rama Bai of Chhoti Haibowal, said: “I am in acute pain. Please request a doctor to examine me. The tumour has gone septic even from the outside. My neighbours have brought me here. Why are the doctors not seeing me?”

Holding his son in his lap, Takwinder, a resident of Tajpur Road, said: “My son sustained a head injury on April 16. I came here at 9.30 am to get him examined. It is 11 am now and the strike is still going on.”

Ruby, who was pregnant, also complained that no one attended to her. Bharat, a rickshaw-puller who was being treated at the trauma ward, said: “No doctor has come to check me up today. My limbs are numb, but no one is attending to me.”

Manjeet Kaur of Rakba village was seen administering ORS to her ailing husband in the same ward. “It is 11.30 am and no doctor has come on the round today,” she said.

Students of Guru Angad Dev School of Nursing were seen catering to the indoor patients. One of the trainees said: “Since the doctors are on strike, we are following yesterday’s medication only as we cannot change the medication on our own.”

The Senior Medical Officer, Dr Karamvir Goel, said: “The health services were restored before noon and now all the patients are being attended to.”

Ludhiana, April 18
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rahul Tiwari has stopped the salary of the Soil Conservation Officer and the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Raikot, for their failure to attend a review meeting on development works presided over by the Deputy Commissioner at Bachat Bhawan here today.

Tiwari said such important meetings were of significance and had to be taken seriously by the officials of all departments.

“These meetings are conducted to review all the developments works going on in the district and the departments have to take it seriously,” he said.

In a significant announcement, the Deputy Commissioner said after the harvesting of wheat in the district, all the link roads that had been encroached on by farmers for putting their wheat stocks, would be cleared immediately.

Criminal action would be taken against farmers who failed to remove their wheat stocks from the roads.

The District Forest Officer was told to prepare about 2.5 lakh saplings within two months so that during monsoon, these plants could be distributed among all the 900 panchayats through the Block Development Officers.

The DC said for various development works in the district, including the cleaning of canals and widening of roads, Rs 17.5 crore would be spent so that more and more unemployed persons could get employment under the NREGA schemes.

He also asked the authorities concerned to immediately start the cleaning of Sidhwan canal, Faridkot canal AND Bathinda canal flowing through the district.

Ludhiana, April 18
Even as MC Commissioner Malwinder Singh Jaggi has claimed that the demolition drive in Ghumar Mandi had to be postponed today due to the “non-availability” of police force, Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh has claimed that there is no shortage of police force in the city and the force was deployed with the MC.

The demolition drive had to be postponed for the second consecutive day today. Yesterday, the civic body had to demolish illegal buildings in Chawni Mohalla while today, the drive was to be carried out in Ghumar Mandi.

The MC had cited the non-availability of police force as the reason to put off the drive. The drive has to be carried out on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. At present, there are 55 police personnel in the police wing of the civic body, including a DSP, an Inspector, two Sub-Inspectors, eight ASIs, and some head constables and constables. The MC had demanded 70 police personnel, including 20 women cops, for today’s drive.

The Police Commissioner said the MC had asked for the force yesterday as well as today. “Whenever either the MC or GLADA demand police force for carrying out a demolition drive, we depute our officials with them. The police force was made available for both days,” he said.

Police sources said as the demolition drive was to be carried out on the orders of the High Court, there was no way the police department could refuse the MC the required force. “If we refuse, it would amount to contempt of court. It seems that the MC is under political pressure for not going ahead with the drive and that is why it is indulging in time-buying tactics,” the sources claimed.

A senior MC official said since the MC elections were scheduled for June 10, the MC was in a fix whether to go ahead with the demolition drive. “MC officials are under political pressure not to carry out the drive, but the court has asked the civic body to go ahead with it,” he said.

Ludhiana, April 18
There seems to be no end to the woes of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) which finds itself in the midst of scores of financial irregularities which came to light during the external and internal audit for the year 2010-11.

GLADA not only overspent on deposit works carried out on behalf of various government departments, but in some cases failed to levy departmental charges at the rate of 15.7 per cent of the total estimated cost of the work, and in the process suffered a financial loss of Rs 32.76 lakh as pointed out in the audit report.

A copy of the audit report obtained by the Council of RTI Activists reveals that GLADA carried out deposit works — construction of police stations in Sectors 32 and 39 in Dugri at an estimated cost of Rs 1,64,43.173 and construction of a high school at Rajowal at a cost of Rs 44,25,335.

The auditors pointed out that as per the instructions issued by the state government, the development authorities were entitled to collect departmental charges at the rate of 15.7 per cent, but at the time of allotment of these deposit works to the construction division of GLADA, no provision of levying the departmental charges was made in the agreement. “The failure of the GLADA authorities to levy departmental charges led to a revenue loss of Rs 32,76,356,” the report says.

In another instance of financial irregularity, the report has raised objection to the failure of the GLADA authorities in the timely disposal of condemned stores and surplus articles/stores worth Rs 15,72,565. The report says: “During the scrutiny of records, it was noticed that the department (GLADA) had not disposed of unserviceable items/stores, and further, it was also noticed that the surplus stores had not been transferred to other divisions/ works for their proper utilisation.”

Ludhiana, April 18
Parveen Bansal, the Senior Deputy Mayor and party nominee who unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections from the Ludhiana North segment, has donned the mantle of the district president of the BJP after Rajiv Katna put in his papers, owning moral responsibility for the defeat of the party in three Assembly seats that the BJP contested.

The core committee of the BJP, in a meeting held in Chandigarh yesterday, accepted Katna’s resignation and nominated Bansal to take his place. Some half-a-dozen names were doing the rounds and intense lobbying was on for the post of the district president.

“The comparatively clean image of Bansal and his acceptability to the RSS leadership weighed heavily in Bansal’s favour,” party insiders claimed.

If the organisational set-up of the BJP in the industrial capital of the state and the performance of the party is any indication, Bansal faces an uphill task in revamping the party unit and bringing it back on track.

Listing his priorities as the new district chief, he said his first and foremost task would be to strengthen the organisational set-up and make it a cohesive unit. “We shall analyse the causes of the poor performance of the BJP in the Assembly elections and take steps to rectify the situation well before the MC elections are announced,” he said.

Denying that there was any infighting or factionalism in the party at the district level, he asserted that there might be some difference of opinion as the BJP was a large family.

Ludhiana, April 18
Till now, it was NRI grooms who were duping Punjabi girls for money. But now a 30-year-old NRI, Gurvinder Kaur, has been arrested for duping three Punjabi youths of over Rs 74 lakh. She was arrested along with her father at Faridkot today, where she was reportedly getting married for the fourth time.

Assistant Commissioner Police (North) Swapan Sharma said on getting information about the accused, the city police team took the SHO and DSP concerned of Faridkot into confidence and both the woman and her father were arrested.

According to information, over two years ago, Gurvinder Kaur married an NRI from Amritsar to get Canadian citizenship. She paid Rs 33 lakh to him and went to Canada. She returned to India after a few months and married a youth from Moga, who paid her Rs 21 lakh for going abroad. She went to Canada alone and never called him. A couple of months later, she came to India again to get married for the third time. This time again, a youth from Moga paid her Rs 20 lakh for getting Canadian citizenship. She duped him too.

“Today, she was getting married to a youth from Dehlon in Faridkot. He reportedly paid her Rs 33 lakh. A case under Section 420, IPC, has been registered against the girl and her father. She hails from Thana Kalkhurd, Ferozpur,” the ACP said.

Ludhiana, April 18
Forty-year-old Gurdeep Singh, a resident of Anand Nagar, has been arrested for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl from the Field Ganj area.

Ramneesh Chaudhry, ACP Central, said the girl belonged to a poor family and her father was dead. “On April 1, an advertisement was given in a section of the media by a marriage bureau, seeking a woman assistant. A telephone number (898095657) was given to contact. The girl’s mother called up the number and Gurdeep Singh assured a salary of Rs 5,000 per month. The girl was asked to come for an interview at Bharat Nagar Chowk on April 13.

“On reaching there, the girl was taken by the accused to his ‘office’ in a Zen car (PB 10 AX-8070). He drove the girl near the Pakhowal road and raped her in the fields. He then beat her up and left her near the Westend Mall, from where she went home,” the ACP said.

Harbans Singh, SHO Division Number 2, said on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim, a case under Section 376, IPC, had been lodged against the accused. “The medical report has confirmed rape. After taking the accused in police remand, we will try to find whether he is alone in such crimes or a gang is involved. The accused is a driver and a drug addict. He is married and has two children. We will investigate if it is his first crime or he has fooled many such innocent girls,” said the SHO.

Ludhiana, April 18
Public notice recently released by the excise and taxation department is giving jitters to the small scale traders and industrialists.

The notice has asked the traders to give prior information to the department if they are importing goods worth Rs 2 lakh via rail or air. In addition to this they will have to submit the invoice number.

It is the small traders which are finding it more difficult to comply with the new rule as some of them lack the infrastructural facilities, said a source. The industrialists and traders need to get the login name and password from the department before May 1 so that they can give the information online.

Baljeet Singh, a small trader listing his woes, said due to this rule he now have to buy a computer so that he can file the information online at department's website.

"This will add a financial burden on me. Moreover, I am not accustomed with computer that means I have to get my work done from someone else. I have to pay him as well. Filing the details is the responsibility of the department and I fail to understand why they are asking us to do it," he said.

Kamal Malhotra, another trader, said, It will be very difficult for us to give prior information to the department. Sometimes we are not sure of the exact number of items coming. A little here ans there is a regular feature in our trade. If we file wrong information, then we will be fined heavily. The department should check the consignment on check post and file the details, what is the need of giving prior information?" he said.

Another small time trader, Sushant, said, "Sometimes it is very difficult to divulge the information as even we are not sure of the details. In this situation if we file any wrong information, we will be fined heavily. Apart from this I will have to bear the expenses of buying a computer.” 

Ludhiana, April 18
Ration depot holders are on strike against the central government's decision to slash the kerosene quota of Punjab by 63 per cent.

The Kerosene Wholesalers Association had already gone on an indefinite strike and has refused to lift kerosene.

"Yesterday I went to collect some oil from the depot and found that the depot was closed. After inquiring I came to know that the depot owners are on a strike," said Anu, a Ghumar Mandi resident.

Jagdish Rai, one of the depot holders, said they are not getting any commission on kerosene oil that is distributed to below poverty line (BPL) families. “The quota of oil given to us has been curtailed and it will land us in trouble as we will not be able to fulfil the needs of the people,” he said.

"With the reduction in the kerosene quota every cardholder would get only one and half litre of kerosene. Consumers will be asking us for more and we will not be able to give them. We fail to understand how one household will manage with just half liter oil," he said.

He said they would not lift the supply of kerosene until there is a rollback. With slashing of kerosene quota it has become very difficult for them to run their establishments, sources added.

Ludhiana, April 18
The district administration on the orders of the deputy commissioner today removed the rehris from the mini secretariat complex.

SDM (East) Ajay Sood said he has received orders in written from the deputy commissioner for removing the encroachments from the mini secretariat.

"Almost all the rehris were removed today from the mini secretariat and if some are left they will be lifted tomorrow," said Sood. Sources said canteen contractor had lodged a complaint with the deputy commissioner for removing the rehris from the mini secretariat complex. The canteen contractor said that he was given the charge of the eatery in the complex and these rehris were spoiling his business and hence should be removed. 

Ludhiana, April 18
Fine Arts and Photography Club of Punjab Agricultural University organised a photography competition here today.

The competition was sponsored by Directorate of Students' Welfare of PAU. The competition was open for the students of the Punjab Agricultural University and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science (GADVASU). As many as 13 participants took part in the competition, 10 students were from PAU and three from GADVASU.

PAU landscapes, PAU life and flowering, trees and shrubs were the themes for the competition. Participants got two and half hours to prove their skill. Each student submitted 10 photographs to the club.

Anmol, a participant from BSc Home Science, said, "It is a nice experience. It would help to learn new things and add something new in our experience. I represented PAU in North zone Inter-university competition. I am very hopeful about winning this competition too."

Gursimran Singh, another participant, said "Given time was not appropriate for photography as the light was not proper. I submitted 10 photographs but I am not expecting any prizes."

Mann Singh Toor, president of the club, said, "We would display the best 20 photographs clicked by the students in campus.”

Professor Kamaljit Singh from Guru Nanak Engineering College, noted photographer TPS Sandhu and Dr AP Singh were the judges. Results would be declared tomorrow. 

Doraha, April 18
Women awareness-cum-first aid camp was organised at Kaddon village. A team of experts from Veterinary Polytechnic, Patiala, visited the village to educate the women about management, nutrition and care of animals.

Dr Gagandeep Kaushal, Veterinary Officer, Kaddon said role of women in dairy, especially small and marginal farming, is important. “The motive of camp is to impart training to women so that they may enhance their earnings from dairy farming,” he said.

Dr Jagdev Singh from Veterinary Polytechnic, Patiala, stressed on clean milk production and gave tips on healthy udder management. He also discussed about diseases and means of prevention. Dr Preeti Singh delivered a lecture on management of calves and adult animals. She spoke on de-worming animals, timely vaccination, ticks eradication and udder diseases.

Dr Amit Khurana made the villagers aware of insurance schemes, huge subsidies on goat and pig farming and loans available for purchasing animals. Besides distributing free medicines to the farmers, 68 women participants, from economically weaker section, were given Rs 150 allowance.

Ludhiana, April 18
District Industries Centre will be focusing on the improvement of small units through cluster development programme.

“Adequate funds from the government will be provided to them,” said Mahesh Khanna, who recently joined District Industries Centre as the general manager. After assuming the charge, Khanna said he will be planning to bring forth the small units by providing them technical knowledge. The ongoing cluster development programme will also be made stronger he said.

He also met some of the industry representatives from the city and came to know that another airport in Ludhiana is the need of the hour. “Though the city does have an airport but it is not fully operational. Industry people demand that the airport should be allowed to receive international flights and vise e versa to boost trade. Airport is a must at an industrial city like Ludhiana. I will also try and give representations from our side for making the airport operational,” he said.

In addition to this, he said micro-industry in the city is suffering as it lacks a gas link. Gobindgarh, whose additional charge is also with Khanna, will get its gas link by June this year. “Hundred and sixty units have entered into an agreement and will be getting the gas link soon.

"I will try that the industrialists in the city also get a gas link and for this we will be holding talks with the SAIL officials. It will prove to be a boon for the city industries," he said.

In a recently held meeting where officials from the Corporation were also present it was decided that the common effluent treatment plant (CETP) that the industry is going to establish will be there reasonability. "Government will not bear any responsibility and all the expenses will be borne by the industry association that is installing the CETP," he added. 

Ludhiana, April 18
A delegation of SC/BC Teachers’ Union, District unit Ludhiana, led by Balwinder Singh Latala handed over a memorandum to the District Education Officer (S), Lila Rani. The members of the union gave a warm welcome to the newly appointed DEO.

Issues like transfers of teachers, ACP cases, pending GPF payments and limitations of Grade-pay were discussed in the meeting. Lila Rani assured the members that all the issues will be solved on a priority basis. According to the Balwinder Singh, overall attitude of the DEO seemed very positive, cooperative and encouraging. The union members thanked her for her positive response.

Ludhiana, April 18
Although the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) had given time to a few developers of unauthorised colonies on the Dhandra Road (where demolition of internal development works was carried out twice in last few days), the action against other violators in the periphery of the city continued today as well.

Led by GLADA Additional Chief Administrator Jaswant Singh, the team dismantled roads, sewerage manholes and uprooted electricity poles in three colonies being developed in an area of approximately 13 acres in Issewal, Devatwal and Birmi villages. The developers were warned against carrying out any further development or construction work without obtaining licenses and fulfilling the provisions of the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act.

According to the GLADA ACA, a new trend had been witnessed during the ongoing drive where the colonisers and property developers purchased agricultural land adjacent or opposite to the approved and licensed colonies. "Since the unscrupulous developers of unlicensed colonies do not obtain a license or make payment of external development charges to the GLADA, they offer plots just close to the approved colonies at almost half the price," said Jaswant Singh.

While expressing commitment to continue the drive against the mushrooming of unauthorised colonies, the ACA cautioned the general public not to invest their money in such unlicensed and unlawfully developed colonies which are open to demolition and criminal action.

Samrala, April 18
Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana Rahul Tiwari has suspended Patwari Ravinder Kumar on the report of SDM Samrala on graft charges after recovery of Rs 9000 from the office table of the patwari. SDM Samrala, on the complaint of farmer Satvir Singh of Shamgarh village, had recovered the said amount yesterday in presence of some other officials. Deputy Commissioner has also deputed SDM Samrala for further enquiry into the matter and has ordered the recovered amount to be deposited in the treasury. He said that stern action could be taken against the patwari if he is found involved in the case.

While coming openly in support of the patwari, the Revenue Patwar Union and Kanungo Association Samrala today started strike till April 24. Sukhdev Singh, president of the Union Samrala, while talking to The Tribune said that there was no fault of the patwari and he was framed as a former MLA. He said that they had started a ‘pen down’ strike that will continue till April 24. He charged that the currency notes that were said to be recovered from the office table of the patwari Ravinder Kumar were planted in his table in his absence. He said that after April 24 they will widen their agitation and will sit on dharna daily in front of the Tehsil Complex. They also demanded judicial enquiry into the matter and the cancellation of suspension of the patwari.

Meanwhile, former MLA Jagjivan Singh Khirnia, when contacted in this regard, refuted the allegations, denying that he had any grudges against the accused official, and said that the patwari was caught by the officials according to the law. He however made it clear that corruption will not be tolerated at any cost. 

Ludhiana, April 18
The All India State Bank of Patiala Employees Federation is holding social identification programmes at all the zones of the bank to celebrate the founders day of All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) which falls on April 20. The Social Identification Programme of Jalandhar zone was held at the Punjab Trade Centre. A blood donation camp was also held today.

SK Gautam, general secretary, All India State Bank of Patiala Employees Federation, inaugurated the blood donation camp in which around 200 bank employees donated blood. While addressing the bank employees, Gautam said that April 20 is a red letter day in the history of the bank employees’ movement.

Speaking on the occasion Naresh Gaur, president, said, "We all know that donating blood is a social cause. Our struggles and sacrifices are not for the bank employees only, but also for the general public and this is the best way to save lives. Donated blood always saves someone’s life."

Jagraon, April 18
Four persons were injured during a clash between two sides in the Agwar Lopo area on the outskirts of the town this morning. The injured have been identified as Raju, his brother Anil, Joginder Singh and Bhupiner Singh. All four are undergoing treatment at the local Civil Hospital and the matter is under police investigation.

As per information, Raju had lodged a complaint with the police two days ago that Joginder Singh of Geeta Colony had eloped with his wife sometime back, but after she returned, both sides reached a compromise.

In his complaint, Raju alleged that even after the incident, Joginder Singh did not stop calling his wife. He also suspected that both of them were planning to run away again and Raju sought police action against Joginder Singh.

Joginder Singh was summoned by the police for questioning. Raju said this annoyed Joginder Singh, and he and his brother Bhupinder Singh attacked him at his home with swords this morning. Raju and his brother Anil were injured in the attack.

Joginder Singh, who is also admitted at hospital, alleged that when he and his brother were going for work, Raju, Anil and some women attacked them with sticks and bricks and both of them received serious injuries.

Surinder Singh, SHO of the city police station, said the police had recorded the statement of both the sides and investigation was on.

Ludhiana, April 18
Students and faculty members of government colleges are facing the ever increasing menace of stray dogs. They enter colleges at will, lounge around in the gardens, in classes, sleep under the desk, and the authorities seem toothless in dealing with the problem. Attempts to get stray dogs removed from the campus’ have not seen much success.

Students are the most threatened lot. "When these dogs fight, growl and become aggressive, that's when I feel particularly petrified. These can dig their teeth in anyone's skin at that time," says Jyoti, a post-graduation student. Sometimes they slip under the desks, and there is always a fear of getting bitten if we step on them by mistake, says Rohit, another student.

But catching hold of the dogs is not an easy affair for the municipal corporation it seems. According to Jasbir Kaur Makkar, principal, SCD Government College, they had complained to the MC about the problem. But catching stray dogs during the college hours disturbs working at the college. While on holidays the college and the MC, both being government units, are closed.

Principal Gurminder Kaur from Government College for Women says that the dogs have become a nuisance and everyone on campus is susceptible to their attack. She says that MC workers have visited to the campus to catch the dogs a few times, but the dogs seemingly hide away somewhere whenever the MC workers come.

Meanwhile, MC Commissioner, MS Jaggi has assured that the problem would be dealt with very soon. A better technology in catching and sterilising dogs without harming them would be introduced within a few weeks, he said. Sterilising them would help curb their population and the problem in the city, he added.

Ludhiana, April 18
With playway schools springing up in every nook and corner of the city, the demand for a regulatory body for these schools is growing by the day. Parents have started demanding for some pre-requisites or guidelines so that there is a check on the curricula and activities in these schools.

In the absence of any board, or affiliation with a government body, there is no way to check whether a playway school is safe for children. With no regulations in place, it can put the future of children in such a tender age at stake, many parents concur.

Harjeet Singh, a resident, said that some of the schools in the city are fleecing the residents, demanding donations and fee much more than charged by institutes of higher education. Komal, a resident of Urban Estate, said she had to change the playway of her three-year-old because her child used to have classes on the second floor. How can you expect a child to climb up so many times to the second floor. This had started harming his health, she said. Moreover the school had furniture unsuited for young children. "There has to be some guidelines and standards," she said.

Some governing body from education department or a board like the CBSE must step in to take stock of these schools, a parent said. Affiliation to a board, or a license to operate should be a must for maintaining good standards in all the playway schools, he said. Some prerequisites, like adequate space, garden, learning materials, healthy food, qualified child psychologists and teachers should be maintained in such schools, because children entering playway schools are of a tender age, said Sarabjit Singh, a resident. "Either don't allow such schools at all, and if you do, there should be proper regulation," he said.

Not only parents, some of the playway school representatives also agree about the need for regulations in playway schools. "There should be some norms for the playway schools. The government should step in and some form of board or mechanism should be set up for checking the schools," says Amanpreet Singh, director of a chain of schools in the city. Manju Ahluwalia, director of a playway in Civil Lines ,says that many of the playway schools charge whopping amounts, but actually contributing little to the growth and development of kids. SK Gupta from a playway school near Pakhowal Road said that as the the sector is becoming big, there should be some guidelines.

According to DEO (Elementary) Ranjit Singh Malhi, although there is no license, such schools are covered in the Right To Education Act and are required to fill Form 1, mandatory under the act. Some such schools have not yet filled the form, he said, adding that the Education Secretary of the state would bring this matter up in Vidhan Sabha.

Ludhiana, April 18
Deputy DEO Karamjit Kaur visited Pumpkins Kindergarten School today following the interim orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to ensure that Harman Dhingra is permitted to sit in the nursery class of the school.

The Deputy DEO, according to official sources, kept waiting outside the school for fifteen minutes in the afternoon today before she was allowed to enter the school. According to DEO Ranjit Singh Malhi, the school authorities said that they had not received any orders for admission, and would respond only if they receive orders.

The Punjab and Haryana High court had ordered DEO (Elementary), Ludhiana, to depute a responsible teacher to pay a visit to the school to ascertain the well-being of the minor petitioner. The order also says that the petitioner will be permitted to attend the nursery classes in Pumpkin Kindergarten School, subject to the payment of Rs 19,000 within three days. The interim orders were passed by Justice Rajiv Narain Raina in return to the petition filed by Harman Dhingra (a minor), through his father Jatin Pal Singh Dhingra.

Phillaur, April 18
A newly married woman Rajni reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself in her-in-laws house in Kahna-Dhesian village in here today.

Ludhiana, April 18
Tightening its noose over drug peddlers active in the city, the police has arrested several accused from different areas in the last 24 hours. Drugs and liquor worth several lakhs of rupees were seized from the possession of the drug peddlers.

Ashok Kumar, alias Shoki, resident of Street Number 13, Salem Tabri, was arrested from Gandhi Nagar Pulli, Mohalla Shivpuri, for carrying 1 kg of charas.

A case under Sections 20-61-85 of the NDPS Act have been registered against the accused.

In another incident, Gurpreet Singh, alias Preet, also called liquor smuggling “king”, was arrested during a drive at Chowk Karabara. As many as 275 bottles of liquor were recovered from his Accent car. A case under Sections 61-1-14 of the Excise Act have been registered against him.

The police also arrested Sandeep Kumar from near Shingar Cinema and seized 36 bottles of liquor from his possession.

In another incident, the Central Jail authorities arrested a suspicious looking man who had come to meet a jail inmate. The authorities recovered intoxicants and a mobile phone from his shoes.

Ludhiana, April 18
Judicial Magistrate Amarinder Pal Singh today extended the police remand of Umesh, Pritpal Singh and Harwinder Singh, prime accused in the double murder case of Moga DSP Balraj Singh Gill and Monica Kapila, till April 20.

However, the court declined the request of the police for extending the police remand of three other persons -- Ravinder, Hassanjit and Davinder, who were arrested in the case.

The court observed that there was no cogent reason for extending their police remand. The accused were ordered to be sent to jail in judicial remand. The prosecution had stressed that police remand was essential for all the

six accused involved in the case. It was argued that “sabal” and “dasta”, the weapons used by the accused to kill the DSP and the woman, were still to be recovered.

Also, they wanted to go through the report of the Joint Interrogation Centre, Amritsar, where the accused were interrogated. The report has not reached them yet. The DSP and Monica were found brutally murdered at a farmhouse in Golf Link near Hambran Road, Ludhiana.

Ludhiana, April 18
Two-day 8th National Blind Sports Meet concluded on Wednesday at sports stadium in Baddowal village of Ludhiana district.

On the final day of this meet interesting event were witnessed by audience.

West Bengal's Sampa Madail won three gold medals in 100 metre, 200 metres and shot-put events of under-16 B 3 category (girls).

On the other hand Deepak Malik of Haryana won gold medals in 100 and 200 metres race in under-16 B 3 category (boys).