No action
The auditors have taken a serious view of the irregularity, which they added, had repeatedly been pointed out in audit reports for the last many years without the LIT officials taking any action to show the consumption of the material or recover the cost of the material from the officials or contractors to whom it was issued.

Ludhiana, May 2
Cocking a snook at the claims of the police department, two incidents of snatching were reported in the city today. In the first incident, two youths on a motorcycle snatched a gold chain from a woman in the Chander Nagar area.

The victim has been identified as Upma Kapoor, who was returning home after visiting the BSNL office in Rishi Nagar.

Two youths -- one turbaned and the other clean-shaven -- started chasing her. When she reached near her house in Chander Nagar, the youths intercepted her scooter and snatched the gold chain.

In the second incident, two motorcycle-borne youths snatched a purse from the wife of a retired jail superintendent in the Ghumar Mandi area.

The snatchers also fled with a .32 licensed pistol of the jail superintendent that was kept in the purse.

The incident took place here this evening when Jasdeep Kaur, wife of Charanjit Singh, retired jail superintendent, had gone to Ghumar Mandi for shopping. Charanjit Singh said his wife was about to enter a shop when two youths riding a black motorcycle came from behind and snatched her purse.

A high alert has been sounded in the city since the snatchers were in possession of a pistol.

Snatchings not uncommon in Rishi Nagar
Snatching incidents are common in the Rishi Nagar area. The police is aware that a turbaned youth and a clean-shaven man are carrying out snatchings in Rishi Nagar and surrounding areas, but nothing has been done so far to nab the suspects. On April 27, the youths had snatched the earrings of a 67-year-old woman while she was returning home after visiting a temple in Rishi Nagar.

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Ludhiana, May 2
It’s hardly nine days after the Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar had sounded the bugle for the Municipal Corporation elections in Ludhiana, and the fissures within the party are already emerging.

Ashok Pappi Prashar, who contested unsuccessfully from the Ludhiana South seat during the Assembly elections, had claimed that Bhupinder Sidhu, who had “opposed” him during the polls, had been expelled from the party by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president, Capt Amarinder Singh. The spokesperson for the PPCC president, however, stated that he had not been expelled.

Prashar convened a press conference today and claimed that he had received a communiqué, dated January 28, 2012, from the party high command last evening. He claimed that the high command was acting tough against those who had opposed party candidates.

However, the spokesperson stated: “This is in reference to some queries from the media about the purported expulsion of Bhupinder Singh Sidhu from the Congress. The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president has clarified that Bhupinder Sidhu has not been expelled from the party. Capt Amarinder said Sidhu is very much in the party and has a good future as he is a promising worker who worked hard during the elections for the party.”

Sidhu said he was very much an active member of the Congress. He said he would take up the matter with the high command.

Ludhiana, May 2
The police claims to have busted a transnational gang of thieves with the arrest of eight persons who were behind 25 incidents of theft in Delhi, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Nepal.

The accused have been identified as Moti Lal, a Nepalese, Ram Nath, Rehmat Mansori, Balram Shastri, Mohd Shakir, Majim Rai, Mohd Alam and Mohd Shoaib, all residents of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, were arrested during a police naka near the railway station here last night.

The police has recovered iron rods and other tools which the accused used to break open shutters.

The ACP, Swapan Sharma, said Moti Ram was the kingpin of the gang and used to collect persons from Bihar and Nepal to strike at shops in the city. The SHO Kotwali, Surinder Mohan, said the accused used to check in a hotel located close to the railway station. “They used to strike during the wee hours and flee with cash,” he said.

The police has also recovered two stolen motorcycles from the possession of the accused.

Jagraon, May 2
The cemented covers of the sewerage manholes fixed at various locations in the town only a few months ago by the local municipal council have started giving way.

During the past six months, more than 30 cemented sewerage manhole covers have caved in. A cemented manhole cover on the local College Road has caved in six times since it was fixed by the local municipal council about five months back. The manhole cover had caved in thrice in December, last year.

Residents said on the College Road, the cemented cover was installed by the employees of the municipal council in the second week of November after removing an iron manhole.

“Though the iron manhole cover was in a good condition, still the municipal council replaced it with a cemented one. Now, the cemented cover breaks almost every month,” said Jagmohan Singh, a shopkeeper on the College Road.

The civic body had replaced 17 iron manhole covers throughout the city with cemented covers last year. But these have also started giving way.

“I fail to understand why the municipal council replaced iron manhole covers with the cemented ones,” said Laxman Singla, a resident of the Railway Road, where three cemented manhole covers had caved in.

Two manhole covers, including one on the College Road and the other on the Tehsil Road, have not been replaced so far.

The residents alleged that substandard material was used by the contractor.

While refuting the allegation, MC president Baldev Krishan Dhir said he was aware of the broken manhole covers and had already asked the employees to replace these. 

Ludhiana, May 2
Surjit Singh Rakhra, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister, said the government was planning to take steps for generating employment and curbing drug menace in the state.

He said in order to curb the drug menace, the government would “honour” villages that were drug-free.

He was the chief guest during a two-day seminar on Women and Rural Development organised at Punjab Agricultural University. He said drug menace was afflicting the youth from all sections of society and was spreading rapidly. “Children from well-off families are also affected by the problem,” he said. Last couple of decades had witnessed more development than what was witnessed in the previous thousand years, he added.

Ludhiana, May 2
Punjabi Bhawan was bustling with people and plays last night. The open air theatre of Punjabi Bhawan was all packed to capacity as men, women and even children had gathered to watch the plays organised to mark the Labour Day.

Inqualabi Sabhyacharak Samagam was organised by the Punjab Lok Sabhyacharak Manch from 8 in the evening till 5 in the morning. The function was dedicated to playwright Gursharan Singh. Different theatre groups from various parts of the state had gathered to stage plays.

Stalls of books, including the themes of communism and history, were laid at the entrance to the theatre. Five plays of Gursharan Singh, including “Akhan”, were staged by the Amritsar Natak Kala Kendra, Chandigarh, Dhamak Nagare Di was staged by Rangmanch from Amritsar, Sukhi Vase Maskeenia by Suchetak Rang Manch, Mohali, Mitti Da Mul by the Chetna Kala Kendra, Chamkaur Sahib, Sees Tali Te by the Lok Kala Manch, Mandi Mullapur.

Apart from the plays, poetry groups of Rasulpur, Muktiar Kaffar, Lok Sangeet Mandli Bhadod presented poetry and songs. A documentary on the life of Gursharan Singh “Sada Safar Te” was also screened.

The audience came from different parts of the state to participate in the event. The plays focused on the struggle of people from lower strata and their trials and tribulations. Amolak Singh gave a speech recounting the Chicago episode and the problems that the labourers and lower strata of society faced even in present times. Plays of Gursharan Singh on the occasion of Labour Day was most fitting tribute to the day as well as to Gursharan Singh, said Vishal, present in the audience. Both are about the crusade of bringing struggles of people to the fore,” he added.

Ludhiana, May 2
A two-day national seminar on “Women and Rural Development: Critical Issues” jointly organised by the College of Home Science of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Home Science Association of India (Punjab Branch). Delegates from different parts of India and Pakistan attended the seminar.

Dr Uma Joshi, president, Home Science Association of India, said 2013 would be celebrated as the 100th year of introduction of home science in India. During the seminar, technical sessions on “Empowerment Issues: Status and Future Strategies”, “Women and Local Governance”, and “Food, Health and Hygiene” were conducted by Dr Joshi, Renee Singh, psychotherapist and Dr Satinder Bajaj, former Vice-Chancellor, EIILM University, Sikkim, respectively.

Chief guest Surjit Singh Rakhra, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister, Punjab, called upon the science fraternity of the PAU to continue working untiringly for the welfare of people in rural areas.

Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, said while making so many sacrifices for the family, women must adopt an assertive attitude. “The PAU is laying a special focus on capacity building and development of skills of rural women through the organisation of training programmes,” he added.

Urwinder Kaur Grewal, member of the PAU board of management, said schemes should be introduced to honour women. Dr Bajaj stressed on passing a resolution to save the girl child and encouraging the women to fight for themselves. Harish Rai Dhanda, former Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab, Balbir Singh Chaudhary, MLA, Himachal Pradesh, attended the inaugural session of the seminar. 

Ludhiana, May 2
To act tough against the “callous” attitude adopted by those responsible for the renewal of arms dealership licences, the department of home, law and justice (Home-2-Branch), has asked the District Magistrates and Commissioners all over the state to ensure that the expired licences are renewed within 15 days.

Sources said the letter had been issued recently by the department. The letter mentioned that it had been observed that licences of arms dealers were sent to the government after years of expiry and the dealers facing several kinds of problems approached the department and government with no other choice left.

The letter directed the District Magistrates and Commissioners that under clause 64 of the Right to Service Act, 2011, the licences had to be renewed within 15 days. Under the Arms Act, 1959/Arms Rules, 1962, the licences of arms dealers had to be renewed within stipulated time. In case, any dealer approaches the court on the serious issue, the responsibility will be of the DM/ Commissioner concerned.

Gurpreet Bassi Gogi, a Congress councillor and an arms dealer, said the licences were never renewed on time.

“They renew the licences for three years or so. My licence has expired and it has not been renewed for more than four years. In case we have to make fresh purchases, we cannot do so as it is illegal to sale and purchase arms without a valid licence. Despite making efforts and several requests, I have failed to get my licence renewed. It is just because of the dilly-dallying attitude adopted by the staff that licences are not renewed after years of expiry date,” lamented Gogi. 

Ludhiana, May 2
After the Bains brothers formally joined their “mother party” Shiromani Akali Dal yesterday, some leaders are in a dilemma as to whether they will get party ticket from different wards this time. Earlier, Bains brothers had announced to field Independent candidates from all 75 wards of the city and since then some leaders from their group had started preparing for the MC elections.

In December last year, the SAD (B) had not allotted party ticket to Simarjit Singh Bains from the Atam Nagar constituency and instead allotted ticket to his elder brother Balwinder Singh Bains from the Ludhiana (South) constituency. Perturbed over this, the brothers “returned” the party ticket to SAD president and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and announced to contest as Independents. The brothers were then expelled from the party.

Interestingly, Bains brothers managed to win from both the constituencies and later announced to field Independent candidates from all 75 wards of the city.

A leader close to Bains brothers told The Tribune, “When both the brothers were campaigning in their respective constituencies, they had promised those, who had worked hard during the election days that they would field them as Independents for the upcoming MC elections. Some of them had even started working in their respective wards and were hopeful of contesting the elections. But as the brothers have come back into the party fold, it is likely that now the tickets will be allotted by the party instead of Bains brothers themselves,” said a leader, who himself was “promised” a ticket by Bains brothers.

Not only this, some leaders were fielded by the Bains brothers during the last MC elections held in 2007. These leaders, including Parminder Singh Soma, Kamaljit Singh Karwal and Swarandeep Singh Chahal (now councillors), had defeated SAD candidates at that time. Later, three of them had also joined the Akali Dal.

Now, it will be interesting to see who manages to get “party” ticket from the wards represented by Soma, Karwal and Chahal.

When contacted, Simarjit Singh Bains said, “I have always stood by leaders from my group and this time also I will make sure that all those, who can win the seats, are allotted party ticket. But final decision will be taken by the party high command,” claimed Bains. 

Ludhiana, May 2
The economic and financial slump in the Europen Union, U.S.A. and other region are spreading fast. As a result, there is slow down in major economies of the world and Punjab's industry is also feeling the impact of the global slowdown. Its export orders are dwindling. It is generally felt that one of the reasons for this slow down are austerity measures and lack of incentives. As it is there is a heavy burden on the industry and the Punjab Power Regulatory Commission is yet to decide tariff of the current year while the industry has already booked orders on the previous rates.

“The Regulatory Commission is urged to look into the genuine concerns of the industrial consumers in particular. Since the industry has to face global competition, the commission is urged to rationally balance while fixing the tariff. The new tariff has to be effective from April 1. Any delay in announcing the new tariff will burden the industry as cost of production has been based on the old tariff and sales realised. Any upward revision will have to be borne by the producer," said PD Sharma, president of the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"Apart from high tariff, the Punjab Government has withdrawn all types of taxes on power, octroi on diesel and petrol. Power still attracts 10 paisa per unit as octroi. Punjab is the only state to have such a tax on power," added GS Kahlon, president of the Auto Parts Manufacturers Association.

The Punjab government levies electricity duty at the rate of 13 per cent, which is almost the highest in the country. The tax is taking a heavy toll on the industry. Industries have urged the government to impose VAT on electricity duty, added Sharma.

"The industrial growth is nominal in Punjab and is gradually going down mainly due to heavy burden of taxes. We urge the Chief Minister to come to the rescue of the industry in its very difficult time. With the coming up of the Bathinda Refinery, the state government will be relieved where revenue is concerned. As such the undue burden of electricity duty and octroi on power should be waived off for at least the industrial consumers as they have to face stiff global competition. This can be done by imposing VAT on these taxes," added another industrialist Vinay Sood.

Ludhiana, May 2
As the Municipal Corporation Ludhiana (MCL) polls are approaching, various political parties have got into the poll overdrive mode.

The Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) is gearing up for the May 7 visit of its national president Nitin Gadkari. In a meeting held at the party office here today, district president Parveen Bansal allocated duties to party workers for the May 6 and May 7 programmes. He said the thrust of the programmes would be constructive discussions on the Municipal Corporation and Municipal Council polls.

Meanwhile, the District Congress Committee held a meeting today in which the Central Block II president and ward presidents were instructed to form a 31-member committee in each ward. These committees will go door-to-door to gather information about anomalies in the voters' list.

Yesterday, the Punjab Mahila Congress president Malti Thapar had held a meeting with the party workers to chalk out a strategy for the Municipal Corporation (MC) polls.

"We have to strengthen the party at the grass-root level. Our focus is on the block as well as the district level. The party workers have to be mobilised for the polls," she said.

Trying to project a brave front vis-à-vis the Congress defeat in the state Assembly polls, the All-India Mahila Congress general secretary Anita Babbar said it was easier for a party that was out of power to bring to the public notice the issues that needed to be focused upon.

Thapar alluded to the lack of adequate representation of women party workers in the Assembly polls by conceding that it could have been the last reason for the party's debacle in the Assembly polls. "The women in the party feel that if we had been given the tickets, we could have done better," she added.

Hopeful that the women party workers would get a better deal this time in the MC polls, she said the finer points on the allocation of the tickets for the MC polls were for the high command to decide. However, Babbar clarified that the workers' contribution to the party would be an important factor in the allocation of ticket. 

Ludhiana, May 2
Rectifying squint is not only important from cosmetic point of view, but it adds to the psychological and emotional distress of the patient suffering form it, says Dr Satish Thomas, pediatric ophthalmologist and squint specialist at Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana.

He said that it could cause decreased vision because of amblyopia, if the squint was in one eye. In addition, every case of squint can lead to loss of stereovision or three-dimensional vision. We can have three-dimensional vision only when both the eyes function simultaneously.

Children with squint suppress image from one eye in order to avoid double vision, but in the process lose three- dimensional vision.

Thomas further said that squint was best corrected as early as possible after its onset. This is because three-dimensional vision can only be restored if eyes are realigned within about a year of onset, which is before two years of age.

Amblyopia or lazy eye can only be treated before 7 or 8 years of age. If squint is to be operated only for cosmetic purposes, then timing of surgery does not matter as much. A surgeon can operate and correct squint at any age, but unless it is done very early in life, the patient cannot obtain binocular vision and three-dimensional perception ability, which is important criterion for many professions. It is important even for simple activities like threading a needle.

Many patients who come late have been advised that they have to wait until they get older to get their squint operated upon he said. Squints should be treated as soon as it is detected.

100 kids treated this year
Last year, close to 100 children with squint were treated. Twenty of them have been operated upon and many of them have been corrected with appropriate spectacles and occlusion therapy. However, the number of adults coming in with congenital squints is also on the rise. Last year about 50 adult patients underwent surgery for squint.

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