Ludhiana, May 5
As municipal corporation (MC) elections are nearing, the practice of installing billboards, commonly known as ‘flex boards’, in different wards has been started in the city.

Several ‘leaders’ have installed billboards, which contain photographs of senior party leaders, claiming that they will ‘serve’ residents, if given a chance.

To derive political mileage, a virtual war over installing ‘flex boards’ at prominent sites in and around the city has begun on a large scale.

The city is dotted with ‘flex boards’ installed by leaders, some of which have been put up illegally, on private buildings, electricity poles and other places.

To make sure that ‘flex boards’ are not removed by MC officials, photographs of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal, Youth Akali Dal president Bikram Singh Majithia, PWD minister Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and other senior leaders have been included on the ‘flex boards’.

Self-proclaimed candidates, including ‘keen’ contenders from almost all political parties, have installed billboards with almost a common theme, with “tuhadi seva vich haazir’ (at your service) written thereon. With every passing day, residents get to see new ‘leaders’.

A resident of Sarabha Nagar said, “I have been living here for decades and have never seen this person. Now I get to see his posters and billboards in all parts of ward 56, which is surprising.”

SAD councillor and Youth Akali Dal leader Tanvir Singh Dhaliwal said such billboards could be installed only if a leader felt that he had done something for residents.

“If a leader thinks that he will get votes or be accepted by residents just by installing billboards, he is mistaken. A party wants a leader who is attached to residents on a daily basis and not one who gets active a month before elections,” he added.

A senior leader said the main reason behind installing ‘flex boards’ was that all wards had more than one contender for party ticket.

“Some leaders think that they will be noticed by senior party leaders after installing billboards, which is funny,” he added.

Ludhiana, May 5
If sources within Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) are to be believed, former chief parliamentary secretary Harish Rai Dhanda might be projected as next Ludhiana Mayor for the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections. However, Dhanda has rubbished it as just a “rumour” and said that he is not interested in contesting the MC elections.

A noted lawyer, Harish Rai Dhanda had won the 2007 Vidhan Sabha elections from Ludhiana (West) constituency. He also remained the chairman of Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana before contesting the 2007 Vidhan Sabha elections. Termed as the Hindu face of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), he is known as a firebrand leader.

The MC elections are due next month and this time, the party wants to project some senior leader to become the first citizen of the financial capital of the state.

Presently Hakam Singh Giaspura is the Mayor, but he had contested the last Vidhan Sabha elections from Ludhiana South constituency and had lost by a big margin. The leader who defeated Giaspura, Balwinder Singh Bains, was expelled from SAD (B) when he contested the elections as an independent against him. But with Balwinder, as well as his younger brother Simarjit Singh Bains re-joining the party, the political equations within the Akali Dal have changed.

When contacted, Harish Rai Dhanda said that he is not willing to contest the MC elections. “The party has given me responsibility for screening and selecting probable candidates for the MC elections. Maybe that is why, some people think that I am eyeing the Mayor’s post, which is not true. I am a devoted party worker and will abide by all decisions taken by my party. But when it comes to contesting the MC elections, I am not ready. I have been hearing all kinds of rumours about myself ever since our party formed the government. The first rumour I heard was that I am being made the Advocate General, then I heard that I am being made a Rajya Sabha member, and now the Mayor,” he said smilingly.

Last year, Dhanda had resigned from his post of an MLA as well as Chief Parliamentary Secretary when he was appointed as the chairman of Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC). Later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed Dhanda’s appointment as PPSC chairman and since then he has been working for the party.

It is likely that if Dhanda refuses to contest the MC elections, he might be considered as a candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from the city. “I am willing to contest the Lok Sabha elections, but only if my party decides so,” he told The Tribune.

Ludhiana, May 5
Local Akali leaders presented their list of potential candidates for the Municipal Corporation (MC) polls to the party's six-member committee that met on the PAU campus here today.

The meeting, chaired by Cabinet Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, was attended by panel members Cabinet Minister Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Akali leader Hira Singh Gabria, and MLAs Manpreet Singh Ayali, Ranjit Singh Dhillon, and Darshan Singh Shivalik. Akali leaders Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Harish Rai Dhanda and Mayor Hakam Singh Giaspura also attended the meeting.

It is learnt that the Bains brothers too submitted their list of candidates for the MC polls to the panel.

According to sources, the panel did not rule out seat-swapping with the Akali Dal's coalition partner BJP, if required. Sources also revealed that once the lists of potential candidates submitted today were scrutinised, the final list of the selected candidates would be announced by the party high command. "Winnability" would be an important factor in the selection of the candidates, said one of the panel members who attended today's meeting.

It was also decided that the leaders of the Akali Dal would hold a meeting with the BJP leaders to decide on the specifics of the MC polls in Ludhiana.

Meanwhile, the national president of BJP, Nitin Gadkari, is visiting Ludhiana on May 7. The BJP has its state-level meeting scheduled for May 6 in the city. 

Ludhiana, May 5
At least nine persons, including a woman, were injured, three of them seriously, during a fight over about two acres at Sangowal village today.

While one group started firing, the other used sharp-edged weapons to take control of the land. Two passersby, who stood near the spot, received bullet injuries.

According to information available, the incident took place this morning. After getting information from village residents, the sadar thana police rushed to the spot.

The police took the injured to hospital. During the bloody brawl, fingers of two persons were cut while others received bullet injuries.

Some of the injured were identified as Jasbir Singh, Rajkumar Golu, Baljit Kaur, Charanjit Singh, Hoshiar Singh, Daljit Singh and Rupinder Singh, alias Happy.

The SHO said they got information that Jasbir of Kot Agga village had purchased two acres from Daljit at Khanpur village and was using it for agricultural purposes for the last three years.

While Jasbir was at the fields today, Daljit and some relatives of hers reached there and started arguing with him.

Fearing threatened, Jasbir fired in the air, following which the group fled. When Jasbir was going back in his jeep, the other group attacked him and his workers with sharp-edged weapons near Sangowal village.

Jasbir started firing at the other group. Persons of both groups got injured. The rival group took away Jasbir’s jeep. The police said the statements of both parties would be recorded.

The police said Daljit had sold another piece of land earlier. Her relatives had indulged in a fight with the purchaser and had taken away Rs 33 lakh then after threatening the buyer.

Ludhiana, May 5
Cracking the whip against hookah bars being run at several areas in the city, the police raided the Cheeni Hookah Bar at the Ansal Plaza here last night.

The police recovered nine hookahs and 10 boxes of the material used. The police registered a case against the owner and the manager under Section 188 of the IPC.

In another development, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rahul Tiwari issued a ban on hookah bars in the district under Section 144 of the CrPC. The order would be in force for two months.

Hookah bars had been the latest craze among students, especially schoolchildren. To attract customers, owners of hookah bars served flavoured tobacco.

Though the police had been conducting raids to curb the menace, the practice was rampant. Those aged between 14 years and 22 years visited hookah bars and slowly got addicted to nicotine.

Gaganit Singh (name changed), a class-XII student, said hookah bars were serving tobacco molasses containing nicotine, which was injurious to health.

“Students know that it is bad for health, but visit hookah bars. A majority of them belong to the elite class. They are slowly addicted to it. Those who refuse to accompany friends to hookah bars are labelled cowards. I do not mind it since I am not spoiling my health,” said the student.

In February, police and health officials conducted raids on hookah bars and challaned 13 youngsters. Many others were challaned for smoking or selling cigarettes at public places close to educational and religious institutions.

Dr RL Narang, retired head of the department of psychiatry, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, has said, “We meet here everyday, do yoga exercises, walk and shares jokes and stories wth each other to relax. This goes on for an hour and helps us remain happy throughout the day.”

Dr Ravinder Vatsayan, an ayurveda teacher, has said, “Laughter or ‘hasyaras’ is one of the important constituents of the nine expressions of human behavior. Only human beings can laugh. Timely and healthy laughter improves mental and physical health. In yoga, we recommend ‘hasyaasan’, which exhilarates the system. If performed in the morning, it prepares the person for a better day.”

Ludhiana, May 6
Lord Mahavir Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, is going to have an “Eye Collection Centre”. While making this announcement, Dr Daljeet Singh Kochhar, District Programme Manager, National Programme for Control of Blindness said,"This will be the first government eye collection centre of the district. We have already been provided a room for this purpose at the Civil Hospital, a scooter, and a refrigerator. A mobile number has also been allotted to us which we will make public so that anyone who wants to donate his or her eyes may contact us. Our own employee will go to collect the donated eyes of the deceased."

When asked about the possible time by when the centre would be functional, Dr Kochhar said, "An inspection team from the office of Director Research and Medical Education will visit to verify all requirements. As far training of the staff is concerned, we already have trained our staff. I hope we will start it soon."

After the opening of this centre, the donated eyes will be provided to any hospital (having the facilities to transplant) for free corneal eye transplant.

Jagraon, May 5
With the work of lifting garbage from various places of the town being started by A 2 Z Company, local residents have heaved a sigh of relief.

The people of Jagraon as well as the newly elected MLA Shiv Ram Kaler have high expectations from this project. With this the long pending need for an effective garbage disposal system (an area in which the municipal council has failed miserably so far) seems to have been fulfilled. But it remains to be seen how much better this new project will perform and how long will the company manage to maintain the performance.

However, the local residents are hopeful that this new initiative will work out and solve the sanitation problems of the town. As per the information, a private company, A to Z has been given the contract for lifting the garbage dumped at six specific locations of the town. From there this garbage will be taken in company trucks to the main dumping ground of the local municipal council near ancient Bhadarkali Mata Mandir, and then to Hambran from where it will be disposed off.

The six specific locations identified for dumping the garbage by the municipal council sweepers and cleaners are near Kalyani Hospital and Community Hall at Raikot Road, near Railway Crossing at Sherpura Road, Agwar Lopo, Agwar Dala and Disposal Road. Six sub garbage dumping centres have been made at these places.

Earlier today morning, local MLA Shiv Ram Kaler formally inaugurated the project by giving green signal to the first garbage carrying vehicle of the company. Some officials of the company were also present during the occasion along with various other leaders of the ruling party.

Kaler hoped that this project will prove a huge success and will provide a relief to the city residents as far as lifting of garbage is concerned. Later on he also inaugurated another project which he claimed will make possible hundred percent water supply to the entire city. This project, however, will take some time to complete.

Doraha, May 5
The craze for swimming is becoming a passion among children as more and more of them are registering for swimming pools every day.

“My child is already in class X. After two years he is going to move out in any case. I am very concerned about his safety especially in the water as drowning cases are on the rise. I want my child to learn swimming at all costs so that he can become his own life guard and save others life in the time of need,” expressed Darpan’s mother.

“My child always keeps himself engrossed in books. He has no outing and has to be taken out under compulsion. I made him join swimming much against his wishes, as I wanted that he should be involved in one or the other physical exercise and swimming was suggested to be one of the best. But now he is not ready to skip even one single day and enjoys a lot,” says Anita, mother of Aavaig, who is in class VI.

“The kids feel too exhausted these days especially when they have to bear the burden at the very beginning of the next class. On the one hand they are just trying to cope up with the new syllabus and on the other their exams are fast approaching in this very month. The children have to face a lot of mental pressure and due to which why I felt that I my child should at least be relieved for an hour or so and then start afresh,” was the reply of Aayush’s mother.

“I really get bored by my daily routine in the school. Study and study, all day long, makes one dull. I wanted a break at the end of the school, come what may. I have felt that once in the pool, I forget all that was going outside the pool and inside my mind, at least for that particular hour. Swimming, I feel, really relieves you of the mental pressure and makes you feel fresh as ever,” said Saaransh of class X.

“This time the weather was so unpredictable that we could not begin with the coaching in any case before 13th April. But even at that time we just met with a lukewarm response, the weather playing spoil sport every time. But slowly as the mercury rose more and more children began to register themselves,” said a swimming coach Ashwani Sharma, who trains students, being a part of Nirmal Facility Group at the Community Centre.

There are multiple reasons why children or for that matter their parents prefer to make their child learn swimming. While some view it from safety point of view others are more interested in making it a part of their daily exercise, said he.

Ludhiana, May 5
The Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh had a meeting with members of the CII at the Police Lines here today.

Additional Deputy Commisioner 2 Bhupinder Singh Sidhu, Additional Deputy Commsioner 4 Sushil Kumar, the SHO City Traffic Manjinder Singh in addition to 50 members also participated in the meeting. The CII members were informed about the police control room, in addition to various campaigns and services by the police department including web services, Suvidha centre, Right to Service Act, and the benefits of installation of the CCTV cameras at homes and industries.

The police also informed about the Facebook account of the department and use of the GPRS to check theft of cars.

The CII personnel were also informed about the towing of cars to improve traffic conditions in the city and about the control room numbers. They were informed that the PCR patrolling has been increased in the industrial areas. Workers and drivers of commercial and non-commercial areas of industrial areas of the city are being provided training about traffic rules. Booklets on traffic rules were also made available to the members.

Buddh Purnima celebrations

The birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, who gave the message of truth, compassion and humanity to society, was celebrated at the Bal Bharati Public School campus with religious fervour and enthusiasm. Students were encouraged to follow the teachings and thoughts of Lord Buddha and to work with peace and harmony for the betterment of society.

Declamation contest

It was a moment to cherish for the GGN Public School team when they were declared winners in the Inter-School Declamation Contest at Nehru Sidhant Kendra on May 4. As many as 26 teams from various schools across the city participated in the contest and expressed their views in English, Hindi and Punjabi. Arpit Kaur and Manveen Kaur of GGN Public School were declared first among the English and Punjabi speakers respectively.

BCM-Dugri

Mother’s Day was celebrated at BCM Dugri with great enthusiasm. Children from all classes were seen engrossed in preparing tokens, like greeting cards and photo frames, to express their affection towards their mothers. They were also shown a documentary highlighting the gratitude we owe to our mothers.

Book week

A “Book Week” was organised at Ram Lal Bhasin Public School to inculcate the habit of reading books among students and to encourage them to polish their language skills in English. Students were given a chance to think critically about the materials, literature and novels they read. Students also focused on the purpose and content of the books and reflected their opinions through the event.

Nanak school

Mother's Day was celebrated by the tiny tots of Guru Nanak Public School, Model Town Extension, in the Nursery Wing on May 5 with the aim of thanking mothers for all the love, care and affection they give to their children. Competitions like talent hunt, one-minute game show, musical chair, and modelling were organised and were enthusiastically participated. The winners of each event were given prizes.

Orientation programme

An orientation program was held at the KVM Civil Lines for the parents of the KG section students. The parents were informed about the parenting styles and the common problems faced by the parents in upbringing their children. The function started with a prayer and the parents who had spared their time for attending the program were thanked.

Investiture

An investiture ceremony was organised at BCM School, Basant City, here today. Boys and girls went through various competitions and tests and were assigned the positions of head boy, head girl, house captains and prefects.

Prize distribution

A prize distribution function was organised in the KVM school campus to felicitate outstanding students of the 2011-12 session. Students were encouraged to work hard and with sincerity during the event.

Decoration competition

A “Bulletin Board Decoration Competition” was organised for classes VII-XII as the weekend activity. The students of respective classes worked together to decorate their classroom bulletin boards. The materials displayed were artistically embedded in various themes. The display boards were judged by a panel of teachers.

DBGS function

To express their gratitude to their mother, the students of DBGS celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday. As a prelude to the main function children prepared cards for their mothers. The function began with a speech in English, thanking mothers for all the sacrifices they make for their children. This was followed by songs, skits and dances, all on the theme of mother's love.

Energy Tech

Energy Tech 2012 came to an end at the GNPS Sarabha Nagar. Students presented their skills in mime, face painting and debating contests. The results of various events are: Mathematical Model Making: KVM -I; BCM Shastri Nagar -II; GNIPS and BVM Kitchlu Nagar -III. Debate: Sacred Heart Convent School Sarabha Nagar-I; BCM Shastri Nagar-II; GNIPS-III. Mime Presentation: BCM Shastri Nagar-I; GNIPS-II; Spring Dale-III. Face Painting: BCM Basant Avenue-I; BCM Shastri Nagar-II, DCM Presidency and Sacred Heart Sarabha Nagar-III. Quiz: MGM Public School-I; BCM Shastri Nagar-II; Sacred Heart Sarabha Nagar-III.

Healthy baby contest

Keeping in mind the present health scenario, the tiny tots of pre-nursery and nursery sections of Green Land Convent School, Sec-32, Chandigarh Road, Ludhiana, celebrated Healthy Baby Contest. Children were judged by their physical fitness and strength. Blood groups of these tiny tots were also checked. In this contest Harpreet Singh stood first followed by Gurleen Kaur (second) and Damanpreet Bagged (third)

Inter-house basketball

An inter-house basketball tournament was organised by Doraha Public School on the school premises today. The three houses of the school-Satluj, Beas and Ravi-competed in the event. The Chief Guest on the occasion was Sukhpal Singh, chairman, Doraha Group of Institutes. Ashwini Kumar, senior basketball coach of Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana, was the guest of honour.

Graduation ceremony

Green Land Convent School, Civil City, celebrated its graduation ceremony and annual prize distribution of the KG Wing today. The parents of the students were special invitees on the occasion. The ceremony began with a dance performance dedicated to Lord Krishna, followed by welcome song. Students wearing graduation caps and gowns were seen thrilled. A total of 121 students were given their graduation certificates.

“Go-green”

A power-point presentation was organised in Green Land Convent School, Dugri, on the topic "Go Green". The initiative was taken by the science department to make the students aware of the environmental issue, their remedies and solutions. There were 12 presentations based on the themes of recycling, water conservation, afforestation, green energy etc.

— Tribune Reporters

Ludhiana, May 5
The city police has arrested three persons, including a woman, and recovered seven kilogram charas from their possession near Gandhi Nagar area here today.

The accused, identified as Shahid Anwar, Ahmed Sishad and Zohra Khatoon, were arrested during a police checking. On questioning they confessed that they were paddling the contraband from Bihar. — TNS

Khamano, May 5
A married woman of Shadipur village allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance at her house. As per information, Sandeep Kaur had married Pardeep Singh three years ago. She committed suicide, reportedly, due to some problems at home. 

Ludhiana, May 5
Afraid of receiving a thrashing from his wife for selling the valuables of the house, a man concocted a theft story, but ended up falling in the police net after he gave a wrong statement.

The accused, identified as Davinder Singh, is a resident of Dhandra. The incident, he claimed, took place today as thieves struck at his house in Dhandra and decamped with cash, gold ornaments and a car.However, during the search police found that everything was in order in the house. “This raised suspicion. During the investigation it was found that Davinder's wife Paramjit Kaur was recently caught in a court complex in a case of furnishing bail bond on the basis of fake documents. Making use of his wife’s absence, Davinder Singh sold the valuables lying in the house, and today, when she was released on bail, Davinder concocted a theft story," said ASI Balbir Singh. The police has recovered the stolen valuables . — TNS