Ludhiana, June 28
A migrant, who sells flowers outside a temple near Kotchar Market, was duped of Rs 27,000 by two youths on the premises of the PNB branch located in Model Town today.

This incident took place when Ravi Mishra visited the bank to deposit Rs 27,000. He told the police that two youths offered to fill the bank’s voucher on his behalf.

“I don’t know whether they used some sedative spray or anything else, but I started feeling giddy. They took the cash from me on the pretext of submitting the same after handing over a bag which they said contained Rs 2 lakh in it. I don’t know when they went out of the bank. I opened the bag and found it empty. Except for papers there was nothing in it,” added Ravi.

He further reported the matter to the police. It has obtained CCTV footages of the accused from the bank. Police officials said the CCTV footages would help them in nabbing the criminals.

Ludhiana, June 28
The city traffic police cracked the whip on traffic violators in khaki by challaning five vehicles belonging to the policemen.

In the first incident, the vehicle of Ashwani Kumar, a Haryana Police constable was challaned for pasting black films on the windshield, while he was coming out of a shopping mall. The black film was removed and the policeman handed over the challan.

Similarly, four vehicles of the police officials and their family members were towed away for wrong parking.

A woman constable was seen requesting the policemen not to tow away her vehicle that was wrongly parked in the Civil Lines area.

But her request was declined following which woman constable literally ran after the tow away vehicle that took her car to the police lines.

“We are sending a clear message that no traffic offender will be spared. The police is taking strict action against the traffic violators and will continue to do so till the time residents start obeying traffic rules,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Naveen Singla.

Ludhiana, June 28
Notorious criminal Rajinder Singh along with his three others were nabbed by a special team of the Model Town police from Abdullapur Basti today. Lumba along with Vikas Chabra, Gurjeet Singh and Rajneesh Kumar was nabbed while planning a robbery bid. They were sitting in a car parked outside the house of SAD leader Amarjit Singh Bhatia.

The joint team of the police got the tip- off and surrounded the area. The other team then opened the vehicle and caught the accused off guard.

ADCP- II Bhupinder Singh said besides, recovering sharp-edged weapons, the police had also recovered one countrymade weapon, 10 cartridges, two car bearing fake number plates and 100 passport size photograph of a few residents. There have been several cases against Rajinder Singh. He was recently booked in an attempt to murder case for thrashing a property dealer in Dugri. Besides there have been allegation of extortion against him. Rajinder Singh was also operating several gambling joints and enjoying considerable political backing. Several punters are also working for him and betting on cricket matches.

The ADCP said the arrest of the accused and his accomplices would bring respite to many residents who were being terrorised by these criminals. Jeet, Rinku and Mehandi are dreaded criminals.

Ludhiana, June 28
A 25-year-old woman died in a freak incident after a wall of an under construction house fell on her in Sarabha Nagar today. Fortunately, her three-year- old son, who was sleeping next to her, did not suffer any injury.

The victim identified as Ram Ratti was living in this house along with her husband. According to victim’s husband Pappu, the incident took place today morning when the sand-laden tractor trolley arrived at the house.

Pappu said he opened the gate and told the driver to take the trolley inside the house. The driver lost control over the vehicle while reversing the trolley and it collided with the wall.

The impact was so strong that Ram Ratti died on the spot.

Ludhiana, June 28
Although, it is widely speculated that increasing radiation because of mobile towers is responsible for the disappearance of house sparrows, but PAU experts say that the destruction of their habitats has led to their decline.

Dr Tejdeep Kaur Kler, Assistant Ornithologist, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), working as a principal investigator in the All-India Network Project on Agricultural Ornithology, says “Mobile phone radiation does effect but the major cause of disappearing of sparrows is change in human lifestyle and architecture of housing projects.”

According to the survey conducted by Punjab Agricultural University experts in 250 villages of the state, on the basis of percentage of abundance of sparrows as compared to other species in five agro-climatic zones, a drastic fall was recorded.

According to an old study of Punjab Agricultural University sparrows used to be considered as “pest” as their percentage was more than 60 per cent and considered harmful for the crops in some of the areas. This percentage has drastically dropped in this decade and now it is 2.5 per cent in most of the villages of the state.

“It is a fact that sparrows have been living around human habitats for centuries. The decline was noticed even in the 90s when mobile towers were not in the scene, but lifestyle of people had started to change. Earlier the decline of the house sparrow was not noticed but now it is easily observed,” said Dr Tejdeep Kaur Kler.

“Due to urbanization and development in rural areas now the architecture of our houses has changed, which affect the survival of sparrows as it is not favorable for them,” said Kler.

Talking about the reason for the decline in number of sparrows Dr Tejdeep said: “We noted appreciable percentage of sparrows in some villages of the Faridkot and Ferozpur districts where villages have traditional homes or are near rivers. Now the roofs and sheds have been cemented at villages and little space is left for them for nesting for sparrows. Moreover, due to the use of insecticide in the fields led reduction in number of insects and makes the survival of sparrows tough.”

Ludhiana, June 28
Not only the industry should be blamed for polluting the water sources of Punjab, but also superstitious people living in urban areas.

People can be seen throwing “puja samagri” into the Sidhwan canal and the Sutlej early in the morning. It’s believed that materials used in religious ceremonies can’t be disposed of except in the flowing water. Those residing in the city could be seen throwing this material in the Sutlej and the Sidhwan canal as per their convenience. Astrologers are also playing a vital role in polluting the river waters as a major chunk of this “samagri” is being “prescribed” by them for throwing into the flowing water.

Janmeja Singh Johal, an author and social activist, said, “We are releasing our inner impurities into the pure water in the form of ‘puja samagri’ into the canals. People usually throw bio-degradable and non bio-degradable substances like polythene bags, plastic sacks, nails and chemical coated idols, cover the surface of canals which helps in polluting the water.”

Most of the times astrologers recommend to their believers throw grains into the water which increase the weeds in fields and affect the chemical content of the water. This trend is very harmful as it is not visible but over the period it affects the humans. It should be strictly prohibited.

According to Dr Amandeep Singh Bains, RBS Roots, an NGO, such materials are polluting and degrading the environment. If you go to London, Thames, despite being smaller than many of our rivers has become a tourist destination, but here people are mindlessly polluting water sources, he says. According to our estimate, people were throwing more than 200 kilogram of material in 10 hours at the Sutlej Bridge near Phillaur.

Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, a noted environment activist, said, “It is our tradition to throw grains into the rivers to feed the fishes. During those human beings and the nature used to intermingle. People took these activities as religious act. Nowadays, people are recommending wrong things in the name of religion. We cannot consider such anti-nature activates as religious. Some people are playing with superstitions in the name of religion. They don’t have knowledge of religion that is why they recommend such activities to the people which lead to water and soil pollution.” 

Ludhiana, June 28
People love to quench their thirst with cold drinks, shakes and sharbats etc during summer. But here is a better option "tender coconut water" which is good for health as contains vitamins, chlorides, cytokinins and lauric acid which helps to keep away fatigue.

Talking to the Tribune, Dr Iqbal Ahuja, said, "It is completely free from chemicals and is safe for children and babies. Pregnant women should drink coconut water to help ease digestion problems during pregnancy. "

Dr Sunita Goel, associate professor, department of gynecology, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, said, "Coconut oil is rich in minerals. If one suffers from nausea in the first trimester of pregnancy, coconut water can be of some help."

Sudheer Khanna, founder of a private company, which promotes tender coconuts, rose conserves, honey and tamarind-based products and was addressing a seminar here said, "Regular consumption of coconut can improve immunity , increase metabolism, raises HDL (good cholesterol) and detoxify the body. Drinking coconut water on a regular basis can help in regulating intestinal function, which is known to provide a myriad of health benefits, including clear complexion."

He further said that monolorin in coconut water, which acts as an antiviral monoglyceride has the ability to kill an assortment of viruses and bacteria in the body.

Ludhiana, June 28
The office of Assistant Commissioner (Technical), Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, has appealed that councillors should not force MC officials to put their names on the directional signages bearing the information about the area. These are installed for the convenience of people. These informative signages are installed by the MC, but with the names of councillors written on them, it seems that the expenses for the installation of these have been borne by the councillors.

According to the instructions, the name of the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, should be written in place of the name of the councillor.

There is no provision of writing names of councillors according to the Municipal Act the MC officials said.

Ludhiana, June 28
Sandeep Rayat, vice-chairman of the CII Ludhiana, has said that majority of the women drivers of the city lacked driving sense and needed to be taught traffic rules.

"A majority of the women I know avoid wearing seatbelt as it would crumple their dress. Many a times I stop my friends from using mobile phone while driving but it makes no effect on them. It is also the women who argue the most with traffic cops," she said.

Rayat was speaking at a seminar on 'stress management and behaviour with public' organised for the traffic police personnel by the CII Ludhiana at Police Lines here today.

Rayat, who has been working with the Ludhiana traffic police for over a year, said women did not care about the traffic rules. She said most of the vehicles towed away were driven by women.

To check this trend, she said, there was a need to spread awareness among women drivers.

"The issuance of driving license should be made tough. Further, the police should also conduct seminars at ladies clubs and clubs such as Sutlej and Lodhi where women assemble for kitty parties," Rayat said.

Kulwant Singh, a traffic in-charge, said, "While men have started following the parking rules, it is taking much too long for women to understand that they have to park their vehicle behind the yellow line."

Doraha, June 28
Shabnam could have never thought that she would complete her MCom and appear for the National Eligibility Test for lectureship. Owing to the weak financial condition of her family, she had given up the idea of continuing with her studies despite scoring good marks at the senior secondary level. Had she not been motivated and counselled by her teachers five years back, her life would not have been the same.

"I was in no position to study after Class XII. It was at that crucial time that two teachers from Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, came to our place and asked me to join commerce stream as I had secured a very good percentage. I just wanted to work and support my family at that time. The teachers, however, convinced me and my parents by discussing the better financial prospects in the future," Shabnam says.

"Here I am today, all set to become a college professor and ready to support myself and my family," she says.

Guidance at the right time can play an important role in shaping the life of rural students.

"Most of the students belonging to villages and small towns fail to make the choice about the stream or course to opt for after the matriculation or the senior secondary class. Most of the times they are unsure if the choice they make would yield any result," says Prof Gursharan Kaur, head of the political science department at a local college.

Narjit Kaur, another student of Guru Nanak National College, who topped the university in the first semester in MA Sociology had decided to study no further after Class XII as she believed she was only fit for homely tasks.

"It was with the help and guidance of the professors of the college that I made up my mind to study further,� she says, "After that there was no looking back."

It is at this crucial time that teachers and professional experts could counsel and show the way to the students as per their academic standing, tastes and aptitude, says Principal Dr Narinder Singh Sidhu.

"As the Class XII students pass out from the school, we educate them about the line they can opt for. We also guide them in opting affiliated and recognised institutions. Otherwise, there might be misled into opting for sub-standard institutions," he says.

There were a number of examples where girl students who had scored well at the senior secondary level were discouraged from studying further by their parents, says Prof Ranjit Kaur, assistant professor in commerce.

"Such parents are exhorted to send their wards to acquire higher education through door-to-door counselling and guidance," she says.

Colleges have been helping the children who are at the decisive stage through counselling and regular advertisements, says Jaswant Singh Gill, the director of a local college.

"By this means they come to know about different streams. For guidance we also have a special cell in the college," he says.

The college is also trying to provide education at the very door step, especially for the girl students, by making special arrangements for their transportation, a facility in the absence of which many a rural talent gets wasted.

Ludhiana, June 28
With students having their summer vacation, a number of skill-sharpening workshops are being organised for them in the city this month. Some professional painters are busy training these students the skills they have acquired in this field.

Sita Ram, a veteran painter in the old city area, started taking classes in his studio after the students and their parents urged him to.

Sita Ram said that he used to give training to only those who wanted to take up painting as a profession, but now even the young students who want to do something worthwhile during their holidays ask him to train them.

Rakesh, a Class XI student, said, "It was an excellent experience for me when I took the brush in my hand for the very first time. It felt as if I was playing with colours. I had been planning to join this class prior to the school examination. Now I am enjoying and learning new skills everyday," he said.

Amrit, another student, said, "I recently visited some art galleries in Chandigarh and Manali. I was inspired from the paintings. I had a little experience of pencil sketch in my childhood but I am interested in oil paintings; therefore, I decided to join the painting classes."

Kirandeep, a city-based painter, said, "During the summer vacation, the number of students coming for the classes increase. It’s good that in the era of computers, people still have interest in traditional forms of art." 

Ludhiana, June 28
On finding anomalies during an inspection, a team of health department today sealed two ultrasound machines in the city.

Disclosing this Dr AK Handa Deputy Medical Commissioner, Ludhiana said,"On the instructions of Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, Dr Subhash Batta, I along with Dr Khema Sethi visited 'Spectrum Diagnostic and Scan Center, Udham Singh Nagar', and sealed the ultrasound machine for four weeks as the F-forms were not filled. It is mandatory to fill the F-Form by the diagnostic centre before a scan."

Yesterday, Dr Maninder Singh, senior medical officer, Raikot, had inspected this centre on the instructions of the CMO.

Dr Handa said,"We also sealed another ultrasound machine at Ghattai Nursing Home, Chandigarh Road. The machine was lying open and doctor was not present there. In the absence of a doctor, the machine should be locked. So this machine was also sealed."

Ludhiana: The Punjab Agricultural University has invited applications from the farmers of Punjab for the 'Innovative Farmer Awards 2012' to be conferred during the PAU Kisan Mela in September 2012. Five awards, carrying a cash prize, plaque and citation will be given to the innovative and progressive farmers for excelling in agriculture and its allied fields. Dr MS Gill, director of extension education, said that Dalip Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 5000, would be given to a self-cultivating farmer of field crops, and Parwasi Bharti Award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 8000, would be presented to a self-cultivating farmer engaged in the diversified farming system.

A self-cultivating vegetable grower who puts at least 60 per cent area of operational holding under vegetable crops in winter as well as summer seasons would win the Ujagar Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award which carries cash prize of Rs 3100. S Surjit Singh Dhillon Award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 5000, would be given to a self-cultivating small farmer (having land up to five acres).

The fifth award, State Awardee Sardarni Jagbir Kaur Memorial Innovative Woman Farmer Award, would be conferred upon a woman farmer engaged in agriculture and allied agri-enterprises. It would carry a cash prize of Rs 3100. — TNS

Ludhiana, June 28
After conceding first innings lead, Ludhiana bounced back into the game to register a victory against formidable, Jalandhar in the four-day match in the Punjab State Inter District Cricket Tournament (U-22) being organised by the Punjab Cricket Association at Burlton Park, Jalandhar, today.

Jalandhar won the toss and opted to bat first. In their first essay, Jalandhar scored 389 runs in 80.5 overs.

Their innings revolved around star batsman, Mandeep Singh, who chipped in with 144 runs. Other notable contributors were Himanshu Satyakam and Sidharath Sharma, who made 85 and 53 runs, respectively. Gurkirat scored 36 runs.

For Ludhiana, Sandeep Singh was the most successful bowler. He captured four wickets for 107 runs, while Anil Siag accounted for two wickets after conceding 93 runs.

Sukhjinder Singh and Nikhil Chowdhary claimed one wicket each after giving away 33 and 75 runs, respectively.

Ludhiana began their innings on a cautious note with batsmen taking no chances. Their reply was spearheaded by captain Geetansh Khera who led from the front and top scored with 89 runs.

Geetansh was well assisted by Devinder Sidhu (79 n.o), Sandeep Singh (62) and Ashish Kumar (45). Akhil Aggarwal and Anil Siag, too played valuable innings of 24 and 21 runs, respectively while Sunny Pandey contributed 15 runs, as the visitors' first innings folded at 381 runs in 129 overs.

Jalandhar's Yogesh secured six wickets for 105 runs, while S Gill took two for 58. Gurkirat and Himanshu claimed one wicket each to restrict Ludhiana and help their team to gain a slender seven-run lead.

In the second innings, hosts Jalandhar failed to put up a brave face against Ludhiana, as they could muster 219 runs in 54.2 overs. Their mainstay, Mandeep and Sidharth scored 15 and 22 runs, respectively.

The main run getters were Nitish (45), Love Kumar (45), Abhishek Gupta (38), Himanshu Satyakam (19) and Gurkirat (14).

For Ludhiana, Anil Siag was the pick of bowlers, who scalped four victims for 70 runs. Sandeep Singh grabbed three wickets for 37 while Sukhjinder Singh took two for 46 and Nikhil Chowdhary chipped in with one wicket for 46 runs.

Needing 227 runs, Ludhiana opening pair of Sunny Pandey and Akhil Aggarwal did a commendable job, as the pair added 192 runs for the first wicket. Sunny made 87 while Akhil scored 93 runs.

Anil Siag and Geetansh Khera remained unbeaten on 26 and 4 runs, respectively. They anchored Ludhiana to reach 228 runs for the loss of four wickets and scripted a win by six wickets to earn five vital points.

Incidentally, it was the first defeat for the title contenders, Jalandhar district.

Ludhiana, June 28
With the summer season at its peak, people are headed to the hills. A number of them are not just travelling all the way to get away from the city heat, but they want to experience the adrenaline rush. These adventure-junkies from the city are participating in motor rallies, the craze of which is on a rise for last few years.

Satnam Singh, who is headed to the Mughal Rally that would take him to places such as Sonamarg, Gulmarg and Pahalgam, says that not only he, his family memebers are also happy about his participation in the rally. Gurvinder Singh Poonia, purchased a Gypsy to participate in one such rally. He says that he is participating to get "a taste of adventure" and a break from his business.

Though Punjabis love to drive, they are not aware of rallying, says 32-year-old businessman Jaideep Mander. Passionate about adventure driving since childhood, he says that instead of rash driving on roads, it is better to participate in these rallies to experience the joy of driving and adventure.

The benefit of participating in such organised rallies is that there is a proper support system and the element of risk is less, says Sarabjit, a regular participant. The meandering roads and the sharp turns present new challenges, he says, and this makes rallying in the hills all the more adventurous.

Ludhiana, June 28
At 11, Saruchi Garg loves to put on the wheels and set the rink on fire. She has many medals in her kitty.

She has already won 20 gold medals apart from other medals. She won gold at the national school games in Kohlapur in 2010 and two bronze medals last year. She participates in all the three events of skating, including time trial, rink race and road race. A student of class VI at BCM Arya Model School, she likes road race and time-trial more, as these require more strength and stamina.

I use to feel pain in my knees earlier, as there was inadequate calcium and vitamin D in my body, but after consulting a doctor, I am fit now. My family and I take care of the requisite diet and eat green vegetables and proper diet to maintain fitness," she says.

She says she wants to participate in quad skating at the international level. She puts in about four hours of practice. "It was my uncle who was really keen on getting me into this sport and I am thankful to him. My family has been encouraging," she says.

"I love skating. In fact, many students who started with me about six years ago are no longer in the game. But skating is my passion and I want to be a professional skater when I grow up," she says.