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New Mayor has daunting task ahead
Ludhiana, September 21 Even as Gohalwaria has been elected as the fifth Mayor, the road ahead will not be an easy one for him. A large number of issues such as cleaning of Budha Nullah, potholed roads, disposal of garbage, choked sewers, shortage of staff, installation of storm sewers, implementation of rainwater harvesting, besides many others are crying for attention. Besides, incomplete projects such as indoor stadium on Pakhowal Road, covering of Ganda Nullah in the old city area, construction of storm sewer in Janakpuri and the Lakkar Bridge are some of the development projects that have been stalled for several years. Recovery of outstanding dues to the tune of hundreds of crores from residents is not going to be an easy task for him. In his first interview to The Tribune, Gohalwaria claimed that development could not take place without finances. “We need to recover the outstanding dues from the residents on a priority basis so that we can carry out development work in the city. By paying the outstanding dues, the residents will contribute their own share to the city’s development”, he said. He further said that traffic and drainage needed attention. “It was difficult to travel on city roads and if need be, we will even widen them in places where we have land, he claimed.” Gohalwaria said he was keen on completing the much awaited Ludhiana Metro Rail project on time. SAD is united
All Akali councillors, MLAs and leaders are united and all of them have supported me wholeheartedly. It is wrong to say that the Akali Dal is divided into different groups. His take on becoming Mayor
I had an inkling. I have been working hard for the party for several decades. Moreover, all politicians aspire to grow in their career and that is why even I wanted to become the city Mayor. Big day for the family
Even my family was expecting that Friday is going to be a big day for all of
us. Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria, Mayor -By Puneet Pal Singh |
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About the Mayor
Ludhiana, September 21 He is a two-time councillor and his family has been associated with the Akali Dal since 1982.The family has been representing the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation since 1991, when his elder brother Jagdev Singh Gohalwaria was elected as a municipal councillor. In 2002 and 2007, his wife Pushwant Kaur Gohalwaria was elected as a councillor. Interestingly, Pushwant Kaur Gohalwaria had won the 2007 MC elections as an Independent when she was denied the party ticket. But after her win, she rejoined the Akali Dal. Gohalwaria was elected to the MC house first in 1997 and then in 2012. It was in 1997 when Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria had first emerged as a main contender for the post of the Mayor. But at that time, the party chose Apinder Singh Grewal. His wife represented his ward for the next two terms and when he won the June 10 MC elections from Ward Number 70, his name again figured for the post. And this time he succeeded in clinching Mayor’s post. Born on June 13, 1956 at Gohalwar village located on Amritsar-Tarn Taran Road in Amritsar district, Harcharan’s family shifted to Ludhiana in 1967. He did his schooling from Arya Senior Secondary School, here, he joined the evening classes in Arya College, here. But due to financial crisis, he had to discontinue his studies and join his family business. Presently, his family owns two cycle parts manufacturing units in the city. Gohalwaria is father of three children.
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Sunita Aggarwal first woman Senior Deputy Mayor
Ludhiana, September 21 Interestingly, senior BJP councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetu, who was hopeful of becoming the Senior Deputy Mayor, could not make it to any of the posts.The BJP councillors were lobbying hard for the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor ever since the June 10 MC elections. Aspirants for the post of Senior Deputy Mayor were Gurdeep Singh Neetu, councillor from Ward Number 42 and Sunita Aggarwal, councillor from Ward Number 13 and in the end it was Aggarwal, who managed to clinch the post. Similarly, Narinder Singh Malhi, councillor from Ward Number 31 and RD Sharma, councillor from Ward Number 25, were in the race for the post of Deputy Mayor, but the party chose Sharma over Malhi. In the outgoing MC House, Neetu was the leader of BJP councillors while Sunita Aggarwal was the Deputy Mayor. Narinder Singh Malhi and Ripu Daman Sharma are both first-time councillors. In the outgoing MC House, Malhi’s wife Roopamdeep Kaur Malhi and Sharma’s mother Prem Lata Sharma, were councillors from Ward Number 31 and 25 respectively. Both of them are considered close to Parveen Bansal. After her elevation from Deputy Mayor to the Senior Deputy Mayor, Sunita Aggarwal said that she was thankful to her senior party leaders, who showed faith in her. “I have worked for the benefit of city residents and will continue doing so,” she said. Keeping in view the
Mayoral polls, the BJP had organised a meeting of its councillors at Chandigarh on September 3. During the meeting, it was “unanimously” decided that the names of the Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor would be decided by the party high command and all councillors and other party
leaders would abide by the decision.
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Sub-Registrar office without electricity as bill not paid
Ludhiana, September 21 According to available information, the electricity bill of about Rs 4 lakh was pending with the Sub-Registrar office, for the past several months. Today, the PSPCL cut the electricity connection due to non-payment of the bill. The visitors alleged that the CRO came late to the office and then there was no light, so they were made to suffer. Balbir Singh, a visitor, said that had the CRO concerned come early, more work Meanwhile, Gagandeep Singh, Circle Revenue Officer (East), said that PSPCL did not cut the power connection, instead a major electricity fault had developed, which would be rectified by the evening. He, however, said that the work went on smoothly at the office before lunch and land-deals were registered as per routine. He left the office after the lunch break, as he had to attend an important meeting. Bill not paid due to scarcity of funds
Due to the scarcity of funds, the electricity bill could not be deposited on time. But we are hopeful to get the power-connection restored by the evening. Important report had to be submitted
All Circle Revenue Officers had to submit an important report to the Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) and time had to be taken out from their routine to prepare the data. Rahul Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner |
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7 test positive for dengue, no fresh case of swine flu
Ludhiana, September 21 Dr Deepak Bhatia said, "All these patients were admitted to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital for treatment, while one suspected patient from Mohali has also tested negative." To keep a tab on the rising cases of vector-borne diseases, all district epidemiologists of Punjab were instructed to increase surveillance in their respective districts at a meeting held here at Chandigarh today. The meeting was held under the guidance of state epidemiologist Dr Gagandeep Singh, Raj Kamal Chaudhary, Managing Director, National Rural Health Mission, Punjab, and Dr Karanveer Singh, Director, Family Welfare. Gagandeep Singh said, "Usually cases of malaria and dengue increase after monsoons. All district epidemiologists have been asked to increase surveillance in their area so that patients suffering from vector-borne diseases could be given timely treatment. The officers have also been asked to strengthen awareness activities related to malaria and dengue." Gagandeep further said that the Government of India had approved five more slide centres in the state where free testing of dengue and malaria was done. These include civil hospitals at Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Mansa, Kapurthala and Moga. So now, out of the 20 districts, there were 15 districts that had the facility of free testing. The epidemiologists have also been asked to ensure that all patients suffering from fever are tested for dengue and swine flu. Meanwhile, Dr Subhash Batta, Civil Surgeon, and District Health Officer Dr Kulwinder Singh instructed a team of the health department to destroy rotten fruits and vegetables at Trasnport Nagar, Samrala Chowk, Sherpur Chowk etc.
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Woman held with 3 bags of poppy husk
Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 21 Three bags of poppy husk, weighing over 140 kg, were seized from one woman who had laid a 'stall' at a deserted place near a drain on the outskirts of Mubarakpur Choonghan village on Thursday. The suspect was identified as Paalo of Khalil Patti, Sherpur village, in Sangrur district. Bimal Kumar Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Malerkotla, said that a police party led by SHO Sandaur Harinder Singh had claimed to have busted a gang of drug peddlers that had been exploiting poor women by involving them in the smuggling of contraband, including poppy husk and opium. The police had received information that a gang had engaged some women for facilitating transportation and distribution of contraband in the area. Though some women had been identified as couriers of the gang, the police hesitated in acting against them due to lack of evidence.It was on Thursday that the police received information that a car driver had dropped a woman along with three jute bags near a drain on the outskirts of Mubarakpur Choonghan village. The police raided the spot and arrested the woman with the contraband. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect along with some other women had been working for the gang for a long time. "Though we have received vital information about some members of the gang, we can not disclose it right now as the investigation may be affected," said Sharma. Modus operandi
A gang had engaged women to transport and distribute contraband in the area, the police said. |
Traffic chaos on Ferozepur Road, courtesy Kisan Mela
Ludhiana, September 21 The traffic police had deputed about 20 policemen on the entire stretch (main Ferozepur Road), but were "helpless" as the traffic-flow was heavy. Hundreds of vehicles were lined up to get inside the venue. Schoolchildren had to wait in the scorching heat as the traffic moved at a snail's pace during the peak hours. On both sides of the road, the vehicles of the farmers coming from far-off villages, including four-wheelers and two-wheelers were parked haphazardly, giving little space to the commuters to pass through the stretch. Santokh Singh, a farmer from Jagraon, said that he had to park the vehicle near Sidhwan Canal as there was a traffic jam. "I come here every year and heavy flow of traffic has always been a problem. The organisers must rectify the problem", he said. Meanwhile, the traffic police said that the traffic on the particular road had increased four times today. "We are facing a lot of problem while dealing with the traffic", said a policeman.Swapan Sharma, ACP (Traffic), said that till the Kisan Mela was on, the authorities needed to create a separate parking lot to cater to the huge rush of vehicles. "Still with the limited force that we have, we are able to manage the traffic-flow. The public needs to understand and bear with us in such situations", said Sharma.
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Kisan Mela: Wheat seeds sell like hotcakes on Day 1
Ludhiana September 21 On the first day of the mela, seeds of wheat varieties HD 2,967 and PBW 621 wheat were sold like hotcakes. Director (seeds) HS Randhawa, PAU, said the university was selling HD 2967 for the first time. Meanwhile, farmers of the state have been sowing Punjab bread wheat PBW-621 for the past three years. "We have sufficient stock of both the varieties," said Randhawa. A large number of vegetable seed kits were sold on the first day. Vice-Chancellor of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University Dr VK Taneja inaugurated the agro-industrial exhibition in the morning. In his presidential remarks, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, said the mela which was first held in 1967, had become an important occasion for the exchange of information and feedback between farmers and scientists. Throwing light on the theme of mela, Dr Dhillon urged the farmers to make efficient use of water by using on-farm water saving technologies like the use tensiometer and laser-land leveller. "It is vital to maintain soil health by using farm yard manure, compost and recommended bio-fertilisers," he emphasised while advising the farmers to make judicious use of agro-chemicals. Chief guest Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Minister of Punjab Public Works Department (PWD), lauded the vigorous efforts of the PAU for feeding the entire nation. He said the PAU had produced genius minds that had brought laurels to the university as well as the state in the international arena. "The decision to set-up the Directorate of Maize Research in Ludhiana will benefit the farmers," he said. Five progressive framers were honoured by the chief guest and other dignitaries. Mangal Singh Nagra of Kohla village, Jalandhar, was awarded "Parwasi Bharti Award 2012" while Rajesh Behl of Hayat village, Gurdaspur, was conferred "Ujagar Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award 2012". Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon of Rataul Rohi village, Ferozepur, was given "Sardar Dalip Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Award 2012" whereas Karamjit Kaur of Danewala, Fazilka, was given "State Awardee Sardarni Jagbir Kaur Memorial Innovative Woman Farmer Award 2012". Manjit Singh of Nanokot village, Gurdaspur, was conferred "Surjit Singh Dhillon Award 2012". Election delays inauguration
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Farmers apprised of new techniques
Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, September 21 Taking note of this development, PAU VC Dr Dhillon said agriculture and animal husbandry were both professions of farmers, so the scientists should also come forward to integrate the two. He said that the PAU and the veterinary varsity were working for the upliftment of farmers. The theme of the fair is "Pashu palan vich naviaan taknikan apnao, ghat kharche nal vadhiya labh kamao (Adopt new techniques in animal husbandry, get good profits with less expenditure)”. GADVASU Vice-Chancellor Dr VK Taneja said that new technological inputs might reduce the rearing cost of animals and also lead to better production. He also emphasised on diversification within livestock related professions, including fisheries, poultry, piggery and goat farming in addition to dairy farming. "We are conducting a number of efforts to explore the new avenues in livestock professions. We can develop a number of value-added products from a single raw product. It increases demand and scope of marketing manifolds,” said Dr Taneja. The two-day fair at the Mela Ground of the university is providing a platform to farmers, scientists, extension workers, dairy officers, fodder and fisheries officers, veterinary pharmaceuticals and agribusiness firms and the banking sector to share information on the latest technologies and schemes in the livestock sector. Dr RS Sahota, director of extension education at the university, revealed that a large number of visitors showed interest in taking up goat, pig and fishery farming, and enquired about the training programmes. University publications on different subjects of livestock farming were also available at the fair. Various departments of the College of Veterinary Science put up their stalls on the Mela Ground to transfer their valuable inputs and recommendations to farmers. The genetic resources related to cows, buffaloes, goats, pigs, poultry and quails were also demonstrated to the livestock farmers. A separate session was held to address queries of livestock farmers.
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No respite for weak bridge
Doraha, September 21 “Even if the new bridge is under construction, the commuters plying on the old bridge cannot be ignored. Till the new bridge is ready, it is the duty of the authorities to ensure our safety . With the constant flow of heavy-weight vehicles, the situation is worsening day by day. How long will the bridge be able to bear the weight of heavy vehicles and that too when they remain stranded right in the middle of the bridge”, complained a commuter. The matter has been highlighted a number of times through the columns of the Ludhiana Tribune and the officials too have been made aware of the impending danger, but to no avail. “The authorities seem to have no time for consideration of the issue. The entry of heavy-weight vehicles should not be allowed at any cost. Proper check posts should be installed, one at Doraha town and the other at Ludhiana, so that no such vehicle is able to cross the limit even during the night. Otherwise, one day the motorists will have to pay heavily due to the serious lapse on the part of the authorities concerned. These heavy vehicles add to traffic congestion, which is turning out to be a bane not only for commuters but also for the residents of the nearby villages and towns” commented a resident of Buani village. Angrez Singh, in charge, Canals, said that the inconvenience was more due to the ongoing work of the four-laning of roads. “We have tried to stop the heavy vehicles from passing over the bridge several times. The new bridge is under construction and it is a matter of just another six months from now,” he added.
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Making death a less painful ordeal
Ludhiana, September 21 At present, the gaushala is serving around 1,700 cows. Of these, six cows suffering from cancer are the most critical. Unable to properly chew grass due to a big cancerous lump on the right side of its face, a brown-coloured cow is a new entrant. Sunder Dass Dhamija, founder chairman of the establishment, himself offers green fodder to this ailing cow and instructs an attendant to clean its festering sore. "We picked this cow from Samrala. People leave cows that get critically ill on roads to die. It is a very bad practice. All the six cows suffering from cancer have been brought from the surrounding areas,” says Dhamija. The six cows are being treating with both homeopathic and allopathic medicines under the guidance of a veterinary doctor. “We know they will not survive, but at least their death will not be painful. We give them painless injections along with antibiotics and the best possible diet," says Dhamija. Govind Godham also has 40 cows suffering from tuberculosis but they have kept in different sheds to prevent the spread of the TB virus. “Whenever we bring any stray cow here, we conduct a blood test to find the disease it has been suffering from and start the treatment accordingly. Many cows that we receive have broken limbs leading to immobility, have cancerous wounds on their horns or tumours in some other body part of the body,” further explains Dhamija. The gaushala was opened after a brutal incident wherein stray dogs attacked and killed eight cows of a gaushala being run by the Municipal Corporation on Hambran Road. People approached Gau Sewa Samiti following this incident and demanded proper care of the cows. “We arranged for 5 acre of land with an amount of Rs 8.5 lakh,” says Dhamija. “The first cow we received was a blind stray cow who we named Prerna. After its death, devotees did not allow us to lift its body from here, so we buried it here itself. Prerna proved to be very lucky for us, as after her arrival we signed an agreement with the civic body that mandated it to give us an amount of Rs 10 per cow per day for taking care of cows. We twice got a cheque for Rs 5 lakh but no further assistance came from the MC; however, with the help of donors we constructed a big gaushala within a span of two years." Presently, a team of 175 persons including veterinary doctors, compounders and assistants are taking care of the critically ill cows. The gaushala has 40 well-equipped halls for the cows. For the maintenance of the gaushala, an amount of Rs 15 lakh is spent every month.
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Ludhiana to become horticulture hub
Ludhiana, September 21 Dr Bhajnik Singh, deputy director of the state horticulture department, said that under the scheme, the Union Government has decided to choose one district from each state to increase the production of vegetables. He said since the supply of vegetables to Ludhiana also came from Jalandhar, Sangrur and Patiala, these districts have also been included under the scheme. He said under this scheme, the state government was giving subsidies to farmers, landlords and horticulturists to encourage them to grow vegetables. A grant of Rs 6 crore was released under the scheme, Dr Singh said.
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Dehlon police yet to ascertain identity of accident victim
Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 21 On seeing the body being crushed under vehicles, even the staff of the ambulance that had come to rescue the victim, did not bother to shift the body to some hospital or a safer place. The youth was run over by a vehicle on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road near Gopalpur village around 10 pm last night. The police had to virtually scratch the road to collect the viscera. Two feet and small portions of lower legs were the only hard parts collected by the police. SHO Amandeep Singh Brar said he had directed in-charges of various beats to collect information about persons who had been missing from their respective areas since yesterday. Sarpanches and office-bearers of various social and religious organisations had been asked to inform villagers about the incident through public announcement systems in their respective localities.
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Flash mobs lay emphasis on importance of reading habit
Ludhiana, September 21 Abilasha from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, and Monika from Sangrur said youngsters must come forward for the cause. Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle organised free medical check-ups. EcoSikh (USA) has launched a campaign to educate farmers about the importance of cleanliness and environment preservation. A Little Happiness Foundation organised an impressive show to promote minority scholarship scheme among farmers. MCA student Sukhpreet Kaur and BTech second year student Gurpreet Singh from Patiala staged street plays.
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Traffic police puts up stall
Ludhiana, September 21 The officials laid emphasis on the installation of reflectors at the rear
of tractor-trailers to avoid accidents. The police officials said several accidents took place in rural areas due to negligence on part
of farmers. Most of the vehicles used for agriculture purposes were without lights, reflectors and indicators,
they added. "Our aim is to educate farmers about the importance of lights, indicators and reflectors. All such equipment have been put on display," said Benat Juneja, SHO. We have received a
good response," said another official.
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Farmers told about their legal rights
Ludhiana, September 21 Sessions Judge-cum-chairman of the Legal Services Authority Gobinder Singh and Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary of Punjab Legal Services Authority KK Singla interacted with the farmers and other people. They answered their legal queries. Sessions Judge apprised that any women, persons in custody, those belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, physically challenged, industrial worker or a person having annual income less than Rs 1 lakh were entitled to free legal services. They would be provided a lawyer and the authority would bear the expenses. Singla said the authority had opened its front office just opposite the court of the Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, for providing free legal consultation to people. He appealed to the people to avail benefit of the opportunity. Singla exhorted the people for settling their disputes amicably through lok adalats and mediation centres in order to put an end to the dispute forever. He also highlighted the importance of permanent lok adalats.
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Children have fun with animals
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, September 21 Students show gratitude
to policemen
Students of Cherubs The Preschool visited the Dugri police station to celebrate the World Gratitude Day. Children spent an hour, meeting and thanking the policemen. SHO Satvinder Singh was stumped when a child said to him, “Uncle I lost my toy car yesterday. Can you please find and punish the thief?” From naughty to serious, the policemen answered all the questions patiently. Later on, the children presented “Thank You” cards to them for taking care of the city. The children were also taken on a ride in the police jeep and to the weapon room. Students were also given juices, chocolates and biscuits at the police station. Motivational seminar
Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines, organised a motivational seminar on “Find the Winner in Your Own Child” for the parents of children studying in Classes XI and XII. Rama Krishnan Sreenivasan, founder of Career Launcher Education, was the resource person. Children spread message of world peace
Ryan International School celebrated World Peace Day with great enthusiasm on Friday. The students showed their support to the cause through various activities. The children of Montessori wing did hand printing, wherein their one hand reprinted “India” and the other “The World”. Students of Classes I and II made bookmarks. They came up with several creative designs and unique ideas to express their message on world peace. Later, these bookmarks were given to the school library. Students made aware of postal services
Postal Day was observed in the Montessori wing of the Ryan International School on Friday. The children learned about various profitable services of post offices. Students of MI and MII made letter boxes and pasted stamps on them. The students of MIII visited the Head Post Office of the city. They posted letters to their parents and wrote “Thank You” messages to them. Community Helpers’ Day
Maple Bear Canadian Playway and Nursery School, Udham Singh Nagar, celebrated Community Helpers’ Day on its campus on Friday. Children came dressed as milkman, farmer, gardener, cobbler, vegetable seller, doctor, teacher, policeman and postman, and spoke lines related to their characters. This gave them the awareness of people who help the people in their day-to-day lives. Environmental awareness
An environment awareness function was organised at the SDP Boys Schools, Hazoori Road, on Friday. Students were asked to develop environment friendly habits. They were made aware of human activities that are harming the environment.
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500 nurses apprised of quality clinical practices
Ludhiana, September 21 Chief guest Dr S C Ahuja, former principal, DMCH, inaugurated the conference. In his inaugural speech, he said a nurse should be committed to the core values of the noble profession, which included professional expertise, human dignity, integrity and selfless service. He described the profession of nursing as a challenge as each day nurses were helping someone and one kind word could brighten a patient's day, Dr Jasbir Kaur, president, TNAI (Punjab branch), stressed on providing quality nursing education to improve the quality of nursing. She said the basic principles of nursing such as maintenance of hygiene, good nutrition, prevention of cross infection and meticulous monitoring with compassionate attitude in handling the patients were simple and highly effective. GK Walia, secretary, TNAI (Punjab state branch) presented the report of TNAI (Punjab branch). During the occasion Prem Kumar Gupta conferred the Student Nurses' Association Scholarship upon 15 nursing students. Besides, a panel discussion on the theme a poster competition was also organised.
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Ludhiana scan Ludhiana: A team of the Health Department seized habit forming drugs from Janta Medical Hall, Dera kalsiyann, Dhuri Line, on Friday. Drug Inspector Sukhbeer Chand and Karuna Gupta raided on the shop and seized habit forming drugs worth Rs 4000. The drugs included 15 syrups of Rexcoff, 100 capsules and 550 tablets of Lomotil. Seminar against reservation
The General Categories Welfare Federation, Punjab, held a seminar against reservation at Gill Garden Palace near Guru Nanak Engineering College on Friday. On the occasion M Naagraj was the chief guest. Naagraj spoke
about stopping reservation in job promotions, elections and protested against the political parties who promoted
reservation. — TNS
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When the election process was over,
Congress MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu announced that the party would support
the new team. Ashu even went to congratulate Gohalwaria in his
office.
As many as seven persons tested positive for dengue today. Out of these, four belong to Ludhiana and three are from Jalandhar, Mansa and Muktsar, respectively. The three suspected patients of swine flu have tested negative.
