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Adulterated sweets destroyed
Our Correspondent

Jagraon, October 18
Keeping in view the festivals of Dasehra and Diwali, a team of the health department conducted surprise raids at various places in the town today. The raids were conducted at various sweetshops and shops selling other eatables in the town under a special drive launched to check the hygiene and quality of the eatables, particularly sweets, ahead of the festivals.

A team lead by senior doctor of the Jagraon Civil Hospital Dr Harinder Kumar Sharma and health inspectors Gurdev Singh and Hari Singh raided over 10 sweetshops on Lajpat Rai Road, Old Grain Market, Subhash Gate, Raikot Road and Old City areas.

During the raids, the workers at majority of the sweetshops were found preparing sweets without wearing gloves. Taking notice of this, the team members issued instructions to the owners of sweetshops to maintain hygiene while preparing sweets. Dr Sharma strictly instructed the shopkeepers to provide gloves to the workers preparing sweets to avoid contamination of the eatables.

The team also destroyed sweets kept in unhygienic conditions. However, no sample was taken from any shop during the raid and the shopkeepers were left with warning.

Senior medical officer, Civil Hospital, Jagraon Dr RK Karkara said the drive had been launched to keep a check on the sale of unhygienic eatables.

"As we have seen in the past that some sweets makers use using adulterated khoya and spurious milk products to earn extra bucks during the festival season. To keep a tab on such malpractices, raid will be conducted on a regular basis," said Dr Karkara.

Samples collected

A team of the district health department on Thursday collected samples of sweets from manufacturers and wholesale dealers in Ludhiana. Food safety officer of the health department Ravinder Garg said: "We collected one sample of 'phenian' from Monica phenian manufacturer unit, Shiwaji Nagar, two samples of rasgullas and phenian from Jagdish Sweets, Lakkar Bazar, two samples of rasgullas and phenian from Arora Sweets and two samples of tea and desi ghee from a shop of Ajit Singh and Ashok Kumar, Kesar Ganj." Proper hygiene was also not maintained in these shops.

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Residents stage dharna outside MC Commissioner’s residence
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 18
A workshop to make sweets being run illegally in a residential area has created bitterness between the affected area residents and the civic administration.

With the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation authorities having failed to stop operation of the workshop even after sealing the premises thrice during past couple of months, the residents today held a protest at the camp office (residence) of the MC Commissioner to highlight their hardship and seek remedial action.

Led by Jagdish Ram, president, and SP Sharma, secretary of the Adarsh Lane Welfare Society, a large number of residents joined the protest and criticised the evasive attitude of the civic administration despite the matter having been brought to the notice of senior officials and intervention of the Principal Secretary, Local Government, Punjab.

Residents said that acting on their complaint that the workshop for making sweets was causing pollution and nuisance in the residential locality, the Chief Minister, Punjab, had referred the matter to the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, who had marked an inquiry from the SDM (West) in August 2010.

The inquiry officer had ruled against the workshop operating in the residential colony and the report was forwarded to the MC authorities for further action as per the law. However, the civic body failed to act against the owner of the workshop for reasons best known to them. And despite the fact that the workshop was sealed, the MC staff is colluding with the owner and facilitating the operations of preparing sweets. That no action has been taken against the owner of the workshop who had broken the seal of the premises and continued to operate is ample proof that the MC lacks the will to act against the illegal operations of the workshop, alleged residents of the area, who sat on a day-long dharna.

When contacted, the MC Commissioner RK Verma said it was not possible to close down a commercial establishment just like that. It has to be first established that the operations are illegal.

"As far as location of the workshop in residential area is concerned, it is a common practice and even industrial units are operating in residential areas all over the city. We are examining the matter and action, as per the prevailing law, will be taken very soon in this regard," he added.

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Illegal crackers unit unearthed, 1 held
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 18
The police has unearthed an illegal firecracker factory and nabbed a 25-year-old man in the Abdullapur Basti area of the city.

The accused had been making crackers illegally, which were to be sold at higher prices during the festivals. Crackers and explosives worth lakhs of rupees have been seized from the unit.

In charge, anti narcotics staff, Ludhiana, Harbans Singh said that following a tip-off, the police conducted a raid at a house in Azad Nagar, Abdullapur Basti, and arrested Prempal Sharma, a resident of house number 128, Red Quarters, Azad Nagar, Abdullapur Basti. He had taken a house on rent opposite his house to make crackers without getting the licence from the authorities concerned.

"We seized a huge cache of crackers and 120 kg of explosive from the rented accommodation. The accused failed to show the permit or licence. A case under Section 286 of the IPC and 9-B of the Explosives Act has been registered against the accused at Model Town police station," said Harbans Singh.

He added that the explosives seized from the house could have caused a threat to the residents of the area. Besides, the use of crackers prepared with the substandard material could also prove fatal.

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21 more test positive for dengue
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 13
A total of 21 more patients have tested positive for dengue in the past five days. District epidemiologist Dr Puneet Juneja said: "Out of the 21 patients, 11 are from Ludhiana, four from Hoshiarpur and one each from Jalandhar, Pathankot, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur and Himachal Pradesh.

With this, the number of patients suffering from dengue in the district has reached 89.

And to add to the woes of patients, the dengue-testing machine is out of order at Lord Mahavir Civil Hospital. Dr Juneja said: "There is no problem as tests are being on a machine with the district Red Cross. The machine at the civil hospital will be repaired soon."

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Employees' quarters in neglected state
Non-teaching staff complain of lack of space and amenities; no funds, say authorities
Charanjit Singh Teja
Tribune News Service
Quarters of the non-teaching staff in a dilapidated condition at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana
Quarters of the non-teaching staff in a dilapidated condition at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana. Photos: Inderjeet Verma

Ludhiana, October 18
Quarters for the non-teaching staff at Punjab Agricultural University are in a state of neglect. Very few staff members opt to stay in these quarters, many of which are lying vacant for many years.

These residential quarters were constructed in the 1960s and renovated many years ago. The major problem being faced by the employees is the poor arrangement for water and sanitation.

Some of the residents alleged that the PAU authorities took proper care of the quarters for the teaching staff, while neglecting the non-teaching staff.

Single room quarters, which were constructed for the Class IV employees, are in the worst condition.

Class IV employees alleged that a single room is insufficient for their families. Most of these flats have been lying vacant. These flats have broken doors, leaking water pipes, dilapidated roofs and broken floors. Weeds have grown outside the vacant quarters.

The issue of the pathetic condition of these flats was raised by one of the groups contesting for PAU Fourth Class Union elections. Jaskaran Singh, PAU estate officer, said: "It is true that single room flats have been lying vacant for some years, because rooms are small and a family can't reside comfortably. We have converted around 56 quarters into student hostel as the demand for accommodation of students has been increasing in the last few years."

He further said, "There are some minor problems in other quarters where maintenance work is required. We, however, do not have sufficient funds."

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Security beefed up ahead of festive season
Our Correspondent

Dehlon/Mandi Ahmedgarh/Raikot, October 18
The police has beefed up security ahead of the festive season. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Amargarh, Sukhdev Singh Virk; Assistant Commissioner of Police, Gill, Gurpreet Singh Sikand; and circle officers at Raikot and Payal claimed to have enhanced the vigil in and around religious places, educational institutes and busy markets of their respective regions.

Specially constituted anti-sabotage teams have been directed to enhance vigil near religious places, besides undertaking combing operations, to keep a vigil on strangers and anti-social elements, who might slip into the area under the garb of visitors and relatives of residents.

Besides stepping up the night vigil, the police has installed special checkposts and intensified patrolling throughout the area. The policemen have been asked to keep in touch with the authorities in the fire department and health centres, so that rescue operation in case of any eventuality could be started without delay.

Teams of policemen, supervised by Amandeep Singh Brar, SHO, Dehlon; Rajesh Sharma, SHO, Sudhar; and Gurpartap Singh, SHO, Sadar, undertook combing operations in localities situated under their jurisdiction last night. Homes of those people who had tried to hide terrorists were searched.

Maintaining that the exercise was done to boost the morale of residents and ensure their safety during the festival season, Gurpreet Singh Sikand said beat officers have been directed to ensure that no stranger sneaks into the area under the guise of a relative or a friend of locals.

The decision to beef up the security was taken during meetings chaired by Police Commissioner, Ludhiana; Senior Superintendent of Police, Sangrur, and SSP, Ludhiana (Rural), recently. The chiefs had directed the police officials to deal strictly with organised perpetrators of crime.

The operation assumes importance in view of the disruptive activities at religious places during the festival season in the past. A large number of activists of radical organisations of various communities have also been active in this region. Being on the intersection of at least five police districts, including Ludhiana, Ludhiana (Rural), Khanna, Sangrur and Barnala, criminals have been striking at one place and then taking shelter in surrounding areas.

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Be safe this festive season, says Police Commissioner
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 18
In the wake of Dasehra festival, Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh in a public notice has appealed to the public that if any unscrupulous person or a thing is noticed by anyone, they should immediately inform the police present on the duty and the police control room.

While instructing to the Dasehra Mela committees, the Commissioner of Police said that no such thing would be shown in the Dasehra fairs which endangered the lives of the performer or the viewers present there.

"In case of any mishap, the fair organising committee would be responsible for the compensation for any injury caused. Nothing that may cause unrest would be shown during the fairs. The quality of the food and snacks would have to be checked by the health department" stated Ishawar Singh.

"Chlorinated water should be made available for the general public. No gambling or vulgar item or stall should be allowed. Service tax will be levied where the entry is through tickets. Permission for the installation of loudspeakers will have to be taken from the authorities concerned. Crackers and fireworks used should be according to the guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court. The entry, exit and the mobility of the people and transport should not cause any obstruction", he further instructed.

Any swings installed at the fairs should be according the guidelines of the executive engineer. The permission to run the fair will be immediately withdrawn in case of any emergency or natural calamity and violation of any orders or instructions by the authorities, he said.

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Postal department offers 7% discount on gold coins
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 18
The postal department has offered 7 per cent discount on gold coins for the festive season.

The coins are available in various denominations, including 0.5 gm, 1gm, 5gm, 10 gm, 20 gm, 50 gm and are available at various post offices in the city, including central post office, post office at Model Town and the Head Post Office.

The Swiss gold coins available at the post office are 24 carat gold with the purity of 99.99 per cent and are manufactured in Valcambi, Switzerland.

An official said, the discount has been offered especially for the festive season as Dasehra, Dhanteras and Diwali are considered to be auspicious days for the purchase of gold and the discount is expected to bring in more customers this festive season.

“Ludhiana has been leading in the sale of gold coins from other post offices in Punjab, and we expect to maintain the lead this year as well”, the official said.

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PSPCL employees observe strike
Management calls it illegal; power supply remains unaffected
Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, October 18
In response to a call given by the PSEB Employees Joint Forum, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) employees today observed a strike in protest against what the unions termed as indifferent attitude of the PSPCL management towards their pending demands.

The power supply in the city and elsewhere in the Central Zone, however, remained unaffected with the officials claiming that all sub-stations and feeders were operational.

The routine working in the PSPCL offices at the division and sub-division level was affected to some extent while cash counters in different parts of the city were partly functional.

PSPCL Chief Engineer (Central Zone) KL Sharma said that attendance in the offices was thin as approximately 75 per cent employees had joined the strike. "We managed to maintain the power supply with the help of engineers who manned the sub-stations while other administrative operations were carried out with the help if skeletal staff," he said.

Taking a tough stand on the strike, the PSPCL management termed it as illegal.

In an official press note issued, the head, Administration and Industrial Relations of PSPCL, claimed that three rounds of meetings were conducted with the representatives of the PSEB Employees Joint Forum on October 8, 14 and 17, 2012 respectively to discuss their pending demands.

In the meeting held on October 17, the forum activists were assured that four of their main demands would be accepted which would be implemented after the approval of the Board of Directors (BoD) of the PSPCL. Further, it was also agreed that three other demands of the employees would be discussed at the next meeting of the BoD, and depending on the outcome, these would also be implemented with retrospective effect.

About the other demands, there was general consensus over some of them while some other would be discussed and decided upon at a later date.

The PSPCL management said despite the positive attitude of the management, the trade union leaders walked out of the meeting and refused to reconsider the decision to observe strike. "In these circumstances, we are left with no other option but to declare the strike as illegal," the management said.

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No check on safety of swings at fairs
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 18
The festive spirit has gripped residents and fairs are being organised at several places in the city. Many organisations, committees and welfare societies etc, are organising melas and a good number of swings have been arranged for the recreation of children, but there is no check by the authorities whether the swings are safe and are functioning properly.

The No Objection Certificate (NOC) for organising fairs is provided by the police in the city after all other departments concerned like fire, PWD etc provide their own approval to the organisers. "But not separate permission is granted to persons who provide swings in such fairs", said a police official on condition of anonymity. He further said that all security arrangements were again checked by the police only.

Badish K Jindal, a local industrialist, said that now, that that the festive season was on, there should be no mishappenings in crowded areas and the authorities needed to keep a check on the quality of swings like merry-go-round etc.

"At a few places, the swings have been installed in individual capacity and in case of any mishappening, no one will be accountable to anyone. In addition to providing consents, the departments concerned need to keep a check on the fairs etc", said Jindal.

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Belly dancing her first preference
Meher Malik is in the city to hold a workshop at Sarabha Nagar
Tribune News Service
Belly dancer Mehar Malik at a workshop in Ludhiana
Belly dancer Mehar Malik at a workshop in Ludhiana. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

Ludhiana, October 18
Meher Malik, a belly dance exponent, who became popular through reality show, “Just Dance”, is in the city. She is holding a belly dance workshop at Sangita's Studio of Performing Arts at Sarabha Nagar.

She said the unique thing about the learners here is that even women over 40 years were keen on learning the dance form. "In Delhi, people of this age are not enthusiastic about the dance form," she says. She said that she was fascinated with the dance form and wanted to popularise it among women as it "empowered" them.

She became interested in the dance form when she saw a dance performance in Cairo when she was on a visit there as a child. As she grew up, she took dance classes in London from the exponents of belly dancing and came back to settle in India, she says.

She is keen to promote the dance form, and negates her own identity as a conduit to take it to the next level. "The reason for participating in reality shows or choreographing in movies is just to promote belly dancing," she says.

Having choreographed a dance in the Bollywood movie, "Aiya", she said that she would take up only those assignments that would help her promote the dance, as belly dancing was her first preference, not movies.

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Night shift plays havoc with digestive system: Expert
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 18
Diet being the buzz has led to mushrooming of many diet clinics in the city.

Talking about the importance of such clinics, Sheea Serahawat, a postgraduate in dietetics from IHM, Delhi, and the co-founder of “Diet Clinicchain” said that changing lifestyles and increasing intake of junk food was leading to unhealthy food habits.

She said that the emphasis should be on increasing the metabolic rate by "surprising" the body, balancing the diet and not eating the food in a monotonous way. The kind of diet one should take also depends on the blood group, she said. For example, people with A+ blood group should take milk and milk products and those with O+ blood group should take starch and rice.

Night shifts play havoc with the digestive system which leads to bad absorption. Other factors to be taken into consideration include personal preferences, lifestyle and the age of the person, she said.

She said that the lifestyles these days were changing, and children who had working parents had the propensity to become obese as they took less regular diets. She said that some working professionals skipped food and then gorged on to food late in the night. But this was unhealthy and brought down the metabolic rate. When one had heavy food late in the night, the sluggish metabolism and digestive system led to less burning of food and accumulation of fat, she said.

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Viral fever on rise in city
Anupam Bhagria
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 18
Patients visiting city hospitals and clinics are increasingly complaining of sore throat, infection in the upper respiratory tract and mild fever. Although, the danger of dengue is still lurking, the cases of viral fever are on a rise.

Dr Sandeep Puri, medical superintendent at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, said: "Dengue is also caused by a virus. These days we are getting many patients who complain of cough and cold along with fever. Viral fever is confirmed only after ruling out other ailments including dengue and typhoid."

Cases of typhoid, a bacterial disease, are also being reported. Dr BS Shah, medical superintendent at Deepak Hospital, said: "Cases of typhoid keep pouring in throughout the year. It usually occurs due to unhygienic conditions. Milder form of dengue is chikungunya. I have not come across any patient suffering from it this season. Mostly people are suffering from viral. It takes one to two weeks to completely recover from it."

Dr Satish Kumar Ohri, a private practitioner, said: "This year cases of viral fever are more as compared to dengue and typhoid. The incubation of viral is between five to seven days, but if it persists it may be typhoid."

Dr Deepak Bhatia, project programme officer and project coordinator of integrated disease surveillance, Punjab, also confirmed the rise in cases of viral fever.

Dos and Don'ts

  • Use handkerchief while sneezing and coughing
  • Keep your body covered
  • Wash hands before eating anything
  • Eat hygienic food
  • Drink more liquids
  • Avoid self medication and consult a physician
  • Patient should not come in contact with others, especially elderly and children

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school notes
Students stage plays on social issues
Tribune News Service

Students take part in a painting competition at HVM Convent School in Ludhiana on Thursday
Students take part in a painting competition at HVM Convent School in Ludhiana on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Ludhiana, October 18
HVM Convent School conducted inter-house drama and painting competitions on the school campus. The four houses -- Gandhi, Tagore, Bose and Nehru -- presented one-act plays on social issues such as corruption, customer awareness, caste system and child labour. The themes of the painting competition were ‘Save Environment’ and ‘Rural India’. The principal appreciated the efforts of the students and said the purpose of such activities was to boost the confidence of students for their all-round personality development.

Energy conservation drive

A team of students of BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School visited Kutbewal Gujjaran village under a project on energy conservation and management in rural areas. The team, accompanied by two teachers, interacted with farmers about defective pumps, problems in bore wells, leakage in pipes and electrical faults. They apprised the farmers of remedial measures to conserve energy while using electrical equipment on farms. The issues raised were forwarded to government officials and PAU’s senior research engineer. The team also distributed pamphlets to the farmers which carried tips on saving energy during peak farming season. A rally with theme ‘energy conservation’ was also organised in the urban areas.

Dasehra celebrations

Ram Lal Bhasin Public School celebrated Dasehra with great enthusiasm on Thursday. The students enacted the scenes from the epic Ramayana on the occasion. Some students also gave dance performances. An effigy of Ravana was later burnt to depict the victory of good over evil. The director of the school told the students about the importance of celebrating the festival.

Visit to tiger safari park

Taking a break from studies, students of Nursery to Class II at GRD Academy visited the Tiger Safari Park on Thursday. Meanwhile, students of Classes III to V visited Wonderland in Jalandhar. Students of Classes VI and VII visited different departments at Punjab Agricultural University including fisheries, agriculture, horticulture, and water resource development. They also visited the museum at the university.

Wildlife conservation

Doraha: World Wild Life Day was celebrated at Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School on Thursday. Students recited various poems in English and Punjabi on the occasion. A Punjabi poem, "Chidi Di Guhar", by Class II gave information on the extinction of precious bird species.

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college notes
NCC holds plantation drive
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 18
The NCC unit of Khalsa College for Women organised a plantation drive here today. To spread awareness among the students, various saplings were planted by cadets on the college campus. The cadets expressed their concern towards the preservation of green cover on the occasion.

Freshers’ party

Extending a warm welcome to the new batch of students, Guru Nanak Institute of Design and Technology organised a freshers’ party yesterday. It was an evening filled with music, dance and talent. The main attraction of the evening was a designer competition, which had two themes -- jungle drama and innovative tradition.

Lecture on investor education

Doraha: An extension lecture was delivered by Ashok Singla, ISO lead auditor, on "Investor Education and Protection" at Guru Nanak National College. Singla stressed on the need to create awareness among existing and prospective investors regarding their rights, different investment avenues available, and also about the technicalities of capital market.

Fatehgarh Sahib college wins overall trophy

Mandi Gobindgarh: The two-day zonal youth festival of the Panjab Technical University colleges concluded at the Desh Bhagat Institute of Professional Studies here last evening. Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College, Fatehgarh Sahib, won the overall trophy and Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Ludhiana, won the runners-up trophy. unjab Language Department director Dr Balbir Kaur presided over the valedictory function and gave away the prizes and certificates to the winning students.

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SSP marks inquiry into woman’s detention case
Gurminder S Grewal

Khamano, October 18
In the case involving overnight detention of a woman at a police station here on October 11,

SSP, Fatehgarh Sahib, Hardial Singh Mann has marked an inquiry to the DSP, Khamano.

The aggrieved woman, Amarjit Singh of Ria village, in a written complaint to the SSP, had alleged that she was harassed by block samiti chairman and SGPC member Avtar Singh Ria, who tried to dispossess her of a piece of land and had also tried to lure her into selling drugs. He along with the village sarpanch, Surinderpal Singh, also passed rude remarks against her, she alleged.

She even alleged that later she was called to the police station and was booked under Section 107/151. She had to remain in the lock-up for the whole night, and was released on bail the following day. She stated that despite clear instructions from the state government against detention of a woman without a serious charge, she had to remain in the lock-up due to the influence of Avtar Singh.

Amarjit Singh had sent letters to Punjab Chief Minister, State Women’s Commission and SGPC president.

Avtar Singh and Surinderpal Singh, however, refuted all the allegations. Avtar Singh claimed it to be a conspiracy to tarnish their image.

Meanwhile, Akali Dal leader Subeg Singh Bhamian expressed regret over the incident and demanded Avtar Singh’s resignation for tarnishing the party’s image.

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Lawyer approaches court against demolition drive
Our Correspondent

Jagraon, October 18
A local lawyer has approached the court against the demolition drive launched by the Public Works Department (PWD), Punjab, during which several structures including some cabins of the lawyers practising in local courts were demolished.

The PWD department had launched the drive last week to remove structures which were obstructing the construction work of the new Tehsil Complex.

A local lawyer, Raj Kumar, has approached a local court alleging that his cabin was razed illegally during the demolition drive. He further alleged that the PWD officials razed his cabin forcibly and also misbehaved with him when he objected to the demolition drive.

In his complaint, Raj Kumar claimed that the PWD officials did not even serve any notice to him before razing his cabin. "I had constructed this cabin by spending several thousand rupees from my own pocket several years back after taking appropriate permission from the then SDM,” he stated.

The lawyer had also lodged a complaint against the PWD with the local police.

While terming the allegations leveled by Raj Kumar as false, PWD official Baljinder Singh claimed that the department had issued many notices to concerned persons before starting the demolition drive which was undertaken as per the law following government instructions.

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Avoid vulgar music, says Harbhajan Mann
Tribune News Service

Starcast of “Dil Tainu Karda Ae Pyar” who visited Ludhiana to promote their movie on Thursday
Starcast of “Dil Tainu Karda Ae Pyar” who visited Ludhiana to promote their movie on Thursday. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

Ludhiana, October 18
Noted Punjabi singer Harbhajan Mann and star cast of Punjabi movie “Dil Tainu Karda Ae Pyar” were in the city. The star cast of the movie visited various places in the city, including Ramgarhia Girls College.

Mann asked the youth not to listen to vulgar music at the packed auditorium of Ramgarhia Girls College, He said not many put heir foot down and took a stand against such music.

"When I get down to writing or singing a song, I keep elders in my mind, and how they will react when they listen to my music," he said to the loud applause of girls.

Talking about his own acting, he said that like actors Salman, Aamir and Shahrukh Khan, who were in their 40s were going great guns in Bollywood, so he too would not hang his boots hat soon. His two movies are set to release next year, one with director Manmohan Singh and another music album "Satrangi Peengh" will release next month, he said.

The star cast of the new Punjabi movie is slated to be released in November. The lead pair Gulzar Chahal, Neetu Singh along with actor Rohit Khurana, director Ajay Kumar were also present there for the promotion of the movie. "The movie is a romantic and is youth-oriented. It is a "clean" entertaining movie," said Chahal.

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Ludhiana scan

Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, GS Randhawa and Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh initiate a plantation drive at the Income Tax office in Ludhiana on Thursday
Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, GS Randhawa and Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh initiate a plantation drive at the Income Tax office in Ludhiana on Thursday. Photo: Inderjeet Verma

Plantation drive

Ludhiana: A plantation drive was conducted at the Income Tax Office on Thursday. Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, GS Randhawa and Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh initiated the plantation drive. Speaking on the occasion, Randhawa said life was incomplete without plants, and we should protect the biodiversity.

Industrial visit

Quest Infosys, regional centre of PTU, organised an industrial visit to the Ludhiana Stock exchange for around 50 management students. The visit was organised to provide industrial exposure to the students and keep them updated with the latest trends in the industry.

Medical camp

With intent to identify cancer patients at an early stage, the Global Cancer Concern India organised a medical camp at Guru Har Krishan Public Senior School at Phallewal village near here recently. Free medicine was provided to the patients suffering from various diseases. Gurmat Pal Singh, convener of the camp, said besides examining patients for routine ailments a team of doctors led by Dr Surinder Kumar and Dr Damandeep Aggarwal gave tips to protect them from carcinogens. Maintaining that majority of cancer patients were diagnosed for the ailment only during last stage, Sukhdev Singh, assistant manager of the GCCI, said many lives could be saved if the menace was identified at the initial stage.

Conference on hypertension

Hero DMC Heart Institute is organizing 21st National Conference of Hypertension Society of India on October 20-21. The conference will be held at the Nirvana Club, Aveda Hotel, on the Hambran Road. The conference will include comprehensive scientific sessions on various aspects of hypertension and its associated problems by distinguished faculty from various parts of the country including Dr KK Talwar, former director of the PGI, Chandigarh; Dr Shashank Joshi, president of Association of Physician of India, from Mumbai; and Dr BM Hegde, former Vice-Chancellor of Manipal University. Dr Anthony Heagerty from University of Manchester, UK, will participate and speak on some common drugs which are used for treatment of hypertension. There will be discussion on important issues like pregnancy and hypertension, treatment of heart failure and role of Vitamin D in lifestyle diseases.

Cultural heritage festival

Three-day 34th Mohan Singh Memorial International Cultural Heritage Festival will be organised jointly by the Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation and Young Farmers Club, Bhadson, at Nanoki village and Nabha on Friday. Religious prayers, poetical recitations and sufi singing will be organised on the inaugural day, whereas wrestling bouts will take place on the second day. The title combat will be fought between Bharat Kesari Kamaljit Singh Doomchheri and Mazida from Akhara Shahkot. Legislator Mohammad Sadique, Gurmit Bawa, Harbhajan Mann, Harjit Harman, Ravinder Grewal, Inderjit Nikku, Pammi Bayee, Ranjit Kaur, Gulzar Lahoria, Santa-Banta, Faqir Chand Patanga and Sukhwinder Sukhi are among some renowned artists who have been invited to perform on the concluding day.

Entries invited for art exhibition

Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh, has invited works on the mediums of drawings, paintings, sculptures, graphics, mix-media and photography for the annual art exhibition 2012 to be held during the month of November at the art gallery of Punjab Kala Bhawan. — TNS

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4 held for cow slaughter

Phillaur, October 18
The Bilga police has arrested four migrants, identified as Sonu, Bablu, Raju and Saleem, in an alleged case of cow slaughtering. The accused, who hail from Bihar, had eaten beef after cooking it at their residence in Bilga, the police said.

Baldev Singh, a villager, lodged a complaint that he had seen the four persons slaughtering the animal and later cooking it on October 6.

Acting on the complaint, the police has registered a case under the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955, as well as the IPC. The accused have confessed their crime. — OC

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Paternity issue: DNA samples of sarpanch taken
Woman had accused him of raping her 18 years ago
Shivani Bhakoo
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 18
Adhering to the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the police along with officials of the Health Department today took the DNA samples of a sarpanch, to establish the paternity of a 17-year-old girl in Hawas village near here.

Confirming the development, Inderjit Singh, SHO, Meharbaan, said that the DNA samples of sarpanch Mann Singh, the woman of Hawas village (who had alleged that the sarpanch had raped her following which she got pregnant and gave birth to a girl, who is now 17 years of age) and the daughter.

"The doctor along with the police took the samples, which will be sent to a laboratory in Hyderabad tomorrow", said the SHO.

The woman had levelled an allegation that the sarpanch used to be a "Godman" about 18 years ago when she came in contact with him. As she was childless, she visited several religious places but all in vain. She then went to Mann Singh, who allegedly raped her. She also maintained that as she feared social boycott, she remained quiet all these years. But now, gathering courage, she went to the Meharbaan police station and lodged a complaint against the sarpanch, who had also captured the incident on video.

The woman maintained that she was not satisfied with the police investigation so she approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2010. The court ordered the police to probe the matter.

While on the other hand, the sarpanch said that the woman was falsely implicating him at the behest of a villager. The village residents maintained that the woman knew the sarpanch and their relationship was mutual, but both had parted ways later.

sarpanch was a ‘godman’ then

The woman had levelled an allegation that the sarpanch used to be a "Godman" about 18 years ago when she came in contact with him. As she was childless, she visited several religious places but all in vain. She then went to Mann Singh, who allegedly raped her.

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Volleyball games begin
Gurminder Singh Grewal

Khamano October 18
The 58th Punjab State School (under-19) Volleyball Games got off to a colourful start at Government Senior Secondary School, Khamano.

It was inaugurated by Harvel Singh, DEO, Fatehgarh Sahib.

On the first day, Sai Wing, Mastuana, and Sports School, Jalandhar, won their respective matches.

In other matches, Nawan Shehar defeated Fazilka, while Sangrur defeated Mansa.

In another match, Fatehgarh Sahib beat Kapurthala in the boys’ section.

In the girls’ section, Fatehgarh Sahib beat Pathankot, while Hoshiarpur beat Barnala. Moga got better off Patiala, while Muketsar pipped Ropar. Sangrur drubbed Bathinda, as Ludhiana cornered glory over Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Mansa beat Pathankot and Ferozepur beat Barnala.

As many as 24 teams in the boys’ section and 18 teams in the girls section are participating in this championship that will continue for four days.

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