Ludhiana, October 25
With the arrest of six persons, the city police claims to have busted a gang of snatchers, which used to rob persons visiting the railway station and the surrounding areas.

The police has recovered a car, two motorcycles and sharp-edged weapons.

Addressing a press conference, Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh said the accused were arrested following a tip-off.

"We had information that a gang had been targeting people at busy market places, the railway station and bus stops. The accused used to rob people of mobile phones and other belongings," said the Commissioner of Police.

The police got a tip-off that the accused were planning to commit yet another robbery near the railway station. The police raided the place and arrested six members of the gang, he said.

Those arrested have been identified as Gurav Sehgal, a resident of Chander Nagar, Raj Kumar, a resident of Saharnpur (UP), Prem Bahadur, a resident of Dalgaurhi in Nepal, Kunal Kumar, a resident of Nehru Garden, PAP Chowk, Jalandhar, Vicky, a resident of Mundian Khurd village near the city, and Raj Kumar, a resident of the Rahon road.

"All are habitual offenders and have been in and out of jail. It is suspected that they formed a gang in jail," said ACP Swapan Sharma

Ludhiana, October 25
With the festival season under way, markets and commercial hubs are buzzing with activity, which has led to a spurt in the generation of garbage. The private firm deployed for lifting garbage by the municipal corporation is finding it difficult to deal with the situation.

The "grossly inadequate" infrastructure available with A2Z Waste Management Company, the private firm entrusted with the task of lifting garbage from collection points in different parts of the city, coupled with the "indifferent attitude" of the MC functionaries, has virtually turned the city into a huge garbage dump.

Though officials of the health branch of the MC and A2Z claim that, on an average, more than 100 trips are made by vehicles from garbage collection points in the city to the dumping site, if residents from various parts of the city are to be believed, the collection points are not cleared completely.

In most parts of the city, the garbage collection points and containers start overflowing and garbage lies strewn all around almost immediately after the mechanical lifting from the garbage collection sites, say residents.

A2Z has also been found wanting in the door-to-door collection of garbage in ward numbers 67 and 68 in zone C, which were handed over to the firm a month and a half ago.

Senior MC officials said a policy decision was taken to entrust the entire work of garbage collection in the city to the private company after two wards were given to it on an experimental basis in August 2012. "It was proposed that two wards in each zone will be given to the company in a gap of 10 days on a continuous basis. However, the performance of A2Z in this respect has been far from satisfactory and on the intervention of the Mayor and the MC Commissioner, the decision has been put on hold for the time being," an MC official said. MC officials responsible for sanitation admitted that the garbage collection and handling work had not been up to the mark for quite some time now. However, they attributed it to the sudden increase in the volume of garbage generated in the city due to the festival season.

According to rough estimates, the city normally generates about 750 tonnes of garbage daily, which goes up by some 20 to 25 per cent during the festival season. More than 1,000 tonnes of garbage is being generated on a daily basis, officials say. Residents say the increase in the volume of garbage generation around this time is not a new phenomenon. "Both the MC and the private firm engaged in lifting of garbage should have been fully prepared to meet the extra load of work, which apparently has not been done if the pathetic level of insanitation all around the city is any indication," said residents of Guru Nanak Pura and Upkar Nagar localities in the Civil Lines area.

‘Jaspal Bhatti’s death a big loss to the film industry’
The city woke up on Thursday morning to the sad news of the king of comedy, Jaspal Bhatti, dying a tragic death in a car crash. Ludhiana Tribune spoke to a few prominent people to get their reactions on the death of the man who made India laugh

He was full of energy, vigour and creativity. He was one of the few people who used satire to highlight social issues.

— Surjit Patar

He was a true patriot and fought social evils bravely. His satires on the political system and social evils were well appreciated. Even his last movie, "Power Cut", is about the problem of power cuts.

— Jaswinder Bhalla, actor

He was my idol. I grew up watching his comedy shows. Even today, "Ulta Pulta" brings smiles on people's faces. He was the first Sikh comedian to make his presence felt on the national scene. I have had the privilege to meet him, but my dream of working with him has been shattered with his demise.

— Jaswant Singh, comedian

I woke up this morning to this sad news. It is a big loss to the film industry. He made immense contribution to comedy and the Punjabi film industry. He made people laugh and highlighted social issues using satire.

— Nirmal Rishi

Jaspal Bhatti created a unique identity for himself. Even now when I want to teach students theatre and to do satire, his examples of creativity come to my mind. This is a big loss. He was a hero who fought the inadequacies of the system.

— Karamjit Grewal, writer

Ludhiana, October 25
Panic gripped Kailash Nagar on Kakowal Road here today after a man's body, covered in a quilt, was found from a vacant plot. The victim is believed to be around 50 years old.

The badly mutilated and stinking body was spotted by residents, who informed the police.

According to the police, an arm of the victim was found at a distance. The body bore multiple injury marks.

High drama was witnessed after officials of both the Jodhewal and Meharban police stations passed the buck and refused to conduct the investigation.

The matter was resolved later and the Jodhewal police agreed to register a case following the intervention of ADCP NK Sharma.

Ludhiana, October 25
In a major breakthrough, the city police has arrested three alleged notorious criminals who used to rob traders by posing as policemen. The gang members, who have so far committed robbery of Rs 95 lakh, were arrested from Sahnewal following a tip off.

The development has taken place, barely a day after the city police arrested two policemen, who were posted at the office of IG-Traffic (Punjab) Chandigarh for robbing diamond worth Rs 35 lakh from the employee of a diamond merchant.

Addressing a press conference here, the Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh said that the gang members used to target people carrying huge money with them in buses. "The gang members have robbed nearly Rs 95.25 lakh in 11 robbery incidents, while 700 gm of gold was looted by the gang members," said the commissioner.

This gang was an offshoot of the gang run by a constable in Punjab Police, Sujit Singh.

Surjit was nabbed earlier this year by the Fathegarh Sahib Police for robbing a Gujrati trader of Rs 22 lakh.

Arrest of Surjit, who was enjoying strong political connections, was not a cakewalk.

DIG MF Farooqui had formed a special investigation team (SIT) headed by the then SSP Mandeep Singh that led to the arrest of the accused person.

Revealing the modus operandi, the Commissioner of Police, Ishwar Singh, said their prospective targets were people who used to carry huge amount of money and travel by bus.

While two members used to sit with their target, while two others follow the bus in Chevrolet Tavera.

Posing as police officers they used to waylay the bus at a secluded place. The other two men also posing as policemen would then take the victim on the pretext of checking. After robbing the victim they used fled the scene.

The accused have been identified as Raja Ram, a resident of Thamanwala village in Moga, Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Lakshman Nagar Gidderbaha and Kamaljeet Singh resident of Jail road Faridkot. One of their accomplices, Bhola, a resident of Zira managed to give the police a slip.

During search of their car, two uniforms of head constable rank were recovered while a .12 bore pistol along with two live cartridges were also recovered. The police has recovered Rs 5 lakh from the possession of the gang members. A case under Sections 382 and 171 of the IPC and 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms act has been registered against four persons.

Ludhiana, October 25
The Mata Sahib Kaur Sports Club, which runs a hockey academy at Jarkhar village, near here, has handed over Rs 1 lakh to the mother of Akash Mehra, who met with an accident near Jalandhar Cantonment on Tuesday. The Surjit Hockey Society, Jalandhar, too, has announced a matching assistance for this talented hockey player.

Akash Mehra lost both his legs after he was run over by a train. A trainee of the Mata Sahib Kaur Hockey Academy, Jarkhar, Akash was going to his home to celebrate his birthday. As Akash was alighting from the train, he slipped and the train ran over him.

Recuperating at the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, Akash was stated to be out of danger. Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, MLA and general secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal, along with former captain of the national hockey team and MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment visited the hospital today to enquire about his health.

They assured his parents that they would urge the Punjab Chief Minister to arrange all possible assistance for Akash’s treatment.

The trainees of the Jarkhar Hockey Academy exhibited a goodwill gesture and collected Rs 25,000 out of their pocket money for Akash’s treatment.

Meanwhile, in a communique to Akash’s parents, hockey stars, Sardara Singh and Sandeep Singh, conveyed their sympathy with them. "All the players, attending a camp in Patiala, pray to the Almighty for a speedy recovery for Akash," the message reads.

Narinder Batra, general secretary, Hockey India, also promised financial help to the injured player.

Chief organiser, Jarkhar Academy, Jagroop Singh, SDM, Iqbal Singh Sidhu, Paramjeet Singh Neetu, Harminder Pal Singh, Ranjeet Singh Deol, Parveen Thakur, Sarpanch Surinder Singh, Dapinder Singh, Baba Rulda Singh, Baljeet Singh Neela Mahal called on Akash Mehra's parents to express their sympathy.

Ludhiana, October 24
As many as eight dengue patients have been confirmed here in Ludhiana today. Out of which four belong to Ludhiana, while one each from Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ferozepur districts respectively.

These included Daljit 24 (M) from Sahnewal, Rushali 12 (F) of Rajguru Nagar, Amar 45 (M) from Khanna and Reena, 22 (F), Phullanwal. While Rohit 22 (M) from Sangrur, Daljit 24 (M) from Hoshiarpur, Amit 25 (M) from Fatehgarh Sahib and Anik 16 (M) from Ferozepur.

Ludhiana alone has witnessed 113 dengue patients in this season. Meanwhile, the Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, Dr Subhash Batta, has issued following instructions for the residents as a preventive measure from dengue.

• Dengue spreads through mosquito bites, which occur during day time.
• Mosquitoes breads in containers having fresh water like flower pots, water coolers, water tanks etc.
• Clean and dry the coolers especially of collected rain water if any.
• Discard the cooler mats.
• Keep rooftops clear of containers/tyres and protect your family from dengue.
• Wear full sleeves and cover your feet in the morning and evening.
• Spray insecticides under the tables/behind the curtains
• Report Suspected case of dengue to nearest dispensary/Civil Surgeon office control room phone number-0161-2444193.
• Use anti-mosquito nets to prevent dengue and malaria.

Jagraon, October 25
It was a tough time for the farmers, whose paddy produce was lying in the Grain Market here, when the moderate rain lashed the region last evening. The farmers were seen trying to save their produce from the rain by covering it with plastic sheets. The procurement of paddy was also badly affected.

During a visit to the local Grain Market, which is the second largest grain market in Asia after Khanna, it was found that procurement was badly hit due to the rain.

Certain farmers complained that the government had failed to provide better facilities at the grain markets of Punjab, as a result of which farmers’ produce often got damaged.

"Procurement agencies have been very strict about the moisture level in paddy produce and after the rain the moisture is bound to increase. In such a situation it will not be an easy task for us to sell our crop," said Gurjant Singh, a farmer from the nearby Sawadi village.

Most farmers were frustrated over the arrangements made by the Market Committee at the grain market. They said they were not even provided shelter to save them from rain and they had to spend the whole night in cold.

However, secretary of the Market Committee Jaswinder Singh claimed that the local committee had made the best possible arrangements for the farmers visiting the grain market. "We also provided covers to the farmers so that they could cover their corps while it was raining yesterday," he added.

According to the officials the market committee, they have noticed about 50 per cent reduction in the procurement of paddy due to the rain. "We have observed that the procurement of paddy fell about 50 per cent during the day only because of the rain. But, we are hopeful that it will pick up pace in the coming days when the weather becomes normal," said Jaswinder Singh.

Ludhiana, October 25
The state government had introduced a project to spread awareness about information technology in villages. The project was recently initiated by the government in 22 districts of Punjab. Out of total 12,000 villages, 2,000 villages were identified by the department and out of this number, total 150 villages in Punjab were chosen to start the project, through the bidding procedure.

"But due to lack of interest shown by the villagers towards getting the latest in Information Technology, the project has virtually failed in rural areas. Though it was started to make the villagers aware of their surroundings. Like if a farmer wants to know something particular about pesticides, he could get all the related information by just clicking away the mouse. But unfortunately, the villagers have not shown any interest towards IT, so the efforts go futile," said one of the nodal officers of the project.

The main aim of the state government was to provide Internet services to the villages. A place in the village was identified (may be a small shop) and net related information was to provide to the people of rural areas through a private person. While in the second phase, government aimed at providing facilities like being given in Suvidha Centres here, in the villages. But within two to three months of its inception in many villages, the project has fizzled out.

"The state government wants to know the reason that as to why such an important project failed to kick-off. Now the government has asked the Nodal Officers to send the report that why people were not subscribing for it and why the villagers were not taking interest in it," said one of the (150) nodal officers associated with the project.

Ludhiana, October 25
Milk demand has increased in the festival season, so has its adulteration. To meet the higher demand, many unscrupulous dairy farmers/milkmen add water to milk. Though the Punjab Dairy Development Board has been organising camps to make consumers aware about adulterated milk, the practice goes on unchecked.

Rajpal Singh, a member of the Progressive Dairy Farmers' Association, told The Tribune that to meet the rising milk demand, many farmers had started the unethical practice of mixing water in milk. "Because of such handful of farmers, the entire dairy fraternity can not be blamed. It becomes the duty of the government to crack its whip on such persons, who bring disrepute to the entire community," said Rajpal Singh.

The Deputy Director, Punjab Dairy Development Board, Dilbagh Singh, said on an average, five or seven samples of milk were being brought to the office by consumers.

"During the festival season, the milk demand increases while the production remains the same. To increase production, certain farmers start adding water to milk. At times, milk samples are found with 40-60 per cent water. It is the duty of the Health Department to get the samples for checking while we just organise awareness camps for consumers. Around 50 such camps have been organised by the department," said Dilbagh Singh, adding that the department had the kits to check the quality of milk.

Ludhiana, October 25
The Stroke Unit of Christian Medical College and Hospital is observing World Stroke Week from October 23 to 29. Stroke awareness campaigns have been planned for the entire week in order to reach out to the citizens of Ludhiana and Punjab.

Dr Jeyaraj D Pandian, Professor and head of neurology at the CMC who is the board of Director to WSO from Asia/Oceania region, and also the Chairman of the World Stroke Campaign (WSC) stated that more than 60 countries would be participating across the world this year. Dr Pandian said this year the focus is on stroke caregivers i.e. relatives of stroke patients to stress the importance of relative's role in caring for stroke patients.

Ludhiana, October 25
The police smells a rat in the alleged recovery of 500gm of brown powder that was kept in the bonnet of a car, which belongs to a government schoolteacher. The suspected contraband was found during a raid of the anti-narcotics department in the GNE College area this evening.

The police has not yet registered a case as it suspects that the government schoolteacher has fallen victim to a foul play.

The ACDP-II, Bhupinder Singh, said the contraband had been sent for a chemical examination.He has not ruled out that the teacher had been framed up by someone to settle personal scores.

It has come to light that the schoolteacher and his brother-in-law are had a dispute with certain persons in Sunet village on the issue of property worth over Rs 10 crore.

Ludhiana, October 25
Pop singer Hard Kaur was in the city today. She said she has been to the city many a time before also on wedding parties. She migrated to the UK with family when she was a child, after she lost her father in 84 riots.

There was an extent of racism in the UK at that time, as NRIs would be more racist than natives there, she says. She was aggressive and people there started calling "She is Hard Kaur, rather than Taran Kaur," she says, and that's how she got the name Hard Kaur.

Growing up, she got into hip-hop and then rap music, because rap music is not feminine, she says. In the UK, there are no girls in rap music scene, and this is one of the reasons she started with it.

About the natives in the UK Indians who migrated have stayed in old views, she says, and people here are much more fun-loving as compared to those back in UK, she says.

Having come back to India in 2008, Hard worked with Bollywood movies. She also acted in Patiala House. She said that she would like to do some roles, but not as a heroine, and play a villain rather, she said.

She is about to launch her second album Play-Party Aloud All Year, after a hiatus of five years.

Ludhiana, October 25
PAU Vice-Chancellor Baldev Singh Dhillon has expressed grief over the demise of Jaspal Bhatti, king of comedy, who died in a car accident last night. Describing the death as a shocking and extremely sad incidence, Dr Dhillon said, "We have lost a great comedian who highlighted the every day problems of common man through his simple humour and satire.

Ludhiana, October 25
Two international events held in China have proved to be a moral booster for 18-year-old Rahul, a judo player from the city. Rahul got the fifth position in Taipei Open International Judo Tournament 2012 held in China. The tournament was held from October 1 to 3. Rahul also participated in Junior Asia Judo Championship held from September 28 to 30 in the same city.

Rahul is a student of class XII at Springdale Senior Secondary School Sherpur and has been practising judo for the last four years. He had trained at the Sports Authority of India centre for three years under the guidance of coach Rakesh Singh Saggar.

"It was my first international tour, and that is why I did not perform better in the first event, Junior Asia Judo Championship. But in the second event, I was quite confident and got the fifth position. My dream is to participate in the Olympic Games and win a medal," said Rahul.

Earlier, Rahul had won gold in the CBSE North Zone Judo Championship. Last year he had won gold in the Junior National Judo Championship held in Agra in January.

The Central Board of Secondary Education has awarded him CBSE Chacha Nehru Sports Award 2011-12.

Avinash Kaur Walia, Principal, Spring Dale Senior Secondary School, Sherpur, said: "Rahul is a very hardworking boy and we hope that he has a good future. He is good in studies, and the school is proud of him".

"Rahul wants to participate in the Olympic Games. I am very sure that he will definitely participate in the games and bring laurel to the city. He is capable of achieving this."

Mandi Gobindgarh, October 25
The RIMT Inter-school Cricket Tournament, which commenced on October 22, has evoked good enthusiasm among the participants as well as spectators.

The matches played today included Guru Harkrishan Public School, Ludhiana, versus Ryan International School, Patiala, and RS Model Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana, versus SA Jain Senior Secondary School, Ambala.

Guru Harkrishan Public School, Ludhiana, won the match by 88 runs. The winning team scored 140 in 15 overs. Kultaar Singh, who was declared the man of the match, scored 58 runs and remained not out.

In another match, SA Jain Snr. Sec. School, Ambala, beat the RS Model Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana, by just 7 runs.

Ludhiana, October 25
Green Land Convent School, Chandigarh Road, registered an authentic 83-run victory against Green Land Convent School, Subhash Nagar, and GMT Public School, Jalandhar Bypass, defeated BCM Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, by five wickets in the Ludhiana Sahodaya School Complex Cricket Tournament being organised at Green Land Stadium, Manj Phagowal, on the Ludhiana-Jalandhar Road, near Laddowal, here today.

In the first match of the day, Green Land Convent School, Chandigarh Road, scored 142 runs for the loss of five wickets in the stipulated 20 overs.

Their innings revolved around Nischay and Abhishek who contributed 44 and 30 runs, respectively, while Rahul and Ranveer claimed two wickets and one wicket, respectively, for Green Land Convent School, Subhash Nagar.

Chasing the target, Green Land School, Subhash Nagar, were all out for 59 runs in 14.2 overs in which Chandan scored 15 runs while Prince chipped in with six runs.

For the winners, Mohit sent down four overs and grabbed four wickets after conceding eight runs while Mukesh captured three wickets for 18 runs.

In the second match, batting first, BCM School scored 48 runs in 14.3 overs. Kashish made eight runs while Simant scored six runs.

For GMT Public School, Gaurav took four wickets for 12 runs and Rishab accounted for two wickets for nine runs.

The GMT scored the required runs in just 7.4 overs after losing five wickets with Ashish and Gaurav scoring 12 runs each.

Ludhiana, October 25
Trials will be organised at Guru Nanak Stadium here on October 31 from 10 am to select the Ludhiana teams (boys u-16) for the Punjab Rural Games to be held in Hoshiarpur from November 6.

According to Kartar Singh Sehmbey, District Sports Officer, Ludhiana, trials in 12 sports disciplines.

Candidates born on or after January 1, 1997, are eligible to take part in these trials for rural games. They have been advised to bring their birth certificates duly attested by the principals and headmasters of their respective schools. Besides, students are required to bring their age proof verified by the sarpanch concerned.