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Pollution down but still alarming
A shop selling firecrackers in a residential area in Patiala. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar
State’s cycle industry fast losing out to
China Workers at a cycle manufacturing unit in Ludhiana. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan
Another jailbreak attempt in Ludhiana
Cell phone seizures ring alarm bells
Prices down, cotton farmers hold back stock
Govt holds awareness camps for brick kiln owners on eco-clearance
Punjab to house its offices in three buildings
Wrongly parked trucks pose threat to commuters at Khamano town
Paddy-laden trucks parked on the national highway in Khamano. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan
Institute to train farmers in crop management
Expert: Only 50% mothers breastfeed their babies
Principals await job letters
Livestock contests in Punjab from November 16
Animal Husbandry Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur at a press conference in Jalandhar.
Govt to nurture area-specific industrial hubs
Gurdaspur hotels say no to sewage treatment plants
Trade unions to go on 2-day strike, says CITU gen secy
Employees' body alleges misuse of
funds at hospital
Protest after school sends faulty SMS
Tarn Taran man sets sister-in-law ablaze
Dal Khalsa sends memo to Harper
Gang of robbers busted, 6 held
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Crores spent on 2-day Mansa health camp
Free spectacles a crowd-puller
Mansa, November 4 Inquiries by The Tribune revealed that massive expenditure running into several crores of rupees was incurred on the two-day health camp that concluded here today. Informed sources said heads of various departments were being made to bear the cost while some contribution was being made by businessmen supporting the SAD-BJP government. The expenditure incurred on the first health camp at Badal village is still mired in a controversy. The state government has not yet gone public on how much amount was spent on it. Reports in a section of the media had mentioned that Baba Farid University, Faridkot, had borne the cost, but Vice-Chancellor Dr SS Gill denied the claim. "No, we did not pay for the camp," he affirmed. Even at Mansa officials preferred to remain mum on how much was spent on the camp, the issue assumes significance as the infrastructure in government hospitals continues to be poor due to shortage of funds. After taking a round of the camp, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said in wake of the whopping expenditure incurred on holding such camps, it was necessary to earmark a separate budget. He said such camps were instrumental not only in providing quality health services to the people at their doorstep but also in effectively tracking the areas that were affected most by fatal diseases. Bathinda Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal lauded the district administration and the police for "successfully" holding the camp. She said with 27,000 patients visiting the camp along with at least one attendant, the organisers catered to 50,000 persons apart from hundreds of doctors, policemen, nurses and volunteers. Earlier, the Chief Minister and Harsimrat Kaur laid the foundation stone of a drug de-addiction centre at Khayala Kalan village, to be built at a cost of Rs 40
lakh. Badal also said that he would take up the issue of tardy procurement of cotton by the Cotton Corporation of India with Union Agriculture Minister Sharad
Pawar. He claimed that the agency was not conducting its operations aggressively as its officials had so far visited only 18 of the 45 markets.
10,058 patients visit on second day
Medicine shortage
Chronic patients return disappointed
But, I get a mere Rs 2,500 as monthly pension…. My daughter is speech impaired. So, I have to depend on my neighbhours. I have already sold a tractor and two cows for my treatment….The camp was of little help to me," she said. Karamjit Singh, her neighbhour, claimed that they had approached several politicians for help but to no avail.
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Pollution down but still alarming
Patiala, November 4 As per PPCB data, the concentration of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) in the main cities has witnessed a decline. Residential areas of Ludhiana topped in terms of RSPM concentration on Diwali last year at 365 µg/m3 (microgram per cubic metre), much higher than the permissible limit of 100 µg/m3 (see box). Likewise, against the permissible limit of 55 decibel (db), the noise pollution level recorded by the PPCB in residential areas of various cities of the state on Diwali during the last two years varied between 75 db and 90 db. Last year, noise pollution in Patiala was the highest in the state at 85.3 db. PPCB Chairman Ravinder Singh said due to persistent efforts by the board, the air and noise pollution was on the decline. "To exhort the children not to burst crackers, the board has been asking the school authorities to make the students aware about the health hazards of air pollution," he said. The PPCB had got an encouraging response to its eco-Diwali campaign last year. "We hope that this Diwali, air as well as noise pollution will drastically come down on account of the awareness drive against crackers," said Board Member Secretary Dr Babu Ram. PPCB Deputy Director Dr Charanjit Singh said the board had made elaborate arrangements for monitoring the air and noise pollution levels on Diwali. "The cities have been divided city into three zones, commercial, residential and sensitive. Sensitive zone includes hospitals, educational institutions and religious places," he said.
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State’s cycle industry fast losing out to
China
Already, the bicycle industry is grappling with an aggressive competitor like China that is way ahead of India both in terms of production and export volume. With the exception of the emerging lifestyle and premium segments, the Punjab (in fact, the Indian) bicycle industry is still geared towards the traditional roadster (having a front seat and a rumble seat) category that has a comparatively low profit margin. On the other hand, the Chinese industry is focusing on high-end fancy bicycles with profitability on an upward trajectory, says DS
Chawla, former president of the United Cycles and Parts Manufacturers' Association
(UCPMA). "Our domestic market is roadster driven. Our industry caters mainly to the domestic market. Around 32 per cent of the domestic demand for bicycles (roadsters) comes from Uttar Pradesh where people ride India-made (read Punjab-made) roadsters that are sturdy and fit for the Indian roads," says Gurmeet Singh
Kular, UCPMA president. In terms of export volume, the share of the Indian and the Punjab bicycle industry is negligible. The exports are mainly restricted to developing nations that again are inclining their purchases towards China. Many African nations are switching over from India-made bicycles to China-made motorcycles that come rather cheap. According to industry experts, though bicycle industry in Punjab has many firsts to its credit and it is at its innovative best, it requires a technological push that only a sound infrastructure for research and development can provide. "The Chinese bicycle industry has graduated to carbon fibre after trying aluminum alloy. We do not have the requisite infrastructure to develop components that give us the technological edge. And for the most part, the industry is cash-strapped to pump in finances for research and development," says
Chawla. "We are not delivering any positive results for the coming generation. Going by this, the situation is grim for the bicycle industry. The government help is imperative at this stage to give a boost to this industry," he adds. The industry feels that unless the Union Government allocates special funds for research on the lines of TUFS (Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme) and the state government puts an end to procedural bottlenecks and departmental delays, a buoyant bicycle industry may be a distant dream.
Main challenges
Prime hurdles
Imported goods Market analysts say China-made fancy bicycles are pedalling their way to young consumers' heart, though their plastic components may not be as durable as that of India-made cycles. However, this does not deter the young brigade from buying China-made bicycles that are high on attraction quotient. The throw-away culture, in which the average 'lifespan' of a bicycle is less than six months, renders the durability factor redundant or at least less important.
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Another jailbreak attempt in Ludhiana
Ludhiana, November 4 As the prisoners reached the jail gallery at 8 am, they snatched a bunch of keys from the warder and rushed towards the main gate of the jail. But they could not unlock the gate on time and were overpowered by jail guards. Jail warder Balwinder Singh was rushed to the Civil Hospital. He said: “I heard a knock at the door that leads to the main gallery of the jail. As I opened the door, somebody threw chilli into my eyes and snatched the keys. I raised the alarm. This alerted the jail guards who overpowered the fleeing inmates.” The authorities said three other inmates, who were suspected to have plotted the escape, had been detained. Later during the day, Borstal Jail Superintendent Manjit Singh Kalra held a meeting with the Jail Superintendent, Ludhiana Central Jail, Bhupinder Singh Virk. “ We have informed the police about the incident and decided to shift these inmates to the Central Jail,” said Kalra. This is the second jailbreak attempt in less than two months. Earlier on September 20, three hardened criminals had escaped from the Ludhiana Central Jail by creating a hole in the wall of their cell and scaling the 16-ft-high jail wall. They were later nabbed by the police from Ludhiana’s Dhandari area. How The Plot Was Foiled
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Cell phone seizures ring alarm bells
Amritsar, November 4 The seizures are important as Intelligence reports say that Amritsar has become a transit route for smuggling drugs from Afghanistan and Pakistan to various European countries. In September, the authorities had seized eight mobile phones besides intoxicants. In August, as many as 16 cell phones were seized during routing checking. Three cell phones were recovered from meal boxes sent by visitors. Jails officials say that jammers alone can put an end to the menace. Sources in the state Special Operations Cell, Counter-Intelligence, said more than 350 “well-connected” international smugglers were lodged in the Amritsar jail. They lost no opportunity to sneak in cell phones. They procured SIM connections from Dubai and other Gulf countries to establish contact with their well-heeled counterparts and influential persons.
Modus Operandi
Cell phone parts are smuggled into the jail, probably in connivance with jail staff. The parts are later re-assembled by inmates. The most opportune time for bringing in these parts is during court hearings or when the inmates get to meet their near and dear ones in jail. “Everyday, more than 300 inmates are visited by their family members and over 100 are sent for judicial hearing. We do not have adequate staff to search each and every inmate,” said a jail official. The cell phone parts, such as batteries and chargers, are often concealed under a headgear.
Recent Recoveries
Official Word Only jammers can end this problem. We are eagerly waiting for these to be installed in all state jails.
— Amrik S Waraich, Jail Superintendent
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Prices down, cotton farmers hold back stock
Chandigarh, November 4 So far, 1.96 lakh bales of cotton have arrived in different mandis of the state and the farmers are getting anything between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,370 per quintal. In the corresponding period last year, the farmers had got between Rs 3,800 and Rs 4,886 per quintal. Because of the low prices, most cotton growers in the Malwa belt are still holding on to their produce. Surinder Singh, a cotton grower from Alambur Mandsa village in Mansa district, said: “There is no point of selling the crop at such low prices, especially when input costs on labour, pesticides and fertilisers have shot up drastically. I have finished with 50 per cent picking in my fields and the rest will be done later when the prices show some signs of improving,” he said. Another cotton grower from Mansa, Ajaib Singh, said though he had a good yield this year (12 quintals per acre), he was holding on to the produce for the time being. “We hear that there has been a fall in the international prices. Though it is feared that the prices may fall further, we would rather hold on to the stock and sell when we can get a better price,” he said. Commission agents said though arrivals were a little slow, it was not merely because of the low prices. Sanjiv Kumar, a commission agent in Budhlada, said most farmers did not have storage facilities to hold back their produce. “The prices are comparatively low this year but the prices could fall when more arrivals in the mandis. The minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government is also Rs 3,800 per quintal. Arrivals are slow because farmers are not through with selling their paddy crop,” he said, adding that so far most of the new crop had been bought by millers. Dr MS Sidhu of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, said though cotton production in Punjab was expected to be less this year, the demand was expected to remain the same. Global Impact
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Govt holds awareness camps for brick kiln owners on eco-clearance
Chandigarh, November 4 The Industries Department in collaboration with the Punjab Pollution Control Board is organising camps across the state and persuade brick kiln owners to apply for environment clearance, as directed by the Supreme Court.The brick kiln owners are also being advised on how to get the clearance. Only a minuscule percentage of 2,600-odd kilns in the state have applied for environment clearance. Vikas Pratap, Director, Industries Department, said: "With the production coming to a naught in the state, the prices of bricks have skyrocketed. We are now creating awareness among the kiln owners on the need to get environment clearance and resume production.” In the past three months, the prices of bricks across the state have gone up by 35 per cent to 50 per cent. As against Rs 3,200 to Rs 3,300 per 1,000 bricks in June, the prices have zoomed to Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,000 per 1,000 bricks now. There is no shortage of bricks as of now as each of the 2,600 brick kilns have stocks of seven lakh to 15 lakh bricks in reserve. However, anticipating a shortage in the future if the kilns fail to obtain the requisite environmental clearance, the prices have been going up steadily. An average of 15 crore bricks were produced in Punjab daily before the production hit the roadblock in June this year. Generally, moulding and baking is not done in the monsoons. Before the onset of the rainy season, kiln owners increase production to sail through the period between June and September. Now that the brick-making season has started, the kilns are still shut because of the Supreme Court order banning mining of brick earth, till an environmental clearance is obtained. "Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has requested the Union Environment Minister to change the categorisation of brick earth to B2. This will exempt the brick kiln owners from a public hearing before getting environment clearance. This will also cut the time for getting clearance to two months," the Director, Industries, added.
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Punjab to house its offices in three buildings
Chandigarh, November 4 The government will now house offices in three premises, Vikas Bhavan (developmental activities), Nirman Bhavan (construction offices) and a new mini secretariat (general administration). A communication to the secretaries read: “There has been no satisfactory response to the earlier communication seeking details for office requirements for the next 50 years.” The government intends to house offices concerned with developmental activities, such as rural development and panchayats, animal husbandry, fisheries, cooperation and agriculture, at Vikas Bhavan. Offices related to construction activities, including the PWD, water supply and sanitation, will find a place in Nirman Bhavan and directorates and other departments will be housed in the new mini secretariat. The state government is looking for a central place for its offices. A Principal Secretary said “The main office of the Education Department is located in the mini secretariat. Certain other offices are located in Sector 17 and some in Sector 34. Similarly, the police headquarters are located in Sector 9 and other offices in different parts of Sector 17.” The government spends a tidy sum on paying rent for these offices. Certain owners, who want to raise the rent, have approached the court.
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Wrongly parked trucks pose threat to commuters at Khamano town
Ludhiana, November 4 Locals complain that due to the illegal parking of trucks on the national highway they find it difficult to cross the road. "The widening of the stretch between Ludhiana and Chandigarh will serve no purpose unless the government strictly implements the traffic rules," said Gurpreet Singh, a resident of a nearby village. Residents said the problem turned worse during the paddy procurement season. The traffic police and the highway authorities do nothing to stop the truckers from parking their vehicles on the road. Besides, most of the trucks do not have delineators or reflectors at the rear end of the vehicle due to which motorists fail to notice the vehicle during night hours. The absence of streetlights adds to the problem. "This poses a grave danger to the motorists who are usually taken by surprise. They have to turn their vehicles at the last moment which usually leads to mishaps," said Sachin Kumar, a regular traveller between Ludhiana and Chandigarh. Truck driver Balwinder Singh said: "The trucks are loaded with paddy and if we park these on the elevated part of the roadside, the vehicle could topple. So we are left with no option but to park our vehicles on the road". A police official said their repeated requests to the authorities to arrange a vacant land on lease for the parking of trucks remained unheard.
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Institute to train farmers in crop management
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 4 Deputy Commissioner Yashvir Mahajan said the NIFTEM had adopted these villages for four years. He said three teams of the institute had visited these villages and provided training to farmers for one week. The teams will camp in these villages for one week in October and November and two weeks in May and June. Mahajan said the farmers should give a preference to the management of crops and the arrangement of proper storage facility after forming self-help groups. He said NIFTEM teams would conduct tests on water and soil samples in these villages to provide information about the soil fertility. He said the institute teams would also provide training regarding grading of crops and its packaging so that the farmers could get better remuneration. The teams would also provide training to the farmers in the maintenance of village ponds and fish farming. He urged the farmers to benefit from the training programme and cooperate with these teams. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Sanjeev Kumar Garg said each team of the NIFTEM would comprise 10 members. He said Dr Koman Chauhan, Dr Neetu Taneja and Dr Bhasmati Bhattacharya would lead these teams in Deramian Meer, Peerjain and Panjoli villages, respectively.
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Expert: Only 50% mothers breastfeed their babies
Bathinda, November 4 In the city to conduct training sessions for health workers, Dr Jamal has been closely associated with breastfeeding practices and problems of the state of Punjab, Haryana and Madhya
Pradesh. "The more we are close to the nature, the better are breastfeeding habits. In India, Chhattisgarh has the best breastfeeding ratio. Full of
tribals, who are closer to the nature than urbanites, Chhattisgarh infants are well fed. Following Chhattisgarh are the educated areas of Goa and Kerala that are aware about the breastfeeding practices," she said. She added that feeding a child within the first hour of birth decided its health for the whole life. "It is very important to give the first milk - colostrum - to the child, which is full of disease-fighting properties. However, this crucial hour goes wasted as people are not aware of its importance," she said. Dr Jamal added that emphasis was being laid on promoting breastfeeding habits among expecting women when they visit health workers during their ante-natal check-up. She said to arrest the infant mortality rate
(IMR) as well as to maintain the health of a child, it was essential that the family extend support to the new mothers. "Our health workers are entrusted with the job of sensitising expecting mothers to the importance of breastfeeding and feeding their baby in the first hour of its birth," she said.
Facts
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Principals await job letters
Ludhiana November 4 There are 48 government colleges in the state. Rules state that the government must fill 75 per cent posts by promoting college staff and 25 per cent by direct recruitment under the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC). Ten posts of principal in the direct recruitment quota are yet to be filled. After nine years in 2008, the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) advertised nine vacancies. It recommended seven names for the vacancies, four in the general category, two for the Scheduled Castes and one for the Backward Classes. However, following a writ petition, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered a stay on recruitment. The government pleaded with the High Court that in the absence of principals, college functioning was being adversely hit. Hence, the court vacated its stay orders. But even after a month of the court orders, the government has not appointed those selected to the post.
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Livestock contests in Punjab from November 16
Jalandhar, November 4 The championships will be held In Jalandhar on November 19 and 20. After the culmination of these contests, the National Livestock Championship will be held at Muktsar from January 8 to 12 next year with a budget of Rs 2 crore. Phillaur said four new modern jails would come up in Amritsar, Bathinda, Muktsar and Ferozepur. The minister said the jails would have a capacity of 3,000 inmates each and land for three projects had already been acquired. He said to rescue Punjab from the vicious wheat-paddy cycle, the state had been assured help from the Central Government for the promotion of dairy farming, animal husbandry as well as fisheries in the state. The issue will also be discussed during Union Agricultural Minister Sharad Pawar's upcoming meeting with senior agricultural officials at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, on November 20, he added.
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Govt to nurture area-specific industrial hubs
Chandigarh, November 4 The major sectors for this would include textile, agro processing, information technology, petrochemicals and downstream industry of refinery and medical tourism. These industries would be promoted in specific areas after considering the local advantages, an official release said. Final touches were being given to the state's new industrial promotion policy which is expected to be announced by January next year, Badal said. The state has initiated an ambitious project to upgrade the basic infrastructure in all 142 cities and towns at the cost of Rs 10,000 crore and the total maintenance of all infrastructure projects would be given to a single agency for the next 15-20 years, he said. He expressed confidence that after a long time, the Railways Minister was from the North and he would clear long pending proposals for extension of rail freight corridor up to Amritsar and other vital rail links in the state. — PTI Ambitious project
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Gurdaspur hotels say no to sewage treatment plants
Gurdaspur, November 4 The Gurdaspur Association of Hotels and Restaurant Owners, in a meeting held here, said there was no need to install the plants as the Municipal Council was duty-bound to lift waste from their premises. Also, as a majority of the hotels had been constructed on small area, setting up such plants, therefore, was not possible, they said. Association president Romesh Mahajan said in cities like Ludhiana and Jalandhar, municipal corporations had themselves set up such plants. “In Gurdaspur, where the civic body is engaged in lifting solid waste on a daily basis from hotels, there is no need to set up such a mechanism. Moreover, hotels are already running in losses since occupancy rate is just 20 per cent,” he said. The hotels were already struggling to pay a VAT of 13.75 per cent as well as the high electricity bills since they were being charged on commercial rate instead of industrial rate. In addition, the hotels are being charged luxury tax at 4 per cent. Mahajan said if corrective measures were not taken, a majority of the hotels may face closure. “We are already reeling under high VAT and luxury tax and erroneous power bills. The order to set up sewage plants will prove to be the death knell for the hotel industry in this backward district,” he said.
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Trade unions to go on 2-day strike, says CITU gen secy
Ludhiana, November 4 Addressing a rally, convened by state unit of CITU here, Sen made a scathing attack on the economic policies of the Centre. He said the government’s economic policies had triggered “unprecedented inflation, unemployment and corruption.” He said it was evident that the government had made an abject surrender before capitalists by allowing FDI in multi-brand retail which would spell doom for the domestic trade and industry. “If these trends remain unchecked, multinational corporations will dominate the country’s economy, thereby posing a grave risk to economic freedom and self-reliance.” Local trade union leader lambasted the UPA Government for slashing subsidies to the common people in the name of economic reforms while doling out subsidies, tax rebates and loan remission worth thousands of crores to the corporate sector. Sen criticised the SAD-BJP Government in Punjab for suppressing workers’ rights and denying them minimum wages. He said a notification issued by the state government for the purpose in May 2012 was yet to be implemented.
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Employees' body alleges misuse of
funds at hospital
Sangrur, November 4 Swaranjit said the matter had been brought to the notice of the Principal Secretary (Health), Government of Punjab, through a written complaint, demanding an inquiry into the matter. In a statement issued here today, Swaranjit claimed that the hospital authorities had allegedly shown higher expenditure on furniture and stationery items as compared to the prevailing market rate. He also alleged that medicines of costly brands had been purchased from local chemists even though their generic versions were available at much cheaper rate. The statement said that the “amount spent on construction and repair works in the hospital also seemed to be more than the actual expenses”. Senior Medical Officer of the Civil Hospital Dr Makhan Singh, however, refuted the allegations. He claimed that no funds had been misused. On alleged bungling in repair and construction works in the hospital, he said all such projects had been finalised after being discussed by committees formed specially for the purpose.
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Record gold sale by Ludhiana post offices
Ludhiana, November 4 In fact, the sale of gold coins in Ludhiana is among the highest in North India, said Sudikshan
Vadish, Areas Sales Manager, Reliance Money. Gold coins are available at the post offices in denominations of 0.5 gm, 1 gm, 5 gm, 10 gm, 20 gm and 50 gm. The coins are of 24 carat gold with the purity of 99.99 percent and are manufactured in
Valcambi, Switzerland, in association with World Gold Council and Reliance Money Infrastructure.
Swaraj Kaur, Senior Postmaster, said the record sale was a result of good dealing at the post offices. "People in Ludhiana are increasingly considering gold as a safe investment option due to a constant appreciation in its value," she says.
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Protest after school sends faulty SMS
Bathinda, November 4 Though the school authorities later apologised stating that messages had been sent owing to some technical problem in a computer software, the apology did little to pacify the panicked parents. The school sends an SMS to the parents in case their child does not come to the school. The service aimed at keeping the parents updated about their children's regularity and performance. However, between 11:30 am and 1 pm, the parents of the primary wing students started receiving SMSs that their children were absent, whereas the children were present in school. "We got panicked and did not even bother to call up any other parent. Some parents had closed their shops while others took leave from offices to rush to the school to enquire about their kids," said a parent.
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Tarn Taran man sets sister-in-law ablaze
Tarn Taran, November 4 Judicial Magistrate Rajwinder Kaur recorded the statement of the victim at the hospital. A case against the accused has been registered under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code at Goindwal Sahib police station. However, Sarwan was yet to be arrested. In her complaint with the police, the victim alleged that the accused had been harassing her for the past quite some time. She alleged that when she objected to his behaviour on Saturday, he sprinkled kerosene over her and set her ablaze. Investigating officer Parkash Singh said the victim had received 50
per cent burn injuries and her condition was stated to be critical.
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Dal Khalsa sends memo to Harper
Amritsar, November 4 The memo stated that there were media reports suggesting that the Indian authorities were preparing to “take up the issue of Sikh-Canadians who raise their voice against human rights violations in India”. The Sikh party said it was glad that the Canadian PM would be discussing bilateral trade with the state leadership. “The Canadian Government should explore more educational ties between Canadian universities and those in Punjab,” the memo read.
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Gang of robbers busted, 6 held
Patiala, November 4 The police has seized several weapons, including country-made pistols, from the accused. An investigation is on to ascertain their role in criminal incidents. The accused had been identified as Gurpreet, Gagandeep Singh, Vicky, Kamal, Pankaj and Ratan. "They used to stay at religious places during the day and rob people during night hours", the police
said. — TNS
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Patiala, November 4
Ludhiana, November 4
Amritsar, November 4
Chandigarh, November 4
Ludhiana, November 4
Jalandhar, November 4
Patients suffering from chronic or major ailments had to return disappointed as no breakthrough improvement in their condition could have been possible in a day. Patients like Paramjeet Kaur (right) of Jeond village, who is suffering from a chronic ailment, were in a pitiable condition. Brought on a wheelchair by her
neighbhours, she said terrorists had killed her husband, who was in the Punjab Police, in 1992. "My husband laid down his life serving the state.
Ludhiana, November 4