Ludhiana, November 26
As many as 1,200 policemen have been deployed in the city to provide foolproof security to President Pranab Mukherjee. The President will be in the city on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of the international conference on “Sustainable Agricultural Development for Food and Livelihood Security” at the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) campus. The president will also preside over the golden jubilee celebrations function of the PAU.

Traffic diversion will also be imposed as the President is also scheduled to visit Sat Paul Mittal School in Dugri.

It is learnt that the cavalcade of The President would head for school, during noon, following inauguration of conference at PAU.

The traffic on both sides of the Ferozepur road would be blocked temporarily to provide a safe passage to the President’s cavalcade. The route, however, has not been divulged due to security reasons. Sources said the President’s cavalcade would head towards Bharat Nagar Chowk and would reach Atam Park Chowk from where it would proceed towards Sat Paul Mittal School in Dugri.

Ludhiana, November 26
The police has made tight security arrangements on the PAU campus for on ahead of the visit of President Pranab Mukharjee.

CCTV cameras have been installed at strategic points. There is only one entry — gate number 4 — to the campus which will have a triple security check. Besides CCTV cameras, ultramodern scanning equipment has also been provided to the security personnel on the campus.

A senior police officer said: "Foolproof security will be provided to the President.”

He said: “We have deployed security personnel in every nook and corner of the campus and there is no chance of security breach. The central security officials and the President’s security in charge have also expressed satisfaction over the security arrangements on the campus,” said another police official.

Ludhiana Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh said: “We have made elaborate security arrangements according to the protocol.”

Ludhiana, November 26
A local court today convicted two persons in the high-profile murder case of Reema Jain, a businesswomen, who was killed in July 2005.

The court of Additional Sessions Judge SS Paneasr held Reema Jain’s brother-n-law Anil, aka Micky Jain, a resident of premium apartments, Pakhowal Road, Ludhiana, and three others guilty of murder. However, the court reserved its order for pronouncing sentence to the accused till December 3.

Those convicted include Micky Jain, Jasvir Singh of Narangwal village, Kuldeep Singh of Mandiani village and Tarsem Singh of Kotmana village, Jagraon.

Reema Jain had gone missing on July 30, 2005. The case was investigated by the then SP City-I, RK Jaiswal. However, after he was promoted as the SSP, Jagraon, the probe was handed over to SP (detective) Gurpreet Singh. The case was finally cracked by Jaiswal, when he was posted as the SSP Jagraon.

Six-and-a-half months after Reema Jain was kidnapped and murdered, a special team of the Jagraon police recovered some parts of her badly decomposed body from the septic tank of M/s Aranath Textile Mills, Sherpur Khurd, Focal Point, owned by her brother-in-law Micky Jain.

According to the prosecution, Mickey was taken to his the textile mill following a statement by him that he had thrown Reema’s body into the septic tank.

Initially, a case for kidnapping was registered at the division no. 5 police station on July 31, 2005, following the complaint of Bhanu Partap Jain, Reema’s son. However, after the recovery of dead body, the accused were charged with murder and destroying evidence.

The complainant had submitted before the police that her mother had left for Sutlej Club in her Honda Accord car where she used to go daily for swimming, but she did not return back. Micky Jain was earlier acquitted in the murder case of his brother, Reema’s husband.

Son seeks death penalty
“We want a death penalty for Anil, alias Micky Jain, for the brutal murder of my mother Reema Jain,” said Bhanu Jain, Reema’s son. “What was her fault. He has deprived me of the love and care of my mother when I was just 19 and my younger brother Bharat Jain, who was just 11 at that time. Justice has been done,” he added.

Ludhiana, November 26
The cash-strapped Ludhiana Municipal Corporation has some reason to cheer. After two consecutive flops, civic body officials have managed to sell 21 sites out of the total 30 near Keys Hotel in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar today.

After this auction, the MC will be able to earn a revenue of more than Rs 35 crore that will act as a breather for the financially ailing MC. The reserve price for these 30 SCOs of 100 sq yard was Rs 1.5 lakh per sq yard, which means each SCO will be sold for at least Rs 1.5 crore.

But the highest bid went as high as Rs 1.62 lakh, which was for a corner plot. This means that the successful bidder will have to pay 10 per cent extra. The lowest bid was Rs 1.53 lakh.

Hemant Batra, senior town planner, said the auction started at around 11 am and continued till 5 pm. "We are thankful to the bidders for showing faith in us. We have managed to collect more than Rs 3.5 crore from earnest money," Batra added.

Another MC official said: “The jinx has ended now. After two failed auctions, we have had a very successful auction. We could have easily sold all 30 plots had we known that we would get late because there was no arrangement of lighting at the auction site,” said assistant town planner Surinder Singh Bindra.

To boost its income, the MC had planned to auction three of its properties in different parts of the city.

The 9,820 sq yard residential plot near Dairy Complex on Hambran Road was put to auction on November 23. The reserve price was fixed at Rs 10,000 per sq yard but the highest bid went for just Rs 10,160 per sq yard, which was only Rs 160 more than the fixed reserve price. That is why the senior MC officials present on the spot cancelled the auction, as only four bidders took part in the auction.

Not even a single bidder turned up for the auction of 5,917 sq yard commercial site near the Tehsil office on Hambran Road on November 21.

The successful bidders of today's auction will have to pay 10 per cent of the amount within 24 hours, 15 per cent within 15 days and the remaining 75 per cent in six half-yearly instalments.

Ludhiana, November 26
Established in 1962, the PAU has changed the face of the city in the past five decades in many ways.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the city would not have been what it is today had the university not been there. If the industry is termed as the lifeline of the mega city, the PAU can rightly claim to be its lungs which breathe life into it to make it a vibrant city.

And the visible impact that the PAU has made in all spheres of the city, academic, economic, real estate, employment, banking and various others over the years, have contributed tremendously to make the city as the nerve centre of Punjab.

Administrative block of the university

"The PAU is not just a premier educational institution," says a faculty member and adds,"It is a mini city within the city. "Going by some 4,500 employees, including the faculty members, their dependents and an estimated student strength of 3,500, the claim is not unjustified.

City residents from different walks of life agree that the landscape and lush green cover in the university campus is just one aspect of the institution which is used to the hilt by morning walkers and others. But at the same time, the contribution of the PAU community to various other spheres has also to be taken into account.

Old timers in the city go a step further to maintain that the development of the city that took place on Ferozepur Road across Sidhwan Canal was to a great extent made possible due to the location of the university. "The PAU acted like a hub and facilitated development of many posh residential localities and commercial centres in the surrounding areas," they say.

The business circles in the city say the PAU faculty members and employees with a considerable disposable income, and quite a few of the students belonging to affluent families are big buyers of two-wheelers, cars and SUVs, household and consumer durable items, thereby making a significant contribution to the economy.

The PAU students, they point out, are frequent visitors to several eateries, restaurants, coffee shops, malls, multiplexes and general merchants in the localities situated around the campus. That the commercial establishments value this particular section of consumers and visitors is evident from the fact that many of them offer special discounts to the students.

Even though the city has earned notoriety as one of the worst polluted cities in Northern India, the PAU is like a whiff of fresh air to the residents, especially to those who go there regularly for morning walk or jogging. "Once you enter the campus, you feel that the city is left far behind and you are at some different place," say regular visitors.

Ludhiana, November 26
GADVASU has played a prominent role in strengthening Punjab's rural economy which forms an integral part of the farming system.

The total milk production of the state which was 1.92 million tonnes in 1966 has increased to 9.50 million tonnes in 2011, indicating a five-time increase in the milk production.

With the consistent efforts of GADVASU, in the past few years, the population of cattle decreased from 31.6 lakh to 17.61 lakh. There has been a decline in males, desi cows, unproductive and poor yielding animals due to the efforts made by GADVASU.

About 1 million unproductive buffaloes have decreased during 2003 to 2007, still there has been no decline in the milk production.

Dr VK Taneja, Vice-Chancellor, GADVASU, said the livestock was contributing 9 per cent to the total GDP of Punjab as against 3 per cent in India. Keeping in view the importance of livestock sector in the agricultural economy, the College of Veterinary Science of PAU was separated in 2005 and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University came into existence.

The VC added, "GADVASU has played an important role in changing the scenario of dairy farming by providing technical know-how, quality germplasm and motivation to dairy farmers to adopt scientific breeding, feeding and management practices. The average first lactation milk yield of the cross-bred progenies in the adopted villages before interventions in 1979 was 1,698 kg which as a result of supply of high-quality semen of test bulls increased to 2,961 kg in 2006. The milk yield in the operational area increased to 3,388 kg in 2011 (14.42 per cent increase from 2006 to 2011)," said Dr Taneja.

Many progressive dairy farmers, after getting training and superior germplasm from the university have established cross-bred herds with lactation milk yield of more than 6,000 litre and peak yield of their cows is more than 40 litre a day. A total of about 42,000 cross breds were produced in the field, out of which approximately 15,000 were the female.

GADVASU has also taken up the genetic improvement of buffaloes under a project funded by the ICAR. The milk yield of buffalo herd has increased from 1,671 kg in early 1970s to the present level of 2,389 kg. Till date, the university has supplied 554 bull calves/bulls and 2.2 lakh doses of liquid and frozen semen to the dairy farmers and other dairy development agencies, which has borne fruitful results.

"The interventions with breeding, nutrition, silage making, mineral mixture, bypass fats and protein, management of reproductive disorders and health cover have made Punjab a dairy developed state compared to any other dairy developed country in the world," said Dr Taneja.

Ludhiana, November 26
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is celebrating its golden jubilee and is all set to host a three-day international conference on "Sustainable Agriculture for Food and Livelihood Security" from tomorrow, which will be inaugurated by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. The alumni of PAU feel proud to have graduated from the university, which has given them "everything in life".

A graduate from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Dr SNS Randhawa, director, research, GADVASU, said the students who did bachelor of veterinary sciences from the PAU way back, were getting recognition worldwide. About 300 veterinary students from both PAU and GADVASU were successfully practising in the USA and Canada. "Punjab Agricultural University has always maintained its academic standards. On similar lines, GADVASU is carrying forward the legacy. I took admission in 1971 and that time, the poultry farms and herds of the PAU were rated outstanding. And GADVASU, the part of PAU is being considered as number one veterinary institution in India due to its academic and research approach. Recognising the consistent efforts being made by GADVASU, the inflow of funds from various agencies has never been a problem and due to the funds, we have been able to get some excellent projects

— Dr SNS Randhawa, director, research, GADVASU

I can just say that it is because of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) that people from rustic background have got International acclaim. With simple and rural backgrounds, our fellow beings hold prestigious positions in every nook and corner of the world. And this experience has been nostalgic. From a student to the present position, I have witnessed a sea change and everything for the betterment," feels Dr RS Sahota, director, extension education at GADVASU. Dr Sahota said the PAU had taught them from a scratch, the language difference between rural and urban population was a unique experience to learn. Besides, all those associated with the PAU have reached the top positions. They did not have any godfathers and the journey has been excellent. The alumni hold key positions in the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR), Dairy Development Board and Animal Husbandry Department

— Dr RS Sahota, director, extension education, GADVASU

Dr HS Sandhu, Dean, College of Veterinary Sciences, said the PAU provided him with education, family and job. "GADVASU, today has become a full-fledged veterinary university. When it was a part of the PAU, it had just one college, College of Veterinary Sciences. And now, GADVASU has three colleges, College of Veterinary Sciences, College of Fisheries and College of Dairy Science. We have expanded as we have gained a lot from the farm university," said Dr Sandhu. Dr Sandhu said GADVASU was getting several projects and funds were being provided to accomplish these projects. With the improvement in the financial position of GADVASU, the university has further strengthened its research base. "It is a continuous process. Today, GADVASU is considered at par or even better in certain fields than Tamil Nadu Animal Sciences University (TANVASU), the number one university of India.

— Dr HS Sandhu, Dean, College of Veterinary Sciences

Ludhiana, November 26
It was a hard day for the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation officials, for they were busy in making preparations for the President’s visit.

As MC officials came to know about the President’s route plan this morning, they were busy in directing the staff in cleaning and maintaining roads.

The President is expected to reach the PAU in a special helicopter for which a helipad has been prepared on the campus. After attending the function at the PAU, the President will proceed towards Sat Paul Mittal School in Dugri. The President’s cavalcade will pass through Malhar Road, Ishmeet Chowk, take a right turn and reach Dugri.

“We came to know about the President’s route this morning and since then, we have been cleaning roads from where the cavalcade will pass, besides the garbage dump near Gurdev Nagar and other places on the route and cleared,� said an MC official.

The roads in the Dugri area, located near the school premises, have been re-carpeted and repaired. This has brought cheer on the faces of those living in the vicinity.

"The roads in our area were in a poor condition for the past several months. But when I reached home today evening, I was surprised to see that some roads were being re-carpeted while some were being repaired. I wish that the President keeps visiting our area quiet often," said a resident of Dugri, Phase II.

Ludhiana, November 26
From November 27 onwards, the city is going to witness a plethora of events.

A number of VVIPs are expected to visit the city.

Various events, including a cancer awareness campaign, will be held.

Awareness on AIDS will be created through a Red Ribbon Express. For the smooth conduct of all these events, the health department has roped in officials and employees of five adjoining districts.

Ludhiana Civil Surgeon Dr Subhash Batta said, "We will be covering five districts, including Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr. In coming days, the VVIPs will be coming to the city.

The President and Prime Minister of India, along with foreign delegates, will be gracing the International Kabaddi Cup. We have constituted teams that will monitor the events."

Dr Batta said, "Our department's events will also be held simultaneously as we are to launch
the month-long cancer awareness campaign in the district from December 1. The Red Ribbon Express will reach the city on December 17 and will remain at the Ludhiana railway station till December 19."

On November 27, President of India Pranab Mukherjee will attend a function to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the PAU. On December 8, Prime Minister of India

Dr Manmohan Singh will visit PAU. On December 15, the city will witness the final of the International Kabaddi Cup.

Ludhiana, November 26
It’s difficult to get admission to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), but it is very easy to get good job after passing out from here.

Not only agriculture scientists, the PAU has produced prominent personalities in various fields like sports, literature, art, journalism, politics and administration.

There are three alumni of the PAU — Olympians Charanjit Singh, Prthipal Singh and Ramandeep Singh — who represented India in the Olympics. In the field of literature, PAU passout Amarjit Garewal is a prominent name.

University authorities said around 20 former students of the institution have served as Vice-Chancellors of various universities. Human rights activist HS Fulka was also a student of the PAU.

A number of award winning agriculturists, including Jagjit Singh Ara, Darshan Singh Tabbeba, Sangeeta Deol, have been trained in the PAU. 

Ludhiana, November 26
Punjab Agricultural University is celebrating its golden jubilee and being a part of the institution students have a reason to cheer.

A student of MSc (agronomy), Jasdeep Singh, said the university helps explore the students' talent. He said good books were available in the library. He added that the university emphasised on practical knowledge.

A student of MSc (microbiology), Maninderjeet Kaur, said the university had the best faculty. She added that she always wanted to study in such an institution.

Another MSc student Sukhpal Singh said the infrastructure was good and latest equipment were available in the university.

He urged the government to pay attention towards the development of the university.

"The government should do something to tide over the staff crunch," he added.

Ravneet Kaur, a student of Msc (microbiology), said the institution was better than other universities. The campus has all the facilities.

"Students are encouraged to participate in co-curricular activities," said Navdeep Singh, a student of BSc (agriculture) while adding that the faculty polished the skills of students. 

Ludhiana, November 26
There were times when teachers and parents would lovingly teach children to read and pronounce words.

They taught the alphabets to us. But now the role is being taken over by technology. New books available in the market come with a sensor pen with a build-in speaker. The software of is pre-programmed. The moment you keep the pen on a word, it senses the word and a voice emanates from the pen pronouncing the word where the pen is kept.

The set of books have icons at the bottom of the page. Putting the pen on one of the icons, the text on the page is read. Placing the pen onto the other icon reads the translated version of the story.

Vinod, a parent, said, "Although the role of a teacher cannot be replaced but such technologies can expedite the learning process. These are like toys for children."

Ludhiana, November 26
The ordeal of Parvati, wife of tea vendor Santosh Kumar, who sacrificed his life while overpowering dreaded terrorist Balbir Singh Bhootna at the Ludhiana Railway Station nearly three years ago, seems to be unending.

Parvati can be seen shuttling between court rooms and the railway police station with her three children. The state government had recently rejected Parvati's plea for a government job on the grounds that the incident was not an act of terrorism.

Parvati laments that she along with her brother-in-law Pankaj are frequently summoned by the Government Railway Police (GRP) to join the investigation.

“Our only fault is that we are migrants and came here to earn a living. Had any native laid down his life while nabbing a terrorist, his family would have got all the benefits. If my husband's killing was not an act of terrorism then Bhootna should be released. Then why I and my brother-in-law are summoned by the court and the police station to join the investigation every now and then,” said Parvati.

Documentary evidence with The Tribune reveals that while CM Parkash Singh Bada hailed Santosh’s heroism. But the state government had stated that no compensation was necessary as it was not an incident involving terrorists. The memo no 5/1/2008-1 D.M 3/15878 dated August 30, 2011, a copy of which is with The Tribune states that subject matter is not a terrorist incident. So the dependent of Santosh Kumar, vendor, could not be given job and pension on compensatory ground.

The denial has come as a sharp contrast to the government’s own stand on the incident. The police officials who were involved in nabbing of Balbir Singh Bhootna were rewarded and even given gallantry medals for successfully nabbing a terrorist.

"The money I received during the death of my husband is now getting exhausted. For how long I will I keep on fending for my children. I desperately need a job,” said Parvati.

Living in misery, Parvati along with her three children have been camping in the city following Santosh's death. They are putting up in a dingy room in the Singpura area near the Jagraon bridge.

“Bhootna had shot at two policemen. My husband was aware of the fact that Bhootna was carrying a weapon, but he did not care for his life and overpowered the terrorist. Had my husband not nabbed Bhootna, he might have fled the scene," said Parvati.

Hero's death
Santosh Kumar, a tea vendor, captured a dreaded terrorist Balbir Singh Bhootna, while the latter was trying to escape after shooting at two policemen at the railway station on August 25, 2009.

Govt rejected parvati’s plea
Parvati, widow of Santosh Kumar, can be seen shuttling between court rooms and the railway police station with her three children. The state government had recently rejected Parvati's plea for a government job on the grounds that the incident was not an act of terrorism.

MP’s campaign gone futile
The then Member Parliament (MP) and Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari was pursuing the issue and assured the wife of Santosh Kumar that the government would do the needful to secure her future. “The sacrifice of Santosh Kumar, a tea vendor at the railway station, was indeed great, but his courageous act brought gloom in the lives of his wife, Parvati, and three little children,” states the MP’s letter to the Railway Ministry. It has been three years but no one has paid any heed to the MP’s letter

Sahnewal, November 26
The Sahnewal police is yet to make a headway in the abduction case of a minor of Katani Kalan village, who was taken away by a neighbour of the same village on last Wednesday.

A minor girl (14 years) of Katani Kalan village was allegedly abducted on November 21 by her neighbour Rajinder Kumar of Uttar Pradesh. He has been residing in the nearby quarters of the same village. A case was registered against the alleged accused the next day.Even after four days of the incident, the Sahnewal police could not nab the accused along with the girl.

Sham Sunder, the father of the victim, said that his daughter was studying in a school at Katani Kalan. “On the day of abduction, we were not at home and my daughter was alone in the house, Rajinder Kumar came to our place and forcibly took her away with him. I have tried to enquire about them at all the hideouts of the accused but to no avail. I am now making rounds of the police station so that the latter may help me find my daughter. But unfortunately, the police has not been able to make any headway in to the case. I and my family are very anxious as our daughter is a minor and he could mislead her” said the anxious father.

Sub inspector Chamkaur Singh, who is handling the case, could not be contacted for comment despite repeated calls, SHO Kulwant Singh said that the police was trying to trace the couple.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, November 26
Braving resistance from certain political and trade organisations, special committee constituted by the municipal council to remove encroachments undertook 'Operation clean-up' in various markets of the town.

Ravinder Puri, president of the council, led the committee consisting of executive officer Chetan Sharma, executive magistrate Manmohan Singh, SHO Jasbir Singh, former councillor Ramesh Chand Ghaie and social activist and SAD youth leader Sukhsagar Singh Sodhi.

A large number of employees of the municipal council and policemen were involved in the drive.

A majority of businessmen of the town and the surrounding area had removed the encroachments after an appeal made by the municipal council about a week ago. But the MC employees had to remove a substantial number of temporary extensions installed in front of establishments situated on both sides of the main markets. Main Bazar, Bus stand Road market, Railway Road, Raikot Adda Market and Chaura Bazar were among the areas from where encroachments were removed today.

Puri said the operation had been conducted in compliance to the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He further said shopkeepers and the public would be benefited with the exercise. Appreciating the positive attitude of the office bearers and activists of a majority of social, political and trade organisations, Puri regretted that some leaders had allegedly tried to instigate a section of shopkeepers and vendors not to abide by the rules. "However we succeeded in persuading a majority of such people to remove encroachments on their own and belongings of others were removed by the council officials according to directions of the court," said Puri.He further said that the operation would be continued in the markets that could not be covered today.

The removed seized materials included wooden fixtures, showcases, baskets of fruit and vegetable sellers and paraphernalia of tea-stalls, sweet-makers and dhabas.

Ludhiana, November 26
"Selfless patriots of the Indian freedom struggle had laid glorious traditions enabling us to find right perspective for inclusive and comprehensive growth of our society." These observations were made by Jagmohan Singh while delivering a talk at a seminar to pay homage to the revolutionaries of "Ghadar Movement" on its 100th anniversary.

The seminar was organised by the Ludhiana branch of the Communist Party of India (CPI) at Shaheed Karnail Singh Isru Bhawan yesterday.

Asserting that Ludhiana district occupied a place of pride in the freedom movement, Jagmohan cited names of several ghadris (revolutionaries) from the district like Baba Gurmukh Singh Lalton, Baba Usmaan, Baba Bhan Singh, Baba Dulla Singh and youngest of them being Kartar Singh Sarabha.

CPI assistant secretary Dr Arun Mitra, while introducing the subject, said the British came to India as a trading outfit in the name of East India company which slowly spread its tentacles to gain power.

"It is unfortunate that in the present era also, a false illusion is being created by the ruling classes while showing a similar trend of inviting foreign multinationals.

Ludhiana, Novenber 26
With the arrival of new crop in the market, the prices of vegetables have gone down. Vegetable dealers maintain that in the next two-three months, the prices of vegetables will remain stable since the new crop is coming in to the market.

Talking to The Tribune, Gurmeet Singh, a vegetable vendor at the Civil Lines, said since it was winter, the vegetables remained fresh for a longer time.

"New crop of potato, carrots, cauliflower has come into the market, so the vegetables will be cheaper for the next two to three", said the dealer.

Mandi Gobindgarh, November 26
On the basis of a complaint lodged by Davinder Singh, son of Jasveer Singh, resident of Nasrali village, the police has booked ASI Mejor Singh and head constable Gurbhej Singh for allegedly collecting illegal gratification from truck and trailer operators of Mandi Gobindgarh, said DSP Arshdeep Singh Gill to the mediapersons here today.

An FIR Number 234 has been registered under Section 7(13) of the Anti- Corruption Act 1988 and 120B of the IPC against the police officials but the accused officials have not yet been arrested.

Doraha, November 26
Girls' kho-kho was conducted at Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Doraha, today.

It was an inter-house tournament. The final match was played between Ravi house and Beas House. Beas House won the match. All students enjoyed the competition. Principal Manjushaw Vinayak appreciated the efforts of all the students. At the end, the prizes were distributed among the winning team by chief guest Karamvir Singh, director of the School. He motivated the other houses as well.