Ludhiana, December 6
Moga will get its first "elite" train, the New Delhi-Ludhiana-Moga Shatabdi Express, when the train which runs between New Delhi and Ludhiana undertakes its maiden journey to Moga on December 8. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari, who is a member of the Lok Sabha from Ludhiana, will flag off the train for Moga at 12.45 pm on Saturday.

Senior railway officials, including Divisional Railway Manager NC Goyal and Senior Divisional Commercial Manager MM Singh, visited the railway station to take stock of the preparations for the function being organised for the flagging-off ceremony. General Manager of the Northern Railway BK Gupta is also expected to attend the function.

According to railway officials, the existing 12037/12038 New Delhi-Ludhiana Shatabdi Express will continue its scheduled run on Tuesdays and Fridays while its new avatar, 12043/12044, will have an extended run till Moga on Mondays and Saturdays from December 8. On its way to Moga, as well as on the return journey, the train will have a stoppage at Jagraon also.

While the time table of the New Delhi-Ludhiana Shatabdi train remains unchanged, during the extended run, the train which reaches Ludhiana at 12.25 pm, will leave at 12.50 pm and reach Moga at 2.05 pm with a stoppage at Jagraon. On its return journey, it will leave Moga at 3 pm, arrive at Ludhiana at 4.15 pm and finally reach New Delhi at 10.10 pm. 

Ludhiana, December 6
There is a shortage of medicines in government ayurvedic dispensaries in the district. It was over a year ago that these dispensaries received their last stock of more than a dozen medicines. Patients who visit these dispensaries for medicines have to return disappointed with just a prescription of an ayurvedic medical officer.

Bimla Rani, a resident of Model Gram, said, "Ayurvedic medicines suit me. For the past few months, these medicines are not available here. The doctor concerned always tells me to buy these from the market on the pretext that these are out of stock."

Patients say in the absence of the medicines, the very purpose of having dispensaries is defeated. Lalit Kumar, who hails from Bhiwani, said, "If the doctor prescribes three medicines, only one is provided by the dispensary and the remaining two have to be purchased from the market. What is the use of such dispensaries?"

Requesting anonymity, an employee of a government ayurvedic dispensary said, "Last year, we had received 13 basic medicines. Now, we have only five of these with us, that too not in adequate quantity."

There are about 35 government ayurvedic dispensaries in the district.

Dr Rakesh Sharma, Director, Ayurveda, Punjab, said, "I have given written instructions to the District Ayurveda Officer to distribute these medicines within two days." 

Ludhiana, December 6
Foolproof security arrangements have been made in the city in view of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit.

The Prime Minister's official vehicle and cavalcade have arrived in the city. After alighting from his chopper, the Prime Minister will visit various blocks on the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) campus.

There are rumours that the Prime Minister would travel by the Shatabdi. However, there has been no official confirmation regarding this. Security has been beefed up at the railway station, the bus stand and all major entry and exit points of the city. The Prime Minister is visiting the city on December 8 to preside over the golden jubilee celebration function of the PAU. — TNS

Ludhiana, December 6
To implement the pension scheme in the aided-colleges, a deputation of senior teachers and principals met the Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, in Chandigarh recently.

To impress upon the state government to formulate the pension scheme at the earliest and to adhere to the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the delegation even met the Secretary, Higher Education.

Former president of Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers' Union (PCCTU), Tarsem Bahia, said throughout the state, in every sector where government grants were being provided, the retirees were getting the pension/gratuity benefits except for aided-colleges.

"Even the teachers serving in aided-colleges are getting the benefits but not the teachers in aided-colleges. While the scheme was passed way back in 1996 with the approval of four cabinets under the respective governments of Harcharan Singh Brar, Beant Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Parkash Singh Badal, ironically it has not been implemented till date," said Bahia.

KBS Sodhi, who has been in the teaching field for almost 40 years now, said at the dusk of the lives, one needs to get finances. "We have served for about four decades. Government must provide us the pensions. There are about 136 aided-colleges in the sate with around 1,500 teachers. Struggling for long, about 300 retired teachers, waiting for the pension scheme to be implemented, have already died, which is unfortunate. The High Court has given December 17 as the date for state government to come-up with the scheme. We hope that we get justice," said Sodhi.

Doraha, December 6
Anjali, a class VII student of Saraswati Model Senior Secondary School, Doraha, has won first position in the State-Level Poetical Recitations Competitions, organised at Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Mohali, by the Punjab School Education Board yesterday.

Chief Guest Satish Menon and Deputy Director, Punjab School Education Board, Jasvir Kaur praised the poem entitled ‘Mera Desh Piyara’ and the speaker Anjali for presenting it in a unique style.

Ludhiana, December 6
As many as 250 students from different schools participated in a rally conducted by the police against child abuse in Focal Point and Old city area.

The rally was organised under the under the Visitor Week organised by Global Altus Global Alliance, an NGO which works with the United Nationals (UN) for enhancing public safety measures.

Gurpreet Singh, SHO Division No 2, said the students visited various parts of the city to sought residents support in abolishing child abuse.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Ravinder Dharwal said the students distributed nearly 2,500 pamphlets among the city residents. "We need peoples support to eradicate the menace. Child labour is a crime under the juvenile justice act," said Ravinder Dharwal. Similarly, a rally was organised by Kotwali police station. The rally visited the whole old city area to spread awareness among residents about child rights.

The children participating in the rally had a fest as residents were seen offering them food and sweets.

Yesterday, around 70 school students participated in the painting and drawing competition organised by police at Division No 2.

Gurpreet Singh, SHO Division No 2, said the motive behind the competition was to break the fear psychosis developed in the minds of children. He said parents were to be blamed for creating portraying such image of cop that children start fearing them.

"Policeman are not someone to be afraid of, we are friends. We take criminals to task and we love children," sad SHO Gurpreet Singh.

Ludhiana, December 6
A team of home scientists namely Dr Priayanka Prasad, Dr Kiran Grover and Dr Jaswinder K Sangha of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have bagged "JN Bose Memorial Award" in the field of community nutrition. The award was conferred upon the home scientists for their research project entitled "Obesity and its Associated Risk Factors among Postmenopausal Women." The PAU home scientists were presented the award during the Golden Jubilee Conference of Indian Dietetic Association, held at National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad, from November 29 to December 1. The PhD scholars namely Neetu and Monika Chaudhary also won the Best Poster Award during the conference.

Dr Kiran Grover, senior extension specialist, Department of Food and Nutrition, PAU, along with 4 postgraduate students participated in the conference. Dr Grover, under whose guidance the project was carried out, stated that the high prevalence of overweight (46 per cent) and obesity (25 per cent) is a leading cause of high risk factors of chronic diseases among postmenopausal women. The risk factors observed were hypertension (33 per cent) followed by diabetes (26 per cent) and hypercholesterolemia (13 per cent), she added. The women were leading the sedentary life style pattern, she noted, saying that the women doing regular physical activities were less prone to chronic diseases as compared to seldom and no physical activity. 

Ludhiana, December 6
The Northern Railway pensioners, their dependants as well as serving employees are sore over poor medical facilities, both diagnostic and therapeutic, at the sub-divisional railway hospital here. Facilities here have not improved even though it was upgraded two years ago.

In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Medical Director, Northern Railway, New Delhi, and the Chief Executive Director of Health, Railway Board, New Delhi, chairman of the Northern Railway Pensioners Welfare Association Sher Singh said the main problem being faced by the beneficiaries at the railway hospital was the absence of specialists.

He pointed out that with the post of Chief Medical Superintendent, Northern Railway, at the divisional headquarters, Ferozepur, lying vacant, no senior officer at the policy-making level was available to listen to beneficiaries’ grievances about a lack of adequate medical care at the hospital.

Sher Singh stressed the facility of a visiting cardiologist ought to be provided at the hospital with immediate effect.

"The failure of the railway administration to tie up with a local multi-speciality hospital for emergency treatment is further adding to the woes of the beneficiaries who have been left to fend for themselves in cases of medical emergencies," he said, adding that railway pensioners had no other alternative than travelling to Ferozepur or even New Delhi to get treatment from specialists.

According to Sher Singh, in utter disregard to the hardship being faced by the beneficiaries the authorities had made arrangements with a couple of laboratories which were located quite far away from the hospital. 

Ludhiana, December 6
A 15-year-old girl, Kamaljeet Kaur, who has been suffering from acute leukaemia, is under treatment at the PGI, Chandigarh.

Kamaljeet Kaur’s father Jaswinder Singh is a tailor by profession and mother is a home maker. Jaswinder Singh said: "I have two daughters and she is the eldest one and has been suffering from acute leukaemia for the last three months. She has already undergone five chemotherapies at the PGI, Chandigarh.

“We have already spent Rs 1.5 lakh on her treatment at the hospital. The doctors treating her say her proper treatment requires Rs 6 lakh. I appeal to the public in general to donate for the treatment of my sick daughter.

My contact number is 9888897395. Any one willing to donate money for this cause can also deposit money in her bank account number 507902011 037473 of the Union Bank of India."

Four more dengue cases were confirmed in different hospital in the city today. Of these, three patients are from Ludhiana and one from Muktsar. The District Epidemiologist, Dr Puneet Juneja, said: "Ludhiana has received 192 confirmed patients of dengue this season so far." — TNS

Ludhiana, December 6
Two persons have been booked on a charge of outraging the modesty of a woman. In her complaint to the police, the victim said Robin and Vishal, both residents of Mohalla Gurbag Colony near Veer Palace, grabbed her by the arm yesterday and tried to molest her.

The victim said on being eve-teased she raised the alarm, following which the duo fled the scene.

The incident led to resentment among residents of the area, who informed the police about it. Both the accused are at large. Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh has said girls being harassed by eve-teasers could directly call him on his official number (78370-18501) to lodge their complaint.

Phillaur, December 6
Four persons were killed and 10, including seven women, injured in different accidents in Goraya, Phillaur subdivision, today.

According to the reports received here, three occupants, including its driver, of a Jalandhar-bound Tempo-Traveller were killed instantly while 10 injured when the vehicle rammed into a stationary truck on the national highway in Goraya last night.

The deceased have been identified as Ashok Kumar, alias Goldy (driver), Rakesh Kumar and Gurbachan Singh, all residents of Jalandhar, while the injured included Sunita, Vikas, Jyoti, Deepika, Alka, Pieu, Anshu, Ram Parkash, Rohit and Naresh. They were admitted to different hospitals in Goraya. They were returning to Jalandhar after attending a marriage party in Ludhiana.

The police has registered a case and handed over the bodies of the deceased to their kin after conducting post-mortem examinations.

Meanwhile, a resident of Goraya Swatantar Kumar, an accountant, was killed when he was hit by a truck on the national highway in Goraya. He was crossing the road when the accident happened. The police has registered a case against the truck driver and arrested him.

Samrala, December 6
The body of the son of a jeweller was found in the Sirhand canal, near Gurthali Bridge here today. The deceased, identified as Abhi (17), was a student of class X, and had been missing for the past six days. Today, passersby spotted the body in the canal in informed the police.

Balraj Kumar, a local jeweler, has complained to the police that his son had gone missing on November 29 and he could not be traced despite efforts by the members of his family. He had left his house without telling anything to his parents.

The body was taken to the Civil Hospital, Samrala. It was handed over to his parents after a post-mortem examination.

The SHO of Samrala, Harjinder Singh, said it seemed to be a case of suicide and the police was investigating the matter.

Ludhiana, December 6
Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tewari had a meeting with the officials at Guru Nanak Stadium here today to check the status of preparations for the Kabaddi World Cup final and closing ceremony to be held here on December 15.

Indicating that he wouldn't tolerate any laxity with regard to the preparations for the world cup final, when VVIPs and international dignitaries would be visiting the city, he told the officials that all the arrangements should be in place by December 9.

Cabinet ministers, MLAs, international dignitaries would watch the event.

There will be five gates and one of these will be for the entry of 18 or 20 VVIPs. There should be a separate kitchen for the VVIPs. A delegation from Pakistan will also watch the event. Separate blocks will be created for the VVIPs, VIPs, media and the general public. Ghanshyam Thori, SDM, Samrala, has been made the coordinating officer for the event.

"The entire stadium has to be mapped," he said. A total of 23 teams in the men's and women's category are participating in the World Cup.

Ludhiana, December 6
Workers were doing the welding work without wearing any safety gear while fixing the canopy on the spectator block at Guru Nanak Stadium here today.

According to the norms, workers doing some work at such height should have the safety belts and helmets.

The SDO, Amandeep Singh, said taking care of workers’ safety is contractors’ responsibility. "I have told the contractor to get the safety gear for the workers”.

The proprietor of the firm empanelled for the construction said it was the responsibility of the contractors he further hired for different works, including fabrication, welding, installation, etc. He said local labourers didn't wear the safety gear deliberately as they were not used to wearing such things.