Ludhiana, December 11
Panic gripped passengers aboard the 2498 Amritsar-New Delhi Shane-Punjab Express as its engine caught fire due to some technical snag while the train was entering the railway platform number one here this evening.

The train came to a screeching halt as smoke engulfed the electric engine. Many passengers hurriedly came out of their coaches and several others started removing their luggage fearing that the fire might reach the passenger coaches.

The technical staff of the Railways said the overhead equipment of the electric engine caught fire just before the train was to enter the Ludhiana railway station, but the fire was noticed only when the train arrived on the platform.

Senior railway officials rushed to the spot and the flames were doused by firefighters of the municipal corporation. Railway employees also helped the fire brigade personnel to control the fire.

The overhead electric cables supplying power to the engine to haul the train posed some hurdle in the work of firefighting, but the fire brigade personnel skilfully handled the situation and managed to put out the fire before it could cause any further damage.

Order was restored after the railway officials assured the passengers that the fire had been brought under control there was no danger. The damaged electric engine was hauled up to the loco shed.

The train resumed its onward journey to New Delhi with a replaced electric engine and in the process, the train was delayed by about 50 minutes. 

Ludhiana, December 11
Residents of Kucha Number 7 in Field Ganj were at the receiving end today after sewage entered their houses after a brief spell of rain.

The residents alleged that despite several requests, neither the area councillor nor the officials from the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation reached the spot. The water, however, receded but the area is still full of sludge.

Area residents rued that problem of sewage overflow is common in the area since the time the MC started the work on covering Ganda Nullah.

An area resident, Geeta Dang, said the MC officials had diverted the sewage into a smaller nullah. “We made several calls to the area councillor as well as the MC officials, but no one visited the spot. It was after several hours that some MC officials came and diverted the water back into Ganda Nullah. Even still, the entire area is full of sludge and it is stinking,” said Geeta.

When contacted, Zonal Commissioner Kamlesh Bansal said due to ongoing work of covering Ganda Nullah, the sewerage water was diverted to a smaller nullah. “When it rained in the morning, the flow of water was more due to which it got accumulated in the area. Later, we again diverted the dirty water into Ganda Nullah. The sludge will be cleared soon,” claimed Bansal. 

Ludhiana, December 11
Thundershowers accompanied by high velocity winds that lashed the city in the wee hours of Tuesday wreaked havoc on power supply in the city. Residents in many localities as well as commercial establishments and industrial units had to go without electricity for three to six hours.

Feeders were disrupted at some places at around 4 am and there was no electricity and water supply in the morning. Schoolchildren, office goers and working women were the worst affected due to power failure and no water supply.

Information gathered from several city localities indicated that residents in parts of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Sarabha Nagar, Civil Lines, Haibowal, Gurdev Nagar, Chander Nagar, Chhawni Mohalla, Old Sabzi Mandi, Upkar Nagar, Cheema Chowk, Partap Chowk, Focal Point, Link Road, Janta Nagar, Industrial Estate, Chandigarh Road, Shimlapuri, Kidwai Nagar and many more areas had to go without electricity and water supply this morning.

The going got tough for residents as intermittent rain and chilly winds continued in the morning and there was no power supply to operate geysers and water heaters.

Senior officials of the Punjab State Power Supply Corporation Limited said some 70 feeders in the city area (approximately 25 per cent of the total power supply network) were disrupted due to rain and high velocity winds. At some places, low-tension cables had snapped or got tangled due to force of the wind causing short circuit or snag in the transformers.

"However, most of the feeders were made operational and power supply was restored in the affected areas by 11 am," a senior PSPCL officials said. 

Ludhiana, December 11
Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria has issued show-cause notices to 20 officials posted in the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation’s Zone D office after they reporting late on duty.

The Mayor had conducted a surprise check at the Zone D office in Sarabha Nagar this morning and was surprised to find that the officials didn’t report on duty till 10 am.

As it had rained heavy this morning, the Mayor reached the Zone D office at around 9 30 am. “I knew that some officials might get late because of the rain and that’s’ why, I visited the office at 9.30 am. To my surprise, more than 20 officials reported after 9.30 am, which is not tolerable,” said the Mayor.

The Mayor reached the Zone D office in his personal vehicle and even his staff was unaware of the surprise check. On reaching the office, he kept standing at the entry gate for half-an-hour and kept noting down the names and designations of officials reporting late.

After the Mayor reached his office, leave applications started pouring in. Interestingly, one person had written in his application that he wants leave for December 10 and 11 for “one day”. “I am sure that he was on leave yesterday and when he came to know about the surprise check, December 11 was added in the same application, but he was not smart enough and forgot to change ‘one day’ to ‘two days’,” said the Mayor.

Ludhiana, December 11
The Local Government Department, Punjab, has taken a serious note of the allotment of 3,556 square yard of land in the J-block of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar locality to a residents' body for a Community Centre in 1985 by Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT). The land still remains in the possession of the welfare society without any payment having been made towards the cost of the land.

Chief vigilance officer VP Singh visited the LIT office on Monday and inspected the documents related to the allotment of land for community centre. He is also understood to have sought explanation from the sale branch and the engineering branch as to how the possession of land was handed over to the Welfare Council without the allottee having deposited one fourth amount of the total cost of land which is payable on allotment.

The fact that the welfare society has not only been occupying the prime chunk of land, valued at an estimated Rs 10 crore as per prevailing market price for the last more than 25 years, but had also got constructed two halls to make the community centre functional without paying a penny to the LIT, was revealed in the information obtained under Right to Information Act by the Council of RTI Activists, and was highlighted in Ludhiana Tribune on November 27, 2012.

According to LIT officials, the allottee Welfare Council (now named Welfare Society) had defaulted in payment of one fourth amount of the cost of land on allotment, and also in payment of subsequent instalments as per the schedule of repayment provided at the time of allotment.

The construction raised at the site which is being used as Community Centre is also unlawful as no building plan was approved for the same, assert the officials.

Having failed to respond to repeated reminders, and registered notices served by the LIT to the allottee residents' body to deposit the cost of land, it was in the year 2008 and again in 2011 that the Welfare Society volunteered to pay cost of the land at the original allotment rate of Rs 51 per square yard, that too without any interest.

In a move which defies any logic, the LIT authorities, rather than cancelling the allotment of prime chunk of land for persistent default (more than 25 years), had referred the matter to
the Principal Secretary, Local Government, Punjab seeking directions on this issue.

Senior LIT officials said now that the Vigilance probe has been initiated into the allotment of land for Community Centre, obviously its outcome will determine the next course of action.

However, citing provisions of the Punjab Town Improvement (Utilisation of Land and Allotment of Plots) Rules 1983, another official said that it might take some time, but in all probability, the allotment will be cancelled.

Ludhiana, December 11
With the arrest to two persons, the city police claimed to have busted a gang of vehicle lifters. The police has recovered three stolen motorcycles from the accused. The accused have been identified as Gurpreet Singh Mand and Amandeep Singh. They were nabbed from the Dugri area following a tip-off.

They were riding a stolen motorcycle when they were intercepted. While checking the documents, the police got to know that it was a stolen vehicle. During questioning, thw accused confessed to the crime.

The motorcycles recovered from their possession were stolen from Ghumar Mandi, bus stand and the Model Town area, respectively.

After stealing the bike they used to keep the vehicles in a vacant plot. A few days later, they used to change the number plate of the vehicle and used to sell it in the market at throwaway prices. 

Ludhiana, December 11
To keep a check on depleting underground water table in the state as well as in the city, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation is mulling over supplying canal-based water to city residents.

If the plan materialises, the water will be treated and then supplied to the residents, as it is being done in Bathinda and some other districts of the state.

That is why, to check feasibility of the system, a team of experts from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, has been hired by the civic body.

The MC will pay Rs 54,000 to IIT Roorkee as consultancy fee for conducting the feasibility study.

The team comprises Suresh Chandra, former chief engineer of Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, and Dr AA Kazmi, associate professor, IIT Roorkee.

It was on September 19 that the proposal was first discussed during a meeting chaired by Maj Gen VK Bhat, head of the Technical Advisory Group under the Punjab Urban Development Mission.

The meeting was held at MC’s Zone A office and later the proposal was tabled in the Finance and Contract Committee meeting.

The MC officials held a meeting with Suresh Chandra at Zone A office in the morning.

MC's spokesperson Kamlesh Bansal said, “We all know that the ground water is depleting fast and for the sake of our future generations we will have to shift to canal water for drinking and other such purposes.”

An MC official said out of the total water supply by the MC, about 80 per cent went into sewerage. “Residents are wasting precious water which needs to be checked,” said the official.

Suresh Chandra, former chief engineer of Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, said he visited the Sirhand Canal near Neelon village today. “I am sure that the canal-based water can easily be supplied to the city residents because there is ample amount of water in the canal. Moreover, the canal-based water is better in quality than the ground water and it is cost-effective as well. If treated properly, the water is even fit for drinking,” said Chandra.

He added that he was in the city for a pre-feasibility study. “I am here just to find out whether the canal-based water can be supplied to city residents. While I will be leaving tomorrow, another expert from IIT Roorkee, Dr AA Kazmi, will be staying in the city till Friday. The report will be finalised in a week,” stated Suresh Chandra.

Ludhiana, December 11
Waking up from a deep slumber, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation today sealed a mobile tower installed on the rooftop of a building on the College Road today.

Earlier on December 4, the MC officials had sealed two mobile towers installed on the rooftop of Raghunath Hospital located near Aggar Nagar on the Ferozepur Road.

The officials said both these towers were installed without taking permission from the civic body.

On October 5, the officials had sealed another mobile tower of a telecommunication company installed on the rooftop of an adjoining building on the College Road.

It is learnt that a leading business family had approached the MC Commissioner complaining about these mobile towers, following which these were sealed.

Ludhiana, December 11
Gems and jewellery exporters are betting on the demand during Christmas to help arrest the decline in jewellery exports.

From April to October, exports rose only 3.5 per cent against 6.5 per cent from April to September.

The main reason behind the decline was largely due to the uncertainty over Presidential elections in the US which is the largest market for Indian gold jewellery and diamonds.

"We expect that the exports to the US and other markets will start improving as data from those regions show that the consumer confidence has improved. Christmas-related orders so far have shown that the exports will improve in the coming weeks," said Jatin Aggarwal, an exporter.

"Exports of gems and jewellery, which have been declining fro the past six to eight months, are now expected to see a revival, considering the demand for diamonds ahead of the Christmas season in the US. However, the demand will not be very strong due to slow economic recovery in that country and the debt crisis in Euro zone countries."

“We expect exports to get a boost due to Christmas celebrations in the west," added Vivek Jain, another gold and diamond exporter. 

Ludhiana, December 11
Mercury witnessed a dip following lightning and thunderstorm in the region. Though the minimum temperature saw an increase in the past 24 hours, still the chill forced the residents to pull out their woollens and jackets.

Weathermen have predicted rainfall in the region on December 13,14 and 15.

Surinder Paul, Director, Meteorology Department, Chandigarh, said in the next three to four days, the maximum temperature would be 22 to 24 degrees Celsius while the minimum would be 10 degrees Celsius.

It's the poor who are made to bear the brunt. In the absence of night shelters in the city, they are forced to spend chilly nights in the open.

Sita Ram, a rickshaw-puller, said these days, not many residents preferred to go by rickshaws.

"In winter, it becomes difficult for us to earn a livelihood," he added.

Ludhiana, December 11
Members of the Bharat Nirman Mazdoor Union staged a dharna outside the Police Commissioner’s office against police inaction in a kidnapping case of eight-year-old girl.

Ranjeevan, a resident of Thrike village, said his daughter identified as Nancy was allegedly kidnapped by two neighbours on June 10.

He said that the police had registered a case and started the investigation. He said after six-month long investigation, the police could not find his daughter and was now pressurising him to take back the case.

It was only after the Commissioner assured a reinvestigation that the dharna was lifted.

Ludhiana, December 11
A week-long chrysanthemum exhibition, jointly organised by the department of floriculture and landscaping and Estate Organisation of Punjab Agricultural University, witnessed a good response. Dr Kushal Singh, head, department of floriculture and landscaping, said the parrot green flowers were the major attraction.

He said the department sold more than 1,000 pots of 200 different varieties belonging to 10 different classes like incurved, incurving, reflexed, pompon, anemone, spider, spoon, button, etc. Singh said next year the exhibition would be organised in the newly developed botanical garden of the PAU. "The department is also planning to organise another flower show in the end of February which will see the competition between flower pots and cut flower arrangements," he added. — TNS

Ludhiana, December 11
The Punjab State AIDS Control Society, Chandigarh, and National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) have roped in folk artistes to create awareness among villagers.

The artistes will perform in various areas of the district.

The events will start from tomorrow.

Ludhiana Civil Surgeon Dr Subhash Batta said,"Two Information, Education and Communication vans will mobilise people and motivate them to visit the Red Ribbon Express, which will reach the Ludhiana railway station on December 17."

Dr US Sooch, nodal officer of the Red Ribbon Express for Ludhiana, said,"The staff deputed in the vans will make people aware of the precautions and symptoms of AIDS. They will be apprised of various facilities being provided by the state and Union governments."

He said,"These vans will spread awareness in rural areas till December 19. The vans will have four halts in the peripheral areas and at each halt awareness will be spread among the residents of six to seven villages"

Ludhiana, December 11
The Ludhiana District Brick-Kiln Owners' Association here today submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner to stop illegal mining of brick earth by a resident of Sujapur village near here.

A delegation of the association met the authorities and said that the mining of minor minerals below five acres required environmental clearance, yet against the orders, one brick-kiln owner was allegedly continuing with the illegal mining and no action was taken against him.

"The particular brick-kiln owner does not have a license for the mining of brick earth, still no action has been taken against him. We have made several requests to the authorities but to no avail. If he can continue with the illegal activity then we should also be allowed to do so. And if he has all the clearance documents, then he should be allowed to carry on with the trade", said Sarabjit Singh Dhillon, general secretary of the association. — TNS

Ludhiana, December 11
The students of four constituent colleges of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today gave presentations for "Dr Avtar Singh Atwal Gold Medal 2011-12". Dr Atwal, a well-known scientist, has served in various capacities at the PAU.

The presentations were based on their respective thesis related to their masters degree. Dr Gursharan Singh, Dean, Postgraduate Studies (PGS), PAU, said the special focus was on ability to deliver, ability of answering and ability to attract the attention of panel members. — TNS

Ludhiana, December 11
It was an emotional reunion for Vidya Devi when she met her two daughters after a span of six months. Monika (15) and Sarika (13) went missing six months ago when they were accompanying their mother on a pilgrimage.

Since the duo did not know the address of their house, a samaritan helped them and they managed to reach the Nari Nikatan in Jalandhar. There, Monika told the authorities that she knew the address of her maternal-aunt who lived in Delhi. They were taken to Delhi but their maternal- aunt could not be traced.

They were then kept at the Nirmal Chaya orphanage in Delhi. It was after six months of her daughters’ disappearance that Vidya, a resident of Narinkari Mohalla near Civil Hospital, informed the police about the matter.

The police sounded an alert and it was found that Monika and Sarika were at the Nirmal Chaya orphanage in Delhi. They were brought at the Division No 2 police station and handed over to their mother.

Vidya, a widow, was doing odd jobs to make two ends meet. She went to a pilgrimage following the death of her son where her daughters went missing.

Raikot, December 11
The police has initiated probe into an incident in which two unidentified motorcycle-borne youths had thrown acid on a Class XII student of Raikot Public School when she was going to school after attending tuition in the Kutba Road area this morning.

The girl was admitted to a private hospital for treatment. Investigations revealed that two unidentified miscreants, with masked faces had thrown acid on the face of Navjot Kaur of Jalwana village after intercepting her way when she was going to her school after attending tuition in the Kutba Road area this morning.

As the miscreants had also tried to attack her a few days ago, victim's father Resham Singh had come to drop her at her teacher's house.

The shocked girl was taken to a hospital by a passersby. Her hands and face were burnt in the incident. The miscreants had pourd the remaining acid on the school bag of the victim that burnt her books too.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Amrik Singh Minhas visited the hospital to enquire about the incident and a SIT led by Davinder Singh Chakohi and Nirmal Singh 
was constituted to probe the matter.

The rank and file in the department were directed to rule out possibility of involvement of owners of all red-coloured motorcycles in the incident.

The police registered an FIR against unknown persons under Sections 307, 363 A, 511 , 506 and 34 of the IPC.

Meanwhile, Congress activists led by legislator Gurcharan Singh Boparai called on the victim to show solidarity with the victim’s family. 

Khanna, December 11
The Machhiwara police on a complaint of four girls has booked the owners of a fashion designing academy for not providing them course certificates.

Harjinder Singh, SHO, Machhiwara police station, said that Amarjeet Kaur, Manpreet Kaur, Jasvir Kaur and Amandeep Kaur had complained to the police that they had taken admission in an academy for a course for the session 2011-12. The academy owners had promised them that they would be given certificates after the completion of the course.

The girls in a statement said that they had agreed to pay Rs 6,000 per year as fees, but later, the academy owners began demanding more money and refused to give certificates. The girls alleged that instead of giving certificates to them after the completion of the course, the academy owners began threatening them and their parents. They refused to give the certificates and also did not refund the money. The SHO said the academy owners did not send their examination papers to the department concerned for checking.

He said that after proper inquiry, a case under Sections 420, 506 and 120B of the IPC was registered against the owners of the academy. They were arrested and presented in a court from where they were sent to police remand for one day.

Ludhiana, December 11
Three persons have been booked for duping and stealing the luggage of 18 persons of the Raas Leela Mandli from Delhi, who had checked in at a hotel near the Bus Stand.

The incident came to light when the city police registered a case against three suspects - Sidharth, Rajneesh and Udhay Bhanu Pratap Singh - and started the investigation.

Complainant Prem Kumar, who runs a Raas Leela Mandli in Delhi, said that the trio, who were posing as film makers, contacted him a few days ago. Prem Kumar said the trio offered a hefty sum to the Raas Leela Mandli for the shooting of a dance sequence.

As per the plan, they arrived and checked in at a hotel near the Bus Stand. While they were having food, the trio entered their rooms, stole their luggage and fled the scene. Two suspects, including Rajneesh and Udhay Bhanu Pratap Singh, were caught on the close circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the hotel.

Later during the day, Prem Kumar and his Raas Leela Mandli informed the police about the incident.