Ludhiana, August 28
The Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority has earned the wrath of the audit wing for incurring expenditure of Rs 88.95 lakh as payment of wages on muster roll (daily wages) from 2007-08 to 2011-12 in contravention of the directions of the Department of Finance, Government of Punjab, as well as PUDA headquarters.

In the course of the annual audit for 2011-12, the audit team from the office of the Auditor General, Punjab, has raised objection to the money paid by GLADA for employing workers on muster roll during the past five years.

The report, a copy of which was obtained under the Right to Information Act by Rohit Sabharwal and Arvind Sharma, president and secretary of the Council of RTI Activists, respectively, mentioned that GLADA had made payments of Rs 51.07 lakh on muster roll till 2007-08. In the subsequent years, expenditure of Rs 7 lakh (2008-09), Rs 10.33 lakh (Rs 2009-10), Rs 11.42 lakh (2010-11) and Rs 9.13 lakh (2011-12) was incurred on payment of wages on muster roll.

The auditors made an observation that the Finance Department of the Punjab Government had issued instructions way back in March 1989 and again in June 2001 that no labour should be employed on muster roll for construction or maintenance work and in case of emergency prior permission of the administrative secretary must be obtained. "Strict compliance with the instructions was also emphasised by PUDA headquarters," the audit report stated.

The auditors disagreed with the contention made by GLADA authorities that old labour had been paid on muster roll for urgent maintenance works in Urban Estate (Dugri). "The reply (submitted by GLADA to audit objection) is not acceptable as the payment on muster rolls has been made in contravention of the government instructions," the audit report concluded while asking GLADA officials to file a reply. 

In spot

The Auditor General, Punjab, has raised objection to the money paid by GLADA for employing workers on muster roll during the past five years. The auditors disagreed with the contention made by GLADA authorities that old labour had been paid on muster roll for urgent maintenance work.

Sequence of events 
August 13: Students of College of Agriculture Engineering boycott classes to protest against the rustication of three students.
August 14: Students express resentment over the issue of credit hours. 
August 15: Students hold a silent protest at Flag Post. 
August 16: Students take out a rally on the PAU campus. 
August 19: Students from all four colleges of the PAU join the protesters. 
August 20: Students go on a hunger strike 
August 21: Students beat canisters 
August 22: Students gherao the communication centre. 
August 23: Students play a flute in front of a buffalo 
August 26: The PAU authorities meet parents 
August 27: Students lock Thapar Hall 

Ludhiana, August 28
Imagine the plight of mini-bus operators. They have been making rounds of the treasury office for the past three-four months to get their payments released, only to hear a no.

Their buses were hired during the zila parishad and panchayat elections. The officials bluntly told them that they had no funds and it was useless to do the rounds.

The elections were held in May and June and the buses ferried staff on election duty to their respective destinations (different blocks). At that time, the operators were told that they would be paid as per the budget sent by the State Election Office.

Though the bus operators had demanded that they be paid as per the notification issued by the State Transport Department, they were told that the budget was sanctioned by the State Election Commission and they would be paid accordingly.

"And then started their ordeal. We were left with no option, but to accept whatever we were getting. Still the payments have not been released. After making rounds of the Additional Deputy Commissioner's office, we learnt that since a few returning officers had not sent logbooks, the payments could not be released. And now when the logbooks have been received by the officials, they are saying they do not have funds," said JS Grewal, president of the association.

The bus operators have decided to write a letter to the District Transport Authorities asking them not to hire vehicles from them for any state-level function. "Why should we cooperate with them when they do not realise our problems. Whenever there are rallies or events, they need buses but when we ask for payments, we get brickbats. There are no funds in the treasury, still the ministers are going abroad to study projects," said Grewal. 

Ludhiana, August 28
As the country celebrates the National Sports Day on August 29, sportspersons rue slow pace of development and poor infrastructure. "As compared to international standards, we stand nowhere," said Teja Singh Dhaliwal from the State Basketball Association.

"We lag behind in sports. There isn't a single indoor stadium. The one at Pakhowal Road has been hanging fire," he said.

"Leave aside better facilities, we do not even have playgrounds for children," he said.

The government, Municipal Corporation, society and parents are responsible for the state of affairs.

"The 75 councillors have never thought of promoting sports. There are no job opportunities. This is one of the reasons why youngsters take to crime," he said. "Schools and colleges hardly have any playgrounds," he said.

Ludhiana, August 28
The city police has nabbed three persons with 785 gm of heroin worth Rs 2.5 crore in the international market.

The accused have been identified as Nitish Kumar, a resident of New Punjabi Bagh, Tibba Road, Harbhajan Singh of Vishwakarma Colony and Jaspal Singh of Jagraon. The police said the accused were booked for smuggling narcotics from the Indo-Pak border. They were nabbed from the Jodhewal Bastia area last night.

The accused have links with smugglers in Pakistan. They were presented before a court today and were sent to police custody.

Ludhiana, August 28
Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, was celebrated with great devotion and zest in the city. Govinda players gathered together under the Dahi Handi and formed a human pyramid to break the ‘matki’ to get ‘makhan’. Raas Leela was also organised at a temple by children.

The mood was all devotionally jubilant, and a large number of devotees gathered at temples to pay homage to Lord Krishna. People stood in long queues to catch a glimpse of the idols of Lord Krishna and give a 'jhoola' to 'Bal Gopal'. Since morning, a large number of disciples had been visiting the temples across the city, and the number of the devotees increased by the evening time.

Miniature silver-made idols of Lord Krishna were presented to devotees through a lucky draw at Shri Gyan Sthal Mandir. Scores of people also visited Govind Godham at Hambran Road, Krishna Mandir, Model Town and Durga Mandir, besides other temples located in the city.

A representative from Govind Godham said, “Artisans from Bengal had especially visited the city for the decorations and to sculpture the idols of Lord Krishna. A dress was brought from Vrindaban and special importance was given to the lighting techniques.”

A fete-like atmosphere was created outside some temples, where merry-go-rounds and other swings were installed. “It is a very festive and a spiritual atmosphere,” said Harsh Uttam, a resident of the area.

Mandi Ahmedgarh/Payal/ Raikot, August 28
Janmashtami was celebrated at various temples in the region. The celebrations began with 'parbhat pheris' organised by the members of different religious organisations.

Members of Shri Ram Mandir Committee, Har Har Mahadev Sewa Sangathan and Lakshami Seva Dal marched barefoot on the streets of Ahmedgarh and surrounding localities, early in the morning. Religious songs and mantras induced feeling of spirituality and sanctity among people belonging to all sects and communities.

Almost all temples were decorated with flower bedecked cradles. Special prayers were also organised on the occasion. Young boys and girls were dressed up as Krishna, Radha and Gopis. The cruelty of Kans and the birth of Lalla were illustrated in majority of the temples.

Professional artistes sang devotional songs. Various cultural items like 'Krishana Janam', 'Manbassia oh Kanha', 'Makhan Chore' and 'Brij ke Nandlala' were presented and appreciated by one and all.

Many social and religious organisations, including Sikh organisations, organised langars for devotees in their respective areas.

Besides the strict security arrangements outside the temples, the police had also intensified patrolling in areas around the temples and ensured a hassle-free passage to the devotees.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 28
Even as the Indian rupee slides down, elderly people of the region perceive an exquisite shine in the old Indian coins. Septuagenarians and octogenarians occasionally bring annas, dhellas and takka for making purchases at stores.

Tarsem Garg, a grocer at the local Chaura bazar said, “An old woman, Dayawanti, from Lohgarh village, gave me a number of old coins for the grocery items she bought from my shop today. The coins included a cube made up of copper as well. Having accepted the coin I showed it to many elderly persons and a goldsmith as well, who said that it was a dhella,” said Garg.

Hamid Mohammad Buggar, owner of a hair cutting salon, said, “Some of my customers have been collectively paying the costs incurred in 25 and 50 paisa coins, which I later distribute among the children.”

Other places where these coins find due respect are religious places. Some devotees who visit these places on a daily basis to pay homage take these coins as offerings for the deities they worship.

Deepak Sharma, an office-bearer of a managing committee of a temple, said “Many 25 and 50 paisa coins were presented on the occasion of Janamashtami today.”

Bank officials, however, feel embarrassed when someone visits the bank to deposit coins in their respective accounts. Cashier of a Nationalised bank said it was not possible to pay or receive cash in denomination of paisa nowadays as the online drawers on system do not identify these denominations.

The elderly, however, takes a pride in buying goods and materials with the old coins.

Ludhiana, August 28
Two more patients have tested positive for Dengue on Tuesday. The affected have been identified as the residents of Sita Nagar and Barewal. As many as 8 positive cases of dengue have been reported so far.

The authorites concerned have advised the residents to keep their surroundings clean. An individual must empty water from the containers and wear clothings that cover the exposed parts completely. Apply mosquito repellants and spray insecticides to prevent mosquito bites, said an official.

Ludhiana, August 28
Punarjot Eye Bank Society, a non-governmental organization, today kicked off the National Eye Donation Awareness fortnight at Dr Ramesh’s free eye hospital in Sehzad village on Pakhowal Road here.

Basketball player Satnam Singh receives the revolving trophy of the project ‘Health for All’ from office-bearers of Punarjot Eye Bank Society during the launch of National Eye Donation Awareness Fortnight at Sehzad village on Tuesday. A Tribune Photograph

Eighteen-year-old basketball player Satnam Singh, who stands tall at 7 feet 2 inches, inaugurated the function.

The young cager is presently undergoing professional training at the IMG Reliance Basketball Sports Academy in Florida, USA under a special sports talent search programme.

Satnam Singh and his companion Harpreet Singh Palli lauded the cause of eye donation and appealed to the society to come forward for noble cause.

Satnam also appealed to the youth to shun drugs and alcohol and adopt good diet and exercising routine to stay healthy.

Dr Ramesh threw light on various aspects of eye donation. Around 30 persons pledged to donate their eyes.

Secretary of the society Subhash Malik said the NGO had organised 648 free eye check-up camps in which over 2 lakh patients were examined. He said his team had conducted 15,728 free cataract operations and 2,646 free corneal transplantations up to May this year. Malik appealed to the public, NGOs, and religious and social organisations to come forward for the noble cause of eye donation in order to eradicate corneal blindness in the country.

Ludhiana, August 28
Panjab University, Chandigarh, has extended the date for admission to all the courses in colleges affiliated to it till August 31. The new admissions, however, will take place with the approval of the Vice-Chancellor. Students will also have to pay a late fee. A mail in this regard was sent to the colleges yesterday.

Confirming this, the principal of Master Tara Singh College for Women, Dr Praveen Chawla, said admissions to professional courses were almost done, with only one or two students turning up these days.

"Generally, the last date for admission is August 31, but this year in order to start the session early, the date was kept as August 21. Since it was the first time, many students failed to get admissions. The authorities, therefore, extended the date,” said Dr Chawla.

One of the faculty members at a government college here said this year, seats at many private colleges were still lying vacant.

"When seats are not filled in private colleges, they raise a hue and cry. This could be another reason for extending the date. As far as admissions to courses in government colleges are concerned, we hardly have any vacancy as students took admissions well in time,” said the faculty member. 

Ludhiana, August 28
The Youth Red Cross unit of the Khalsa College for Women organised a programme to make girls aware of general gynaecological disorders.

The resource person, Dr Seema Goel from Raghunath Hospital, apprised the students of problems associated with pre-menstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhoea and polycystic ovary syndrome. She also explained the diagnosis, treatment and medication of all these disorders.

Dr Goyal said the polycystic ovary syndrome was caused by an increased level of male hormones in females. She said it was one of the leading causes of infertility. The lecture was followed by an interactive session. Getting over their initial shyness, students came up with varied questions.

‘Jugaad’ leading growth

‘Management or Jugaad in 21st Century’: an extension lecture on this topic was conducted at the USPC Jain Institute of Professional Studies, an associate institute of GNDU, Amritsar. The lecture was delivered by Dr Vijay Asdhir, director of the Khalsa Institute of Management and Technology. Dr Asdhir said “jugaad” was all about doing more with less. It is a Hindi jargon for an improvised solution born from ingenuity. Dr Asdhir said “jugaad” was leading the dramatic growth of emerging markets of India, China and Africa, as a result of which Western companies were also adopting it. He said management and “jugaad” went hand in hand.

Book release

Dr RS Jhanji, principal of AS College, Khanna, released a book, ‘Sukhdev: an Immortal Martyr of India", written by Prof Sandeep Singh Hundal of the history department at the college. Dr Jhanji appreciated Hundal’s efforts at enlightening the youth of the ways and life of the martry.

Janmashtami celebrations

Students participated in various activities during the Janmashtami celebrations at DD Jain College of Education. A speech on the life of Lord Krishna and bhajan recital were a part of the programme.

Mehak crowned Ms Fresher

Mehak Kailey and Simranjit Kaur were declared Miss Fresher and Miss Teej during the inaugural function of the new session of the Shanti Tara College for Women at Akbarpur Chhana. Manjit Kaur, Gagandeep Kaur, Puja and Gurmit Kaur emerged winners in the mehandi design, braid knitting and rangoli competitions resepctively. Parminder Kaur, Tejinder, Manjot and Suman were adjudged runners-up. Principal Ajay Batra presided over the concluding session, while educationists Bhupinder Kaur and Pardeep Sharda gave away prizes to the winners.

Industrial-academic tie-up

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Industrial Automation Training Centre (IATC)-Siemens and the North West Group of Institutions for imparting industrial training to and facilitating placements of the BTech students. The MoU was signed by Deepak Bist, president of the IATC-Siemens and IAG Group, and Lakhbir Singh Gill, chairman of the North West Group of Institutions. Bist emphasised on the importance of industrial-academic interface. Gill reiterated the need for such tie-ups for providing employable candidates.

Visit to old-age home

The National Service Scheme unit of the Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Gujarkhan Campus, organised a visit to Swami Vivekananda Vridh Ashram. During the visit, the third semester students of MBA discussed issues pertaining to senior citizens including their experiences. Students got insights on their social responsibilities. The students voluntarily collected over Rs 7,000 for the ashram. 

Students get tips on developing positive attitude

The Sportking Institute of Fashion Technology organised a talk on ‘Positive Attitude and Vision Enhancement’. The faculty and students of all the departments participated in the workshop conducted by a group of professionals. The interactive presentation included creative activities and pictorial games for students, helping them in knowing more about themselves. The speaker emphasized on the need for discovering “the real self” in today’s busy times. Tips on how to develop positive attitude at work and in relationships were given to the students.

Ludhiana, August 28
Guru Nanak Public School won the inter-school shabad gayan competition held at MGM Public School. In all, 24 teams from various schools of the city participated in the event.

An inter-school radio jockey contest was also held at Bal Bharti Public School, in which 26 schools participated. The GNPS team won a consolation prize in this keenly contested competition.

Principal Mona Singh congratulated the students on their performance. — TNS

Amloh, August 28
The first meeting of newly constituted block samiti was held at the Samiti complex today under the presidentship of Kashmira Singh, chairperson, Shahpur, and vice-chairperson Karamjit Kaur.

Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) Roop Singh highlighted the various development al schemes initiated by the government.

Roop Singh recommended the planting of saplings using the grants given by the government under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).

The BDPO said, “It will save the land from getting encroached upon and also become a source of income for all the panchayats.”

SAD district chief and Halqa in-charge Jagdeep Singh Cheema, said all the grievances of the villagers would be redressed at the earliest.

Around six panchayats were given cheques worth Rs 1.20 lakh each, under the MNREGA scheme. 

Ludhiana August 28
Economists at Punjab Agricultural University have expressed concerns over the free fall of Rupee as it hit the historic low of 68.85 against dollar.

The economists feel that the Indian economy may be heading for a recession. Senior economist Dr Amarjit Singh Bhullar said the fall in the value of Rupee would increase the price of crude oil, a major input in the industrial and agriculture sector. The hike in fuel prices will push the inflation,” he said.

Dr Bhullar said: “As most of the fertilizers are imported from other countries, the fall in the value of Rupee will increase the prices of fertilizers. The price of diesel will also increase. More than 30 percent diesel is being use in agriculture sector.”

The difference between inflow and outflow of the foreign currency will further widen. Dr Bhullar suggested that the import of non-essential commodities should be reduced.

Dr Mann Singh Toor, senior economist, PAU, criticised the government for importing fruits, chocolates, cycles and other commodities that could be manufacture in India.

Dr MS Sidhu, head, department of economics, PAU, said: “India is dependent on other nations for petroleum. Last year, the country imported petroleum products worth of 160 billion US Dollars. Last year, the currant account deficit was 88 billion Dollars, which is 4.8 per cent of the GDP of the country in 2012-13. The fuel prices will increase with the fall in the value Rupee which will increase the cost of agriculture production.” 

Ludhiana, August 28
The industry in the city is worried over the continous fall in the value to Rupee against Dollar. The Rupee ended at a record low of 68.80 against the US Dollar on Wednesday. The partially convertible Rupee crashed around 3.9 per cent to hit a low of 68.85 as against Tuesday's close of 66.24.

Representatives of the industry have urged the government to bring a policy similar to 1991, zero income tax on exports, to improve the situation.

The Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertaking has urged Finance Minister P Chidambaram to form a policy similar to 1991 when the Indian Rupee slipped from Rs 19 to Rs 26 within four months (from March 1991 to July 1991).

“At that time, the government had come up with a scheme of zero income tax for exports. It was useful that time as the Indian exports had increased tremendously,” said Upkar Singh, joint secretary of the CICU.

“The depreciation in the Rupee no longer brings smile on the faces of apparel exporters. Everybody is aware of the slide in the Rupee and our clients have started asking for discounts. For the time being, I have stopped taking new orders form overseas,” said Ritish Goel, a garment exporter.

Kartik Jain, an exporter, said: “Foreign institutional investors are already losing money on the base equity assets. I think the stock market is open to a 5-10 per cent downside in the coming months.” 

Ludhiana, August 28
Accusing the Lalton police of shielding miscreants who had allegedly teased and humiliated a woman by playing obscene clipping when she was travelling in a mini-bus two days ago, activists of social and trade organisations have threatened to launch an agitation against the police.

Denying the allegation, the police said action would be initiated against the accused after the allegations were proved.

Residents led by activists and office-bearers of the Gadri Baba Gurmakh Singh Memorial Committee and the Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha desh Bhagat Committee alleged that the Lalton police had been trying to shield miscreants.

Though the victim's husband Gurmeet Singh was also travelling in the same bus, she did not tell him about the incident. It was only after the couple reached Lalton village that a formal complaint was lodged.

Dev Sarabha, an office-bearer of the protesting organisation, alleged that the police was acting under political pressure and had failed to initiate action against the suspects.

“If the police fails to nab the suspects, we will block traffic at Sarabha Nagar,” he said.

Malkit Singh, investigation officer, said he had already initiated the process to collect information about the incident from persons who were travelling in the bus when the incident took place. 

Ludhiana, August 28
Relative of Sharanjit Kaur, a dowry victim, on Wednesday staged a dharna against the ‘sloppy’ police investigations. They said the police had managed to arrest only one of the accused. The protesters gathered outside the Division No 3 police station and raised slogans against ADCP-I Nilamberi Jagdale. The dharna was lifted after the police assurance.

Gaurav Bhakoo shows the ransacked studio in Ludhiana. Tribune photo: Himanshu Mahajan

Thieves strike at studio

Thieves struck at the video studio located at Sant Ishar Singh Nagar near Pakhowal Road and decamped with video cameras, hard drives, LEDs and an air-conditioner. The incident came to light this morning when Gaurav Bhakoo, owner of Shree Ram Productions, arrived at the office and was shocked to find the premises ransacked. He said the thieves entered the premises by uprooting the window AC. “The thieves entered the studio around 3 am. One of the residents, who lives near my studio said he heard some noise and spotted some persons outside the studio,” said Gaurav Bhakoo. He said that the thieves decamped with three LEDs, two cameras, a AC, pen camera, hard drives and software dongles. The police has registered a case. 

Ludhiana: Intelligence and promptness marked the inter-section general knowledge quiz contest organised for the Classes V-VIII students at Amrit Indo-Canadian Academy. Three contestants from each section participated as a team. The quiz was divided into eight rounds, including current affairs, visual identification, science and technology, maths, English, social science, audio-visual round and sports, giving equal importance to all the aspects of education. At the end of each round, there was one audience round in which questions were asked from the audience. Principal Jaskiran Poonam congratulated the winners and encouraged them to achieve greater heights.

GGSPS in karate nationals

After bringing laurels to the school in karate at the district-level meet by bagging a gold medal, five silver and five bronze medals, students of Guru Gobind Singh Public School are attending the nationals at Goa. School chairman Avtar Singh Makkar and principal Manjit Kaur congratualted the winners and wished them luck for the national championship.

Janmashtami celebrations

Green Land Convent School, Dugri, celebrated Janmashtami with religious fervour. The programme started with Krishna Aarti. Various tableaus depicting scenes from Lord Krishna’s life were displayed. A cultural programme was also presented by the students. Meera’s love for Krishna was portrayed in a beautiful dance item. The modern-age social evils were depicted with a hope that Lord Krishna would appear to eradicate them. The chairman of the Chain of Greenland Schools, Rajesh Rudhra, presided over the function. School principal JK Gupta extended her heartiest greetings to all on the occasion.

Tug-of-war

Punjab School Education Board conducted district-level tug-of-war competition at Sacred Soul Convent Senior Secondary School. Eleven teams participated in the competition. School principal Monica welcomed the teams and applauded the authorities for the initiative. — TNS

Foundation stone of school laid

Good Earth Educational Society has decided to establish a senior secondary convent school. Foundation stone of the proposed school was laid at Sihar, Jhamat road, on Wednesday. Amarjit Singh Sidhu, president, and Pardeep Sethi, senior president of the trust, said emphasis would be laid on spreading awareness about causes and consequences of environmental degradation besides providing quality education to the students.

Bill opposed

The Democratic Party of India has condemned the Food Security Bill of India. General Secretary GS Midda said, “The bill will work against those who earn their living through hard work and will prove a boon for those who sit idle and eat. Only one who does not work should be considered poor, he said.

Aadhaar card camp

An Aadhaar Card Camp is being organised at Gurudwara Singh Sabha Mai Nand Kaur, Ghumar Mandi. As many as 1,800 candidates have been enrolled till date and rest are under process. Sushil Malhotra, convener of Flagship Programme Monitoring Committee, said, “Aadhaar-direct cash transfer scheme ensures that the intended beneficiaries receive the full benefits of the central government programme.”

Launched

Max Life Insurance, one of the leading life insurers in India, announced the launch of the Max Life Forever Young Pension plan and Max Life Guaranteed Life Time Income Plan.

Rehearsal

A rehearsal ceremony of the Annual Music Bash Rhythm and Blues was organised at Guru Nanak Bhawan. The concert scheduled for August 31 will be showcasing artistes, from the age group of 6 years onwards. The students will be performing western classical pieces and other Rock and Pop numbers. After a month’ practice sessions, participants are excited and thrilled for the concert, said Albert John, director of the institute and the organiser of concert.

Mela

Annual Jathhera Mela organised by the Shree Sati Mata Mandir Welfare Society, Dhandra, will be held on September 1 at Shri Sati Mata Mandir, Dugri Road.

Meeting

A meeting of Shaheed Baba Bhan Singh Gadar Memorial Trust was held to chalk out a plan for celebrating 100th anniversary of martydom of Gadari Babas, on Wednesday. The General secretary of the trust, during the meeting said, “On September 15, a conclave will march from Sunet village towards Jalandhar and a huge conference will be held at Sahabana village.

Elections

As the elections of the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers’ Association have been declared, the candidates are also being finalised by the teams concerned. Gurmeet Singh Kular was proposed as the candidate for the post of president and Rajeev Jain, for the post of general secretary from the Seth, Kular, and Lalit Sharma group. — TNS

Ludhiana, August 28
Thirteen persons, including a customs official, have been booked for wrongfully restraining a government official and not letting the latter to perform his duties.

A case has been registered against BS Bedi, a resident of Model Town and 12 others custom officials, on the complaint of Ashish Chaudhary, inspector with the anti-smuggling unit posted at Focal Point. In his complaint to the police, Ashish said 
he had gone to handover a memorandum served to them by the customs department.

Ashish said Bedi was not receiving the memorandum by post. He said that Bedi first took him in his house and later locked the gate. Ashish said Bedi along with his accomplices manhandled him and his colleagues and did not let the government officials perform their duty.

The police has registered the case against Bedi and his accomplices under Sections 353, 186, 342 and 506/34 of the IPC for wrongful confinement, obstruction in government duty and hurling threats.

Drugs seized

The city police nabbed a person with huge cache of pharmaceutical drugs on Tuesday. The accused has been identified as Balwinder Singh, a resident of Himanyupur village. The accused was nabbed near Dhandara Chowk at a police checkpoint. On spotting the police, Balwinder tried to flee, but the police managed to nab him.

During checking, the police found huge quantity on psychotropic drugs, including injections, cough syrups and tablets, from his possession.

A case under Sections 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused.

2 held with poppy husk

The Ladhowal police has nabbed two persons with 20 kg of poppy husk on Tuesday. The accused have been identified as Amandeep Singh and Baljinder Singh, both residents of Sidhwan Bet. The accused were nabbed from Bhatha village during a police checkpoint. They were riding a bike without the number plate.

During the search, the police seized 20 kg of poppy husk from their possession. A case under Sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused.

Gold chain snatched

Two unidentified persons snatched a gold chain from a woman late of Tuesday evening. Complainant Kamaljit Singh, husband of the victim and resident of Vishal Nagar, said his wife was on her way to Punjab Mata Nagar when two unidentified persons came on a motorcycle and snatched a 1.5 tola gold chain from his wife and fled.

2 booked for kidnapping minor girl

The Division Number 4 police has registered a case against two persons for kidnapping a 15-year-old girl. The accused have been identified as Avtar Singh, a resident of Kehar Singh Nagar, and Gursab Singh of Pehlwan Colony. The incident took place on August 26. The victim's mother said on August 26 her daughter went to school but did not return. Later, they came to know that Kehar Singh with the help of his accomplice had kidnapped her daughter. The police has registered a case.

Ludhiana, August 28
The Amateur Athletics Association, Punjab, has selected the state team for the 53rd National Open Athletics Championship. The championship organised by the Athletics Federation of India is scheduled to be held at Ranchi from September 7.

Men’s team

For 100 relay: Amarvir Singh, Karandeep Singh, Amandeep Singh and Baldev Singh. Mukesh Kumar and Manpreet Singh have been selected for 200m relay.

Harjinder Singh Gurvinderpal Singh, Davinder Singh, Shanky Ram, Nitin Malik and Mandeep Singh have been selected for 400m relay. Kuldeep Kumar has been selected for 1,500m race and Jasvir Singh for 5,000m race. Maha Singh and Kul want Singh have been selected for long jump, Ranjit Singh for triple jump and Gurkitan Singh for high jump. Yudhvir Singh and Gurpreet Singh have been selected for shot put. Harpreet Singh has selected to participate in discus throw, Pargat Singh for hammer throw and Vikas Bishnoi for javelin. For the race walk event, Baljinder Singh, Surinder Singh and Harminder Singh have been selected.

Women’s team

Manjinder Jyoti and Mandeep Kaur will participate in 100m and 200m events. Harpreet Kaur has been selected for 400m race, Bhumika Thakur long jump and triple jump, Amarvir Kaur for high jump, Harkirat Kaur and Manpreet Kaur for shot put and Navpreet Kaur for heptathlon. Sandhya K J and Karamjit Kaur have been selected for race walk.