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Fear of fire flares up
Ludhiana, October 26 The congested old city area is quite vulnerable to a casualty. In case a fire breaks out at Sadar Bazaar (known as electronics market), Talaab Bazaar, Sarafan Bazaar, Pindi Street and the other such adjoining areas, the civic body will not be able to tackle the situation. It will not be easy for firemen to reach the areas on time. With Diwali round the corner, shoppers flock to the markets. The streets, which are already narrow, have been encroached upon by shopkeepers as they display goods outside their shops. The fire brigade's inability to enter such congested areas has been witnessed in the past as well, but still neither the MC nor the shopkeepers have made any fire-fighting arrangements. A visit to these markets reveal that at some places, streets are 4 to 5 feet wide and it is impossible for a fire tenders to enter the areas in case of any emergency. Parminder Mehta, former councillor, and spokesperson for the Congress councillors, recalls how it took fire tender hours to reach a fire spot in Talaab Bazaar recently. "As the area is very congested, fire brigade took hours to start dousing the flames. And by the time, the fire was controlled, goods worth lakhs were gutted," said Mehta, adding that the fire brigade should depute mini-fire tenders near the markets during the festive season. MC Commissioner Rahul Tiwari said he had already kept a proposal to purchase two small fire tenders before Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria. "The fire tenders will be purchased for Rs 1 crore (roughly estimated cost). I have also deputed MC Additional Commissioner Dr Sumit Jarangal to find out if the Central Government grants funds for the purchase of a fire tender costing Rs 10 crore. The fire tender is one of the best tenders in the world and is manufactured by a company based in Finland," said Tiwari. He said he would also discuss the proposal of stationing small fire tenders near congested areas with his staff.
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MC Commissioner’s rap for cops
Ludhiana, October 26 The MC Commissioner told the officers that their duty was to assist the staff of the MC. The officers posted with the MC are not authorised to issue challans regarding any violation listed under the Punjab Municipal Act, but still the practice has been going on for the past few months. As per rules, only the MC officials can issue challans for any violation. The police force deputed with the MC is basically to assist the staff during anti-encroachment drives or providing safety to the staff. MC Commissioner Rahul Tiwari said the police officers deputed with the MC would not issue challans on their own. "They should understand that the officers under the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate are already performing their duty and they need to focus on assisting the MC staff," said the MC Commissioner.
What rules say?
As per rules, only the MC officials can issue challans for any violation. The police force deputed with the MC is to assist the staff during anti-encroachment drives. |
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Gifting freedom to jail inmates
Ludhiana, October 26 Seventy-five inmates of the Central Jail, 18 of the Boston Jail and seven of the Women's Jail will be set free. Jail officials said Chief Judicial Magistrate KK Singla disposed of the cases on the spot. A majority of prisoners were convicted in theft, loot and the other cases. Most of them have completed their term, but due to legal complications they are still behind the bars. A 85-year-old woman, who was convicted in a dowry case, was also released. In some cases, the accused confessed to have committed the crime and assured the officials of giving up such activities. During the adalat, a number of prisoners alleged that the police implicated them in false cases. Their cases were solved on the spot and orders were issued to release them. Surinderpal Khanna, Jail Superintendent at Central Jail, Ludhiana, said, "Some prisoners are facing several charges. We will have to check whether the adalat has disposed of all their cases. We will check the record of the prisoners. They will be released once the paper work is completed. Fifteen prisoners were released today."
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Facilities elude rly station
Ludhiana, October 26 Forty express trains and 20 passenger trains stop at the station on a daily basis. To tackle the festive rush, the Railways run three special trains every year. Thousands of passengers visit this major railway station of the region everyday. To accommodate them, there are only two waiting rooms, one for women and one general. Both the waiting rooms are ill-equipped and do not have adequate seating arrangements. Benches on the platform, too, fail to accommodate passengers waiting for their trains. They can be seen sitting on the floor or on the stairs of foot overbridges. Raheem, one such inconvenienced passenger, said: "I have been waiting for the train on the platform number 1 for an hour. All the benches have been occupied. I went to the waiting hall, but it was full. I am let with no option but to sit on the floor as the train is delayed." Nirmla Devi, another passenger, said, "It is surprising that small stations have enough seats for the waiting passengers, but a major station like Ludhiana is deprived of chairs and benches. The authorities must install benches on the platforms.” The station officials blame the lack of funds for the lack of infrastructure. Station superintendent Ravinder Sharma said: "Due to non availability of funds, we don't have proper infrastructure. Our waiting rooms are also in a poor condition. We have talked to the higher authorities for upgrading the infrastructure.” |
Dengue cases soar
Ludhiana, October 26 Out of these 28 patients are from Ludhiana, 10 are from peripheral areas. Patients are undergoing treatment at different city hospitals, such as Civil Hospital, and Government Medical College, Patiala. The patients are mainly from Salim Tabri, Field Gunj, Shiv Puri, Dana Mandi, BRS Nagar, Giaspura, Mayapuri, Jagraon, Jodhewal, Samrala, Dhandari, Sherpur, Jagiana, Saheed Karnail Singh Nagar, Sunder Nagar, Janta Nagar, Tibba Road, Mundian, Dhandari, Sherpur, Jogiana, Dugri, Model Town and Sunet area. While 19 are from Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Nawansehar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Ferozpur, Mansa, other five are from out of the state, which includes three from Jammu and Kashmir, and one from Bihar and Haryana each. By now different city hospitals have received as many as 958 dengue cases. Out of these 558 are from Ludhiana district alone, while 284 from other districts and 114 are from other states. District epidemiologist Dr Anil Verma said, “Out of 958, as many as 91 patients are from Jammu and Kashmir. Out of 91, 48 are from district Samba of J&K. While city hospitals have received 70 cases of dengue from Hoshiarpur, 56 cases have been reported from Fategarh Sahib, 30 from Sangrur and 27 from Jalandhar." Following the directions of Civil Surgeon, Dr Subhash Batta, and under the supervision of Dr Anil Verma, district epidemiologist, a team visited LIG, MIG flats Jamalpur, CMC Staff Colony, CMC Dental College Campus, Back Side Dental College and conducted group meetings. A total of 152 coolers and 81 containers were checked by the team and larva was found in five coolers. Sanitary inspector of the Municipal Corporation was informed to do the needed. Pamphlets were distributed on the occasion to raise awareness about the disease. Pyrethrum was also sprayed in and around the houses of dengue patients. Taking precautions and not letting water accumulate at a place is the only way out, said a health official. Dr Anil Verma said, “Nowadays coolers are not in use. So people should throw away the cooler mats to stop breeding of mosquitoes. It has been observed that many people do not remove the mats even when coolers are not in use."
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Rajpura police raids pharmacies
Ludhiana, October 26 The police team, led by Mohinder Singh, station house officer, Kheri
Gandyan, Rajpura, also raided Tikka Dalip Singh’s house to arrest him besides his brother Surjit Singh and son Nissan Singh. The trio, however, have been
absconding. Mohinder Singh said the Rajpura police had arrested a person, Ramesh Kumar, with 10,000 capsules of habit-forming drugs on October 18. Ramesh Kumar was bringing these drugs from Delhi. During the interrogation, he confessed that he worked as a supplier for Tikka Dalip Singh and his brother Surjit Singh. He also owned a shop on Pindi Street. Today, the police team from Rajpura raided Ramesh Kumar’s Neha Medical Agency, Tikka Dalip Singh’s Sehbzada Medical Store and Nissan Singh’s Nissan Medical
Agency. Mohinder Singh said, "We did not find any banned drugs at the shops. The accused have been absconding for many days. We have seized some records from the shops.” |
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Walkathon spreads awareness on cancer
Ludhiana, October 26 The event was organised under the aegis of Can Fight Cancer (CFC) in collaboration with Christian Medical College and Hospital. The organisers emphasized on the importance of early detection and a healthy lifestyle. After the founder members of CFC, Jagjit Sood and Meetu Nayyar, gave a brief introduction of the society, MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu and CMCH Director Dr Abraham G Thomas flagged off the walkathon. Mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria was also present. People from all walks of life expressed solidarity with the cause. The event also saw the participation of cancer survivors and their families besides kin of those who died of cancer. A quiz and interactive session was organised at Rose Garden, where the walk concluded. Anil Sood, a cancer survivor, emphasised on the need to conduct more such events. Veena Mittal, another survivor, said the support of family and community was very important for the cancer patients. Varun, who saw his mother battling the disease to emerge victorious, said: “To say that cancer is challenging is just an understatement. The challenges are manifold: physical, emotional, social and financial.” Fighting the disease is only a part of the battle, he said. He called for more resources, research, and increased public awareness to improve the quality of life of cancer survivors.
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Punjabi tadka transcends border
Ludhiana, October 26 Bowled over by the bustling food culture, they feel that the city is no different from Lahore as people here are friendly and amazing hosts. Their parents have displayed their works at Showman's Lifestyle Exhibition in Welcom Palace. Shamz Saleem (15) has a penchant for Indian food. "The food here is scrumptious. The first thing that I wanted to relish after crossing the border was Amritsari kulcha. Palak paneer, dal makhni and mushroom masala are all mouthwatering," said Shamz. "In Pakistan, all non-vegetarian dishes have the same taste. I love the food here," he said. The Indian hospitality has impressed his elder brother Tayyab. "People here are friendly. I am visiting India for the sixth time. I have been to Delhi, Amritsar, Shimla and Chandigarh," said Shamz. "Although all places are good, but in terms of hospitality, Ludhiana takes the cake," he said. Their father Saleem said he had been to India several times. People of both the countries love each other," he said. "My sons and daughter love coming to India," he said.
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What’s in a picture!
Ludhiana, October 26 When, today, the chairman of the district planning board, Hira Singh Gabria, was asked about this, he looked miffed. Gabria was addressing a press conference to announce that 1.5 lakh bicycles were distributed among girl students under Mai Bhago Scheme. When asked about Mai Bhago, Gabria and his team very passionately called her a brave woman. "Even children know about her," said one of them. However, when this correspondent asked the same persons that why the cycles distributed in her name carry pictures of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the team got defensive. "If the scheme has been launched by the CM, whose picture should be there, but his," said the chairman. When suggested that the bicycles could carry Mai Bhago’s picture and the smart cards could bear Bhagat Puran Singh’s picture, Gabria said: "These are just names of the schemes." "Aren't the pictures and names of people laying a foundation stone mentioned on the stones," said another board member. Annoyed by the question, another member just shook his head.
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BVM students bag 14 medals
Ludhiana, October 26 The six-day event was organised by the Punjab Education Department under the aegis of School Games Federation of India. An 18-member contingent of BVM School took part in the championship. As many as 14 students grabbed top positions. They clinched one gold, seven silver and six bronze medals in different age groups. In the open weight category of girls’ under-17 section, Meghna Gaur struck gold. Other medal winners among girls include Mannat and Vanshika Nepal (silver) in under-14; Sunita (silver) and Komal and Ritika Swami (bronze) in U-17; and Vrinda Sharma (silver) besides Aditi (bronze) in U-19. Among boys, the medal winners include Gaurav and Vaibhav Gaur (silver) besides Vasu (bronze) in under-14; Piyush Malhotra (bronze) in U-17; and Manraj Singh (silver) and Aashim (bronze) in U-19. The students were welcomed by the principal, Bandana Sethi, on reaching the school today.
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Students encouraged to go eco-friendly this Diwali
Ludhiana, October 26 The Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, Paramjit Singh Gill, was the guest of honour on the occasion. On Day 1 of the two-day long celebrations, a craft exhibition was organised by students. The artistically crafted and hand-painted wall hangings, masks and pots prepared by students as a part of their classroom Diwali activity, was highly appreciated by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Harsh Bansal and Nilaberi Jagdale, IPS, who also graced the occasion. A play with a social message, say no to crackers, was also staged by primary class students. Principal Dr Anu Verma said the exhibited handcrafted items had been made from natural bio-degradable material, so as inculcate the spirit of eco-friendly Diwali in the minds of students as well.
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Aided schools given a miss
Ludhiana, October 26 To be eligible for the scheme, however, these girls should be studying in government schools. Those attending aided schools, i.e. schools that get 95 per cent aid from the state government, have been left out. The move has not gone down well with the union of government-aided schools. The press secretary of the union, Devinder
Rehan, said the state government had provided over 1.5 lakh free bicycles to girls studying in Classes XI and XII of government schools in Punjab. “Girls studying in aided schools are also from financially weak families, but they had been neglected by the state government. Such kind of discrimination is uncalled for,” he said. The president of the union, Gurcharan Singh
Chahal, said: “Girls studying in the aided schools also need a pat on their back and all the benefits given to other students. The state government, however, seems to be in no mood to accommodate them.”
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Cultural events enthrall audience
Ludhiana, October 26 Prof Gurbhajan Singh Gill, director, planning and development, Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, was the chief guest for the evening session, while the director students welfare (DSW), Dr Balwinder Singh, presided over the event. “PAU has not only produced agricultural scientists, but also great artistes, sports persons and litterateurs,” said the chief guest. He said PAU has a long tradition of playing important role in preserving the rich cultural heritage of Punjab. Gill distributed prizes to the winners on the occasion. Results Solo song: I - Sakshi Kaushal (College of Home Science) II - Baljeet Kaur (College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology) III - Argo Bagichi (College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology) Group Song: I - College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology II - College of Agriculture III - College of Home Science Western Solo Song: I - Mankiran Kaur (College of Home Science) II - Jasrayman Singh (College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology) III - Harman Mehta (College of Home Science) Western Group Song: I - College of Home Science II - College of Agriculture III - College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology
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Fancy dress competition
HVM Convent Senior Secondary School organised a fancy dress and diya/candle decoration for the primary classes to mark the onset of the festive season ahead. Principal Radhika Jain said such activities boost the confidence level of each child and enhance their knowledge about our rich and varied culture. Students bring laurels
Students of Peace Public School have brought laurels to school by claiming various prizes at Ludhiana Sahodaya School Complex (West) Heritage Exposure Fest at Atam Devki Niketan School, Ludhiana. Around 12 teams from across the city participated in the cultural event. Om Panday of Class IV bagged the first prize in fancy dress competition. Vidhi and Arshdeep of Class XI got first position in traditional food preparation. The duo prepared Gujarati traditional food. Director of school Usha Jain and chairman SC Jain lauded the efforts of students and teachers. Poetry recitation
A poetry recitation competition was organised for the primary sector, Ludhiana Sahodya School Complex, on the premises of Drishti School, Narangwal, on Saturday. As many as 24 schools participated in the competition. Students from different CBSE schools were divided into group A, Hindi, (Classes II and III) and group B, English, (Classes IV and V). In Group A, the first position was secured by Shiven of BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, second spot was notched by Japnoor of DAV BRS Nagar, and third position was locked by Sarvpreet of BCM, Basant City. Consolation prize was awarded to Aditi of Greenland, Dugri. In group B, the first prize was given to Adrija of DPS, Ayali, second prize was bagged by Shubham of BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, and third prize was awarded to Harleen of Nankana Sahib Public School. Jaskaran of BCM, Basant City, got the consolation prize for the event. Students stage plays on social issues
Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines, hosted Ludhiana Sahodaya School Complex one-act play competition in the school auditorium on Saturday. RC Tejpal, principal, Arya College, was the chief guest on the occasion. As many as 15 schools participated in the competition. Dr Darshan Singh Aulakh, welfare officer, GADVASU, and Subhniti Saini, vice-principal (retd), Government College for Women, adjudged the competition. Participants propagated social messages and created awareness among the gathering on the issues such as national integration, drug addiction, and female foeticide. Plays titled 'Nashe ki maar', and 'Bazurgon ka samman' were highly appreciated. 500 attend interactive session on breast cancer
On the occasion of the National Breast Cancer Awareness month, an interactive session was organised at Government College for Girls on Saturday. Dr Navdeep Singh, medical oncologist, Global Heart and Super-Speciality Hospital, interacted with the gathering. As many as 500 students attended the interactive session held on the premises of the college. Students and
Three-day international conference concludes
A three-day mega event, International Conference on Research and Innovations in Mechanical Engineering (ICRIME-2013), concluded at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College on Saturday. The international conference was inaugurated by MC Munjal, CMD, Majestic Auto. More than 26 research papers were presented on Day 1 of the conference. The conference provided a platform to researchers, students, scientists and engineers from all across world. Dignitaries from various industries attended the conference. Day 2 of the conference started with invited talks by Prof Manna, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, and Dr Subhash Chander from NIT, Jalandhar. The research papers approved by the review committee of ICRIME'13 were presented in the presence of the dignitaries associated with the mechanical discipline. Condolence meeting at GNIMT
Teaching, non-teaching and support staff of Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology (GNIMT) organised a condolence meeting in honour of Prof Gurbir Singh Sarna, who breathed his last on Friday. Meanwhile, GNI Public School also held a condolence meeting to pay tributes to late Prof Sarna, who was also the general secretary of Guru Nanak Education Trust, Gujarkhan. As a mark of respect, two minutes silence was also observed by all on Saturday. — TNS
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Ludhiana Minister's assurance
The National Rural Health Mission Employees' Association, Punjab, met Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani at his residence. State chief of the association Dr Inderjeet Rana urged the minister to regularise AYUSH and NRHM employees. After going through the documents, the minister assured the association to regularise the employees. The association also apprised the minister about the cut in the salaries of employee during strike. Rana claimed that the minister instructed the authorities concerned to release the salaries of the employees. The associations also urged the minister to regularise the ANMs. Director Health Services Dr Ashok Nayyer was also present. Training in apiculture
The department of entomology, Punjab Agricultural University, has is organising a seven-day training course on apiculture under the National Horticulture Mission-funded project. A total of 48 participants from eight districts of the Punjab state are attending the course. Dr Balwinder Singh, head, department of entomology, said: “The PAU is pioneer in introducing Italian honeybees in the country. The varsity has made beekeeping a profitable venture for farmers. Dr Pardeep Kumar Chhuneja, principal investigator of the project and also the course director, said the participants would be imparted training in various aspects of beekeeping, including species of honeybees, their castes and division of labour. — TNS
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Dalit leader booked
Ludhiana, October 26 Ramanjit Lally and his supporters had been observing a hunger strike since October 9 to press for their demands. Dalit organisations led by Ramanjit Lally blocked the highway thrice in the past 20 days. The police arrested 28 protesters on Wednesday. Following which, the supporters blocked the national highway at Karabara Chowk for three hours and allegedly vandalised some vehicles. The protesters were on Thursday presented in a local court which sent them to a 14-day judicial custody. The Salem Tabri police has already registered a case against Ramanjit lally, Sanjay Khutana, Vidya Gautam and 12 others. On the complaint of drivers of the City Bus Service, the police registered the cases under Sections 307, 427, 138, 148, 149, 506 and 120b of the IPC. In his complaint, Mandeep Singh, a driver, stated that 10-12 unidentified persons who were raising slogans laid a siege to his bus and tried setting it afire. He alleged that the accused poured kerosene on the bus. Another driver said a group of 12 youths smashed the windowpanes of his bus. The protesters have been demanding 25 per cent reservation in government tenders.
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600 mobile phones seized
Ludhiana, October 26 Officials of the Excise and Taxation Department nabbed a person with 600 mobile phones near Sahnewal last night. SUV driver Navjit Singh works for one NK Garary and the mobiles were being brought without bills from Delhi. ETO Manmohan Singh said when the man was asked to stop the vehicle, he tried to flee."We nabbed him after a chase at 8.30 pm," said the ETO. AETC Jaskaran Singh Brar said a raid was conducted by the ETO and his team.Brar said most of the handsets were made in China. Manmohan Singh said the cost of the mobile phones was around Rs 12 lakh. The defaulters would have to deposit Rs 6 lakh as penalty and taxes to the department. Cigarettes were also smuggled into the state, he said.
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Teacher killed in accident
Samrala, October 26 Nirvair Singh, a resident of Upplan village, had come on a two-wheeler to drop his wife Harpreet Kaur (28). As soon as Harpreet got down of the two-wheeler, a Swift car coming from the Ludhiana side hit her. She died on the spot. The police reached the spot and impounded the car. The driver, however, managed to flee. Assistant sub-inspector Jaswinder Singh said a case had been registered against the unidentified driver. The body was handed over to the family after post-mortem. Harpreet is survived by her husband and a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Harpreet was teaching at Saint Paul School at Ghulal village for the past two years. She married Narvir about six years ago, who works as a manager in a private company.
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Three miscreants held
Ludhiana: The city police has arrested three miscreants allegedly involved in cases of snatching, theft and forgery. The accused have been identified as Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Lohara, Ashok Kumar of Daba and Rajinder Kumar of Nirankari Mohalla. The Jodhewal police said the trio used to dupe people by giving wads of paper instead of money. The cops recovered one motorcycle and six mobile phones stolen by them. Thieves strike at house
Thieves struck at a house in New Punjab Mata Nagar Area and decamped with gold and other valuables. The complainant, Gurcharan Singh, reported that he along with his family left the house to attend a function on Friday morning. When he came back around 4.30 pm, he found the door locks were broken. A gold locket, two rings and two pairs of earrings were missing. — TNS 70-yr-old man ends life Ludhiana: A 70-year-old man committed suicide by hanging himself in the Ladhowal area on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Harnam Singh. The police has registered a case against his tenant, Nirmal Kaur, for allegedly harassing him. — OC
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Even when Rakesh Kumar Verma was the MC Commissioner, he had issued orders restricting the MC police from issuing any challans. A policeman attached with the MC said, "We have been asked to return the challan books." 
faculty interacted with the doctor on some of the myths and facts associated with cancer and dispelled their doubts.The doctor advised to get a routine mammography done after the age of 40 to avoid falling prey to the dreaded disease. Dr Navdeep informed that breast cancer is now completely curable. “One needs to be extra careful and cautious. Routine check-up is a must,” said the medical oncologist.