Ludhiana, October 29
Miffed after losing a gambling round, a group of miscreants opened fire and looted Rs 3 lakh from a gambling joint in Chhawni Mohalla last night. Sources said around 30 rounds were fired.

A gambling joint was operating from the house of Manga Bhagat in Chhawni Mohalla.

A man, identified as Sukha, had a heated argument after he lost a huge betting amount.

In the meantime, around 15 accomplices of Sukha reached the gambling joint and opened fire.

The firing created panic and the gamblers ran helter-skelter for cover. Sukha and his accomplices fled with a booty of around Rs 3 lakh.

Salem Tabri SHO Balwinder Singh reached the spot and recovered empty cartridges. The SHO said, "No one was injured in last night's incident. We have arrested Manga, who was running the gambling joint."

The firing incident has exposed the tall claims made by the police regarding tightening the noose around gamblers ahead of Diwali.

Questions are being raised over the intelligence network of the police as the gambling joint was operating in Chawni Mohalla, which turns into a gambling destination during the festive season.

Area residents alleged that the gambling joint was being run under the police patronage.

Balwinder Singh, SHO, Salem Tabri, termed the allegations baseless. He assured that the accused would be arrested soon.

Ludhiana/Sidhwan Khurd, October 29
Blaming the Bihar Government and the Central Government for the blasts in Bihar, Bathinda MP and Deputy Chief Minister's wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal said today it was the responsibility of the state government to protect the lives of the people. She said the Centre was adopting a soft approach on terrorism. She said the lives of the people were more important than politics.

On female foeticide, she said though some improvement had been noticed in the male-female ratio in the state according to the 2011 census, with Punjab getting rid of the "worst sex ratio" state tag, it was still the second worst. There was a long way to go and much work was required to make it one of the best states in terms of the sex ratio, she said. She also exhorted people to save the girl child and trees.

She said though society as a whole was responsible for female foeticide, doctors could play an important role by not indulging in this evil practice and also advising people against it.

Earlier, speaking at a function held to mark the foundation day of Sidhwan Group of Educational Institutions at the Khalsa College for Women, Sidhwan Khurd, near Jagraon, Harsimrat Kaur said the storm created by BJP's prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would blow away the UPA government in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Condemning the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for failing to provide good governance, Harsimrat Kaur said the common man was fed up with it as it had failed on all fronts. She blamed the UPA government for rampant corruption, constant price rise and the deteriorating law and order situation. Having a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Harsimrat Kaur said Rahul's efforts to save the sinking ship of the UPA alliance would not succeed as people were tired of the "anti-people" policies of the UPA government. She urged people to come forward and save the girl child and trees. "The efforts made by the Nanhi Chhaan Foundation to save the girl child and trees are showing good results. However, we still need to do a lot in this direction. It is the responsibility of every citizen to stop social degradation," she said.

Ludhiana, October 29
Frequent changes being made in the revised policy for the regularisation of unauthorised colonies by the state government have put a damper on compounding of illegal colonies if the "thinning crowd" at the offices of the regulatory bodies (the municipal corporation within the city limits and the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority outside the municipal limits) is any indication.

Officials dealing with the compounding of unlicensed colonies as well as plots and properties in such colonies at GLADA maintain that the stakeholders, especially individual plot and property owners, were apparently keen on regularisation and several special counters had to be set up to cope with the rush of applicants last week as earlier October 25 was the last date for the submission of applications as per the revised policy notified by the Punjab Government.

"However, the extension of the last date to November 5 and slashing of the composition fee for the covered area in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings in unauthorised colonies had altered the entire scenario," said a GLADA official.

The dealing staff in the regulatory bodies admit that the extension of the last date and the downward revision in the composition fee have had an adverse impact on the process of regularisation of colonies and properties.

"There is a general impression among developers and plot/property owners that the government will keep on extending the date and granting more concession. A section of the stakeholders believes that the government may even regularise all existing unlicensed colonies in one go without any composition fee to gain political benefit in the coming Lok Sabha elections," said an official.

Information made available from GLADA indicated that till date applications for regularisation were received from some 700 unlicensed colonies of the total of over 1,750 colonies while around 29,000 individual plot and property owners had filed their applications for "composition". The total revenue collection from the applicants had crossed Rs 90 crore till date.

GLADA officials confirmed that the composition fee for covered area in unlicensed colonies (located outside the city limits) had been cut down from Rs 12.50 to Rs 2.50 per sq ft for residential buildings, from Rs 25 to Rs 5 for industrial buildings and from Rs 25 to Rs 12.50 for institutional buildings. No relief, however, had been provided to commercial buildings for whom the composition fee of Rs 25 per sq ft remains unchanged.

Ludhiana, October 29
Amid the commotion during a function attended by Bathinda MP and Deputy Chief Minister's wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Rock Garden creator Nek Chand was briefly left alone on the stage after the function was over at Shri Geeta Mandir.

He had been called to sit on the stage where he was honoured by Harsimrat Kaur for his contribution to art and environment. However, after the function was over, everyone hurriedly left the pandal, while Nek Chand was left alone on the stage.

This brief isolation echoed Nek Chand's feelings, who earlier told Ludhiana Tribune that there were hardly any volunteers for the Nek Chand Foundation in other places.

But love for his art keeps Nek Chand going strong even at the age of 78. He still goes to the Rock Garden everyday and meets visitors there. He also oversees the ongoing work there.

He said he had started his work as a hobby, which culminated in the formation of the Rock Garden. He wanted to prove that waste could be managed better and turned into an art. He said it was up to governments and individuals to take a cue from it.

Some statues received from the Nek Chand Foundation have been kept at Shri Geeta Mandir.

Ludhiana, October 29
While the introduction of the Time of Day (ToD) tariff for large-supply industrial consumers from October to March has proved a boon for large-scale consumers, small and medium consumers rue that they have been kept out of the purview of the ToD tariff, adversely affecting them.

The PSPCL has introduced the ToD tariff for large-supply industrial consumers from October to March every year (starting from this year) under which a rebate of Re 1 per unit on the normal tariff is allowed on consumption recorded during off peak load hours from 10 pm to 6 am.

“While the scheme is proving beneficial for the large consumers, the small and medium consumers have been kept out of it. They are more in need of such schemes. But the PSPCL has ignored them while introducing the ToD tariff,” said Badish Jindal, president of the Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association.

Pawan Khanna, a small scale unit owner, termed it "sheer partial attitude" of the PSPCL. “Big industrial units, which are well off, are being given benefits, while small units, which need extra care and subsidies, are ignored," he said.

An owner of a medium enterprise, Gurmeet Singh, said, “I had applied to the PSPCL to increase the load on the meter so that I can avail of the benefit of the scheme. However, my application is yet to be processed," he said.

Bhushan Sharma, a large-scale consumer, appreciated the step taken by the PSPCL. “I have started a night shift at my unit to derive maximum benefit from the ToD tariff,” he said.

Ludhiana, October 29
In a bid to inculcate moral values among children to have love and respect for their parents, Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal has directed the district education officers (both primary and secondary) to make arrangements for showing the Hindi blockbuster "Baghban" to students in government schools during the Children's Day celebrations.

A letter in this regard has been issued by the DC to the DEOs and a meeting has been called tomorrow to discuss the issue in detail. "From November 12 to 15, I want students to watch Baghban in their respective schools on computers. In the meeting scheduled for tomorrow, I will see how many government schools do not have computers and speakers so that we can arrange these for the students," said Aggarwal, adding that schools had been asked to prepare a common oath for students to shun three Ds -- drugs, dowry and dirt.

Appreciating the move, DEO (Secondary) Paramjit Kaur Chahal said in all 527 middle and secondary schools, computers were available and children could watch the movie (class-wise).

Meanwhile, an inmate of Old Age Home, Sarabha Nagar, Balbir Kumar Prashar, who has been at the Home since 2005, said it was good if the authorities were trying to inculcate moral values among children.

Ludhiana, October 29
The state government may be "committed" to implement the Right to Education Act but in the absence of clear guidelines and awareness, all the efforts go futile.

As required by the Education department, lists of government, private and aided schools have been sent to the department. The lists give the details about the schools, students, staff and infrastructure. As per the Act, every child of 6 years of age or above has the Right to Education and the respective state governments have to ensure education to every child.

Ludhiana, October 29
A three-week national-level advance training course on "Management Technologies for Improving Soil Quality and Crop Productivity" concluded at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today.

The course was organised by the PAU Department of Soil Science under the auspices of the Centre of Advanced Faculty Training (CAFT), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). As many as 22 participants from different ICAR institutes and state agricultural universities of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Punjab participated in the course.

Chief guest Dr Gursharan Singh, Dean, Postgraduate Studies, expressed his concern over the depleting natural resources in the contemporary agriculture scenario. He said conservation of natural resources is vital. He emphasised on the protection of environment and conservation of natural resources i.e. soil and water for farm sustainability. Dr Singh stressed that the students should be addicted to agricultural research, and make significant contribution to the nations' kitty.”—TNS

Khanna, October 29
Second day of the 55th PU Inter-Zonal Youth and Heritage Festival concluded at AS College, Khanna. Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mantar Singh Brar was the chief guest. Ranjit Singh Talwandi, area In charge, Khanna, and Rajwinder Singh, SP (D), was the guests of honour.

Dr RS Jhanji, principal of the college, welcomed the guests, conveners of different zones, contingent in charges, and other distinguished guests present on the occasion. Ranjit Singh Talwandi appreciated the efforts of the college in organising the youth festival on a marathon scale while the guest of honour, Rajwinder Singh SP (D), motivated the students to participate in youth festivals for their cultural growth. Charanjeet Singh Rakhra was also present on the occasion.

Bhangra, group dance, classical dance, traditional songs, vaar singing, kali singing, kavishri, quiz, rangoli and mehndi competitions were held on the second day of the inter-zonal youth festival. DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, won the first prize in bhangra.

For the evening session, MLA Gurkirat Singh Kotli was the chief guest and Gurminder Singh Lali was guest of honour. Gurkirat Singh Kotli in his speech advocated the importance of youth festivals to promote cultural importance in the society.

Advocate Ashok Sharma, president, managing committee, Advocate BK Batra, general secretary, Surjeet Singh, chairman, PUNSUP, Vipin Devgan, Anil Shukla, Amardeep Singh Purewal, Vijay Sharma, Ranjeet Singh Heera, Gurbhajan Singh Gill, director, Guru Kashi Institute, Talwandi Sabo, Principal BC Josan, Principal Dr TL Joshi, Principal Dr Sunil Khosla, Principal Surjit Singh, Principal Dr Janmeet Singh, Principal Dr Rajinder Kaur, Dr Gurmukh Singh Chahal were present on the occasion. 

Ludhiana, October 29
A three-day Swami Vivekananda PTU Inter-Zonal Youth Festival began at the Gujranwala Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology (GGNIMT), Civil Lines, today.

Teams from 21 colleges participated in various musical, dance and fine arts events.

PTU Vice-Chancellor Dr Rajneesh Arora inaugurated the event. State BJP president Kamal Sharma was the guest of honour.

Students participated in group singing, classical dance, group dance, classical vocal, mehndi, rangoli and other events.

Dr Suresh Tondon, Vice-Chairman, Punjab School Education Board, was the chief guest for the prize distribution ceremony.

He congratulated the winners and said these festival acts as confidenece boosters for the students.—TNS

Ludhiana, October 29
The first annual two days review meet of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, on brucellosis was organised at the School of Public Health and Zoonosis, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana.

Sixteen Principal Investigators (PI) along with Co-PI's from seven different states were participating in this meet. Dr SR Rao, Advisor, Department of Biotechnology, was chief guest. Dr VK Taneja Vice-Chancellor, GADVASU, presided over the function. Dr NK Ganguly, former Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Dr HV Batra and Dr L Gunaseelam contributed as experts.

Dr Taneja said, “Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria from the genus brucella. It is an infection that affects mainly animals, including goats, sheep, camels, pigs, elk, deer, cattle, and dogs. Humans develop brucellosis when they come in contact with contaminated animals or animal products.”

Dr JPS Gill, organising secretary and principal investigator of the GADVASU unit of the All-India Network Project on Brucellosis, said: “Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to human beings through direct contact and consumption of raw milk and milk products. It is still an uncontrollable public health problem in many developing countries, including India. ” 

Ludhiana, October 29
A delegation of senior citizens led by Sham Singh Karike, met the Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal here today to express their gratitude for the efforts being made by him towards the senior citizens in the district.

Harike said till date, he had seen 14 Deputy Commissioners in the district. "But what he has been doing for the senior citizens, nobody else has done in previous years. His concern and efforts have provided us a hope that there is someone who will listen to the grievances," said Harike.

He said Aggarwal gave them a patient hearing and said that they were always welcome and could approach him anytime in case there was any problem.

Another senior citizen Kirpal Singh, chairman, Government Industrial School, said that at least efforts were being made to safeguard the interests of old people in the district, especially when young ones were abandoning their parents.

"We can share the issues with the authorities and hope that solutions will be provided to us. The DC was kind enough to assure that senior citizens could come to him directly," said Kirpal Singh. 

Ludhiana, October 29
Twenty-one patients from Ludhiana tested positive for dengue today. They belong to Giaspura, Sherpur, Daba, BRS Nagar, Dhandari, Dugri and Jodhewal..

With these, the total number of cases diagnosed in Ludhiana hospitals is 620, while 296 cases have been reported at city hospitals from other districts and 117 from other states.

A team of the Health Department visited Dhandari Subash Nagar, Punjabi Bagh, Tibba Road, Ranjit Nagar, Gurmail Park, Gulabi Bagh and held 12 group meetings today. A total of 100 desert coolers and 245 containers were checked by the team. Larvae were found in five coolers/containers. 

Ludhiana October, 29
The police has failed to make any headway in the ATM theft case. Yesterday thieves had stuck at an ATM of the Oriental bank of commerce at Cheema Chowk and decamped with Rs 7.5 lakh.

The police has not ruled out the handiwork of an insider and are scanning the video footage of CCTV camera installed in the ATM. Even the bank authorities have not ruled out involvement of an insider as the ATM was not damaged. Thieves reportedly opened its locks and decamped with cash.—TNS

Ludhiana, October 29
A team of Health Department under the guidance of Dr Subhash Batta Civil Surgeon, Ludhiana, collected samples of sweets from different places.

District Health Officer Dr Abnash Kumar said, "We have collected samples of kalakand and rasgullas from three different shops. Gulab jamun samples were collected from sweet shops at Hargobind Nagar and Ferozepur Road, desi ghee and cream sample from Haibowal, sample of barfi from a shop at Chaura Bazaar and Isher Nagar."

Ludhiana, October 29
Diwali, the festival of lights, bring happiness and gaiety in everybody's life and it is due to this festival that potters, who otherwise sit idle, are busy preparing earthen lamps and "hatti" for the forthcoming festival. It is due to Diwali that they are able to earn a few bucks from their old-age profession.

Potters are burning midnight oil to make Diwali sparkling and lightning. Though the waxed diyas and modern "hatti" have also arrived in the market, they have failed to affect the demand of the traditional artefacts to a large extend.

"The festival of lights is our sole source of bread earning and we are busy throughout the year preparing for the festival. Speed picks up as the festival is drawing nearer. Every month, we send at least two to three trucks full of our products and we start two months prior to Diwali. We are full with orders from the neighbouring cities and we're struggling to cope with the high level of demand," said Raj Kumar, a potter from Ghumar Mandi.

As the time changes, innovations have also crept in the art of making clay diyas and hatdis. “Earlier, we used to make simple diyas. But now, we have started painting and decorating them with different colours and embellishments. While our father prepares diyas, we give final look to them," said Chaman Lal, another potter from the Civil Lines. Meanwhile, Aarti from Ghumar Mandi has been experimenting with the look of the hatdi throughout the year. "It is the era of competition and customers want something new. They do not want to take home the same piece they used last year. After experimenting and trying, I have tried to give new look to the "hatdis" made by me. I have embellished them with mirrors and gota and also with used golden and copper-coloured in between," said Aarti, while she was busy giving a final touch to the hatti.

Other than traditional lamps, the potters this year have also wheeled out a large number of designer pieces, confident that India's more comfortably well-off will choose them over the cheaper LED and Chinese lights that have flooded the market.

Another potter, Bhola Shankar said, "Our business doesn't get affected by the competition with the Chinese products. We can make colourful earthen lamps that will beat them. We are not concerned about them. Our business is not going to stop.”

Ludhiana, October 29
Fiscal health of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation seems to be in doldrums which is visible from the fact that for the clearance of Rs 17.5 crore loan by the Canara Bank, the civic body today mortgaged its Hot Mix Plant on Hambran Road and a vacant chunk of land behind Sub-Registrar Office on Hambran Road, here.

The building branch officials confirmed that today, the MC staff registered both the land the properties on the name of the Canara Bank mortgaging its properties worth Rs 100 crore.

Earlier, the cash-starved Ludhiana Municipal Corporation had committed a blunder while seeking the last installment (of Rs 17.5 crore) out of Rs 100 crore loan, when instead of mortgaging property worth Rs 17.5 crore, the 'alert' MC staff prepared the documents of land worth Rs 50 crore. Ironically, it also included properties that have either been already mortgaged or were not to be mortgaged.

A building branch official said the property, where Hot Mix Plant is located, is around 3,000 sq yards, while the other property behind the Sub-Registrar office is around 6,000 sq yards in size.

Apart from the Rs 100 crore loan, the MC is in process of getting another loan of Rs 50 crore from the Canara Bank. For this purpose, the MC would be once again mortgaging its properties.

The fiscal condition of the civic body is such that the staff is getting salaries very late. “Earlier, the staff used to get salaries on around fifth of every month but now, for the past couple of months, we get salaries very late. Last month, our salary was issued on 20th. Now, as the Diwali is approaching, we don't think that the MC would be able to issue our salaries before that," informed a senior MC officer.

After facing financial crunch for several months, the Rs 100 crore loan of the civic body was passed by the Canara Bank in second week of May. They had secured the loan at 10.25 per cent per annum and for a period of three years.

Ludhiana, October 29
Railway officials often complain that the passengers put their lives at risk by crossing railway lines. But the railways itself seems careless enough to put the lives of passengers at high risk by leaving the electric wire joints uncovered.

Being the busiest railway station of the state, the platforms of the Ludhiana Railway station always remain crowded with passengers.

There is always a high risk of coming in contact with the naked wires. Perhaps, the railway authorities are waiting passengers to be electrocuted that is why no official of the railways seems to be concerned.

During a visit at the railway station, several naked electricity joints were spotted. A number of electricity boxes were uncovered.

However, the visitors roam unaware about the risk. But when they notice the wires lying uncovered, they complaint to the nearby railway staff.

“One can be electrocuted. The railway authorities should cover the electric joints properly," said Tara Chand, a visitor at the railway station.

"It is a common problem existing in the city and at the railway station. The residential areas of the city have also been facing the same problem. The uncovered electric joints can be seen at the railway colonies also," said a railway employee at the railway station.

Ravinder Sharma, Station Superintendent, Ludhiana, was not available for comments.

Ludhiana, October 29
Businessmen having small enterprises may heave a sigh of relief as the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the last date for uploading audit reports of income tax returns by a month to October 31.

The due date, which was earlier September 30, was extended in the wake of difficulty in uploading the report of audit electronically as prescribed under the sub-rule (2) of Rule 12 of the IT rules for the assessment year 2013-14.

“It has come to the notice of the CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) that many assesses, who are required to file their income tax returns by 30 September 2013, are finding it difficult to upload the report of audit electronically.” Therefore, the CBDT has decided to extend the time for furnishing the report of audit electronically till 31 October 2013," read the circular issued by the CBDT.

Ludhiana, October 29
She was raped when she was merely 10. The shocking incident probably drove her into the world of crime. At 17, she was running a gang along with her mother and paramour.

This tragic tale of an innocent girl, turning into a thief, came to limelight when the police bust a gang of thieves and nabbed four persons, including the girl's mother and paramour.

The Sarabha Nagar police today recovered 20 tolas of gold, two motorcycles, Rs 58,000, two laptops, two I pads, two guitars, artificial jewellery and other costly valuables from the possession of the accused.

The police has also traced the owners and returned the valuables following the courts orders. The accused have been identified as Karamjeet Kaur, her 17-year-old daughter, Sher Singh, alias Sheru, a resident of Sham Nagar and Amit Kumar, a resident o Sham Nagar. Paramjit Singh, Commissioner of Police, said the girl used to carry out recce of the house, located at posh localities during the day. During the night, she along with her accomplices struck the houses and decamped with cash, gold ornaments and other valuables. The accused have admitted to have committed 10 thefts in the houses located at Sarabha Nagar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Aman Park and Raj Guru Nagar.

The gang was busted after the police arrested Sheru and Amit Kumar and recovered a stolen motorcycle who later confessed that they worked for Karamjeet Kaur's daughter.

Ludhiana, October 29
The local police has registered a case of fraud against three persons for duping a city resident of Rs 71 lakh.

The accused have been identified as Nitin Singh and his father Partap Narayan and a woman.

The victim, Ashish, a resident of Model Town, reported that a woman approached him a few months ago and introduced herself as Sanjana Singhania, managing director of Singhiana groups in Madya Pradesh. She coaxed him to invest money in a construction business. Ashish added that he kept on investing money. In the meanwhile, after receiving money, she snapped contact with Ashish.

Ashish narrated the duping tale to the police. The police conducted a probe and registered a case against three persons, including Nitin Singh, his father Partap Singh and the imposter woman for duping the city resident.

Khanna October 29
On the second day of 59th Inter-District School Volleyball games, hard-fought matches were witnessed at Principal Naresh Chander Stadium of AS Senior Secondary School, Khanna.

In today’s matches, Sports School, Jalandhar, defeated Gurdaspur by 2-0, Patiala beat Jalandhar by 2-0, Mastuana Wing beat Amritsar by 2-0, Ropar beat Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar by 2-0.

In other matches, Tarn Tarn beat Ludhiana by 2-0, Faridkot beat Barnala by 2-0, Sangrur beat Pathankot by 2-0 and Muketsar beat Ludhiana by 2-0 margin.

In yesterday’s matches, Gurdaspur beat Kapurthala by 2-0, Patiala beat Hoshiarpur beat 2-1, Faridkot beat Ajitgarh by 2-0, Amritsat beat Moga by 2-0, Barnala beat Fazilka while Khanna defeated Fatehgarh Sahib by 2-0 margin.

Earlier, the tournament was inaugurated by Youth Akali Dal leader, Yadwinder Singh Yadu, along with Deputy DEO, Charanjit Singh.

School principal, Sham Sunder, and some other concerned officials were present on the occasion.

Ludhiana, October 29
Hopes of rural players were dashed to ground as the Punjab Sports Department failed to organise block and district (inter-block) competitions of rural games under the Centrally sponsored Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) scheme. According to the senior officials of the Sports Department, they did not receive funds to conduct the games.

Earlier, the District sports officials announced that the block-level competition would be held on October 28. But the department failed to organise the games.

Now, the sports department would conduct the Punjab State Rural Games (U-16) boys from November 9 to 11 in Ludhiana and Punjab State Rural Games (U-16) girls from October 14 to 16 in Jalandhar. The sports department will select the players by conducting the district level trials in all the districts.

Players from all the major 12 games, including athletics, basketball, Boxing, football, hockey, handball, judo, kabaddi, kho-kho, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling.

Kartar Singh, District Sports Officer, said, "We will conduct selection trials for boys and girls on November 1. We have constituted the selection committees to conduct the trials. The players can participate by registering themselves at the Guru Nanak Stadium."

SL Lotey, Additional Director Sports, Punjab, said, “The PYKKA is a Centrally sponsored scheme. We are not able to conduct the games without receiving funds from the Centre. We have sent utilisation certificates of grants received in last year. But the government did not release further grants to conduct the games on block and district level. If the government releases the funds, we will conduct the games.”