Ludhiana, November 25
A day after the police arrested Manoj Kumar for allegedly kidnapping and killing a four-year-old girl, the police today arrested the victim's mother, Sunita, for allegedly conniving with the accused.

ADCP-I Nilambari Jagdale said, "We have cracked the case and arrested both the accused. Unfortunately, we could not save the girl. We have arrested the victim's mother for conniving with the accused in kidnapping and killing her."

During investigation, it came to light that Sunita was having illicit relations with Manoj Kumar, who used to live as a tenant at Gurpreet's house in Amarpura.

Sunita was having strained relations with her husband Gurpreet Singh. Sunita was demanding Rs 5 lakh from Gurpreet Singh in lieu of separation.

However, Gurpreet had categorically told Sunita that he would not give her a single penny.

In order to "teach him a lesson", Sunita hatched a kidnapping conspiracy with Manoj. She had planned to elope with Manoj.

The ADCP-I claimed that the sole motive behind the kidnapping was to kill Manpreet Kaur.

"Manoj killed the child within hours after kidnapping her and Sunita helped him by not divulging the kidnapper's name to the police. We lost precious time. Had Sunita told us that Manoj had kidnapped the child, we could have saved Manpreet," said Jagdale.

After kidnapping the girl, he caught a bus for Dehlon. He alighted from the bus along with the girl outside Alamgir village.

Manoj then took the girl to Sarinh village where he forcibly drowned the girl in a drain and left her body on the banks. Manoj was presented before the court, which remanded him in police custody.

A board of doctors conducted a postmortem following which the victim was cremated.

Sunita and Gurpreet got married nearly five years ago. It was Sunita's second marriage and Gurpreet's fourth marriage. Sunita has two children from her previous marriage. Manpreet was born out of their wedlock.

Ludhiana, November 25
The gruesome killing of the four-year-old girl can make the toughest of hearts melt. It shows that humanity has touched it lowest ebb, where a mother conspires to kill her daughter so that she could elope with her paramour.

Manoj reportedly told the police that it was Sunita, who pressed him to eliminate her daughter Manpreet Kaur.

During the investigation, Manoj allegedly confessed that first he had thrown the girl in the three-foot-deep drain. But the girl somehow managed to swim to safety. Then, Manoj forcibly drowned her. In order to ensure that the girl was dead, he fished her out of the water and checked her heart beat. When Manoj was sure that Manpreet was dead, he wrapped her in a piece of cloth and put some wild grass on her body.

While Sunita was claiming that a migrant had kidnapped her daughter, a washer man, who ironed cloths in a street, provided vital clues to the police that the suspect visited her house in the absence of Gurpreet Singh and seemed to be known to Sunita.

Anil Bhanoot, SHO of the Division No. 6 police station, was looked for Manoj on the streets of Shimlapuri. He showed Manoj's pictures to the area residents, hoping that someone would identify the accused.

Sources said Manoj, after killing the girl, returned to Shimlapuri and stood near the SHO's private vehicle. An area resident said the suspect was standing near his car. Soon, the police raided the place and arrested the accused. 

Ludhiana, November 25
The right side of the Sidhwan Canal bridge on Ferozepur Road will be opened to vehicular traffic on December 3. For the past few months, this side of the bridge was closed to traffic as the contractor was constructing an underpass for the Sidhwan Canal expressway project.

Earlier, the left side of the bridge was demolished and a new wider bridge constructed there. Its width was increased from the earlier 7 metres to 12 metres.

After the new bridge was thrown open to the public in June, the outgoing as well as incoming traffic on Ferozepur Road was diverted to the new bridge and the bridge on the right side was closed as the underpass for the Sidhwan canal expressway project was to be constructed.

Now, the slabs for the underpass have been constructed and the bridge will be thrown open to vehicular traffic on December 3.

Ferozepur Road is one of the busiest roads in the city as thousands of vehicles pass through it daily. Commuters will be benefited when both bridges on the Sidhwan canal are opened.

Speaking to Ludhiana Tribune, Pardeep Kumar, AGM, Supreme Infrastructure India Ltd, the contractor of the project, said the right side of the bridge would be thrown open to vehicular traffic on December 3.

This bridge is part of the Rs 328.16-crore Sidhwan canal expressway project which is 26.9 km long with a carriageway on each side. The foundation stone of this project was laid in 2009. Initially, the state government had fixed February 2012 as the deadline for the project. However, despite several deadlines having ended, the project remains incomplete. 

Ludhiana, November 25
Oil companies have asked gas agencies to stop providing domestic gas cylinders to consumers on subsidised rates from December 1. According to the latest instructions, the agencies will charge about Rs 1,000 per gas cylinder from the consumers from December 1 and the amount of subsidy will be transferred to their bank accounts after about a week of the delivery of the gas cylinder.

While the agencies have got written orders from the oil companies that subsidised gas cylinders will not be provided to domestic users after five days, confusion prevails among consumers, especially those who are yet to get their Aadhaar cards, over how to claim the subsidy from the government.

While the Supreme Court has said the Aadhaar card is not mandatory to claim the subsidy, the oil companies have directed the agencies to stop providing cylinders on the subsidised price of Rs 430 to the consumers. One of the dealers of Bharat Gas at Civil Lines said on condition of anonymity that they had got clear instructions that cylinders would be provided to the consumers for Rs 1,010 from December 1 and the subsidy would be deposited by the government in their bank accounts on the basis of the Aadhaar card.

A homemaker, Veena Kumari, from Sector 32 here said she had not got her Aadhaar card made and was yet to get three more cylinders on subsidised rates, but the agency had told her that the next cylinder would be provided at the market price. “Now, I do not know what to do. I am trying to get my Aadhaar card made at the earliest to claim the subsidy,” she said.

Ludhiana, November 25
Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, the Queen of Bhutan, is in the city to attend the wedding of her school-time friend at Kothari Resort. According to sources, "The Queen of Bhutan reached here on November 23 at Hotel Radisson. She attended a few functions at Hotel Maharaja Regency related to the wedding of her school-time friend with whom she studied at the Lawrence School, Sanawar."

The Queen is being accompanied by about 10 officials of the Bhutan Embassy. After attending the wedding tonight, she will leave for her next destination tomorrow morning.

The District Health Officer, Ludhiana, Dr Abnash Kumar, confirmed her visit. He said, "She has been in the city since November 23 and will leave tomorrow. Our Food Safety Officer Harpreet Kaur and Manoj Khosla collected samples of eatables served to her in the hotel during her stay."

Food Safety Officer Harpreet Kaur said, "Today, I collected about 20 samples of different eatables, including eggs, tea, water, sandwich, sauces, soups, Indian vegetables, dal and ice cream."

After pursuing her secondary education at Lungtenzampa Secondary School in Thimphu from 2001 to 2005 , Queen Pema moved to the Lawrence School, Sanawar, in Himachal Pradesh in April 2006

as a Class XI student. She completed her higher secondary education there on March 31, 2008.

Interestingly, fluent in the national language of Bhutan, she can also speak English and Hindi fluently. Her hobbies include fine arts, basketball, painting and playing basketball. 

Ludhiana, November 25
Officials of the district administration, along with members of the Labour Commission and the police, today conducted raids in various parts of the city and rescued seven child labourers. The raids began from the Mini-Secretariat complex and the court complex.

Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said the team, under the supervision of ADC G Neeru Katyal, conducted the raids. “No children were found working at the dhabas and tea stalls in the Mini-Secretariat and the court complex. The raids will continue in future,” said the Deputy Commissioner.

The raids continued till late in the evening and several areas, including Ferozpur Road, Ghumar Mandi and Civil Lines, were covered. In all, 213 establishments were raided today and seven child labourers rescued. Besides, 11 factories were also raided, but no child was found working in these. 

Ludhiana, November 25
An amount of Rs 75,000 was snatched from a woman while she was returning home after withdrawing cash from a bank in the Salem Tabri area here today. The victim has been identified as Raj Rani of Geeta Nagar in Salem Tabri. She visited a bank near the Jalandhar bypass and withdrew Rs 75,000.

After withdrawing the cash, she was returning home. According to the victim, as soon as she reached the Jalandhar bypass, two motorcycle-borne youths came from the rear side and snatched her bag containing the cash. Before she could react, they fled from the spot.

The police suspects that the snatchers were aware that the woman was carrying cash.

The police visited the bank to procure the footage of CCTV cameras. 

Ludhiana, November 25
Ludhiana City Bus Service Ltd (LCBSL) General Manager (GM) has been shown the door by CEO Isha Kalia after she found that the GM was not performing his duties properly due to which several low-floor buses, which had broken down, could not hit the road as these were not repaired on time.

Kamaljit Singh, an ex-serviceman, was appointed the GM of the LCBSL in May and his services were terminated on November 20.

Sources in the LCBSL said the GM was looking after the "running and maintenance" of a fleet of 50 low-floor buses. “Due to poor management on his part, 23 buses broke down and were not in a running condition as these were not repaired on time. Eight such buses remained off the road for four months, due to which the LCBSL suffered a loss of lakhs of rupees," said a source.

Isha Kalia, CEO, LCBSL, confirmed that Kamaljit Singh was shown the door as his performance was not up to the mark. “We are very clear that the LCBSL is a company and will be operated like a company. Those who perform will stay while non-performers will be shown the door,” said Isha Kalia.

Meanwhile, the two-year contract of drivers and conductors hired directly by the LCBSL has expired on November 15. Now, the LCBSL plans to hire them through a contractor, but they are against it. They have joined hands with the drivers and conductors outsourced through two private contractors and today held a protest against the LCBSL authorities.

“We want the LCBSL to hire us directly because we have contributed a lot to the city bus service project. If the authorities fail to do this, we will go on an indefinite strike as the outsourced staff are also supporting us,” said a driver on condition of anonymity.

Isha Kalia said she had categorically told the drivers and conductors that if they wanted to continue, they would be hired thorugh the contractor. “We cannot hire them directly as its our company policy,” she said. 

Ludhiana, November 25
A 60-year-old former sarpanch of a village in Jagraon died due to cardiac arrest in the prisoners' cell at the District Courts Complex here today.

The deceased has been identifed as Amarjit Singh. He was in jail along with his son Harjit Singh since February 15 on a charge of murder.

Khanna, November 25
Failure in starting the renovation work at Khanna bus stand compound road by paving interlocking tiles worth Rs 10 lakh within one week shall force the contractor to face legal action against him.

In a letter written to Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, Executive officer Municipal Council, Khanna, made it clear that if the concerned contractor didn’t start the work within one week, we will take legal action accordingly and this is the last warning to him. In spite of several reminders the said contractor failed to start the renovation work at bus stand compound road. Addressing the mediapersons, PD Bansal, president Lok Sewa Club, said in a letter written to club, MC authorities committed that the said work was lying pending since more than four years.

The contractor company was reminded by the MC authorities vide Letter No. 167 Dated: 25-10-2011, Letter No. 301 Dated: 27-03-2012 and Letter No. 48 Dated: 04-06-2012 to do the given work but to no avail. Now, a last warning is given to the contractor by the authority vide Letter No. 833 Dated: 15-11-2013 to start the work within a week otherwise he has to face legal action.

Bansal alleged that the MC authorities are directly responsible for the pitiable condition of the bus stand compound as they failed to take a legal action timely against the default contractor who got the contract more than four years ago but didn’t start the work till date.

Bansal said earlier it was disclosed under RTI that an amount of Rs 10 lakh was sanctioned to renovate the bus stand compound road by paving interlocking tiles. Resolutions for the said project was passed by the MC authorities on October 10, 2008, vide resolution No. 17/31/47 and the tender was cleared on June 30, 2009. The work order was given to a contractor but the work was not initiated till date. The whole matter was brought in to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, and a thorough inquiry was demanded by the club after which the process was initiated by the MC authorities.

Doraha, November 25
The Araichan road in Doraha has been in a worse state. Residents and passers-by are facing hardships while travelling through this road. Though the the tender for the repair of the road has already been passed a month ago, the work has not been started yet.

“Hundreds of people commute through this road. The condition of the road has worsened nowadays due to the absence of any re-carpeting work and poor maintenance. Commuters have to change the route to reach their destinations safely. Big potholes have made things worse for two-wheelers,” said a resident.

“The dusty stretch has reduced the life of residents to a virtual hell. Local residents and commuters complain that it was vaery difficult to commute on this road, especially at some specific places. Rains play further havoc during the rainy season as holes filled with rainwater prove no less than a death trap for the commuters especially the two-wheeler riders. The problem is further aggravated during night hours when the visibility is low,” said another resident.

The residents said the authorities had been informed about the issue several times but no action had been initiated in this regard.

“The media had also been highlighting the issue, but to no avail. Now, when the tender has been finally passed, what are the authorities waiting for,” said a resident.

“The authorities seem to be in no hurry to get the issue resolved at the earliest. When the municipal council is not bothered about its own inconvenience as its office is situated on this road, why should they be bothered about others problem. It is really the height of callousness on its part.”

“Even after passing of a month, the council, it seems, has not asked the contractor to begin its work seriously, keeping in mind the discomfort of the residents,” he added.

EO, Doraha, Surinder Kumar, when asked about the tender, said it was passed last month and that he did not remember the exact date about the same.

When asked about the stipulated time in which the project was supposed to be completed by the contractor, he said: “It was scheduled to complete in four months, adding that it takes time to start such works".

Ludhiana, November 25
Hectic lifestyle which has even changed the biological clock for almost every one making many fall as an easy prey to different diseases. Many people especially adults have also started suffering from Irritable Bowl Syndrome.

Dr GS Chawla, a renowned gastroenterologist of Ludhiana and former Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, said, “This is a commonest gastrointestinal abdominal disease in which people keep complaining their family members and friends about stomach ache, acidity, etc. There are multiple reasons behind it, including depression, anxiety and manifestations, etc. It is common in elders as one gets old, functioning of intestine starts weakening.”

Dr Chawla suggested that people suffering from this should take leafy vegetables and salads more.

Dr KC Dass, associate professor in the Department of Gastroenterology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, said, “The incidence of this problem is on a rise. In the past two decades it has increased manifold. We receive many patients suffering from this syndrome. Their problem starts when they undergo any stress. We usually tell them to go for aerobic exercises and practice yoga to distress their body.” 

Ludhiana, November 25
Punjab Language Department celebrated the ‘Punjabi week’ by conducting an interaction of renowned poet and singer Kamaljit Neelon with college students at the Government College for Girls here today.

Kamaljit Neelon is known for his unique style of singing. In his two-hour-long interaction with the students, literary personalities and other audience he shared his poetry, songs and personal details with attention.

“During childhood days, my mother used to ask me to copy my neighbour and other relatives just for fun. The practice of copying others had sharpened my skills since childhood. I performed on stage for the first time when I was in Class V,” said Kamaljit Neelon.

Kamaljit Neelon, son of poet Kulwant Neelon, adopted singing as a mission at a young age and still continues at the age of 50 years.

“Doordarshan and All India Radio gave me an identity and people started recognising me. I have performed in almost all the districts of Punjab. Moreover, I used to do a chat show on radio which was quite popular among children. Now, I have visited several foreign countries to conduct workshops to sharpen the skills of children,” said Neelon.

Kamaljit Neelon said, “I always emphasise on the role played by parents and teachers in a child’s life. They have to take care of the child properly to nurture good values in him. I work to spread the rich values of Punjabi culture in children.”

Kamaljit has been awarded with two state awards and several other awards by cultural and literary organisation for his tireless efforts.

Ludhiana, November 25
"Due to the cold weather, arteries get contracted that burdens the heart. In winters, such patients have the tendency of more high blood pressure. When one suffers from cold and cough it further adds to the stress on heart. One could also suffer from heart attack or heart failure. Thus, admission rate increases of persons with weak heart," said Prof Bishav Mohan, cardiology, Hero DMCH Heart Institute.

Dr Rajneesh Calton, head of department, cardiology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, said: "In cold weather one has the tendency to eat more. But one should be diet cautious. One should avoid fried and fatty diet and should take less salt. Small frequent meals are best for such patients."

He further said in this season we also receive many patients who earlier did not have the history of high blood pressure or heart problems. Talking about symptoms of heart-related problems, Dr Calton said: "Anyone may feel palpitation, breathlessness, suffocation while climbing stairs. In case of any such symptoms, one should consult the doctor.

Ludhiana, November 25
As many as 87,181 children were administered polio drops in Ludhiana district today on the second day of the sub-national round of the Pulse Polio Campaign of the Health Department.

District immunisation officer Sanjeev Hans said: “Our mobile teams visited 1,68,747 houses today.”

There are 1,578 mobile teams and 3,156 volunteers for the job.

However, 71 transit teams in the district were holding special booths to administer polio drops to the children up to the age of five by at public places like railway station, bus stand, temple and gurdwara.

The district Health Department has a target of covering as many as 3,85, 579 children by visiting around 7,25,552 houses.

Ludhiana, November 25
Tax professionals, chartered accountants and traders today had a busy day as it was the last date for submitting value added tax (VAT) 20 returns. Earlier, the last date for filing returns was November 20, which was extended till November 25 for the convenience of traders and tax professionals.

"Everything went off well today and I did not face any inconvenience in filing returns. Server was responding well and all the returns of my clients were uploaded on time," said Jatinder Khurana, a taxation lawyer.

Manoj Tandon, a trader, said he was unable to upload his return by November 20 but he was able to do it today. "It was good that the department extended the date and now I will not be paying the penalty," he added.

After submitting the returns online, traders now have to submit the acknowledgement along with profit/loss account balance sheets, C, H and F forms at the counters of the department within five working days. "I have not received C forms from my party and the department should give more time for submitting the acknowledgement. The time should be extended to 15 days," demanded another trader, Roshan Singh.

Ludhiana, November 25
A special camp for property tax collection was organised today by the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertaking (CICU) for the benefit of industrialists from Phase I to Phase VIII, Focal Point, Ludhiana.

Avtar Singh, general secretary, and Upkar Singh, joint secretary, CICU, lauded the Punjab Government for providing separate category for industrial property and reducing the rate of property tax from 3% to 1.5% for self-occupied industrial property. Manjit Singh Khalsa, spokesman, UCPMA, and Rajnish Ahuja, president, Focal Point Association, thanked the state government for revising the collector rate of the Focal Point Industrial Area from Rs 11,400 to Rs 8,200 per Sq yd. These measures have provided big relief to the industrial sector, specially MSMEs, which are reeling under economic recession.

"There is a heavy rush for the submission of property tax returns as 272 applications were received today from industrialists by Harvinder Singh, Tax Inspector, and Gurinder Pal Singh, Tax Collector, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana. This trend is likely to continue tomorrow," he added.

Ludhiana, November 25
Even as farmers from nine villages of Ludhiana district today lodged a protest against the Punjab government's notices seeking to acquire their land under the Land Acquisition Act of 1894, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister and local MP Manish Tewari spoke to the Additional Administrator, Greater Ludhiana Development Authority (GLADA), and told him that the state government couldn't issue notices for acquisition under the old Act, which, already stands repealed after the enactment of the new Act.

Tewari made it categorically clear to the GLADA official that he would not allow the farmers' land to be acquired forcibly and under no circumstances under the archaic 1894 Act. He said if at all the state government had to acquire the land, it must be with due consent of the farmers and under the new Act, which is farmer friendly.

The farmers from nine villages said they were not interested in giving up their land and under no circumstances under the old and archaic Act of 1894, which had been enacted by the British to snatch the people's landholdings.

One of the farmers Ujjagar Singh said that besides mass protests they would also take a legal recourse since the Act, under which the Punjab Government was trying to acquire the land, had already been repealed and a new Act brought in.

Ludhiana District Congress Committee (Rural and Urban) presidents Milkiat Singh Dakha and Pawan Dewan also addressed the protesting farmers and assured them that they would not allow the government to snatch their land.

The Congress leaders said this only proved that the state government, which otherwise claimed to be the protector of the farmers' rights, was not interested in providing any benefit to them.

Doraha, November 25
A district delegate conference of the Kirti Kisan Sabha, Punjab, was held today at Bagli Khurd village. President of the sabha, unfurled its flag and paid tributes to martyrs of kisan agitations.

A condolence resolution was passed in memory of comrade Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, a veteran leader of the kisan movement.

Kuldip Singh inaugurated the conference by giving a brief history of the kisan movement in the state and gave a call to the delegates to strengthen the organisation.

Comrade Lakhwinder Singh Bowani, state general secretary of the sabha, presented a report on the activities of the organisation, highlighting the struggles undertaken by farmers on their issues.

Over 100 elected delegates from different villages took part in the event and raised issues faced by the farmers’ community. Eight delegates took part in a discussion on the report. The report was then unanimously passed.

The resolution demanding an increase in the minimum support price of crops, as per the Swaminathan Commission recommendations, waiving of farmers’ loans, measures against forcible land acquisition of their land and job assurance besides other demands were passed.

The conference elected a new team of office- bearers for the district. Jangh Singh was elected president and Sukhdev Singh secretary. The 13-member district committee also elected Lakhwinder Singh Bowani, Ekam Singh, Azad Singh Khatra, Amarjit Singh Faizgarh and Surinder Shezad among others.

Comrade Pawan Kumar Kaushal, state secretary of the MCPI (U) and leaders of the AICTU Mangat Ram Longowal and Balkrishan were among those others who addressed the conference. They extended full support to the sabha on behalf of their respective organisations.

Ludhiana, November 25
The three-day Punjab State Special Olympics organised by Special Olympics Bharat, Punjab Chapter, in which a large number of mentally challenged boys and girls from all over the state competed in different sports, concluded at Guru Nanak Public School (GNPS), Sarabha Nagar, here today.

Jasbir Singh and Surinder Singh, president and general secretary, respectively, of the GNPS committee, were guests of honour at the closing function. An impressive band display and firework were the main attractions of the closing ceremony.

Dr Ravi Bhushan, Savita Kaushal, Ashok Arora and others members of the Special Olympics Bharat, Punjab, were also present on this occasion. Mona Singh, Principal of the host school, proposed vote of thanks and appreciated NCC cadets for their contribution in organising the event successfully.

Results: 400m dash (12-15): Jaspreet Singh of Udaan Special School, Jalandhar 1, Vivek Bansal of Navjivini School of Special Education 2; 400m dash (16-21): Manoj Joshi of BE Asha School, Patiala 1, Rishi Kumar of Navjivini School of Special Education 2 and Pardeep Kumar of SBRC, Patiala 3; 200m dash (mix): Alka of TSK Red Cross, Nawanshahr 1, Sukhveer Kaur of Jivan Jyoti Special School, Nabha 2 and Jyoti of Jivan Jyoti Special School, Nabha 3; 200m dash (8-11): Pankaj of Asha Kiran, Pathankot 1 and Kamaldeep Singh of Jivan Jyoti Special School, Nabha 2; 200m dash (12-15): Sourab Thakur of AWWA Asha School, Pathankot 1, Vivek Bansal of Navjivini School of Special Education 2 and Harmandeep Singh of Navjivini School of Special Education 3; 200m dash (group A, 16-21): Aslam Khan of Udaan Red Cross, Faridkot 1, Rishi Kumar of Navjini School of Special Education 2 and Gaggu Singh of Udaan Red Cross, Faridkot 3; 200m dash group-B (16-21): Anurag Kumar of Lakshya Special School, Fatehgarh Sahib 1, Valinder of Prayas Special School, Jalandhar 2 and Gurjant Singh of SRBC, Patiala 3; 30m roller skating (girls 16-21): Meera Kumari of Ambuja Manovikas Kendra, Ropar 1, Renu of Bhagat Puran Singh of Amritsar 2 and Sita of Bhagat Puran Singh, Amritsar 3; 15m roller skating (girls 16-21) Meera Kumari of Ambuja Manovikas Kendra, Ropar 1, Sita of Bhagat Puran Singh, Amritsar 2 and Renu of Bhagat Puran Singh, Amritsar 3; badminton (women's singles): Ramandeep Kaur of Ambuja Manovikas Kendra, Ropar 1, Poonam of Bhagat Puran Singh, Amritsar 2 and Gauri of Bhagat Puran Singh, Amritsar 3; badminton (mixed doubles): Ramandeep Kaur and Manpreet Kaur of Ambuja Manovikas Kendra, Ropar 1; badminton (men's singles): Raman Kumar of Mini Bright 1, Manpreet of Ambuja Manovikas Kendra, Ropar, 2 and Madhar of Mini Bright 3; handball: TMK Red Cross, Nawanshahr 1, Udaan Special School, Jalandhar 2 and Sehyog Special School, Sangrur 3; Sarva Sikhya Abhiyaan Authority: Sangrur emerged champions and Fatehgarh Sahib runners-up; Small School Category: BE Asha School, Patiala, champions and Jivan Jyoti Special School, Nabha, runners-up; Big School Category: Ambuja Manovikas Kendra, Ropar, champions and AWWA Asha School, Pathankot, runners-up. 

Ludhiana, November 25
Hosts BCM Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh Road, started their hunt on a positive note, registering wins in the boys as well as girls' sections to advance into the quarterfinals of the Ludhiana Sahodaya School Complex Basketball Tournament (u-19) here today.

In the girls' section, BCM School overpowered DCM Presidency 13-6. Shweta chipped in with nine baskets to help her side to romp home victorious and assured themselves a berth in the last eight stage.

The match played in the boys' section between BCM Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh Road, and BCM School, Dugri, turned out to be a mismatch as the former came out triumphant hands down (29-2). Parvinder dropped in as many as 11 points for the winning side.

Earlier, SK Sharma, Manager, BCM Schools, declared the tournament open. Total 24 teams, including 17 in the boys' section, and seven in the girls' section are competing in this three-day event. DP Guleria, Principal of the host school, welcomed the chief guest and wished the participants good luck.

Other results: (Boys) Guru Nanak International Public School bt GGN Public School 28-16; Shamrock Christian public School bt Jesus Sacred Heart School 10-8; Green Land Senior Secondary School, Jalandahr Bypass bt CFC Public School 34-21; DAV Public School, BRS Nagar bt Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar 15-8; DAV Public School, Pakhowal Road bt Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines 35-13; BCM Arya Model School bt GMT Public School, Jalandhar bypass 33-16 and Nankana Sahib Public School bt Guru Nanak Public School 27-15; (Girls) Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar bt DAV Public School, BRS Nagar 18-14 and Guru Nanak Public School bt Delhi Public School 12-7.