Ludhiana, February 26
Taking a stern view of inaction on the part of the Municipal Corporation to clear temporary and permanent encroachments across the city, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the civic body to put its house in order within a period of three months.

Hearing a contempt-of-court petition filed by city-based RTI activist Rohit Saharwal, the Bench of Justice Mahesh Kumar Grover also directed the Deputy Commissioner and Police Commissioner of Ludhiana to assist the MC in clearing the encroachments.

The Bench made it clear that failure of the district and police administrations to assist the MC in the anti-encroachment drive would be considered as “contempt of court” and the erring officials would have to face the consequences.

Making a personal appearance in the court on its directions, MC Commissioner Shruti Singh sought some more time to address the issue of encroachments. She said she had recently assumed office and needed some time to be able to take remedial action. The MC Commissioner also wanted help from the police and the district authorities to effectively tackle the gigantic problem of encroachments.

On the submission of the MC Commissioner that at the time of acting against encroachments, the violators produced certain documents and the civic body had to put off action till the time the documents were examined, the court told the MC to carry out this task in a time-bound manner.

Justice Grover told the MC Commissioner to carry out the assigned duty (of clearing encroachments) in the next three months. “Come to the court on the next date of hearing (May 27, 2014) with a detailed report of action taken in this regard as no more excuses will be heard and no more time will be granted,” the court ruled. The MC was also asked to submit action taken report for the removal of encroachments on a monthly basis.

The HC made its displeasure known over the poor track record of the MC with regard to the removal of encroachments, traffic chaos and insanitary conditions prevailing in the city. Justice Grover said just because the MC was not carrying out its work properly, the people were forced to knock at the doors of the court.

Ludhiana, February 26
High drama took place near Punjabi Bhawan here today when a man, who was taking a driving test in the presence of the Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI), lost control over his car and rammed into vehicles parked on the road. He damaged three (a Maruti Swift, Zen and Toyota Innova) cars before his vehicle came to a halt.

The driver, identified as Narinder Kumar (25), blamed a licence agent for the incident. He said he had paid the agent for procuring a driver’s licence for car. He had told the agent that he did not know how to drive a car. But the agent told him that he just had to sit in the car and turn the ignition on in front of the MVI, Naresh Kaler, he added.

He did not know the car was in gear. As he turned the ignition on, the car went out of his control, he said.

Soon the owners of the damaged cars, who were students of a fashion designing institute, reached the spot and a heated ensued. Narinder reportedly told the students that the vehicle he was driving belonged to the agent. He couldn’t pay for their loss as he earned only Rs 5,000 per month by doing a menial job, Narinder told them.

Soon, a PCR officer reached the spot. They claimed earlier too inexperienced drivers had damaged vehicles parked outside an institute. They demanded the shifting of the site for taking driving test.

Ludhiana, February 26
A financier allegedly beating a man to death with the help of his policeman friend, thieves breaking into a bank, snatchers targeting women at will and businessman Harbans Singh committing suicide after thieves stole the dowry items he had collected for his daughter's wedding. These are a few crime incidents that had taken place the last week.

With the cases of crime witnessing an increase in the city, the city residents have lost faith in governance. Instead of maintaining law and order, the police are busy chalking out route plans for the frequent visits of VIPs.

Suicide by Harbans Singh (45) at Daba is not a stray case where the common man preferred to end his life rather than hoping to get his stolen valuables back. In snatching cases, the victims are reluctant to approach the police.

The common perception is instead of making efforts to nab the culprits, the police subject the victims to unnecessary harassment.

In a perfect example of inaction on the part of the police, the Model Town police have failed to get any clue to the heist at Punjab & Sind Bank near the Dugri road even after a week.

In the suicide case, the Daba police have initiated an inquest proceeding under section 174 of the CrPC while the fact remains the theft led to the suicide by the businessman.

The arrest of head constable Perminder Singh, who was involved in the murder of a Rajpura resident, Gulzar Singh Chaudhary, is the only success the city police can boast of. However, the main culprit, Bhupinder Singh Soma, is at large.

Making a jibe at the police for the prevailing lawlessness, leaders from both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the police officers should channel their energies to maintaining law and order in the city rather than pleasing their political bosses. 

Ludhiana, February 26
Armed robbers looted Rs 35,000 by taking hostage the workers of a fuel station at Hambra last night. The incident came to light this morning when the fuel station owner reported the matter to the police.

Soon, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Gill), along with police teams, reached the spot and started investigation.

The fuel station employees said the robbers came to the station posing as customers. Soon, they pulled out swords and threatened the employees to hand them money or they will kill them. One of the robbers snatched the cash bag from a salesman. They locked the employees of the fuel station in a room and left the fuel station.

Ludhiana, February 26
The strike by the clerical staff of the Excise and Taxation Department is giving a tough time to traders. The staff have been on strike since Monday to press their demands. Now that Thursday is also a holiday on account of Shivratri, Friday is the only working day left this week.

My VAT number has been locked and I have been doing the rounds of the department since Monday. But I couldn’t get my work done since the clerical staff are on strike. “Now, I will visit the office the next week since weekend is also approaching,” said Jagtar Singh, a trader.

Jatinder Khurana, a taxation lawyer, said he had to get a new VAT number for his client but the work is getting delayed due to the strike. My client cannot run his trade without a VAT number,” said Khurana.

Another trader, Gursewak Singh, said he had been making visits the department to get the C form, but in vain. “The clerical staff are on strike and I cannot get the C form. Since I am in an urgent need of the C form, I have asked my client living in some other stat to mail it to me,” he added.

Ludhiana, February 26
Contrary to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials claim that the number of beggars has come down at the railway station due to stringent steps taken by the authorities, a number of beggars can be seen at the station.

A group of women beggars was seen begging on Platform No. 2 today. A few physically challenged beggars were also spotted on Platform No. 1 in the afternoon. In the absence of a boundary wall, the station authorities have failed to check beggars’ entry to the station.

According to the Railway Act, the RPF can challan beggars and collect a fine of Rs 1,000 from them. The RPF officials said they were helpless to enforce the Act.

Yashwant Singh, in-charge, Railway Protection Force, said: “Under section 144 (2) of the Railway Act 1989, we are authorised to register cases against persons who beg on the station. There is a provision to fine them. But if a person fails to pay the fine, then we have to send him to jail. However, the jails don’t have enough infrastructure to accommodate all beggars”.

“We often remove beggars from the railway station instead of issuing them challans or arresting them. The number of beggars is more on the traffic lights than the station. We deal with them strictly and the number of beggars at the station has been decreasing,” said Yashwant.

Raman, a visitor to the Railway station, said: “I have been waiting for train for the last one and a half hours. A beggar followed me from the bridge to the platform. I got rid of him by giving him some coins”.

Radhika, a daily passenger, said: “Some women, requesting help, ask for money to buy ticket to a nearby station. Being a daily visitor to the Railway station, I can identify them easily. But the railway authorities do not take any action against them.

Ludhiana, February 26
Teams going from door to door to administer polio drops to children under the National Pulse Polio Programme, 2014, have a tough time convincing parents to do the needful, especially in posh localities.

A volunteer said that during the ongoing drive, a number of people from well-to-do families refused to administer polio drops to their children on the pretext that it had already been done during the child’s routine vaccination. Team leaders have to work very hard to convince such parents.

“The problem occurs only in posh localities. Sometimes, the parents ask us to show our identity cards, while sometimes they want to talk to their family doctors before giving polio drops to their children. We keep on waiting and answering all the queries till the parents are satisfied,” said a volunteer.

Another volunteer said that many parents said their paediatrician had told them that their child had been immunised and needed no drops.

An expert said that no child below the age of five years should miss taking polio drops.

“The routine immunisation took care of an individual child’s immunity, but to prevent the disease from spreading, ‘herd immunity’ is required,” said Dr Pawan Singla, a physician.

He said that all the children in the age group of zero to five years must get polio drops “to break the transmission” cycle.

He said the parents should understand that despite being immunised, their children were still vulnerable, as with time, the strain (type) of polio kept changing.

The drive that started on February 23 will continue till February 27. The department targets to cover more than five lakh children during the drive, said Dr Sanjeev Hans, district immunisation officer. He said no child should miss taking polio drops.

Children need herd immunity Herd immunity (or community immunity) describes a form of immunity that occurs when vaccinating a significant portion of the population (or herd) provides desired protection to those individuals who have not developed the immunity yet. The herd immunity theory proposes that in the case of contagious diseases that are transmitted from one individual to another, chains of infection are likely to be disrupted when a large number of the population is immune or less susceptible to the disease. The greater the proportion of resistant individuals, the smaller is the probability of a susceptible individual coming in contact with an infected individual.

Ludhiana, February 26
On the call given by Punjab Khet Mazdoor Sabha, farm workers, including a number of women, sat on a dharna, to highlight the plight of the poor, at the Mini-Secretariat here today.

Addressing the protesting workers, state secretary of the sabha Gulzar Goria said despite various promises, the state government had not enhanced the monthly pension of the elderly, widows and the differently abled from Rs 250 to Rs 500 for the past eight years. Even the meagre amount of pension was not given on time to the needy persons, he said.

Goria asked the Centre and the state government to set up a social security fund, under which those above the age of 60 years should be given a monthly pension of at least Rs 3,000 with a provision for enhancement from time to time according to the rate of inflation.

The state secretary also pressed for an effective implementation of the rural job guarantee scheme and increase in the number of days of employment from 100 to 200 per year.

“Daily wages should be increased from Rs 184 to Rs 350, jobs should be guaranteed or at least unemployment allowance should be given,” he said.

Among other demands raised by the protestors were the regularisation of services of the people working under MGNREGA, allotment of houses or residential plots besides financial assistance for construction of houses to the homeless, guaranteed free education to the poor and scholarships to the deserving students.

The CPI state secretary Bant Singh Brar, speaking on the occasion, said farm workers and other members of the working class would take out a protest march on March 3 and 4 in Chandigarh to press their demands. He criticised the state government for indulging in wasteful expenditure, ignoring the basic needs of the poor.

Others who addressed the rally included district secretary, CPI, Kartar Singh Bowani, Kulwnat Singh Hunjan, Hardam Singh, Karnail Singh Nathowal, Dr Arun Mitra, OP Mehta, DP Maur, Amar Singh Bhatia, Hari Ram Rajgarh and Ramesh Rattan.

Ludhiana, February 26
Traffic snarls marred various routes during the Mahashivratri Rath Yatra that passed through different parts of the city today.

Although, the city police diverted the traffic, chaos prevailed on alternative routes as well.

Tents set up on the roadside to distribute eatables among devotees worsened the problem.

The routes from where the yatra passed were littered with disposable cups and plates, making the roads slippery.

"Instead of spending money on such activities, the organisers should spend the funds on educating needy child or other charitable activities. All this is being done just to hog the limelight," said Suresh Kumar, a passer-by.

Also, businessmen at Chaura Bazar complained of suffering losses with customers staying away due to the yatra for the second consecutive day.

Ludhiana, February 26
The Ludhiana unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is reportedly promising “assured work” to economically weak migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

A daily-wage earner from Bihar, carrying a slip he got during the party’s recent membership drive, wants to know what kind of work he will get, as promised to him by the AAP members.

“I was told that I will get ‘some work’ that will be economically remunerative for me. I just need to know what kind of work it will be. Will it be a temporary job or a permanent one?” he asked.

He said the promise was made to him by those manning the party counter set up temporarily near Barewal during the party’s membership drive.

The migrant workers want to know whether the promise has been made to lure them into joining the party.

Another migrant, who seemed to be better informed, said he too had been promised work.

“Earlier, too, I have been approached by big political parties to be part of the crowd in the rallies. If it’s the same kind of ‘work’, then there’s no difference between this party and the other ones,” he said.

In the run up to the Lok Sabha poll, AAP has been conducting membership drives across the district.

The party’s candidate from the Ludhiana constituency, HS Phoolka, when contacted, said he was not aware of the issue.

Ludhiana, February 26
Students staged a protest against drivers of the buses being run by Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways after a youth got injured on falling from a moving bus near Sherpur Chowk here today.

According to an eyewitness, the youth, identified as Inderesh Kumar, had a narrow escape after he fell from the bus. The students complained that it was third such incident in as many days.

They said they assembled at a bus stop near Sherpur Chowk to board a bus for reaching their colleges in Khanna and Mandi Gobindgarh. They said the drivers either did not stop the vehicle or on stopping it, suddenly increased the speed.

Lovepreet, a student who got hurt three days ago, said the bus drivers did not stop the vehicles at the designated bus stops in Khanna and Mandi Gobindgarh too, adding to the students’ woes.

"The drivers and conductors misbehave with us. Whenever we request them to wait till all the students alight from the bus, they hurl abuses at us," he said.

PRTC general manager RS Grewal said the students met him a few days back. He said he assured them that all their complaints would be addressed on priority basis.

Ludhiana, February 26
Twenty-nine merit scholarships and six travel grants were presented to the students and faculty at an award ceremony organised by Dr Gurdev Singh Khush Foundation for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) today.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest, Dr Gurdev Singh Khush said the economies of Brazil, India, Russia and China were doing well and their works were admired globally.

Referring to agriculture, industrial and information technology revolutions, Dr Khush said there were many opportunities for the youth.

He called upon the students to work hard, and contribute towards welfare and advancement of the country. He expressed his sincere gratitude to Dr DS Brar, adjunct professor at School of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Dr Kuldeep Singh, director, School of Agricultural Biotechnology, PAU, for contributing significantly towards the success of Dr GS Khush Foundation.

PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon said Dr Khush was a source of inspiration and guidance for the students, who were the building blocks of the country. He said Dr Khush had made immense contribution to the field of agriculture as well as academics. Dr Dhillon urged the students to touch greater heights in future and keep bringing laurels to their alma-mater. He extended his best wishes to the students who bagged merit scholarships and travel grants.

Dr DS Brar said the major objective of the foundation was to provide financial support in the form of merit and rural scholarships to the students of PAU and to support travel grants for participation of young scientists and students in scientific conferences.

Ludhiana, February 26
A ‘Roko Cancer’ camp was held at Chander Nagar today. It was organised by NRI brothers Jagdish Singh Pander and Ranjit Singh Pander.

The camp was supported by the Roko Cancer Charitable Trust. During the camp, people were apprised of information regarding the disease and patients were checked thoroughly by the experts.

Free of cost mammography tests were performed. Ranjit Singh said they want to serve the society and was following the footsteps of Bhai Ghaniya, who without caring about cast and creed use to serve the society.

Ludhiana, February 26
The District Education Officer (DEO) has asked heads of government high schools to send cases of upgrading the schools as per the new policy. The decision was taken after the Punjab Government gave its nod to the amendements made in the old policy.

As per the new policy, the state government will upgrade high schools of only those villages, which have a population of at least 5,000. As per the condition of the government, if there is no senior secondary school within a radius of 5 km, then the it will upgrade the school.

DEO Paramjeet Kaur issued letters to the high schools, which have already submitted their cases to the Education Department, to resend the cases as per the new directions.

The teachers at government schools welcomed Education Department’s decision to upgrade the schools.

Gurveer Singh, a teacher, said, “There are number of schools in dense populated areas of cities and major villages which need to be upgraded. The schools were unaware of the amendments in the policy.”

“Most of the times local politicians and school managements make hard efforts to get the schools upgraded. The cases are pending since many years. If the government has demanded the cases then it is a right move in the right direction,” said another teacher.

Ludhiana, February 26
Various teachers’ unions of different cadres have been opposing the criteria of deputing teachers for the upcoming Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) examinations of Classes X and XII.

The teachers have been deputed 50-60 km away from their residences for the examination duty, the union leaders alleged. Earlier, the PSEB officials instructed the district officials to avoid deputing teachers more than 25 km away from their residences. The board demanded the lists of teachers to depute them within the cluster.

The teachers’ unions irked after getting the list of duties as the Education Department deputed the teachers from one cluster to another. The union leaders and individual teachers were seen visiting the District Education Office to get their duty venue changed. The department did not give any relaxation to women teachers as well.

Jagjit Singh, president, Master Cadre Union, alleged that the government never misses any opportunity to harass the teachers. “Some of the schools are at far-flung villages which are not easy to approach. As per the examination schedule, the teachers have to be present at the school from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. I wonder how it is possible for a teacher to travel more than 100 km every day?” asked Jagjit Singh.

The Government School Lecturers’ Union also condemned Education Department’s decision.

Saudagar Singh, president, Government Teachers’ Union, said, “The examination duties of physically challenged and pregnant teachers were also not exempted by the department. The teachers have to be deputed within 15 km from their residences.

Paramjit Kaur, DEO, said, “Teachers usually crib and complaint about examination duties. We have sent the list of teachers to PSEB as per the clusters. Now, we cannot change the duty venues.”

Ludhiana, February 26
The District Education Officer (DEO) today instructed teachers of the local government schools to do the data entry work of the Atta Dal Scheme on Shivratari (national holiday).

According to the information, the Punjab Government has assigned the work of Atta Dal scheme to the Education Department. The government has asked the department to get the work done before the implementation of the code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections.

Today, the officials from district education office called the teachers after the schools timings. DEO Paramjeet Kaur said, “As per the directions given by the higher authorities, we have invited school teachers to complete the data work of the Atta Dal Scheme.”

Meanwhile, the teachers irked over the decision of the state government. “As the examinations are approaching, we are busy in the preparations. But the government has assigned the work not meant for us. This practice will surely affect studies at the schools,” said a teacher.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, Feb 26
Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal today said issuance of new tubewell connections to farmers of the region would pave a path for second green revolution in the state. Besides benefiting farmers, this would also strengthen the agrarian economy, he said.

While addressing a function organised to distribute 349 demand notices for tubewell connections and cheques worth Rs 68 lakh at Payal near here, Atwal claimed that improvement in irrigation facilities would definitely increase productivity.

Atwal said all farmers with land below 2.5 acre were being issued tubewell connections so that their time and energy to arrange water was saved and they could utilise it for remunerative works.

The Speaker claimed to have brought grants worth Rs 2.5 crore in the recent past for development of the area and motivated youth of 57 villages to shun drugs by providing them with sports kits and gyms.

Ludhiana, February 26
Slimming and wellness expert Vandana Luthra was in the city today for the launch of some new services by VLCC.

She said to be in Punjab was to be amidst some of the most obese people in the country. She said obesity was rapidly increasing across the country. It was not only a problem with the rich, but people in rural areas and even slum dwellers were also affected by it.

It is worse in Punjab and Delhi for the kind of diet people have in these regions. Wrong eating habits coupled with lack of physical work were the prime factors behind this, she said.

Vandana said health and wellness should be the first priority. To respect the body by maintaining good health was a form of worship and was like expressing gratitude towards God, she said.

Although fast food was said to be one of the reasons behind increasing health problems, taking fast food occasionally was not bad, she said. These days, people want to switch on to Western diet, but Indian diet was the most nutritious in the world, said Luthra. "People in the west depend on breads and pasta, but Indian diet has great variety and nutrition," she said. Vegetarian diet is the best diet in her opinion.

Talking about women’s health, she said by helping more and more women in maintaining good health, she felt she was empowering them. She said a woman should be a role model in her house and it is all the more important for her to maintain good health.

According to the FICCI report, there will be a shortage of people in the wellness industry. She said that VLCC was working with governments of 14 states to help train people in various vocational courses.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, Feb 26
Bhutta Group of Educational Institutes has launched a coordinated movement to educate masses about the significance of occupational and professional education in securing the future of youth.

Responding to a call given by renowned educationists and thinkers during a brainstorming session on ‘Promoting Technical Education in Rural Areas’ organised at Bhutta College of Engineering, heads and officials of various educational organisations vowed to play an active role in the identification and rectification of factors that led to frustration among educated youth.

Teams of volunteers, including office-bearers of social and religious organisations will coordinate with schools and impress upon the authorities to guide their students to join vocational and professional courses.

Earlier speakers, including former chairman, Punjab School Education Board, Dr Kehar Singh, Dr Rajinder Singh Brar from Punjabi University, Patiala, and former technical education minister Jagdish Singh Garcha stressed on the need to identify challenges and develop strategies for extending the outreach of professional education in rural areas. — OC

Ludhiana, February 26
Four days after an elderly man left his house leaving behind a suicide note, the city police today booked three persons, including two women, in an abetment of suicide case.

The accused have been identified as Muskan; her mother, Ashu; and Sunder Singh of Sanjay Gandhi Colony on Tajpur Road.

The complainant, Geeta, said the accused, who lived at their house as tenants, had been blackmailing her father, Lal Chand.

She told the police that Muskan and her mother clicked some photographs with Lal Chand and started threatening him of getting him implicated in an attempt to rape case. Geeta alleged the accused wanted to usurp her father’s property.

Ludhiana, February 26
Jaskaran Kaur of BA-I emerged as the best athlete at the 44th Annual Sports Meet of Ramgarhia Girls College, Miller Ganj, held here today.

Hockey Olympian Balbir Singh and Onkar Singh Pahwa, chairman, Avon Cycles, were the guests of honour. They distributed the prizes and congratulated the winners.

The top three positions in various events were bagged by the following students in the given order—shot put: Rajwinder Kaur, Harvinder Kaur, Kiranpreet Kaur; javelin throw: Rajwinder Kaur, Shweta, Harvinder Kaur; long jump: Harvinder Kaur, Jaskaran Kaur, Kulwinder Kaur; high jump: Harvinder Kaur, Kulwinder Kaur, Rajveer Kaur; discus throw: Sharanjeet Kaur, Kiranpreet Kaur, Harvinder Kaur; 50m race: Kajal, Sarabjit Kaur, Mandeep Kaur; 100m race: Kajal, Sarabjeet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur Gill; 200m race: Kajal, Sarabjeet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur Gill; 400m race: Jaskaran Kaur, Rekha, Mandeep Kaur; 4x100m relay race: BA-I, BA-II, BA-III.

At the SDP College for Women, Circular Road, Rajinder Kaur, a BA-I student, proved her mettle by winning four titles and being declared the best athlete. Aditi, a student of BA-III, meanwhile, was named the best player at the meet.

Balraj Bhasin, president of the college management committee declared the meet open. Dr Dalwinder Singh, chairman, Department of Physical Education, Panjab University, Chandigarh, was the chief guest.

The top three positions in various events were bagged by the following students in the given order—50m race: Rajinder Kaur, Sunita, Priyanka; 100m race: Rajinder Kaur, Hema Joshi, Pawandeep Kaur; 200m race: Rajinder Kaur, Hema Joshi, Shruti; 400m race: Hema Joshi, Rajinder Kaur, Pawandeep Kaur; three-legged race: Monika and Sunanda; Priya and Neha; Neha and Varsha; chatti race: Gurpreet Kaur, Neelam, Rajinder Kaur; rope skipping race: Poonam, Geeta; Khushboo; spoon-and-potato race: Sandeep Kaur, Rajwant Kaur, Sunaina; sack race: Rajinder Kaur, Poonam, Heena; slow cycling race: Aditi, Pawandeep Kaur; fast cycling race: Isha, Hema Joshi, Kavita Sharma.

At Guru Nanak Girls College, Model Town, Rajni, a student of BA-III, was adjudged the best athlete at the annual meet that concluded today.

Prof Dalwinder Singh from Panjab University, Chandigarh, also visited this college. He gave away prizes to the winners. He said through sports students could learn how to set goals, do strategic thinking and strive for excellence. Principal Dr Charanjit Mahal highlighted the achievements of the college students at the national and international level tournaments during the current academic session.

Gurbir Singh, president, Guru Nanak Education Trust, congratulated all the winners.

On the final day, the top three positions in various events were bagged by the following students in the given order—100m race: Rajni, Vipanpreet, Gurminder Kaur; couple hobble race: Seema and Ekta, Sweety and Rinki, Kuldeep Kaur and Harpreet; obstacle race: Sukhdeep Kaur, Amandeep Kaur, Neha Bansal.