Ludhiana, March 26
A construction worker was killed, while two others sustained serious injuries after the under construction dome at a temple collapsed at New Maya Nagar in Haibowal here today.

The deceased was identified as Ganesh (30), a native of Odisha, while Bharat and Raju, also hailing from Odisha, sustained serious injuries.

The duo was rushed to the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). Doctors attending upon them said their condition was out of danger.

The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon when Bharat and Raju were working on the under construction dome.

Sources said the huge block came crashing down.

Deceased Ganesh — who was working under the dome — was buried under the debris.

While Bharat and Raju also got stuck under the rubble, they were rescued immediately by other construction workers at the site.

Ganesh was pulled out from the debris and rushed to the hospital. However, he was declared brought dead.

The president of the temple Ravi Nandan said the police and fire brigade were informed about the incident and they reached the spot in no time.

Nandan said construction work was under way at the temple for the past eight months.

Rabbi Das, a construction contractor from Odisha, was overseeing the project.

Meanwhile, panic spread among area residents as soon as the news of the dome collapse spread.

The residents said upon hearing the loud thud, they assumed as if a bomb had exploded.

Rajesh Kumar, resident of Durgapuri area who was visiting New Maya Nagar, said, “People were running helter-skelter for cover.”

Ludhiana, March 26
In a blatant violation of the orders of the Punjab and Haryana Court and building bylaws, 16 commercial buildings are being constructed illegally in Zone A of the city.

Rohit Sabharwal, an RTI activist, has filed a complaint to the Principal Secretary, Department of Local Bodies, stating that 16 buildings were being constructed illegally under the jurisdiction of Zone A, Municipal Corporation.

Even as the illegal constructions continue unabated, the civic body has ‘failed’ to initiate action against the violators. Of the 16 buildings, nine are located at Sunder Nagar, two at Circular Road, one at Gaushala Chowk and four at Division Number 3 near the Subhani Building Chowk.

Sabharwal said most of these buildings were commercial and had been constructed in residential areas.

“Besides this, no proper parking space has been left in these buildings. Ironically, the building branch of Zone A has not taken action against the violators,” said Sabharwal.

Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had passed directions that if any unauthorised construction was detected, it should be stopped immediately.

To prevent the violators from carrying out further construction, the photographs of unauthorised constructions should be sent along with a notice to the violators.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Town Planner (headquarters) Kamaljeet Kaur said, “I have received a copy of the complaint along with the photographs of the buildings. I have marked it to the ATP (Zone A) for immediate action.”

The ATP said, “It is the duty of the building branch officials to ensure that no illegal construction takes place in the area”. The ATP (Zone A) Harpreet Ghai was unavailable for comments.

Ludhiana, March 26
On the directions of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC), the police have booked four members of a family, including a mother-son duo, for kidnapping a woman.

The accused — identified as Balli, his mother Chanchal, brother Sonu, and Chanchal’s sister Kanchan — are residents of the Daba area in the city.

The victim, Mamta, was married to Balli, said the police. Mamta’s father Gulshan Lal, a resident of Pratap Nagar in Delhi, filed a police complaint alleging, “My daughter was married to Balli. In December 2010, I was informed that my daughter had gone missing.”

In his complaint, Lal said he suspected foul play as the accused used to harass his daughter for more dowry.

Lal alleged that he met Balli and asked him about his daughter’s whereabouts.

“Balli told me that Mamta might have returned to Delhi,” he alleged.

Lal further stated that when he visited Ludhiana to find his daughter, he was informed by area residents that Mamta was also subjected to domestic violence.

Lal said he suspected that the accused had ‘killed’ his daughter and ‘dumped her body’ to evade police action.

Following the alleged dilly-dallying on the part of the police to register the case, Lal approached the PSHRC.

The commission took cognisance of the matter and directed the police to register the case.

Meanwhile, a case under Section 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), IPC, has been registered against the accused. All four accused are at large.

suspicion rises
The complainant suspects that the accused ‘killed’ his daughter and ‘dumped her body’ to evade police action. Lal further stated that he was informed by area residents that Mamta was also subjected to domestic violence.

Ludhiana, March 26
In what reflects the poor state of health care facilities, the Civil Hospital does not have an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for swine flu patients. Though the hospital has a different ward for H1N1 patients, the absence of an ICU has compounded their woes.

The lack of adequate arrangements is the prime reason why patients chose private hospitals over the Civil Hospital.

The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that no swine flu patient has been admitted to the hospital this year.

Senior Medical Officer Dr RK Karkara said, “We have a separate ward for H1N1 patients where four patients can be hospitalised. A separate ICU will be constructed soon.”

“Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during his last visit to the hospital had allocated funds for the construction of an ICU. Work on the same will be started soon,” added the SMO.

He further said this year, no patient suffering from swine flu had been admitted to the hospital.

Medical experts say if a patient’s condition worsens, he should be kept in a separate ICU as swine flu is a communicable disease.

Joginder Singh, a resident of Jagraon, said, “One of my relatives was suffering from swine flu. We got him admitted to a private hospital rather than the Civil Hospital as facilities are not adequate to treat critical patients.”

12 swine flu patients As many as 12 swine flu patients were admitted in different private hospitals this year. Of these, four patients belonged to Ludhiana, while five were from other districts and three from other states. Swine flu has also claimed a total of five deaths. While one patient belonged to Ludhiana, the remaining hailed from other districts and regions. People not only from the city, besides other districts and neighbouring states arrive here for medical treatment.

Ludhiana, March 26
A team of the Building Branch and Tehbazari Wing of the Municipal Corporation demolished an illegal shed in Model Town today.

The shed had been erected by Sri Krishna Hospital on the roadside for the parking of vehicles.

The team led by Assistant Town Planner (Zone D) Rajinder Sharma and Superintendent of the Tehbazari Branch, JS Sekhon, along with MC staff demolished the shed. The illegal structure obstructed the flow of traffic and caused inconvenience to commuters.

The MC demolition squad was also accompanied by police force to avert any untoward incident. However, the hospital authorities did not put up any resistance when the encroachment was removed.

The move followed after a complaint was lodged by a city-based RTI activist Arvind Sharma, stating that the MC had served a notice on the hospital management on March 19 for the shed’s removal within a period of three days.

“If the hospital authorities fail to dismantle the shed within the stipulated time frame, it would be demolished by the MC,” the civic body had stated in the notice.

The MC officials said as the hospital management had failed to remove the illegal structure even after six days of the notice being served, the encroachment was razed.

Civic body officials said as a majority of hospitals and nursing homes across the city did not have designated parking areas, the space meant for parking was used for other purposes.

Meanwhile, the MC has issued show-cause notices to 30 hospitals in the city.

“Show cause notices have been issued to 30 hospitals and nursing homes for parking vehicles on the roads, public streets and vacant government land. Action will be taken as per rules against all the violators. Inspections will also be carried out to determine any deviation from the approved building plans,” said an MC official.

German-based bike stuntman Daniel Rall performs a stunt on a cycle. Bicycles are in high demand in European countries. A file photo

Ludhiana, March 26
In good news for the manufactures of cycles in the city, European countries have evinced interest in importing cycles from the country.

A German company recently tied-up with a city-based cycle firm in this regard.

Though China and Taiwan continue to be the major exporters of bicycles to European countries, local cycle manufacturers hope the market scenario would brighten up in future.

City-based industrialists expect a good trade with the European cycle traders. Looking at the larger picture, a city-based cycle manufacturing body aims to improve the quality of cycles to compete with other Asian countries in the European market.

Charanjit Singh Vishwakarma, president, United Cycle Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA), said, “Our share in European exports is quite minimal. We need to improve quality as per the European standards to increase exports. Infrastructure and equipment needs to be updated. We have to manufacture high-end cycles to compete with Asian countries in the European market”.

Manjit Singh, a cycle manufacturer, said, “There are only a few companies in Ludhiana that can manufacture cycles at par with the European standards.”

As per the UCPMA office-bearers, European countries don’t manufacture cycles due to their high cost. These countries prefer to import cycles from Asian countries such as China and Taiwan, which are the major exporters of cycles.

Ludhiana, March 26
Who is having a better control over the Police Department seem to be the election agenda of SAD candidate Manpreet Ayali and his political rival and independent candidate Simarjeet Bains.

While Bains met Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath in New Delhi demanding the shifting of the Police Commissioner after the leader's six supporters were caught for forcibly pasting stickers on vehicles, SAD candidate Manpreet Ayali courted controversy as he said during a public rally that he would take the cops to task if the latter would attend “their” (Bains) phone call.

The video of this controversial speech has gone viral. While addressing a public gathering, attended by the former minister, including Satpal Gosain, Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Hira Singh Gabria, Ayali went on to say, “Ehna de ta ki kam honey nai. Patta nahi kyo Gabria Saab dhil ker gai. Churi mai purri kasni hai. Te ehna di mai kadda du cheekan.”

“I would see how they (Bains brothers Balwinder Bains and Simarjeet Bains) will get their work done. I’ll tighten the noose around their neck and make them scream,” said Ayali, while addressing a public rally.

The public display of anger by both Ayali and Bains has given an opportunity to the opposition to target both Lok Sabha contestants.

“These types of leaders have a criminal mentality and are dangerous for democracy. Bikram Singh Majithia and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal have a mentality of patronising youth of criminal mentality. First, they nurtured a Frankenstein like Bain, who is now challenging them and now Ayali is also towing the line. Only SAD leadership is responsible for law and order problem in the state,” said Congress leader Ishwarjot Cheema.

“Controversies are not new for Bains. The leader has been accused of misusing the system and even booked for stripping and murderous assault on Tehsildar Major GS Benipal (retd). Simarjeet Bains was then patronised by the SAD and kept flourishing his influence in government offices, particularly in the Police Department. Pitching against the government, Bains is now accusing the government and the police for misuse of power,” said another Congress leader.

HS Phoolka, AAP candidate from the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency, had also targeted the policemen for not taking action against Deputy Mayor RD Sharma in a murder case.

Ludhiana, March 26
The District Congress Committee, Ludhiana, will hold a meeting tomorrow to chalk out the poll campaign strategy of Congress candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu.

Congress leader and former minister Tej Parkash Kotli, along with District Congress Committee, Ludhiana, (Rural) chief Malkiat Singh Dakha, the Congress legislators from Ludhiana and senior leaders, will conduct the meeting at the Congress Bhawan here.

It is learnt that Bittu will start his campaign from March 29 with a road show. “The road show will kick off Bittu’s poll campaign in Ludhiana,” said senior Congress leader Amarjit Singh Tikka.

Meanwhile, a group that claimed to be the Congress workers and members of the Mahila wing of the Punjab Pradesh Congress criticised Bittu’s nomination during a press conference held here today.

Kamlesh Gupta, who said she is the Punjab Pradesh Congress Mahila wing general secretary, alleged that Bittu was a parachute candidate.

Bittu, while talking to The Tribune, said Ludhiana was his hometown. Incidentally, Bittu’s grandmother, Jaswant Kaur, had also contested from the Ludhiana Lok Sabha Constituency in 1996, but she lost to Akali Dal candidate Amrik Singh Ahliwal.

Bittu said he had been assured of the support by all local Congress leaders.

“There’s no question of factionalism in the party. All party leaders and workers are united. We will give a united fight to other candidates contesting from the Ludhiana Constituency,” he said.

Meanwhile, the election flavour of switching loyalties remained intact with Harinder Singh, Punjab Pradesh Congress secretary and Congress Beopar Cell vice-chairman, joining the Akali Dal.

Ludhiana, March 26
An awareness camp on the participation of youth in the Lok Sabha elections was held at the office of the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA) under the guidance of Assistant Returning Officer Davinder Singh.

Davinder Singh said the right to franchise was the most powerful tool provided under the Constitution.

Additional ARO Rajinder Singh, Ravinder Garg and Baljinder Singh, principal, ITI-Ludhiana, also shared their views on the occasion.

President Charanjit Singh Vishivkarma welcomed the officers. UCPMA spokesperson Manjit Singh Khalsa thanked all those who attended the camp.

Manjit Singh Khlasa said: “These day youth have less interest in politics. They have developed a negative attitude towards elections. A few youngsters say we don’t have time for voting. How can you expect from leaders to spare five years for you if you can’t spare a few minutes for voting?”

Ludhiana, March 26
Hosiery manufacturers in the city are worried about the increase in the prices of acrylic yarn during off season. The manufacturers have to pay Rs 30 more to buy per kg yarn.

The manufacturers said the hike in yarn rates further increased the input cost of hosiery products. This hike would also affect small scale hosiery units as they were unable to pay these increased rates to get the raw material.

The price of acrylic yarn was Rs 225/per kg during January, but now it is at Rs 256 per kg. The manufacturing of hosiery products is going on in the local units and the manufacturers had already got orders as per the previous rates of yarn. Now, the hike in the prices of yarn led to further hike in the input cost so they were worried about their expected loss.

The traders alleged that yarn mill owners pooled the acrylic yarn to get heavy profit even in the off season.

Darshan Dawar, president, Knitwear Club, said: “The monopoly of yarn mills on the supply of acrylic yarn can be the main reason behind this price hike. The hike will hit the hosiery industry hard. We cannot export the products on higher prices as we are not able to compete with other countries”.

Ramesh Garg, vice-president, Wool Market, said: “With the increase in the input rates, we have to sell the products on higher prices. This will affect the market. There should be a check on the yarn mills as we are suspecting that they have pooled the yarn”.

Sanju Dheer, a manufacturer, said: “Small units will be more affected with the price hike of acrylic yarn as most of them cannot afford the higher prices of yarn”.

“The government should interfere in the matter. If the small units will stop functioning then unemployment will increase,” said Sunil Jain, hosiery manufacturer.

Ludhiana, March 26
Led by activists of the PSEB Engineers Association (PSEBEA), power engineers held a candlelight march at the central zone office of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) here today.

Later, the protesting engineers intended to march towards the Sarabha Nagar Market to apprise the public of the wrong polices of the Punjab government and the PSPCL management. However, the police intervened and persuaded them to confine the protest to the PSPCL zonal headquarters.

Addressing the protesters, Baldev Singh Sran, Bhupinder Singh and Sanjeev Sood, president, vice-president and general secretary, respectively, of the PSEBEA, said the power com management and the state government had gone out of the way to grant extension to the chairman and managing director (CMD) of the PSPCL in violation of the tripartite agreement (TPA).

“The upper age limit of the CMD has been unilaterally extended from 62 to 65 years, which is a violation of the tripartite agreement signed by the government at the time of unbundling of the erstwhile PSEB,” the protesting engineers said.

They further said the TPA was also not being honoured in other issues such as common seniority, cadre and differential in pay scales of the employees for which the association had been constantly pursuing with the government and the PSPCL management for more than a year.

Sran said instead, the government had violated all its commitments and had granted lower pay scales to the newly recruited assistant engineers than their existing counterparts, which was illogical, unethical and unjustified.

The engineers also highlighted several other issues like total dependence on private sector for new power generation projects, huge financial losses caused due to delay in commissioning of new projects, shortage of staff, which was affecting efficiency and failure of the power corporations to cut down transmission and distribution losses.

Deploring the management for issuing threats and putting pressure on the engineers to sign resolutions for favouring age extension, they made it clear that the power engineers would not tolerate the injustice and would give a befitting reply to such nefarious designs of the state government and the PSPCL management.

Among others present on the occasion were HC Kamboj, Jaswant Zaffar, Bhupinder Khosal, Sukhbir Singh and GPMS Sidhu.

Ludhiana, March 26
Although theatre is happening off and on in the city, but plays are not staged here regularly. Unlike Amritsar and Chandigarh, where theatre is frequently organised, young artists and theatre enthusiasts says that support from the government can go a long way in establishing theatre in the industrial hub.

Even though elite audience come and watch plays staged by eminent actors, but there are hardly any audience for plays organised apart from the high-profile ones.

Whenever some play is staged in the city, only the invited audience comes to watch the plays, says Sikandar Singh, a theatre director. “There is a need for plays to be organised regularly among a regular audience,” he says.

Narjit Singh, a stage actor, says there needs to be a dedicated state-of-the-art theatre building in the city for regular staging of the plays. “It will not only provide a dedicated place for young talent to perform theatre, but will also help create and inspire more people to get into theatre and acting. And of course, it will also help create a regular audience for theatre, he says.

“Only if plays are organised on a regular basis, say every week, and people are made aware of its place and time, it will help create an audience base in the city,” says Sarabjit Singh, another young artist. “It is strange that so many multiplexes have opened and all go houseful. But people don’t go to watch theatre that is considered as the mother of cinema,” he says.

Theatre should be started as an extension of the Department of Indian Theatre in the city. “There should be a theatre and film school here to promote and train great talent in the city,” said Rohit, a resident.

There is another impediment to theatre as the moment you start taking tickets, entertainment tax looms large. To help establish theatre, the government must give a tax waiver at least till theatre industry gets established here, says Sikander.

Ludhiana, March 26
Celebrated actor Anupam Kher is all to come to the city to perform in his autobiographical play “Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai”. The play, being organised by the Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam (LSS), would be staged at Guru Nanak Bhawan on April 5.

The play is a monologue. It showcases the life of an actor who being an ordinary boy from Shimla became successful in his life. The play highlights his dreams, struggle, pain and delight.

The play has been directed by Feroz Khan and has been staged in various parts of the country more than 300 times.

SK Rai, Onkar Singh Pahwa apart from other members of the organisation informed the mediapersons about the event here today. They said this would be the 93rd programme being organised by the Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam.

Ludhiana, March 26
Stray cattle menace is increasingly becoming a cause of road accidents and poses a threat to the lives of the residents. Not only do these cattle roaming on the road prove dangerous to the lives of people, by coming in the middle of the roads, but they also meet their end.

The innocuous cattle have become dangerous as these jeopardise lives of residents along with their own.

Stray cattle, including bulls, buffaloes and cows can be seen roaming around on the roadsides in most parts of the city. These cause hindrance in the traffic flow as well.

A number of deadly accidents can be witnessed in the outskirts of the city, as vehicles travel at relatively high speeds because of vacant roads. When the vehicles confront with animals unexpectedly, they often meet serious accidents in an attempt to evade the collisions.

“The stray cattle pose a huge threat to the vehicles as these come in the way all of a sudden,” says Sarabjit, a resident. “I once had a narrow escape when a cow came in the way all of a sudden. I applied the brakes and the vehicle coming from the back crashed into my car from behind. Thankfully, it was a minor damage to the car with no injuries. Although, I drive very carefully, but there seems to be no way that you can avoid animals coming onto the road out of the blue,” he says.

Even though gaushalas have been built in the city, but how many cows are being accepted there is a big question. But taking the animals to gaushalas remains a big problem and most of the gaushalas only accept cows however, other cattle remain on roads with no shelter.

There should be a proper shed built by the District Administration to look after and take care of stray animals, says Amandeep Singh, a resident of Chandigarh Road. Many diseased and sterile animals are left by dairy farmers and owners.

A lot of times, stray cattle are seen on the roadsides sitting on the dividers obstructing traffic and causing traffic jams in the middle of the roads.

Most of the residents also feel panicked because of their constant presence on roads. “I have seen cattle fighting on roads. Seeing traffic around, sometimes the cattle, especially bulls get enraged and can harm anyone. I have witnessed bulls injuring people in the past,” said Joginder Singh, a resident.

MC Commissioner Shruti Singh said she had a meeting with the MC officials and NGOs last week and had discussed about providing more sheds for stray cattle. “We will be monitoring this on a regular basis. More volunteers will be encouraged to accommodate more cattle,” she added.

Machhiwara, March 26
The tests conducted on water samples taken from various government schools of the Machhiwara area had found it unfit for consumption. Students here are forced to drink contaminated water.

As per information from the Health Department, a special team took the samples of more than 96 primary and elementary schools of Machhiwara area from January 1 to February 28, 2013. The health officers were stunned as the water of about 70 schools out of 96 was found polluted and unfit for human consumption after testing in the laboratory. As per health officials, the students could be affected by several diseases such as vomiting, motions and other water-borne diseases still they are forced to drink this water with no other option left.

As per SMO Prempal Gill they had informed the school administrators and block education officer about the polluted water in the schools. However, some social activists of the area, including Shiv Kumar Shivly, had demanded that ROs should be fitted in the affected schools.

Education Minister Sikander Singh Malooka said he would take up the matter with Chief Minister would act in this regard to fit ROs in the affected schools after the election process.

Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Ludhiana, March 26
The industrial city with an estimated population of over 25 lakh finds it tough to get respite from the pollution. The only option available for them is the use of public parks. To add to their woes, the condition of these parks seems to be deteriorating day by day. People get perturbed to see the worse condition and find it difficult to stroll and move to get fresh air.

In the absence of proper maintenance and check by the authorities concerned, the parks, including Rakh Bagh, Leisure Valley and Rose Garden have become a comfortable place for drug addicts and gamblers to carry on with their activities.

Rakh Bagh which is in the heart of the city is surrounded by the residences of officials and leading industrialists. As it is a convenient place for residents to walk, most of the nearby area residents prefer to visit the park to get fresh air. But they get disturbed and scared when they watch such kind of activities taking place publically.

An industrialist Gaurav Sharma said, “During evenings at Ram Bagh, gamblers were seen playing cards on one side while in other corners of the park, drug addicts were seen consuming poppy husk and opium.” Not just we get disturbed to see these activities but we feel insecure that such persons can harm anyone for money, rued Sharma.

Neerja Bhandari, another walker, said during late evenings, young boys and girls were seen watching objectionable videos on their mobile phones. “The other day, I had gone with my young daughter and we got so embarrassed to see a group of boys and girls watching objectionable videos. We decided to leave the place at that very moment,” she said.

In the absence of proper streetlights at Rose Garden, Rakh Bagh and Leisure Valley, anti-social elements find it convenient to continue with their activities. “At Rose Garden, a huge number of rats welcome you. Panic grips among the visitors when rats are seen moving everywhere around you. The authorities concerned should take care of public convenience as not everyone can afford to spend huge amount to visit place like PAU to get fresh air,” said a senior Citizen Jaswinder Bawa.

Mayor’s take
As far as streetlights are concerned, the authorities will make sure that the parks are properly lighted but it is the duty of the Police Department to take action against gamblers and drug-addicts to maintain the law and order.
— Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria, Mayor, Ludhiana

Doraha, March 26
Harshdeep Kaur of MA (first semester) (Sociology) and Harpreet Kaur of MA (first semester) (Political Science) of Guru Nanak National College, Doraha, topped Panjab University (PU) by securing 83.4 per cent and 82 per cent marks, respectively, the results of which were declared by the PU recently.

Harshdeep Kaur stood first in the university and the college in MA (first semester) (Sociology), while Amritpal Kaur and Mandeep Kaur stood second and third in the college by securing 72 per cent and 68.5 per cent marks, respectively.

A total of 30 students took the exam in the subject. Of them, 15 bagged first divisions.

“The pass percentage has been 100 per cent,” said Dr Narinder Sidhu, principal, Guru Nanak National College, Doraha.

He said Harpreet Kaur, a student of MA (first semester) (Political Science), bagged top position in the university as well as the college by securing 82 per cent marks, while Parminder Kaur and Sandeep Kaur stood second and third in the college with 79 per cent and 78 per cent marks, respectively.

President of the college management committee Roop Brar, general secretary Harpratap Brar, director Jaswant Singh Gill and principal Dr Narinder Singh Sidhu congratulated head of the Post Graduate Department of Political Science Prof Gursharan Kaur, head of the Post Graduate Department of Sociology Dr Gurjit Virk Sidhu, students and their parents for putting in their best efforts and bringing laurels to the institution.

Ludhiana, March 26
With no check on the flow of duplicate and counterfeit cosmetics in the city markets, there has been an increase in the cases of skin allergy and reaction among women.

Due to no check on the outlets and wholesalers /retailers selling these “duplicate cosmetics”, which is a violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the number of women visiting dermatologists for skin allergies has increased manifold.

City doctors have witnessed an increase in the cases of “contact dermatitis” among women, thereby, causing severe damage to skin, lips, eyes, nose, face and the scalp.

Name the brand and you will gets its replica at Gur Mandi, which is a hub of duplicate cosmetics. Markets are flooded with duplicate lipsticks, fairness creams, deodorants, compact powders and shampoos, resulting in severe skin allergies and reactions, which at times cause permanent damage to the skin.

Most of the cosmetic shops in the city have set up separate sections for different cosmetics companies with their representatives. Interestingly, when asked about the identity card of the company, these representatives have nothing to show to the customers.

Dr Sukhjot Kaur, assistant professor of dermatology at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, said she gets a large number of patients with skin problems emerging after the use of duplicate cosmetics.

“Hair dyes, nail paints and perfumes are the worst culprits leading to skin problems. First of all, I would suggest that cosmetics should be bought only from the outlets of companies to avoid duplicity. If one wants to use certain products like hair dyes for longer use, she should go for skin patch tests before using the product to avoid any complications afterwards,” Dr Sukhjot said.

Excessive use of ingredients, including hydroquinone and penaphylene deamine (PPD), in duplicate fairness creams and hair colours/dyes causes serious allergic reactions on the face and the scalp.

Ludhiana, March 26
A woman ‘cheated’ her husband and kept him in the dark about her previous marriage from which she also has a daughter.

Not only this, she also lied about her educational qualifications. Following an investigation, the police have registered a fraud case against the woman, her mother and two brothers under Section 420, IPC.

The case was registered on the complaint of the woman’s husband Jatinder Sharma of Madhopuri.

In his complaint, Sharma stated that he got married to one Sonia, resident of Tajpur Road, in June 2012.

Sharma alleged that in July 2012, his mother and sister visited Sonia’s paternal house and found that she was a divorcee and also had a daughter from the marriage.

“I was kept in the dark about Sonia’s previous wedding and child. Sonia is a matriculate and not a bachelor’s degree holder as she had claimed during the wedding,” said Sharma.

Following an investigation, a fraud case was registered against Sonia, her mother Nirmala, and brothers Sumit and Amit.

Samrala, March 26
The Samrala police claimed to have arrested two youths and recovered 24 bottles of liquor from their custody.

As per information, a police party of the Samrala police was patrolling in the area. The police party stopped an Indica car for checking at Dhilwan village. During the search of the vehicle, the police recovered 24 bottles of liquor.

The arrested youths have been identified as Mandeep Singh (26) of Rohle village and Harpreet Singh (27) of Chahilan village.

A case under the Excise Act has been registered at the Samrala Police Station. The accused were later released on bail. — OC

Ludhiana, March 26
Teams from six medical colleges competed in the Pre-NOZIT Football Tournament organised at Guru Nanak Stadium here today. These include three outfits from Ludhiana and an equal number of teams from other cities.

In the first match, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, scored a facile 3-0 victory over Baba Jaswant Singh Dental College, Ludhiana, as the former proved too good in every sphere of the game.

The second match was played between the hosts Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, and Shri Guru Ram Dass Medical Hospital, Amritsar, in which the former quelled a stiff resistance before romping home victorious (2-1).

In the third match, the Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bathinda, recorded (3-1) victory over Government Medical College, Chandigarh.

Earlier, Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina, Dean, Academics, DMCH, and chairperson, DMC Sports Committee, inaugurated the tournament.