Ludhiana, September 25
Alert police officials foiled a snatching attempt and nabbed two members of the notorious auto-rickshaw gang following a hot chase at the Model Town area today.

Residents witnessed a Bollywood style hot chase where the officials were seen running after the duo. Balwinder Singh, in charge, bus stand police post, said the accused had taken two elderly women hostage and were in the process of removing their gold ornaments.

The accused, identified as Jaswinder Singh and Arjun Singh, are residents of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar of Dhandra Road.

Surjit Kaur (75), a resident of the Dholewal area, suffered injuries on her earlobe. She told the police that she, along with her sister Rajinder Kaur (70) of Haibowal, was going towards the latter’s house. When they reached the bus stand, they hired an auto-rickshaw for Haibowal. Instead of taking them from Bharat Nagar Chowk, Jaswinder, the auto driver, took the vehicle towards Model Gram.

Soon the driver stopped the auto at a secluded place in Harnam Nagar, Model Town, and a man, identified as Arjun, who was sitting next to Jaswinder, attacked them.

On seeing Arjun struggling to get hold of the women, Jaswinder too joined his accomplice. The women said they tried to raise the alarm, but the accused pulled off a sharp-edged weapon and threatened to kill them.

The duo then gagged the victims. Suddenly, the two bumped into a police naka near a gurdwara at Harnam Nagar. They stopped the vehicle at some distance from the naka. On seeing two police officials coming towards the auto, Jaswinder and Arjun got panicky. They left the vehicle and escaped. The officials gave them a hot chase and managed to overpower them.

The gold ornaments snatched from the elderly women were recovered from the possession of the accused.

In police custody, the accused reportedly confessed to have robbed innocent passengers, preferably women and migrants, posing as auto drivers and passenger. Balwinder Singh said nakas had been laid at snatching-prone areas following the order of the Commissioner of Police.

A few months ago, two bike-borne youths had snatched a purse containing Rs 2.5 lakh from the daughter-in-law of Avtar Singh Makkar, president, Shiromani Gurdwara 
Parbandhak Committee, while she was visiting the same location, from where the snatchers were nabbed. 

Harrowing time

* The victims said instead of taking them from Bharat Nagar Chowk, the auto driver took the vehicle towards Model Gram. He stopped the auto at a secluded place in Harnam Nagar, Model Town, and a man, who was sitting next to him, attacked them. The women said they tried to raise the alarm, but the accused pulled off a sharp-edged weapon and threatened to kill them.

* The accused confessed to have robbed passengers, preferably women and migrants.

Ludhiana, September 25
Hookah bar owners are going the herbal way. They keep finding ways and means to keep health officials off their premises.

This time, they have introduced herbal hookahs. But the question that arises here is: Will the Health Department sit quiet and not act against them?

“Some bars in the city have introduced herbal hookahs. Their argument is that they do not use tobacco molasses, which are banned. Instead, they use herbs and plants for flavour. In underlying logic, however, is this even bhanj or ganja, cannabis is also a plant,” said District Health Officer Dr Kulwinder Singh.

He said the owners would be challaned. Food and Drug Commissioner had also issued instructions in this regard. Sources said: “The hookah bars sell every flavour.” A popular bar in the city doesn’t have hookah on their menu, 
but walk in and all flavours are available.”

The hookahs served are a blend of herbal leaves with a syrup extracted from semi-dried fruit. The mixture is placed in an earthen shell over which a piece of burning charcoal is placed.

“The tobacco intake from hookahs plays havoc with the physical as well as mental health of people, especially minors, who are frequently visiting the bars. Even the herbal flavours are not good for health,” added a senior doctor from the city.

Ludhiana, September 25
A number of school managements, associated with the Punjab School Education Board, refused to submit the online “Self-appraisal for associated schools”. A meeting of managements of several associated schools was held at the Circuit House here today.

The school managements have decided that they will not submit the online form of Self-appraisal.

The board had asked the schools associated with the PSEB to submit online self -appraisal a few weeks ago. The forms were uploaded on the site of the PSEB three days ago. The PSEB has initiated the move to check the available space and infrastructure at the associated schools.

Vipanjeet Singh, principal of an associated school, said, “The PSEB should tell us a valid reason behind the move. Why should we submit the details about the school? The PSEB has all the details about our schools already.”

SS Sodhi, another principal, said, “The PSEB wants to eliminate the associate schools branch in the board. The online form on the website reads, Welcome to affiliation window.”

The sources have revealed that some of the associated schools have submitted the online self-appraisal form.

The unions of association schools are yet to respond on the issue. A large number of school managements have, however, refused to submit the online form.

There are a total 8,000 associated schools in the state. The PSEB had introduced the term “Associated schools” three years ago. Earlier, these schools were known as private schools and students used to sit for the PSEB examinations as private applicants. “The government has extended the date for implementation of Right to Education Act so the PSEB should not press the associate schools to implement the recommendations of the RTE,” said Vipanjeet.

Mandi Ahmedgarh/ Khanna, September 25
The Education Department has launched a coordinated campaign to provide artificial limbs, hearing aids, tricycle and wheelchairs to the differently abled students of the government and private-aided school.

To assess requirements of various students, block-wise camps are being organised at various places.

The district coordinator of the Ludhiana segment of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Gulzar Shah, said the department is already in the process of identifying differently abled children studying in various schools of the region.

The needy students will be provided artificial limbs, hearing aids, tricycles and wheelchairs free-of-cost. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan authorities have already coordinated with an artificial limbs and aids manufacturing company of Kanpur for free supply of the materials. Teams of doctors, teachers and social workers are organising assessment camps at Jawahar Nagar Camp, Ludhiana, Doraha and Khanna. The paper work and assessment would be completed soon, said Gulzar Shah.

Shah said about 9,000 differently abled students of the district would be benefited by the scheme.

Shah urged office-bearers and activists of social and educational organisations to help the administration to identify genuine beneficiaries. 

Ludhiana, September 25
A one-day national seminar on “Augmenting processing and shelf-life of perishable food products” will be held on September 26 at Pal Auditorium, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). The National Productivity Council (NPC), New Delhi, will organise the seminar, under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

The Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, will be the chief guest on the occasion.

The director general, NPC, Harbhajan Singh, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, Siraj Hussain, and director (Agri-business), NPC, J Aggarwal, will also share their views on the occasion.

The seminar will lay emphasis on proactively engaging food processing industries, policy makers, technologists and other key holders in collective discussion for augmenting processing of perishable food products.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 25
Over 60 students of the Bhutta College of Engineering and Technology, Bhutta village, received placement letters from multinational companies during a job fair, held at the college. The fair was organised as a part of the agreement made with the college, under the Elite Engineering Programme.

A former minister, Jagdish Singh, said MNCs had agreed to leverage their core strength in the IT industry , with offering ELITE certifications to students of the college. — OC

Results

Drama: Guru Nanak Khalsa College, 1; Government College for Girls, 2; Mata Ganga Khalsa College for Women 3; drama (individual): Shweta, Guru Nanak Khalsa College, 1; Akriti, Guru Nanak College for Girls, 2; Sehajdeep, Government College for Girls, 3. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, September 25
Classroom teaching in government schools will be affected adversely as students and staff will be busy in transforming their institutes to ‘Sohan School’.

The authorities of the schools are already finding it difficult to organise functions and seminars regarding government’s crusade launched against menace of drug-addiction.

However, students and teachers are more appreciative and enthusiastic about unconventional atmosphere wherein they will be actively involved in cleaning and beautification of their campuses.

Majority of students and teachers at government schools of the area were enthusiastic about the cleanliness drive being undertaken in supplementation to Prime Minister Narinder Modi’s ‘Swachh Bharat’ project.

Acknowledging the theme behind the crusade ‘Cleanliness is Godliness’ teachers and students of the region said each coming day would be devoted to the mission as scheduled by the director general school education.

The drive scheduled to be launched by the education minister from Mothanwal School on Thursday, envisages active participation of all constituents of government schools from the commencement till concluding day on October 31. Almost all working days during this period have been assigned for specific work associated with the cleanliness drive.

While some days are earmarked for physical work at classroom, laboratories, libraries, kitchens, toilets, playgrounds and green belt of the schools, others are to be utilised for organizing talks by specialists, essay writing contests and painting competition on the subject.

The school authorities have also been advised to involve social organisations of their respective area in the mission and constitute ‘Baal (children) Councils’ at their institutes.

Administrative work is also bound to be affected as officials at circle office, district education office and block primary education office have been asked to visit at least two schools daily. Parents of students led by former president Government Teachers Union Baldev Latala and Sikandar Singh Jartauli have urged the authorities to rationalise the schedule to minimise disturbance in studies.

“We appreciate government’s concern about the cleanliness at schools, deviation from normal atmosphere so frequently cannot be termed in favour of students and teachers,” argued the Government Teachers’ Union activists.

Jagraon, September 25
State Education Department’s proposed drive —Sohna School Campaign— to be launched by the department shortly to maintain hygiene in the government schools has not gone well with various sections of the society.

Under this campaign, the school students would have to clean their classrooms, paint the walls of their schools before cleaning them properly and also clean the toilets of the school. But there has been a huge scarcity of Safai Karamcharis in the schools. The shortage of Safai Karamcharis has further increased the trouble of school children as well as the teachers of various schools.

However, the decision to clean the schools by using school children in absence of required cleaners and sweepers is not going well with the parents of the students. The attempt by the education department to ask students to clean and paint the schools is a blatant violation of the norms of Child Labour Prevention Act. Besides, the practice also violates Right to Education Act.

Kanwaljit Singh Khanna, State Secretary, Inqulabi Kendra, Punjab, said the government shall first recruit required safai karamcharis. “Giving work meant for the safai karamcharis to the students is not acceptable at any cost,” added Kanwaljit Khanna.

Punjab Education Minister Daljeet Singh Cheema said this campaign focuses upon training the students to keep their surroundings clean. “We want to educate the students the importance of their own involvement in keeping their surroundings such as classrooms, playgrounds, toilets clean,” added he. 

Dept draws flak

The attempt by the education department to ask students to clean and paint the schools is a blatant violation of the norms of Child Labour Prevention Act. Besides, the practice also violates Right to Education Act. 

Ludhiana, September 25
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious project— Swachh Bharat Week— was launched on the directions of Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal, here today. RD Sharma, senior deputy mayor, launched the project from Chander Nagar Bridge in ward number 31, here. Area councillor Narinder Singh Malhi and other senior officials from MC were also present on the occasion. As part of “Swachh Bharat Week”, the roads of Chander Nagar were cleaned by MC authorities. While addressing the gathering, MC officials said the society and nation could prosper only if environment was maintained and cleaned.

With an aim and vision of Narendra Modi, the “Swachh Bharat Week” would end on October 2, the launch date of “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”.

“The programme is expected to continue till the culmination of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019. The programme is aimed at creating a clean India by 2019 with people’s participation,” said an official with MC. During the cleanliness drive grass, weed, solid waste will be removed. Stagnant water will be pumped out and progress will be reviewed each day.

Ludhiana, September 25
Dr Gurpreet Singh Wander, chief cardiologist at Hero DMC Heart Institute, has been elected as the national President elect of the Association of Physicians of India (API). In a straight contest, he won over his opponent from Kolkata by a margin of approximately 2,200 votes.

Dr Wander has become the second person from north to be elected as the president of this body, which is the largest academic component of the postgraduate physicians in medicine in the country. He has been earlier awarded the prestigious Dr BC Roy award in 2006 by the President of India and the K Saran National Award in the year 2004 by the Indian Medical Association. API has a membership of 19,000 physicians and conducts academic activities such as annual conference, brings out monthly journal of the Association of Physicians of India (JAPI) which is the most popular medical journal of India. It publishes API Textbook of Medicine which is read by undergraduate and postgraduate students across the country. It brings medicine update and post graduate medicine books which update physicians on recent advances in medicine. It holds satellite meetings and workshops for the education of postgraduate students and practicing physicians. 

Ludhiana, September 25
Actor Rana Ranbir was in the city today to talk about his upcoming solo play titled ‘Khetan Da Putt’ dedicated to the life and poetry of Punjabi poet Avtar Singh Pash. A solo Punjabi play is going to be staged at Guru Nanak Bhawan on September 27.

Rana said this would be the tenth show of the play. The first show was staged in Canada about two months ago.

Rana had written the play for the first time about 18 years ago when he was a theatre student. His quest and hunger to do serious acting, has led him to come back to theatre, which he considers as his ‘mother’ as he learnt his acting being a theatre artiste.

He said he chose to do poetry of Pash because its every line had a message for social reform and fighting for rights and justice. “It sparks hope and inspires to live life. His poetry is a reflection of his life and his struggle deserves applause. His poetry also has oodles of drama and thus makes them apt for the play, Rana said. Several elements such as revolt, fire, anxiety, romance, achievement, naughtiness etc are a part of his poetry. His poetry gives a message to live life and the play concludes on the note that ‘the most dangerous point in life is when dreams die’.

He said he had come to theatre for good and was even starting an organisation for the promotion of theatre with the name of Sidak Rangmanch Sanstha. Along with cinema, he will continue to do theatre. It is important for people to realise the importance of Punjabi theatre and books, he says. Theatre is more challenging for an actor and more fulfilling, substantial for the audience as well and thus needs to be promoted and supported, Rana added.

It is an 80-minute play being organised by the Sambhav Foundation, VMAD and Daughter Day Foundation. 

Ludhiana, September 25
City-based designer Tanu Vohra has come up with her collection that she has designed for a national beauty pageant dedicated to the cause of female foeticide.

She is the designer for the finale of beauty pageant Miss India Elite 2014. She said the causes of girl child and female foeticide was very close to her heart as she was the fourth daughter in the family. “I can relate to the tremendous pressure women in the society face. So, when I got to know about the beauty pageant dedicated to the cause I took to it like a duck to water, the designer added.

Tanu said she got associated with the event through Sandeep, the CEO of the event, when he was looking for good designers. Apart from her, two more designers are designing for the event and she is designing for the finale. She has designed 25 costumes for the final round of the event to be held in Delhi on October 2, she said.

Part of the funds raised during the event would go for the cause. The group aims to adopt villages in Haryana where the sex ratio is critical and start fixed deposits on the birth of every girl child. The winner of the pageant would go to many places in North India to spread awareness about female foeticide, she said.

The 25 finalists of the beauty pageant were earlier selected from eight different zones on September 16.

The judges comprise beauties pageant winners from different parts of the world. The finalist of the Miss India Elite 2014 pageant will represent India at the Miss Super Model International 2014 to be held in Korea. 

For a noble cause

Part of the funds raised during the event would go for the cause. The group aims to adopt villages in Haryana where the sex ratio is critical and start fixed deposits on the birth of every girl child. The winner of the pageant would go to many places in North India to spread awareness about female foeticide.

Ludhiana, September 25
The Punjab Bank Employees’ Federation (Ludhiana) observed an Anti-Merger Day and held a massive demonstration in front of the State Bank of Patiala, Zonal Office here today.

As per the decision of the All-India Bank Employees Association, it has been decided to unleash a campaign and agitation programmes against the fast emerging attacks on the banking industry.

While addressing the bank employees, leaders of the Federation said at a time when the government was trying their best to push through their various efforts and proposals to implement banking sector reforms such as privatisation, mergers, etc what was really required was to address and tackle the problem of alarming increase of the bad loans in the banks.

Naresh Gaur, secretary, said more than Rs 50,000 crore of bad loans had been sold away to Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARC) last year. “There are proposals to set-up bigger ARCs so that there can be wholesale sale of the Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). Sale of NPAs is another fraud mechanism. It is a device to take out the NPAs from the books of the banks. It is nothing but a camouflage,” Gaur said.

Ludhiana, September 25
Fellow students of the nursing student, who was stripped by her warden for stealing a mobile phone yesterday, expressed their anguish over the incident and staged a protest against the college authorities for the inhuman treatment.

The matter was resolved after ACP-South Rupinder Kaur reached the college and pacified the agitating students.

The girl was stripped after the OPD attendant’s mobile was stolen. The attendant had levelled allegations against the nursing student for stealing her mobile phone.

Following the allegation, the nursing student was taken to a separate room where she was stripped by the warden for searching mobile phone.

It is learnt that the nursing student fainted twice while she was being frisked. The college authorities had to cut a sorry figure after the mobile phone was not found from the student.

The protesting students demanded sacking of persons involved in striping episode.

The college students said the agitation would continue till the time the nursing student would not get justice.

The college authorities have sought two more days from the police. It is learnt that the time was sought to resolve the matter with the parents of the nursing student.

Despite repeated attempts none of the college authorities were available for comments. 

CRIME

Conned by fake IAS, residents lodge plaint with police chief
Tribune news Service

Ludhiana, September 25
Residents of Sakhewal Road, who were reportedly tricked by a man posing as IAS officer, today lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police, Pramod Ban, against the alleged imposter.

The alleged imposter identified as Dr Sidhik Abdul Rehman, a fake IAS officer, on Tuesday visited the office of ACP- South Rupinder Kaur in connection of a marital dispute.

Gulshan Kwatra said Sidhik came from girl’s side and reportedly threatened his son following which he went into depression.

The residents led by Gulshan Kumar Soni visited the office of Commissioner of Police Pramod Ban. Soni said, “We have also lodged a complaint against the girl’s father for bringing a fake IAS who forced the boy to sign documents. We requested the police to question the girl’s father and find the whereabouts of the man who duped the police department and innocent residents like us.”

Police commissioner has marked an investigation into the matter.

Gulshan Kumar Soni said the cops at the office of ACP- South were admitted that an imposter duped them. They were lamented over the fact of not mustering courage to ask the imposter IAS to show his identity card.

COURTS

pending challans
Lokpal summons 8 MC officials
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 25
Lokpal, Dr SS Chauhan has summoned eight officials of the Municipal Corporation to be present on the next hearing of the case of pending challans at Circuit House on September 30. The summons has been delivered by name by the Lokpal and Pradeep Aggarwal, MC Commissioner, has been informed about it.

An official with the civic body preferring anonymity said the summons had been issued to all Assistant Town Planners (ATP) of four zones. These include Vijay Kumar, head draftsman-cum-ATP Zone D, Kamaljit Kaur Zone A, Monical Anand Zone C and Jasbir Singh, who has been given the charge of ATP of Zone C.

Apart from the summons issued to the four ATPs, all the four zonal commissioners have also been asked to be present at the time of hearing by the Lokpal.

The Lokpal has been postponed because the Vidhan Sabha Committee will be visiting MC on the particular day in the second week of September. So now, the officials have been asked to report on September 30.

Reportedly, Dr Chauhan has been visiting and meeting the officials on the issue of pending challans of many buildings here, the complaint of which was filed by RTI Activist Rohit Sabharwal on April 7, 2014.

According to the available data with building branch of MC, there were around 46 buildings in Zone A, 11 in Zone B, 21 in Zone C and about 49 in Zone D, the challans of which were pending. One of the building branch inspector said 90 per cent of these buildings were non-compoundable while challans were issued of compoundable buildings.

The system in the building branch is in shambles with officials/building inspectors/employees preferring to look the other way when their vested interests are watched. It is only due to their connivance with violators and political pressure that hundreds of illegal buildings have mushroomed in recent times. Even the MC Chief has agreed to the fact that the condition of building branch was in worst condition.