Ludhiana, October 4
Celebrating a birthday at a tavern near Sidhwan Canal proved fatal for two friends from Dhuri.

While 27-year-old Jatin Jindal died, his friend Harsh Jain is untraceable after the car ferrying five persons fell into the canal near the South City area at midnight. Three persons were rescued by the police and area residents.

Jatin Jindal was an architect and was staying in a rented apartment at Sarabha Nagar. Efforts are on to locate Harsh Jain, who runs a school and a book store in Dhuri.

He was in the city to celebrate the birthday of their common friend Parag Kalia. Investigating officer Nishan Singh said Harsh might have drowned. Nets have been laid at various locations and divers have also been pressed into service. Harsh’s father Subash Jain, along with his relatives from Dhuri, was at the spot. As the time elapsed, worrying signs were evident on the face of Harsh’s father.

Sunny Bansal from Dhuri, Maninder Singh, a resident of Dashmesh Nagar near Gill Chowk, and Litesh Kumar from Punjab Mata Nagar were sent home. Their statements were recorded. The investigating officer said the youths were seen at the tavern near Sidhwan Canal last night.

As per the eyewitnesses, the friends cut the cake and celebrated the occasion.

While returning home, Jatin mistakenly opted for a wrong stretch that was not carpeted and had no boundary wall. Jatin lost control over his white Ford Figo car and it fell into the canal.

Maninder, Sunny and Litesh managed to come out of the vehicle. The police and the area residents arranged a rope and rescued the trio. Jatin could not come out as the airbags of the car burst.

The windshield was partially broken. Jatin might have drowned while struggling to come out of the vehicle. The body of Jatin Jindal was handed over to the family. 

Ludhiana, October 4
Support poured in for the professor accused of harassing a medical student, Supriya (25), who committed suicide by hanging herself.

A day after vice-chairman of the National Commission for Schedules Castes (NCSC) Raj Kumar Verka ordered a probe into the suicide of MD (paediatrics) third year student, raising suspicion that the victim had committed suicide as she was being harassed by her professor, students of the department of paediatrics issued a communique stating: “It is an irreparable loss. We are with her family. But it is disheartening and painful to read in newspapers that one or two of our respected teachers are being accused of harassment.”

“Our teachers are in no way to be blamed for the unfortunate incident,” read the statement.

The statement was signed by 18 resident doctors of the paediatrics department.

Raj Kumar Verka took suo motu action in the suicide case at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. He issued a notice to Police Commissioner Pramod Ban and Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal to file a report within 15 days.

Dr Supriya, a postgraduate student at the DMCH, committed suicide on September 29. Verka had stated that it had come to his notice that Dr Supriya was harassed by her lecturer. She was from a Dalit family. He said the culprits would be punished.

She was found hanging in Room No. 141 of a hostel. She had left a suicide note saying she was tired of fighting.

Ludhiana, October 4
Adhering to the strict instructions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Contempt of Court Petition 27 of 2013, the civic authorities seem to have adopted a “serious” approach this time. Officials are in the process of writing a letter to the Police Commissioner asking him to provide adequate force to them so that a demolition drive in Chaura Bazar and Talab Bazar can be carried out at the earliest.

Assistant Town Planner (Headquarters) Kamaljit Kaur said the authorities would send the letter shortly. During a hearing of the case in Chandigarh, the Judge stated: “The affidavit submitted by the Municipal Corporation indicates that the civic body has not been seriously pursuing the removal of encroachments at places where strict action was required. Under the statute, the civic body has ample powers and the order of the court mandates the removal of encroachments. Further, perusal of the affidavit indicates that the details pertaining to the area which comes under the Town Planning Scheme have not been referred to so that appropriate directions can be issued to the competent authority to take a decision on the reference.”

The corporation’s senior counsel has sought two months’ time for taking steps to remove the encroachments and come up with an action-taken report. The affidavit should be filed within nine weeks and its copy should be sent to the counsel, said the court.

Now, the MC is left with no choice, but to act tough. It is learnt that political influence keeps the authorities off Chaura Bazar and Talab Bazar. 

Jagraon, October 4
The arrival of paddy at Jagraon Grain Market, which is the second largest market in Asia, is yet to pick up.

Although members of the Jagraon Market Committee claimed that they had made adequate arrangements for the swift procurement of the crop, the ground reality tells a different story.

Usually the paddy arrival starts during the first week of October and thereafter it starts gaining momentum, but things are different this time. Ditto is the situation at rural grain markets of the town.

In Punjab, the procurement started on October 1 and even after two days, the arrival is yet to pick up. The delay in harvesting is being cited as the reason behind the slow arrival of the wheat. Torrential rains towards the end of the season worsened the situation.

The crop has not ripened completely due to delayed rains and most of the farmers are yet to harvest the crop.

The production is also expected to be low as the crop was damaged due to rains.

In a majority of the grain markets located in rural areas around Jagraon, the paddy arrival is yet to gain momentum.

Jagraon Grain Market secretary Jaswinder Singh said the arrival of paddy was slow this time. “It is expected to pick up in the coming days. We have made all arrangements for the smooth procurement of the crop,” he said. 

Ludhiana, October 4
Even disasters cannot knock them down. Members of Bharat Jan Gyan Vigyan Jatha, an NGO, have proved that good things come to those who go the extra mile.

The members teach residents and students how to use life saving jackets during calamitous events. After imparting training to schoolchildren, visitors to Rose Garden and the public in general through seminars and workshops, the NGO is now planning to reach out to slum dwellers.

Kusum Lata, secretary, Ludhiana Chapter of Bharat Jan Gyan Vigyan Jatha, said, “After attending a training workshop organised by the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, I used waste material such as soft drink bottles, thermocol sheets, bamboo sticks and aluminium containers to make life saving jackets.”

Giving a demonstration, Kusum Lata, who is also the headmistress of Government High School, Sarabha Nagar, said: “A football or a volleyball can save a person from drowning. You just have to hold it between your chin and chest tightly. You can also keep life saving jackets made of thermocols in two bags.”

Mandi Ahmedgarh, Oct 4
Two days after the formal commencement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission, nature lovers and morning walkers were upset over the indifferent attitude of residents towards maintaining cleanliness.

Contrary to their expectations to walk on clean roads and grassy lawns, litter welcomed them everywhere including roads, streets and green belts of public organisations.

Though there was an unusual mess today due to the celebration of Dasehra festival on Friday, the mindset of a majority of the people about cleanliness suggests that the tendency is not going to change easily.

Observations by The Tribune revealed that almost all roads at the local town and surrounding localities were littered, despite the massive cleanliness drive launched by the administration on Thursday.

The dirtiness was more intensive near snack bars, restaurants and places occupied by vendors. In the absence of dustbins near vends, residents, especially students, after relishing various dishes littered the surroundings with disposable bowls, bottles and food wrappers.

Despite repeated requests by organisers of various functions organised on Dasehra, a majority of the spectators and invitees exhibited usual behaviour of throwing peels of fruits and other waste items in the open.

Sweepers working with the civic body and those at government and private institutes were a harried lot as they had to put extra efforts during the festival season.

“The most tragic part is that neither the vendors nor the organisers try to minimise littering on festival days and we have to do extra labour for no extra wages,” said a sweeper.

Showing concern over the apathy of civic body officials and the Health Department towards maintenance of cleanliness on roads and near public places, social activists Surinder Kumar and Pawan Kumar argued that vendors and shopkeepers should be bound to install dustbins.

“Besides installing dustbins, they (vendors) should ensure that surroundings are not littered at all,” they said.

Ludhiana, October 4
People in the flood-affected areas in Jammu and Kashmir are reeling under severe health problems and economic difficulties. They require long-term planning for a comprehensive health care and economic uplift through massive aid by the Central Government. This was the impression gathered by the medical relief team, which left Ludhiana on September 27 and returned yesterday.

The team included Dr Arun Mitra, Dr Arun Kumar Handa from Ludhiana, Dr Shakeel Ur Rahman and Dr Satyajit Kumar Singh from Patna, Dr Dharmakari Ramkishan from Hyderabad, Dr Uzair, Dr Suhail from Jammu, Dr GM Malik, national vice-president, IDPD, Dr Latif Mohamad, Dr Bashir Ahmed, Dr Aijaz, Dr Salim Khan from the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) and Ramadhar Singh, Anod Kumar, Sanjeet, Rafiq as paramedical staff.

The mission was organised by the joint efforts of the Indian Doctors For Peace & Development (IDPD), Indian Medical Association (IMA) Ludhiana, Rotary Club Ludhiana Greater, Whole Sale Chemists’ Association, Ludhiana District Chemist Association, All-India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA) and All-India Youth Federation (AIYF).

The team split itself into different groups and gave medical care to the people in the badly affected areas of Srinagar and villages in Pulwama district. The relief material such as blankets, sweaters, other garments and eatables were distributed in several areas in coordination with different voluntary groups in the Valley.

In all, nearly 10,000 patients were examined. A large number of population, particularly women and children, was found to be anaemic and poorly nourished. Infectious diseases, particularly abdominal, skin, allergic reactions and joint pain, were in high number as a result of staying in water for a long time. Population in the affected area was suffering from anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder.

Dr AK Handa said the team was shocked to see the two major hospitals, Government Medical College and Hospital and JVC Medical College and Hospital, still under water. Most of the small hospitals and clinics were severely damaged. Almost all equipment in these hospitals was also completely destroyed.

Dr Arun Mitra, general secretary, IDPD, and former president, IMA, Ludhiana, who led the team, said they found filth and silt all around the city. The whole city was stinking badly. Many areas around the Jhelum were still submerged under water. Most of the commercial establishments were damaged. Many people lost their houses as well as shops. The cleaning efforts were being done at a slow pace. This could pose serious health problems in time to come.

“We appeal to the government to clear the city of garbage on war footing; immediately give sufficient aid to restore working of the medical institutions; announce economic measures like interest-free loans for building houses and commercial establishments, and give aid to the economically lower strata. The team also felt that the people are angry at unplanned distribution of the material by the government machinery. This should be streamlined and there should be no hesitation in accepting aid from the well-recognised international agencies to meet up the requirements of this disaster,” said Dr Mitra.

Ludhiana, October 4
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson and general secretary Maheshinder Singh Grewal today accused the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of “politicising” the unfortunate incident involving the killing of two Dalit youths at Ahluwalia Colony in the Jamalpur area of Ludhiana “for their own vested political interests”.

In a statement issued here today, Grewal said Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Partap Singh Bajwa and AAP Member Parliament Bhagwant Mann have “joined hands out of frustration to derive political mileage out of the tragic incident”.

“It is sad that the duo is playing politics over the death of two Dalit youths,” claimed Grewal.

He said after this tragic incident, the police personnel directly involved in the incident were dismissed from the job and the Khanna SSP was suspended.

“This clearly shows that the Punjab Government has taken this matter seriously and Gurjeet Singh, the main suspect, has been arrested and sent to judicial custody,” he said.

Sukhbir Singh Badal had given clear-cut directions to the police force that no one was above the law, he said.

Grewal claimed that Bajwa has been “totally rejected” by the people of his constituency and that his fellow Congressmen don’t consider him their leader.

“Bajwa is using this tragic incident for gaining political mileage in a bid to regain his lost political ground,” he claimed.

The SAD leader claimed that Mann is “fond of playing the role of a street performer”.

“Mann gave one such performance at Samrala. It is because of such acts of Mann that the popularity of the AAP has touched at its lowest ebb in the state. The AAP will be well advised to make a mature representative its face in Punjab,” Grewal said.

Ludhiana, October 4
An exclusive bridal exhibition, “Lavan Phere”, was inaugurated by Roopa Pahwa, Fitness, Etiquette, Image & Style Consultant; and Indra Ahluwalia, CMD, Grace Beauty Clinic Private Limited, by lighting the traditional lamp at Hotel Park Plaza here.

The exhibition has a wide range of stalls ranging from designer clothes, designer real jewellery, semi-precious and fashion jewellery, home decor products and designer bed linen, handbags, accessories, Karva Chauth & Diwali gifts, wedding videography & photography, wedding catering & astrologer.

Designers and brands at the exhibition have come from various cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ludhiana and even all the way from Pakistan & Dubai as well.

The collection of each and every stall holder is different and is exclusively designed be it jewellery, apparels, footwear or any lifestyle product. Some of the prominent exhibitors of “Lavan Phere” are Frontier (Phagwara), which has an exquisite and most premium collection of bridal wear and party wear.

The fusion collection of local designer Geeta’s couture is one of the highlights at the exhibition.

Stalls of rugs or carpets, top and flared skirts, western dresses, jewellery, embellish, mehandi, nail art, salon and spa, photo booth counter, etc, are other attractions at the exhibition.

Ludhiana, October 4
“De-Cosmopolitan”, another wedding exhibition, was inaugurated at Hotel Maharaja Regency here today. “De-Cosmopolitan”, one of the biggest and exclusive bridal exhibitions, is a treat for shoppers of Ludhiana as it witnesses designer brands that have never come to the city.

Renowned designers are displaying their creations at the “De-Cosmopolitan” - Diwali Bling Bazaar.

A wide range of Diwali and Karva Chauth gift items, bandhanwars, etc, are on display at the exhibition. The exhibition is organised by Avi Singh. — TNS

Jagraon, October 4
The changing lifestyle of schoolchildren has left parents worried. The growing dependency of students on the new technology has been adversely impacting their health.

Modern-day facilities like television, mobile phones, video games and other gadgets available at almost all households have completely changed the lifestyle of children.

Children spend most of their time playing video games, surfing on the Internet and watching television as a result of which they are suffering from problems like obesity, declining eye vision and other health issues.

“Earlier children used to play outdoor games which kept them physically fit. Nowadays, they spent most of their time sitting before the television set, playing video games or games on mobile phones. Lack of outdoor activity has turned them lethargic,” said Mukesh Kumar, father of a Class V student.

It is not only the parents who are concerned about the health of their children due to the changing lifestyle. The teaching community are also equally worried about the growing trend among students. That is why some school administrators have introduced physical activity sessions at schools.

“Physical activities and sports are important in the overall development of the children. But now, the children spend most of their time before computers and television sets at their home. Hence, it has become important to keep them involved in physical activities in schools,” said Poonam Kapahi, principal of DAV Centenary Public School, Jagraon.

Experts and doctors say it was the duty of the parents of school-going children to keep them involved in outdoor activities.

“The parents should make a schedule for their children and the latter should be motivated to play outdoor games. They should not be allowed to use mobile phones or watch television for long as it obstruct their natural growth,” said Dr Kailash Goel.

Samrala, October 4
The Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) has decided to support the struggle of the action committee formed by different political parties against the killing of two Dalit youths of Bohapur village. The union had also demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

Bharti Kisan Union president Joginder Singh Ugrahan, general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan and Ludhiana district president Sudagar Singh Ghudani in a press statement have also demanded death sentence for all accused in the case.

They said ‘goonda raj’ was existing in the state due to political and police patronising of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders and they were targeting innocents.

The leaders supported the forming of the action committee by different political parties to fight for justice and said the union would support the struggle from outside and their workers would take part in it.

They flayed posters pasted by miscreants in the area terming the deceased youths as criminals and said some forces were doing the same for their vested interests.

They demanded that the Station House Officer concerned should also be involved as a co-accused in the killing of two youths by a Shiromani Akali Dal sarpanch along with police personnel and all accused should be given death sentence, including the Station House Officer.

The Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) leaders alleged that hundreds of youth, including girls, had been forcibly disappeared by the police personnel in the past in the state and many of them were killed for none of their fault and this practice was going on till now.

The kisan union leaders added that even jails of the state were also not safe and demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

Ludhiana, October 4
As residents were busy in Dasehra festivities, thieves had a field day.

The thieves struck at a garment shop located near the Chaura Bazar area and decamped with cloth material worth Rs 1.2 lakh and cash worth Rs 5,000.

Giving details about the theft, Vineet Sharma, the owner of the shop, said due to Dasehra festival he closed his shop at 4 pm at returned home.

A security guard called him up at 6 AM and informed him about the theft.

The security guard told Sharma that the locks of his shop were broken and shutters were uprooted.

When Sharma entered the shop, he was shocked to find the premises ransacked. Even the cash counter was also broken.

The police team also reached the spot and began investigation.

The police suspect the involvement of an organised gang behind the theft who were aware that the market would remain deserted due to the Dasehra festival.

The police also visited the shops in the vicinity to check the close-circuit television camera footage.