Ludhiana, October 6
Celebrations turned into tragedy in the Ladhowal area after two boys drowned in the Sutlej during the Durga immersion here today. The deceased have been identified as Dharamvir (14) and Sunil Yadav (20), both residents of Gagan Nagar in the Daba area.

Station House Officer (SHO) of Ladhowal Randhir Singh said the incident took place this morning when nearly 40 residents of Gagan Nagar reached the banks of the Sutlej on a vehicle. While they were busy immersing the idol of Goddess Durga, Dharamvir, jumped into the river to swim.

Soon, devotees saw Dharamvir crying for help. Sunil Yadav jumped into the river to rescue Dharamvir. However, both were swept away by the current. The devotees could not do anything but helplessly watch them drown.

In the afternoon, the bodies of both the boys were fished out from the river in the Noorpur Bet area. The bodies were sent to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem. The SHO said inquest proceedings under section 174 of the CrPC has been initiated.

Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended on Gagan Nagar. The parents of both youths regreted their decision of allowing their children to go for the Durga idol immersion.

Sunil Yadav was a student of BCom final. His mother said he was good at studies and was their only hope of possible better future. 

Ludhiana, October 6
The city police have arrested six persons for betting on cricket matches. The accused have been identified as Amit Malhotra of Janakpur, Jatinder Singh of Khurana Colony in Bhamian, Sanjay Kumar of the Daresi Road area, Vaibhav Verma of Joshi Nagar, Amit Kumar of Madhopuri and Rajesh Chopra of Guru Nanak Nagar in Haibowal.

While addressing a press conference, the ACP (Crime) Jaswinder Singh said the police received a tip-off that the accused were operating a betting racket from a house in Sector 32 on the Chandigarh road.

Following the tip-off, a police team raided the place and arrested the accused. The police also seized Rs 1.15 lakh from the spot.

The ACP said the accused had procured sim cards of various mobile service providers by submitting fake identities. They used to frequently change their base. If any of their clients won a big amount, then the accused blocked their mobile numbers and shift to a new place.

The police have recovered 29 mobile phones, two recorders, a laptop, a television and a mobile exchange from the possession of the accused.

Ludhiana, October 6
A 24-year-old youth jumped from the third floor of a shopping mall located on the Ferozepur road here today.

The youth, identified as Sahil, a resident of Shimlapuri, suffered multiple injuries, including a broken leg. He was admitted to a multispeciality hospital.

According to his parents, Sahil was suffering from some mental illness and was undergoing treatment.

He left home along with his friend Lalit, who lives in Jawahar Nagar, three days ago on the pretext of paying obeisance at Golden Temple. The whereabouts of Lalit were not known.

Before jumping from the mall, he called up his sister and told her that he was going to end his life by jumping from the shopping mall.

According to the police, the incident took place this morning.

A security guard said Sahil reached third floor of the mall and removed his slippers. In no time he jumped off.

The mall authorities rushed an injurd Sahil to the hospital. The police were in the process of recording his statement.

Ludhiana, October 6
Karvachauth is round the corner and women in the city are geared up to celebrate the festival with class and style. Bangles and Karvachauth are inseparable and shopkeepers try to make maximum profits during this time of the year.

When it comes to bangles, women are spoilt for choice. Glass, metal, mirror, laakh, Swarovski, pearls, thread, the choice is endless.

“Karvachauth is incomplete without bangles. I have specially come from Firozabad to put up a stall in the city during the festival days. Firozabad is famous for glass bangles and nothing matches the tinkle of these glass bangles. I have bangles in every shade and hope to do good business during the festival season,” said Shankar Parsad, a bangle seller from Firozabad.

Apart from the markets like Ghumar Mandi, Model Town and Sarabha Nagar, it is Meena Bazar located in the interiors of the city that houses bangles of every material, size and quality. Just walk into one of those crowded streets and one will see colorful shops stocked with bangles of all kinds. There is a different charm in this busy market. Walking thorugh the busy lanes, one can hear the tinkling of the bangles all around.

Diyankar Madaan from Meena Bazar says the sale of metal bangles and traditional bangles is really high during Karvachauth.

“It is one of the festivals on which sale of bangles is higher than any other accessory. There are lots of options available in the market starting from Rs 50 to 5,000 a dozen,” he says.

There are some modest shops that not only sell traditional glittering bangles, but also bangles studded with vibrant stones and pearls. Even simple glass bangles are available in the traditional as well as modern colours. To make a complete set of bangles, “karas” are also in huge demand these days, said another shopkeeper Mustaq from Meena Bazar.

Ludhiana, October 6
With the festival season at its peak, almost all markets are flooded with new and fancy items for Karva Chauth, Ahoi Ashtmi Vrat and Divali, etc. To attract customers, shopkeepers in major markets have displayed their goods on the public land, making it difficult for residents to move and shop around conveniently.

The shopkeepers at many markets, including Sarabha Nagar, BRS Nagar, Model Town, Ghumar Mandi, Chaura Bazar, Dandi Swami Chowk, Talab Bazar, Gur Mandi and Field Ganj, have displayed their goods on tables kept outside their shops. Giving two hoots to the inconvenience caused to the general public and violation of the traffic rules, they have encroached on the roads up to 10 feet.

Bal Kumar, a salesman at a gifts shop in Ghumar Mandi, said from now on, a table will be put up outside the shop and gift items displayed for Diwali shoppers. “It is a routine practice and every festival season, we extend the shops by displaying out stocks on tables. Buyers would not know what all we have inside the shops unless the samples are displayed on the tables outside the shops,” said the salesman.

A policeman on duty near Chaura Bazar said during festivals, such temporary encroachments were a common sight. Though these encroachments cause traffic congestion and cases of road rage, there are no check on them. “Diwali is a major festival of India and people do not mind spending huge sums on buying decorative items, utensils, household items, etc. Shopkeepers display their stocks outside the showrooms to avoid rush inside. Though all this is not permitted by law, the authorities adopt a lenient view during the festival season. We are there to regulate traffic but at times, we also turn a blind eye to these encroachments because things cannot be improved when violations are on such large scale,” he said.

To remove these temporary encroachments, a drive was initiated by the Municipal Corporation and they had confiscated goods from the Field Ganj area, Bhadaur House and Sarabha Nagar. However, within a few hours, the encroachments surfaced again. Keeping the festival season in mind, the MC, Police Department and the District Administration had made an appeal to the residents to obey the traffic rules and not to keep their stocks on the footpaths and corridors. However, such appeals go unheard as for the violators this is the best time to make profits.

“We know it is unethical to block the public roads and display goods outside. But everybody likes to make maximum profits during Diwali when residents loosen their purse strings. In routine, we can respond to such appeals but not during the festival season,” said Omkar, a shopkeeper near Mata Rani Chowk.

Ludhiana, October 6
The city police today arrested two persons, who were involved in kidnapping and raping a minor in the Alamgir area. Yesterday, the police had booked four youngsters of the Daba area in a gang rape case.

The accused have been identified as Sonu and Raja, both residents of Shahzada Fateh Singh Nagar, and their two accomplices Soni and Nindi, who are still at large.

Jatinder Singh, Daba SHO, said efforts were on arrest Soni and Nindi. The medical test of the victim was conducted which confirmed rape.

In police custody, Sonu, who lives in the victim’s neighbourhood, reportedly told the police that he was having an affair with the girl.

Meanwhile, some woman organisations reached the Daba police station and staged a protest. They ended their protest after the police told them that they had arrested two of the accused.

In her complaint to the police, the mother of the 17-year-old victim, a resident of Mohalla Basant Nagar, said her daughter had left for her school (Government High School at Lohara) at around 8 am on Saturday. The accused abducted her on the way in an auto-rickshaw and took her to Alamgir.

They sprinkled some sedative on a handkerchief and made her daughter smell it, after which she fell unconscious. The four raped her and dumped her near Guru Nanak Engineering College, her mother said.

Ludhiana, October 6
Muslims celebrated Eid-ul-Zuha with gaiety today. A huge turnout was witnessed at Jama Masjid. Men, women and children dressed in traditional attire offered prayers. Eid-ul-Zuha is one of the most important Muslim festivals and is observed as a “Festival of Sacrifice” by the community. Religious heads spoke of peace and about the relevance of supporting each other.

MP Ravneet Singh Bittu said brotherhood, peace and prosperity should be promoted.

“Let’s follow the message of love, humanity and start celebrating our religious functions together,” added Bittu.Delicacies such as korma, biryani, shammi kebab and bhuna gosht are relished on the day.

The festival is essentially about rich flavoursome, succulent mutton delicacies. City resident Aursha said she had been making arrangements for the past couple of days.

“Today, I treated my guests to mutton biryani, lamb chops, mutton korma, kadai kaleegi , pulao, naan and to satiate the sweet tooth I prepared sevaiya and phirni,” she added.

Dehlon, October 6
Followers of Baba Gurmukh Singh Lalton have demanded the arrest of miscreants who had allegedly vandalised the statue of the Komagata Maru ship martyr at his native Lalton Khurad village a few days ago.

Though the police has initiated a probe into the incident after registering a case against unknown persons, no arrest has been made.

Followers of the martyr, led by Sukhwinder Singh Leel, an office-bearer of the Komagata Maru Centenary Celebration Committee alleged that the administration had failed to protect memorials of freedom fighters and martyrs who had laid their lives for the nation. Though the statute installed at Government High School had been vandalised thrice till now, the administration had failed to identify and punish the miscreants.

Office-bearers and activists of the committee, led by Jaswant Singh Zirakh, Jasdev Singh Lalton and Kasturi Lal, announced to organise a function to pay tributes to Lalton on October 8.

Meanwhile, activists of the Desh Bhagat Yadgari Committee Jalandhar, led by Amolak Singh, Raghbir Kaur and Darbara Singh Dhillon, also condemned the repeated desecration of the statue of Lalton. Investigations revealed that some unknown miscreants had damaged the statue of Baba Gurmukh Singh Lalton a few days ago. The Lalton police had registered a case against unknown miscreants but no arrest has been made yet.

A few years ago followers of Lalton had constituted the Gurmukh Singh Action Committee to get the suspects identified and booked. Later, some social organisations and artists came forward to get the statue repaired.

Doraha, October 6
Girl volunteers of NSS with the collaboration of the panchayat of Tamkaudi village and Bhai Ghanaiya Welfare Sewak Jatha took out awareness rally today to raise their voice against social evils. This was done as a part of the seven-day NSS camp being carried out at Guru Nanak National College.

Holding placards and shouting slogans in the streets of Tamkaudi, Lopon and Jaspalon villages, the volunteers with the support of the village women pleaded for equal rights , importance of the girl child, significance of a gender equal society, eradication of evils such as female foeticide, eve teasing, molestation and torture of women, girls and even infants. The volunteers went door-to-door to awaken the women, who they felt, are not aware of their rights and hence are degraded by male dominated society even today. They stressed that education alone could bring a change in their socio-economic status and it should be the responsibility of the parents of the girls to provide them with education, so that they could sustain themselves and their family and be of service to the nation at large.

The volunteers motivated the village women and said, “The need of the hour is to make the masses aware of the position of girls in the society. You should be well aware of your rights as women, as law is on your side and should not try to suppress any type of oppression by keeping mum. Rather you should raise your voice against any and every social evil especially related to women so that more and more females develop the guts to come before the society and make their tale of woes public.” Manpreet Kaur, sarpanch of Tamkaudi village, advised the girls to become self-reliant in order to give a boost to their identity and secure adequate place in the ‘imbalanced’social set up. Jagmohan Singh Kang, principal of Government School, Tamkaudi, too shared that the time had come when girls should realise their place and indispensible role and thus try to improve their status and position through education and awareness.

The programme officer in turn instructed the volunteers to raise their voice against the evil practice of killing the baby girl in mother’s womb. “Moreover, as conscious citizens you must realise your duties far better than your rights as it is the selfless, duty-conscious citizens who can make a nation great and strong,” she added. The programme officers elaborated upon the aims and objectives of the National Service Scheme and motivated the volunteers to recognise the dignity of labour. 

Ludhiana /Dehlon, October 6
Accusing successive governments of ignoring their genuine demands, the Sarav Sikhya Abhyan and RAMSA Teachers’ Union has announced to launch an agitation on October 18.

The decision was taken during the concluding session of a meeting organised at Ludhiana today.

Regular pay scale and allowance in parity with other government employees and immediate orders for regularisation in their parent department were cited as major demands.

Office-bearers and activists of the union led by district president Amandeep Singh Dadhahoor and general secretary Iqbal Singh alleged that the state government had allegedly ruined their career by betraying form promises made in the past.

While Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, in a meeting held over a year ago, had assured the union to implement a permanent policy to regularise around 13,000 employees in their parent department within a fortnight, but nothing concrete had been in this regard till now.

“Instead of keeping his promise, the Chief Minister got our members thrashed mercilessly by the police when they were protesting peacefully to seek justice,” said Dadhahur and Singh.

Referring to decision taken in the concluding session of the meeting, Dadhahur and Singh said coordinated movement to get their demands accepted would be launched on October 18. 

Ludhiana, October 6
Punjab gets another feather in its cap as online registration figure for the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for scheduled castes (SCs) touched a record number of 2,95,344 on September 30, 2014, i.e. the last day of online registration.

Giving details Gulzar Singh Ranike, Welfare Minister, Punjab, said there had been an increase of 35.28 per cent registrations in 2014-15. He said online registration figure had reached 2,95,344 as compared to last year’s 2,18,323. Ranike added that 77,021 more students had registered on the Ashirwad portal.

The minister said a total of 4,403 institutes, including both government and private, are a part of this scheme. “Due to rigorous persuasion of the matter with GOI, central share of Rs 149.67 crore has been received for the first time in advance for the current year,” he added.

Seema Jain, secretary, Welfare, said the state government was closely monitoring all welfare schemes and all the officers/employees had been directed to serve the people and implement the schemes in a transparent manner so that the schemes should reach to intended beneficiaries. 

Ludhiana, October 6
An alumnus of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Dr Upkar Singh Sadana has joined as National Consultant (Soil Science) in the National Food Security Mission, Ministry of Agriculture, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi.

Dr Sadana embarked on his professional journey in 1982 as Assistant Soil Chemist in the Department of Soil Science and subsequently, rose to the position of a full-fledged professor in 1997. He was appointed as Head, Department of Soil Science, PAU, in August 2011 and continued to steer research, extension and teaching activities of the department till he reached the age of superannuation in April 2014.

Dr Sadana is an Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Stiftung post-doctoral fellow, and in this capacity, he worked at the Institute of Plant Nutrition, Technical University München, Germany, from July 1992 to December 1993, and several times afterwards at the Institute of Agricultural Chemistry, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany.

Dr Sadana has made significant contributions in the domains of chemical equilibria of micronutrients, modelling nutrients dynamics in the rhizosphere and efficient management of micronutrients’ deficiencies in different cropping systems. In recognition of his spectacular research contributions, the Indian Science Congress Association conferred on him ‘Pran Vohra Young Scientist Award-1989’. Besides, he was awarded ‘SN Ranade Memorial Award 2000’ for excellence in micronutrients research. The IZA-FAI award for promoting the use of zinc in Indian agriculture was bestowed upon him during the year 2012. International recognition of his research endeavours has taken him places abroad. Dr Sadana has been to Australia, Japan, Germany, France, UK, Pakistan, China, Turkey, Thailand, Nepal and Spain. His research has yielded more than 150 research publications, out of which more than 70 possess an international stature.

Ludhiana, October 6
Dr Gurbachan Singh Miglani, a former professor of genetics at Punjab Agricultural University, has authored a book titled, ‘Essentials of Molecular Genetics’, a textbook, for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying molecular genetics.

Dr Miglani who retired from the Department of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Biotechnology, PAU, in December 2005 is now a visiting professor at the School of Agricultural Biotechnology (SAB), where he is teaching biotechnology and molecular genetics to undergraduate and postgraduate students. He has been a
recipient of ‘Meritorious Teacher Award’ of the PAU.

The foreword of this book has been written by world renowned rice scientist Dr Gurdev S Khush, who has observed that ‘there is a gap between the knowledge that is required and what is actually being taught in molecular genetics courses at bachelors, masters’ and doctoral levels’. The book will fill the above mentioned need to upgrade the level of teaching of molecular biology.

International edition of the book has been simultaneously brought out by Alpha Science International, the UK. Prof Miglani has earlier authored several textbooks; noteworthy among them are Dictionary of Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology, Basic Genetics, Advanced Genetics, Developmental Genetics, Fundamentals of Genetics, Genetic Material, Gene Expression and Gene Regulation. 

Ludhiana, October 6
Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism of Desh Bhagat University organised an industrial-cum-educational visit for its airlines, tourism and hospitality management students. During the visit, the students were taken to hotels in Ludhiana. The objective of the visit was to make them familiar with the current trends in the competitive world by sharing knowledge, ideas and skills with those of the people from the hotel industry. Students along with their teachers visited the hotels and took a close look of the functioning and hospitality at the hostels.

The students took a complete round of the hotels and visited different sections, including kitchen, restaurant, inventory/store room, bar section, accounts and housekeeping department and rooms, etc. Staff of both the hotels interacted with the students and acquainted them with basic and important things related to hospitality. The staff gave information about the process of making and serving food to the guests. They highlighted that every guest should be attended with soft smiles and politeness. The students also witnessed the working and work culture of the employees which enhanced their knowledge and practical experience.

University Chancellor Dr Zora Singh and Pro-Chancellor Tejinder Kaur appreciated the initiative taken by the training and placement department.

University Vice-Chancellor Dr Shalini Gupta and director, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism, Amit Sachdeva said such trips were useful in enhancing the knowledge of the students. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh/ Dehlon/Raikot, October 6
The police has beefed up security on account of the ongoing festive season.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Amargarh, Gurmit Singh; Assistant Commissioner of Police, Gill, Gurpreet Singh Sikand; Deputy Superintendent of Police, Malerkotla; Deputy Superintendent of Police Raikot, Satnam Singh Bains; and circle officer at Payal Balwinder Bhikhi claimed to have enhanced the vigil in and around religious places, educational institutes and busy markets of their respective regions.

The circle officers have directed specially constituted anti-sabotage teams to enhance vigil near religious places, besides undertaking combing operations. The teams have also been told to keep a vigil on strangers and anti-social elements who might slip into the area under the garb of visitors and relatives of residents.

Besides stepping up night vigil, the police have installed special checkpoints and intensified patrolling throughout the area. Police personnel have been advised to keep in touch with the authorities at the fire department and health centres so that rescue operations in case of any eventuality could be started without any delay.

Teams of police personnel, under the supervision of Harwinder Pal Singh, SHO Sadar; Amandeep Singh Brar, SHO, Dehlon; and Harinder Singh, SHO, Malerkotla; undertook combing operations in localities situated under their jurisdiction during the past days and last night. Suspected hideouts of miscreants and homes of those people who tried to hide anti-social elements during the ‘black days’ were searched.

Maintaining that the exercise was done to boost the morale of residents and ensure their safety during the festival season, Gurpreet Singh Sikand said beat officers had been directed to ensure that no stranger sneaks into the area under the guise of a relative or a friend of local residents.

The decision to beef up the security was taken during meetings chaired by the Police Commissioner, Ludhiana; the Senior Superintendent of Police, Sangrur; the Senior Superintendent of Police, Khanna; and the SSP, Ludhiana (Rural); recently. The police chiefs had directed the police officials to deal strictly with organised perpetrators of crime.

The preventive action assumes importance in view of the disruptive activities at religious places during the festival season in the past. A large number of activists of radical organisations of various communities have also been active in the region. Being on the intersection of at least five police districts of Ludhiana, Ludhiana (Rural), Khanna, Sangrur and Barnala, criminals have been striking at one place and then taking shelter in surrounding areas. The region is inhabited by substantial population of all communities including Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Christians.

Ludhiana, October 6
The patch work on roads, which was stopped abruptly by the civic authorities during the rainy season, is expected to start tomorrow.

Bitumen is being laid on the roads. Three major roads — Tajpur Road, Rahon Road and Hambran Road — will be repaired. The authorities have prepared a ward-wise schedule.

Giving details, Additional Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori, who is taking care of the project, said: “It is learnt that the newly constructed roads are in a pitiable condition. The MC has signed an agreement with contractors as per which if a pothole is seen on a road within a year of its construction, repairs will be carried out free of cost. The contractors have been asked to maintain the roads for three years,” said Thori.

Residents feel that in the absence of any check, the authorities are compromising on the quality of work. “Due to staff crunch and lackadaisical approach of the civic body, the work is suffering,” said Balkar Singh, a resident.

Ludhiana , October 6
With the arrest of six persons, the police has claimed to have busted a gang of robbers who were planning to commit a robbery at a fuel station.

The accused, identified as Baldev Singh alias Jassa, Mandeep Singh, Sunny, Rahul, Jagjit Singh and Karamjit Singh, all residents of the Daba and Lohara areas, were arrested from Phase VI by a police team last night.

Police officials said the accused having criminal record were arrested following a tip-off. The police have also recovered 23 mobile phones, Rs 20,000 in cash, two motorcycles and sharp-edged weapons from their possession.

Ludhiana, October 6
The police have registered a case against two persons for molestation. The accused have been identified as Rahul Saini and Kamal Kumar. The girl’s father lodged a complaint with the police stating that the duo had been harassing his daughter for the past two years.

He said on September 19, the accused molested his daughter. They also sent lewd messages to her, he added.

The accused doctored the pictures of the girl and sent those to the victim’s brother. The complainant told the police that his daughter was traumatised and was unable to concentrate on studies. The police have also slapped various sections of the IT Act on the accused. — TNS

Ludhiana, October 6
Cambridge International School for Girls, Jalandhar, beat Green Land, Sector 32, Ludhiana, 3- 0 in the U-14 category on the second day of the 2014 Cluster XVI Table Tennis Tournament being held at BCM Senior Secondary School, Sector 32.

Results

U-16 boys: DAV School, Pakhowal Road, Ludhiana, beat DAV KRB, Moga, 3-0; Gobindgarh Public School, Fatehgarh Sahib, beat Green Land School, Sector 32, Ludhiana, 3-0; Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Amritsar, beat BCM Senior Secondary School, Sector 32-A, Ludhiana, 3-0; APJ School, Jalandhar, beat DAV, Pakhowal Road, Ludhiana, 3-0; Green Land School, Dugri, Ludhiana, beat DPS, Jalandhar, 3-2;Gobindgarh Public School, Fatehgarh Sahib, beat Sri Ram Ashram, Amritsar, 3-0; Cambridge International School, Jalandhar, beat DAV Public School, BRS Nagar, Ludhiana, 3-2; DAV Public School, Amritsar, beat Ryan International School, Ludhiana, 3-0; DAV Public School, Amritsar, beat Mayor World School, Jalandhar, 3-0; APJ, Jalandhar, beat Green Land, Dugri, 3-1; DAV, Amritsar, beat Cambridge International, Jalandhar, 3-2; U-19 boys: MGN School, Jalandhar, beat DCM School, Ludhiana, 3-2; Ryan International School, Amritsar, beat Green Land Public School, Jalandhar Bypass, Ludhiana, 3-1; DAV International, Amritsar, beat BCM Senior Secondary School, Sector 32,

Ludhiana, 3-0; DPS, Jalandhar, beat Millennium School, Amritsar, 3-0; Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Amritsar, beat DAV, Pakhowal Road, Ludhiana, 3-0; DAV International, Amritsar, beat Ryan International School, Amritsar, 3-0; MGN, Jalandhar, beat DPS, Jalandhar, 3-0; Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan beat KVM School, Ludhiana 3-0; U-19 girls; Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Amritsar, beat Green Land School, Sector 32, Ludhiana, 3-0; DAV School, Amritsar, beat BCM Senior Secondary School, Sector 32, Ludhiana, 3-0.

Results

U-19 boys: MGN School, Jalandhar, beat DCM School, Ludhiana, 3-2; Ryan International School, Amritsar, beat Green Land Public School, Jalandhar Bypass, Ludhiana, 3-1; DAV International, Amritsar, beat BCM Senior Secondary School, Sector 32, Ludhiana, 3-0; DPS, Jalandhar, beat Millennium School, Amritsar, 3-0; Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Amritsar, beat DAV, Pakhowal Road, Ludhiana, 3-0; DAV International, Amritsar, beat Ryan International School, Amritsar, 3-0; MGN, Jalandhar, beat DPS, Jalandhar, 3-0; Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan beat KVM School, Ludhiana 3-0.