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PUDA feels pinch of recession
Ludhiana, October 9 The PUDA Additional Chief Administrator Kuldeep Singh confirmed that a proposal had been sent to the Chief Administrator, PUDA, to cut down the reserve price of the land of erstwhile Canal Colony to Rs 380 crore from Rs 415.71 crore. The reduction in the reserve price, he said, had been necessitated due to the fact that not even a single bidder had evinced interest in buying the land when it was offered for sale through public auction on February 18 and again on June 24 earlier this year. “The final decision on the reserve price of this particular piece of land, however, is to be taken by PUDA with the approval of the Housing and Urban Development Department.” The land, which had been the possession of the Canal and Irrigation Department, Punjab, for several decades, was transferred to PUDA last year under the optimum use of vacant government land (OUVGL) scheme for commercial exploration. The reserve price of the land was fixed at Rs 1.05 lakh per square yard, which worked out to Rs 415.71 crore for the 8.18-acre chunk to be sold as a single unit. On both the occasions, on February 18 and June 24, 2014, when public auctions were held, no one deposited the eligibility fee of Rs 5 crore to take part in the proceedings. Even though the PUDA authorities have cited recessionary trends prevailing in the realty sector for their plea to cut down the reserve price of this particular piece of land, no such proposal has been moved for other commercial sites or properties, which had failed to attract buyers in the successive auctions conducted during the past several months. “There is more to it than meets the eye in this particular case where the PUDA authorities have taken up with the government to slash the reserve price,” maintain several players in the real estate market. Pointing out that a large number of shop-cum-office (SCO) and shop-cum-flat (SCF) sites are lying unsold in several schemes of PUDA and GLADA in the city, realtors said in none of these cases, downward revision of reserve price had been sought by the authorities. It shows someone “high and mighty” with vested interest was pulling the strings in this deal. A city-based property developer said there were indications that certain influential persons were out to purchase land and property located on the boundaries of Canal Colony, which shows that either some politically connected realtor or some senior political leader was eyeing this land, which had huge commercial potential. Realtor smells a rat
A city-based property developer said there were indications that certain influential persons were out to purchase land and property located on the boundaries of Canal Colony, which shows that either some politically connected realtor or some senior political leader was eyeing this land, which had huge commercial potential.
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Cong factionalism reaches virtual space
Ludhiana, October 9 Both the pro and anti-Dewan groups are slugging it out in the social media. A Congress worker, considered close to Dewan, has reportedly posted abusive messages against the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief, Partap Singh Bajwa, invoking criticism from senior Congress leaders of the district. “The lack of restraint is a disturbing trend. As responsible party workers, it’s imperative for all of us to maintain at least a semblance of decorum. Criticism can be constructive. It does not have to hit below the belt,” said Congress leader Amarjit Singh Tikka. The DCC, Ludhiana, has had a venerable history, he added. Even at the time when the Congress fared poorly in other parts of the country, the DCC, Ludhiana, took pride in organising massive rallies for national leaders of the party. The DCC should live up to its tradition of upholding the values espoused by the party, said Tikka. The PPCC executive member, Ishwarjot Cheema, said the Congress workers and leaders should desist from indulging in activities that tarnish the party’s image. “Social media should not be used to bad-mouth anyone. Using foul or offensive language against party leaders is not acceptable,” he said. Dewan said he was not aware of any such messages doing rounds in the social media. “It could be that the party workers are expressing their sentiments. Or maybe someone is trying to create a controversy. I have no idea about these messages or posts. As for me, I have already expressed my views publicly on the DCC and the PPCC leadership,” he said.
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Residents at fire risk, admn lax
Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 9 The administration has not bothered to take notice of accidental fires in the past. Though the civil administration has been earmarking special areas for the sale of crackers, none of the shopkeepers ever came forward to set up vend at the designated places. The trend is not expected to change this time too, as none of the shopkeepers has applied for permission to set up vend at any of the places yet. As majority of the shopkeepers have warehouses outside the civic body limits, the authorities fail to take action against them for not adhering to fire safety norms. Some of the godowns are situated at places not well-known, which will be almost inaccessible in case of mishap. However, highways connecting the three towns to the outer world are dotted with signboards displaying locations of godowns of crackers and mobile phones of owners and managers. Regrettably, none of the shopkeepers or vendors has bothered to ensure preventive and remedial arrangements to extinguish fire. It is learnt that residents had to summon fire brigade from Sangrur and Ludhiana during mishaps in the past. The losses could have been much more had Shryans Group of Industries in Mandi Ahmedgarh not provided its fire tender as goodwill gesture to tackle the situation. Meanwhile, the administration is claiming to have made ‘sufficient’ arrangements to meet any exigency. Civic body officials claimed that the meagre paraphernalia available with them had been updated for emergency use. Attempts made by the civic bodies to set up a fire brigade at Ahmedgarh had proved futile, they said. “Though we had initiated the process of establishing a fire brigade yet it did not bear any fruit due to technical reasons,” said Ravinder Puri, a former president of the Municipal Council, Mandi Ahmedgarh. Malaudh Nagar Panchayat president Indu Puri said the civic body staff had been directed to keep water tanks ready to meet any emergency. |
Department to sensitise people to postal schemes
Ludhiana, October 9 The purpose of celebrating the week is to create awareness about the role of the postal department in the lives of people and businesses and how it contributes to the socio-economic development of the country, said SP Pahwa, senior postmaster at the Head Post Office (HPO). Aims of the Department of Posts and new initiatives taken to enhance customer relationship would also be highlighted, he added. Meanwhile, a customer forum meet was held at the Head Post Office today. Saving bank day would be observed tomorrow as part of the celebrations wherein different saving schemes being offered by the postal department would be propagated. On October 11, school students would be taken on a visit to the HPO for ‘mails day’, in which they would be shown the functioning of the postal department. On October 13, the department officials would celebrate ‘philately day’ and create awareness on philately, its value and benefits and motivate visitors to take up stamp collection as a hobby, Pahwa said. The next day would be observed as ‘business development day’ in which marketing professionals will try to enter into maximum number of agreements with corporate customers and apprise them about various schemes launched by the postal department. On October 15, people would be told about postal life insurance and its benefits, including tax savings, the senior postmaster said.
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Pensioners take part in cleanliness drive
Ludhiana, October 9 During the drive, the senior citizens made residents of Aman Nagar and Akash Nagar aware of importance of keeping the surroundings neat and clean. Association president Prem Kishan Bassi asked all members to take pledge that they would throw garbage/papers only in dustbins and not on streets. The members of the association have contributed a sum of Rs 51,000 towards the Jammu and Kashmir Relief Fund.
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Blank unhealthy habits to blind impairment
Ludhiana, October 9 “Avoidable blindness refers to blindness that can be prevented or treated. No one would knowingly lose their eye sight if they could help it. We should draw attention towards common unhealthy habits that cause harm to eyes, and if unchecked, could result in avoidable blindness in extreme cases,” said Dr Harinder Singh, an eye surgeon. The most harmful habit that poses the greatest risk of being afflicted with avoidable blindness is in fact skipping the periodic eye exam. “A yearly eye check-up is your greatest protection against sight-threatening diseases. One must also not ignore symptoms of eye diseases such as floaters, pain, redness, blurry or spotty vision. In case of any issue, an eye health professional must be contacted immediately,” he added. Sankara Eye Hospital today joined hands with Hyatt Regency to organise a “Walkathon” to mark the day. The main objective was to make the general public aware of visual impairment, blindness and lay emphasis on the global theme of this year’s World Sight Day “No more Avoidable Blindness”. Dr Anamica Ahuja from Sankara Eye Hospital highlighted the importance of eye care and preventable check-ups to control and eradicate visual impairments and blindness. “It’s important that people realise that timely intervention can often prevent vision impairment both in short and long term,” said Ahuja. The day was also celebrated by the Punarjot Eye Bank Society. Eye surgeon Dr Ramesh said he took a pledge from his patients and staff that they would help in avoiding blindness by taking proper care of their eyes. Five habits that can cause avoidable blindness
* Staring at screens for too long Staring at screens for prolonged periods of time can cause your eyes to work too hard and blink less. One must blink at least 12-15 times per minute. Blinking helps distribute fluid throughout the eyes and prevents dryness. *
Smoking In addition to causing lung cancer and a host of other diseases in various parts of the body, smoking decreases your body’s ability to provide adequate oxygen and nutrition to tissues, including the tissues in the eye. This can put you at a higher risk of developing cataract as well as macular degeneration. *
Wearing old make-up Cosmetics older than three months should not be used and one should always remove eye make-up before going to sleep in order to prevent infection in the eyes. *
Self-medication Self-medication is not advisable under all circumstances as it can cause medical complications. Even common eye drops should not be used frequently as they can result in irritation, redness and even inflammation. *
Not wearing protective eye wear It is imperative to wear sunglasses with 100 per cent UV protection in the sun, goggles to protect from chlorine while swimming, and safety eye wear while working with tools such as welding machines and playing sports.
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Fun and festivities: Bright days, even brighter nights
Ludhiana, October 9 “Mathis” savoured during Karva Chauth are designed with white and dark chocolate, butterscotch and vanilla cream. Narinder Pal Singh from Kays Lovely Sweets Private Limited said the “mathis” looked attractive and people made it a point to add it to their gift basket. “These are decorated with flavoured icings,” he said. While the regular “mathis” are priced between Rs 150-180 per kilogram, designer ones are being sold for Rs 250 per kg. “These catch your attention. I have bought a few for my daughter,” said Nisha Mahajan, a resident. “At first, I thought these were cream cakes, but then I came to know that these were “mathis”. They were too striking to be missed so I bought a kilogram for me and my family,” said Shikha, smilingly who was busy shopping for Karva Chauth. Another sweetmeat shop owner said, “This is the time when we can earn some profit. People here do not mind spending on clothes, jewellery or eatables. I am hopeful of making a health profit this time.”
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Rehabilitation of slum dwellers on MC’s mind
Ludhiana October 9 Loans will be offered to the needy during the camp. Once loans are sanctioned, residents of the colonies can shift to apartments constructed by the state government. A majority of the slum dwellers have expressed “helplessness” in depositing their share of Rs 5,000. Earlier, loans were given to 55 beneficiaries, but most of them failed to pay Rs 5,000. In charge of the project Ghanshyam Thori, Additional Commissioner, MC, said most of the beneficiaries had not deposited the amount. “We are ready to give them Rs 20,000, but they have to arrange he remaining amount. The beneficiaries have to pay Rs 25,000,” said Thori. When asked if it was a deliberate attempt of slum dwellers, who did not feel like vacating the shanties, Thori said most of them wanted to be rehabilitated in the same area. During the camp, banks will be providing loans to the remaining beneficiaries of Labour Colony and about 450 beneficiaries from Jamuna Colony. The banks will give Rs 20,000 to each beneficiary and in case, they fail to repay the loan, they will be given a three-month eviction notice by the Municipal Corporation.
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Police doing little to prevent mishaps
Ludhiana, October 9 During rush hours, heavy vehicles should not be allowed to ply on main roads. It is learnt that the police have banned the entry of heavy vehicles from 8 am to 12 pm and from 5 pm to 9 pm. In the absence of adequate staff, the police department is unable to work efficiently. The traffic wing has just 150 officials. From regulating traffic to challaning violators, they do everything. The traffic police have only 10 alcoholmeters for 25 lakh residents of the city. The officials need more alcoholmeters to check drunk drivers at entry and exit points. The officials said they were worked up as the department was short of staff, adding that it was difficult for them to set up nakas at night. Gurdeep Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said, “The entry of heavy vehicles has been banned during the rush hours. Due to inadequate staff, we are unable to check each and every vehicle.” “We need more alcoholmeters to check drivers. The authorities should do something about the staff shortage. We feel crippled in the absence of adequate staff,” said the ADCP.
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Monkey attacks 8-yr-old boy
Ludhiana, October 9 The monkey has been attacking residents for the past few days. The child was rushed to hospital. Area councillor Lalit Mohan assured the residents of doing the needful.
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Students enthral visitors to youth fest
Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 9 Students exhibited the folklore of the border state and impressed the audience with novel ideas and oratory skills in debate and elocution contests on various topics. Prof Gurbhajan Gill, a former president of Punjabi Sahitya Academy, Ludhiana, artist Swarnjit Savi and poet and artist Jaswant Zafar chaired various sessions of the event today. Results: Mimicry: DM College of Education, Moga 1; Malwa Central College of Education for Women, Ludhiana 2; Satyam College of Education, Moga 3. Bhand: DM College of Education, Moga 1; Satyam College of Education, Moga 2; LLRM College of Education, Dhudike 3. Mime: GHG Khalsa College of Education, Gurusar Sadhar 1; LLRM College of Education, Dhudike 2; SDS College of Education, Lopon 3. Skit: SK College of Education, Moga 1; Satyam College of Education, Moga 2; Malwa Central College of Education for Women, Ludhiana 3. Photography: Satyam College of Education, Moga 1; SDS College of Education, Lopon 2; Partap College of Education, Ludhiana 3. On-the-spot painting (landscape): Sandeep Kaur of DM College of Education, Moga 1; Manpreet Kaur of Bhutta College of Education, Bhutta 2; Rashwinder Kaur of Bhutta College of Education, Bhutta 3. Poster-making: Navdeep Kaur of DM College of Education, Moga 1; Manpreet Kaur of Bhutta College of Education, Bhutta 2; Nancy Verma of Malwa Central College of Education for Women, Ludhiana, and Neelam Rani of Partap College of Education, Ludhiana 3. Still life: Sandeep Kaur of DM College of Education, Moga 1; Rajdeep Kaur of Satyam College of Education, Moga 2; Nancy Verma and Manpreet Kaur of Malwa Central College of Education for Women, Ludhiana 3. Cartooning: Priya Khanna of Partap College of Education, Ludhiana 1; Dinesh Kumar of GHG Khalsa College of Education, Gurusar Sadhar 2; Harjinder Singh of Bhutta College of Education, Bhutta, and Gurjeet Kaur of Satyam College of Education, Moga 3. Clay-modelling: Navdeep Kaur of DM College of Education, Moga 1; Supreem Kaur of Partap College of Education, Ludhiana 2; Sharanjit Kaur of Bhutta College of Education, Bhutta 3. Collage-making: Kirandeep Kaur of GHG Harprakash College of Education for Women, Sidhwan Khurd, 1; Charanpreet Kaur of SDS College of Education, Lopon 2; Priyanka Dhingra of Partap College of Education, Ludhiana 3. Instrumental music (percussion): SK College of Education, Moga 1. Instrumental music (non-percussion): GGS Khalsa College of Education, Kamalpura 1. Folk instruments: Bhutta College of Education, Bhutta 1; SDS College of Education, Lopon 2; GHG Khalsa College of Education, Gurusar Sadhar 3. Geet ghazal: SDS College of Education, Lopon 1; GHG Harprakash College of Education for Women, Sidhwan Khurd 2; GHJ Khalsa College of Education, Gurusar Sadhar 3. Folk song: SDS College of Education, Lopon 1; DM College of Education, Moga 2; GHG Khalsa College of Education, Gurusar Sadhar 3. Debate: Partap College of Education, Ludhiana 1; SDS College of Education, Lopon 2; Bhutta College of Education, Bhutta 3. Elocution: GHG Harprakash College of Education for Women, Sidhwan Khurd 1; Partap College of Education, Ludhiana 2; GGS Khalsa College, Kamalpura 3. Poem recitation: DM College of Education, Moga 1; Partap College of Education, Ludhiana 2; GHG Harprakash College of Education for Women, Sidhwan Khurd 3.
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Orientation programme for PG students
The PAU Science Club organised an orientation programme for newly admitted post-graduation students. The freshers along with major advisers and heads of different departments attended the event. Dr Gursharan Singh, Dean, Post-graduate Studies, apprised the students of various fellowships and scholarships available both at national and international levels. Project planning meet
A three-day project planning meet of
"USAID-funded Agriculture Innovation Project (AIP)" began at the university on Wednesday. The project has tripartite collaboration involving AVRDC South Asia
Centre, Hyderabad; AVRDC Regional Office, Islamabad; and PAU, Ludhiana. Scientists from the three centres are participating in the meet to finalise the work plan for the project. Advance training course
A two-week advance course on "Conservation Agriculture: Gateway for Productive and Sustainable Cropping Systems" for 16 scientists of six Asian countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and India) began on Wednesday. The course is being organised jointly by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre
(CIMMYT) and the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) and is supported by the ICAR and the
PAU. — TNS
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PCTE fest
PCTE Festaweek entered its second day on Thursday. The day saw competions in Indian group-dance, solo song and extempore competitions. Students presented a rich culture of Indian folk and Western folk dances. Special attraction of the day was “Teacher Awards”. Twelve teachers were awarded on the occasion. Workshop on Art of Living
Gobindgarh Public College, Allour (Khanna), organised a six-day workshop on “Art of living” on the theme “Yes”. College principal Dr. Neena Seth Pajni said the workshop aimed at encouraging students to develop positive attitude and flush out stress. Over 30 students took part in the workshop, which was conducted by Jorawar Singh and Varun Nanda. UGC-NET classes
Kamla Lohtia Sanatan Dharam College has started UGC-NET preparation classes in the subject of commerce ahead of the December exam. Soft skills programme concludes
The first batch of soft skills programme under the Infosys Campus Connect was completed at the RIMT. As many as 60 students from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering attended the curriculum and online examinations. All the candidates cleared the course and were awarded certificates by the Infosys. — TNS
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Aadhaar card camp
A two-day camp is being organised at Blossoms Convent School to prepare Aadhaar card for students. Principal thanked SDM Apneet Kaur Riyat for her endeavour in holding of the camp. Grandparents’ Day
The grandparents’ day was celebrated by the KG wing of DAV Public School, BRS Nagar. It was a day to honour grandparents and recognising their influence on the society. The purpose was to generate a feeling of love and respect in the tiny-tots for their grandparents. The students of UKG and three sections of Pre-KG put up a cultural programme which was a remarkable blend of songs, dances and plays. Guru Ram Das Jayanti
Religious events marked Guru Ram Das Jayanti celebrations at the GRD Academy. The message of peace and harmony given by the Sikh guru was shared with the students. Save-the-girl-child drive
New GMT Public School made people aware of the value of the girl child through its “kanya bachhao campaign” during the parent-teacher meeting. Students of classes I to V expressed their feelings on the issue through posters, slogans and face paintings. Career-orientation programme
A career-orientation programme was organised by BCM Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh Road, for the students of arts and commerce streams of classes XI and XII. The resource person was Keir McIsaac , international student recruitment officer from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. — TNS
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Ludhiana Arvicon International on Thursday announced its plan to enter the city market with its range of stone veneers. Addressing a press conference, the company’s market head, Gaurav Seth, said the product would be available with select dealers in Ludhiana. “Stone veneers are revolutionising the way interiors can be designed. Our first concept store, ‘Stonearth’, in Delhi has products and design themes made entirely of stone veneers. The company is also looking to set up the second Stonearth showroom in Ludhiana and expand to other cities,” he added. Suzuki Motorcycle Private Limited on Thursday launched its new bike, Suzuki
Gixxer. The stylish 150-cc bike has single cylinder, air cooled engine with a five-speed gearbox. The company’s regional manager Ravi Rastogi said the bike is a mix of elegance and style and would attract youth. New apparel collection
Wills Lifestyle has come up with an exquisite autumn-winter collection for women and men. Wills Lifestyle ensembles are priced between Rs 1,299 and Rs 14,999. Spell Bee is back
Classmate, a notebook brand by ITC, and Radio Mirchi are back with the Season 7 of India’s largest spelling competition for school students, Classmate Spell Bee. Over 800 schools across 30 cities will be visited to reach out to more than 2,75,000 students from classes V to IX. Students can also participate in the contest online at
www.classmatespellbee.in. The top 16 winners of the competition will get a chance to showcase their skill on Discovery Channel, Discovery Kids and Discovery
Tamil. Tata Docomo announces festive offer
Tata Docomo on Thursday launched its festive offer “Make your celebrations special with assured gifts” for its post-paid customers across India. The company will be offering assured gifts to its voice and data services customers on activations across its stores. The offer is open till October 31 and qualifies new post-paid customers across all Tata Docomo brand stores to win
iPhones, tablets, data packages, discount coupons and more. Videocon stays on top in Haryana
circle
Videocon Telecom retained No.1 position in the Haryana telecom circle in industry net adds for the month of August. The company has earned the distinction of being No. 1 in Haryana for five months on the trot in net subscriber addition. — TNS
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Gang of robbers busted, 7
held
Ludhiana, October 9 Police officials said the miscreants were planning to loot a petrol station or a factory at a graveyard in Sherpur Khurd. They were arrested while they were planning the loot. The accused have been identified as Mandeep Singh, alias Minta of Dehlon, Sherru, alais Beeru of Dugari, Gurmeet Singh, alias Romi of the Gill Road area (Daba), Harvinder Singh Lali of Daba, Jagtar Singh, alias Jagga, of Lohara, Rahul Kumar of Lohara and Paramjeet Singh of Dehlon. The police recovered two pistols, seven bullets, 1.40 kg of narcotic powder, knifes, a motorcycle and other sharp weapons from their possession. Jasdev Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police - II, said in view of the festival session, the police had beefed up security in the city. The police received a tip-off that the accused have been planning to loot a petrol station at a graveyard in Sherpur Khurd. The police raided the spot and arrested five persons. Two members of the gang, Rahul Kumar and Paramjeet Singh, fled from the spot. However, the police chased them and nabbed them soon. According to the police officials, the miscreants confessed that they had looted six mobile phones from a shop on September 9. They were also associated with the Boxser Gang of Amritsar. Jasdev Singh said: “We will invetiggate the involvement of these miscreants in drug trade. We hope more members of the gang will be arrested soon.”
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Thieves strike at shop in Model Town
Ludhiana, October 9 Shop owner Sahil Juneja said he owned a plywood shop on the Model Town road. The shop has two entry points. One opens on the main road while the other on the Jawahar Nagar camp side. Yesterday, he left the shop at 8:30 pm after locking all the doors. “Today, when I came to my shop and found it ransacked. The thieves broke a back door and a glass door to enter the shop,” said Sahil Juneja The police registered a case against unidentified persons and started investigation. Sahil Juneja said the thieves were well equipped to break the safe kept in his shop. They pried open the shutters with iron roads.
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81-year-old woman found murdered
Phillaur, October 9 The body of Gurdev Kaur (81), whose son is an NRI, was reportedly found in the kitchen of her house in the village with wounds inflicted with sharp-edged weapons. The octogenarian used to reside alone in her house as her son Iqbal Singh was residing in USA and her two daughters were married in Germany. Gurdev’s domestic help Rinki first spotted the body lying in a pool of blood. The Dosanjh Kalan police have registered case under Sections 302/25/54/59 of the IPC. No arrest has been made in the case yet.
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Truck driver booked
Ludhiana, October 9 The accused has been identified as Sukhjinder Singh of Sitto Mai Chugian village near Patti in Tarn Taran district. The deceased were identified as Pardeep Singh (27) of Mukandpur Mohalla, Jagraon, and Pardeep Kumar of Ferozepur. Pardeep Singh was a security guard while Pardeep Kumar was an electrician. The duo was waiting for a bus when the accident occurred. The police said the condition of the rickshaw-puller, Jiva Lal, was stable. The driver loaded good on to the truck near Khamano and left for Ferozepur. Investigating officer Kuldeep Rai said the driver might be under the influence of liquor or any other drug. “Medical examination of the accused will be done.” On the statement of Jiva Lal, the Division No. 5 police have registered a case against the driver under Section 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life), 427 (mischief causing damage) and 304 A (death due to negligence) of the IPC. The truck was being driven recklessly. The driver lost control over the vehicle and hit the pedestrians.
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Suzuki launches bike