Ludhiana, November 4
While the traffic police are patting their back on the much-hyped drive against speeding, when it comes to violations committed by speeding passenger buses, the police officials seem to be turning a blind eye.

Hardly any day passes by when accident is not reported on the Ludhiana-Mullapur and Ludhiana-Neelon stretches.

According to information provided by the traffic police, around 1968 challans for speeding have been issued since July.

A traffic head constable (munshi), Paramjit Singh, said they did not have a specific record of how many passenger buses had been challaned so far.

District Transport Officer Anil Garg said: “Nearly 15 passenger bus drivers were challaned for speeding. Further, police cases have been registered against reckless drivers.”

Sunil Vinayak, a fashion designer, who runs a boutique on Pakhowal Road, said: “In the evening, one can easily find overloaded buses heading towards Pakhowal. Passengers are packed like sardines in these buses. Some athletic enough scale the roof top. These buses violate the law with impunity and traffic policemen deployed at Bhai Wala Chowk and Hero Bakery Chowk turn a blind eye to these violations.”

Police sources said a majority of the private bus drivers do not have licences to drive heavy vehicles.

Expressing helplessness, a traffic policeman said: “I am just a policeman. And these buses belong to big politicians. If I would dare to challan the vehicles, then I would be transferred to a remote place. My colleagues have been manhandled by bus drivers and conductors. I am happy here with my family and do not want to enter into any unnecessary trouble.”

The tight timetable is also a factor behind speeding by bus drivers. Owing to a stiff competition, time slots are squeezing at bus terminus. To match the time, the drivers are often seen indulging in speeding, thus causing accidents.

Navdeep Asija, a traffic expert, said: “In a majority of cases, it has been observed that motorcyclists become the victims of speeding buses. The bus drivers honk the pressure horns very close to motorcyclists and the latter get panicky and lose balance.”

Similar incidents had occurred on National Highway 1, near Jalandhar Bypass, on August 25 when 55-year-old Simar Kaur, a resident of Shimlapuri, along with her husband Karnail Singh, was heading towards Mandi village, near Apra, on a scooter. A bus hit the scooter, after which Karnail Singh lost control over the two-wheeler and his wife fell on the road. She was crushed to death.

The traffic experts feel the passengers travelling in speeding buses are also at high risk.

on November 2, an elderly woman, Beant Kaur of Katani Kalan village died after a speeding bus hit a Tempo. She was tossed out of the vehicle and suffered serious injuries. She succumbed to injuries at the hospital.

On May 26, the police had arrested a driver of Orbit Transport, a company owned by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who was involved in the accident that claimed the life of Ashutosh Singh, son of Assistant Inspector General (Prisons) JP Singh.

He advocated installing speed governors to keep a check on the speeding buses. But his fight against speeding has borne no fruit yet.

Soi said he would continue his fight till the government agreed to install speed governor on vehicles.

Ludhiana, November 4
Motor accident victims deserves speedy justice in compensation matters. To achieve this, insurance companies should come forward to settle disputes through lok adalats instead of pursuing prolonged litigations.

This was stated by Sessions Judge KS Kang while addressing a meeting of insurance company officials, lawyers and claimants’ counsels held today at the district courts complex.

Kang urged them to bring a large number of claim cases at the National Lok Adalat scheduled to be held on December 6 at the district courts. He disclosed that around 75,000 cases of different categories were pending in the local courts.

He also announced that a pre-lok adalat will be held from November 11 to explore the possibility of settlement of cases.

Additional Sessions Judges, Sukhdev Singh, AP Batra, HS Grewal, KS Lamba, Sanjiv Joshi, SS Maan, Harjit Singh, SS Dhaliwal, Surinder Pal Kaur, Consumer Forum president RL Ahuja, DBA president Vijay B Verma, CJM KK Singla also shared their views at the meeting.

Apart from motor accident claim cases, cheque bounce cases, rent cases, matrimonial disputes, recovery suits, bank loan cases, compoundable criminal cases would also be taken up at the lok adalat. 

Ludhiana, November 4
A word of caution for those who love to honk pressure horns. According to sources, “Pressure horns are not permitted. Recently, Ajit Singh Kohar, Transport Minister, Punjab, issued instructions to all the district transport officers to take stern action against such violators. He has asked the DTOs not to spare anyone for this violation.”

Following the minister’s instructions, the District Transport Office has become more alert. Anil Garg, District Transport Officer, Ludhiana, said: “None will be spared. We are already challaning people who use pressure horns. We have challaned 156 persons for using pressure horns till September this year. A majority of the offenders are bus and truck drivers.”

Garg said: “The traffic police challaned 1,156 violators for the pressure horn violation till September.” A penalty of rupees 1,000 is imposed on a violator.

It has been observed that a majority of bus and truck drivers use pressure horns.

Some pressure horns produce the tunes of famous Punjabi and Hindi numbers such as “Shehron paar bangla pawa de sohniya”, “Tootak tootak tootak tootiyan”, “Dhoom macha de, dhoom macha de”, “Gur nalon ishaq mithha”, etc. Vikas Sharma, a daily commuter to Jalandhar, said: “The musical pressure horns are used by many drivers. These are not only harmful for ears but also divert one’s attention while driving.”

Surender Singh, another daily commuter, said: “At last, the government has woken up to this menace. But there should be strict laws against such violations.”

Ludhiana, November 4
More skeletons have tumbled out the closet with regard to the fake molestation case racket. It has come to light that the gang leader, advocate ND Sharma, made full use of the molestation section 354 of the IPC, which was amended following the gruesome (Nirbhaya) gang-rape case in Delhi on December 2012, where a 24-year-old psychotherapist was raped by six persons in a moving bus.

Taking advantage of the public sentiments, ND Sharma and his accomplices Kulwinder Kaur and her daughter Prabhjot Kaur filed back to back molestation complaints against many city residents with the intention of extorting money from them.

Of around 170 complaint cases, more than 100 cases were filed in the beginning of 2013 when the law against molestation was amended, said police sources.

Kulwinder Kaur (55) filed around 40 molestation complaint cases while her daughter Prabhjot Kaur (25) filed 10 molestation cases. Another gang member, Kamal Sharma (50), filed 15 molestation cases.

Vijay Goel, an advocate, who is also a victim to the gang and facing 14 complaints and an FIR, had brought the matter to the notice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 27 this year.

“The notice of motion was issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in which the court observed that a number of criminal complaints are filed against private respondents under sections 354 and 323 of the IPC. Subsequently, the matter is compromised or withdrawn. A representation, in this regard, has been made to the Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, to make an inquiry, as innocent persons are being harassed by a group of persons,” said advocate Vijay Goel, adding that the High Court had also issued the notice of motion to advocate ND Sharma and his accomplices.

Sarabjit Kaur, who also fell victim to the gang, said she had got a theft case registered against advocate ND Sharma. Later, a compromise was reached. “I did not want to fight a case against a lawyer. But little did I know that it was a prelude to a never ending ordeal. ND Sharma filed back-to-back criminal complaint cases against me by using his accomplices Kulwinder Kaur and Kamal Sharma. My children, who were studying in school, were served notices in molestation complaint cases while the fact was that they were attending classes at that time. Our family had undergone a harrowing time. Fortunately, the police has busted the gang,” said Sarabjit Kaur.

In order to avoid detection of their motive behind these complaints, the accused reported the alleged molestation incidents from different areas, so the complaints go to different Illaqa Magistrates.

Ludhiana, November 4
Five more patients hailing from different parts of the city have tested positive for dengue, taking the number of confirmed patients to 150.

According to health officials, a woman aged 23 from Vishal Nagar and a man (35) from Fountain Chowk, are under treatment at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital along with a boy, aged eight years, from Basti Jodhewal. A 13-year-old boy from Khud Mohalla and an infant from Sanjay Gandhi Colony have been admitted to Christian Medical College and Hospital for treatment of dengue.

The officials said, of all the dengue patients who had tested positive in the city, 110 were from Ludhiana district while 34 were from other districts of the state. Six were from other states.

The patients treated at the hospitals here included one each from Amritsar, Bathinda, Barnala, Gurdaspur, Muktsar, Ferozepur, Patiala, Ropar and Sangrur, 12 from Hoshiarpur, six from Jalandhar, five from Pathankot and two from SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr).

The dengue patients hailing from other states included one each from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh and three from Jammu and Kashmir.

Ludhiana, November 4
The stroke unit of Christian Medical College and Hospital observed World Stroke Week recently. Stroke awareness campaigns were launched by the department of neurology and the College of Nursing.

Dr Jeyaraj D Pandian, professor and head, department of neurology, said stroke affected both men and women, adding that the latter did not recover well after a stroke.

He added: “Women are more vulnerable to develop a condition called atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) which can lead to clot formation in the heart and can lead to stroke.”Sapna Malviya, assistant professor, College of Nursing, talked about the importance of nursing care in the prevention of complications during the acute phase of stroke.

She elaborated on the role of diet, importance of taking regular medications and rehabilitation such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

The nursing students displayed educational posters regarding acute treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of stroke patients. The Rising Youth Association organised an awareness camp at SPS Apollo Hospital. Dr RS Bhatia, head, department of neurology at SPS Apollo Hospital, spoke on the causes of stroke and its management.

Dr Bhatia said stroke affected the brain.

“At any given time, one in six people face disability due to stroke. It is reported that every six seconds, stroke takes its toll on an individual anywhere across the world,” he said.

Dr Bhatia advocated that if a patient suffered from a stroke and brought to the hospital within three hours, thrombolysis could prevent damage to the paralysed brain.

Ludhiana, November 4
Even as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Disciplinary Action Committee today expelled the former chief of the District Congress Committee (DCC), Ludhiana (Urban), Pawan Dewan and five others from the primary membership of the Congress for indulging in “anti-party activities”, Dewan issued a press statement “rejecting his expulsion” from the party.

While the chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC), Gopal Krishan Chatrath, said the expelled leaders had levelled “wild and unsubstantiated allegations” against the state party president and senior Congress leadership looking after the state affairs, Dewan claimed that the DAC was not authorised to expel an elected member of the PPCC and an elected district president.

On October 8, Chatrath had issued a show-cause notice to Dewan for making “irresponsible public utterances” against Bajwa and the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary, Harish Chaudhary. Dewan was given seven days to reply to the notice.

Following his removal from the post of the DCC Chief, Dewan had accused Bajwa of targeting him (Dewan) for being a “Capt Amarinder Singh loyalist”. He had also accused Bajwa of “inciting party workers against Captain”.

Later, Bajwa’s three-day visit to Ludhiana saw anti-Bajwa protests, allegedly orchestrated by Dewan and his supporters. Some of the protesters showed black flags to the PPCC Chief. Among those who had opened a front against Bajwa were five block presidents, who accused Bajwa of being “dictatorial”. Dewan had distanced himself from the protests by issuing a formal statement that he was not associated with the protests.

Meanwhile, those expelled today include four block presidents — Palwinder Singh Taggar, president, Block Congress Committee, Atam Nagar-II, Ludhiana; Baljinder Singh (Bunty), president, Block Congress Committee, Ludhiana West-I; Satwinder Jawaddi, president, Block Congress Committee, Ludhiana West-11; Vinod Bhatla, president, Block Congress Committee Atam Nagar-I. Besides, local leader Gursimran Singh Mand has been expelled.

According to the DAC, Dewan and his associates’ conduct deserved serious action as they had “surpassed all past cases of indiscipline”. It was felt that all actions of these persons were a “stage-managed conspiracy” to harm the image of the party in connivance with the anti-Congress forces, said the DAC.

Dewan claimed that the expulsion orders were issued without giving any of the expelled leaders a chance to present their case. Reacting to his expulsion, he claimed that the decision to expel him and five others from the party was “premeditated”. He said he would be taking the issue up with the national chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee, AK Anthony, and the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi,. He added that he would urge them to probe the allegations against the PPCC president.

Ludhiana, November 4
Sanitation workers lift garbage at their whims and fancies. They know that the authorities will not act against them even if they remain absent.

Ludhiana, November 4
Visitors to the Sub- Registrar (East) office held a protest after they learnt that there was nobody in the office to attend to them.

The clerical staff and officials went on leave today. The tehsildar was also on leave. The visitors had to return without getting their works done. Many called up Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal Deputy Commissioner asking him to do the needful. The Deputy Commissioner said: “We are already short of staff. Today, three more employees proceeded on leave. I asked Paramjit Singh, SDM (East), to go there and see what could be done. A clerk was asked to report to work. Employees of the Punjab Land Record Society were also called,”

The Deputy Commissioner conducted a check at the Sub-Registrar (East) office on October 27. Notices were issued to employees who came late.

Ludhiana, November 4
Now, decaying tooth can be restored with the help of tissue engineering in dentistry. The science of tissue engineering aims at the repair of damaged tissues as well as creates replacement of the lost ones. This is becoming a major component of the regenerative medicine by combining the principles of transplantation, materials science and bioengineering to restore a diseased or a damaged tissue.

“It has now become possible to regenerate the lost tissues which lead to loss of teeth because of pyorrhea and bone loss. With the use of patients own blood (10-20 ml), it is now possible to extract growth factors and elements which stimulate the stem cells which help in regeneration of lost tissues and allow prolonged retention of teeth in the oral cavity,” said Dr Vikas Jindal, a city based dentist, who was honoured recently at the state and inter-state conference held by the Indian Dental Association, Jammu, in association with Government Dental College.

It was the 10th national-level inter-state conference where Dr Jindal deliberated on “Tissue Engineering in Dentistry”.

Dr Jindal also talked about gene therapy, resolution of inflammation and some other enamel proteins being helpful in regeneration of lost dental tissues.

“The techniques will go a long way in helping the patients saving their teeth which would otherwise be condemned for extraction for want of bone and other tissues. This is now the era of speciality practice in the country where in you give the best to the patients. As multi-specialists work on the patients, their focus is on the area of concern only and the super specialists give their best clinical acumen to yield the best results for the patients,” he said.

Ludhiana, November 4
The 46th annual National Conference of Nutrition Society of India (NSICON-2014) will be organised at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMC&H) here in collaboration with Punjab Agricultural University from November 6 to 8.

The conference is based on the theme, ‘Nutritional Approach for Combating Non-Communicable Diseases in India’.

Organising secretary Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina said: “The Nutrition Society of India is organising its annual conference for the first time in Ludhiana. It is a well-known fact that the science of nutrition has made significant contributions towards the medical and public health. The learning and understanding of science of nutrition for the applications in biomedical research is of paramount important nowadays.” The scientific programmes during the conference will include invited talks, debates on current issues, symposia on special themes, plenary session and contributed papers.

It is hoped that the deliberations will be useful not only for the medical and its allied specialties but also for scientists in the field of nutrition, health and all those interested in the nutrition planning, evaluation and research.

The first day of the conference will witness workshops on the topic, ‘Nutrition Assessment of Community & Ethics in Human Research’. The ensuing conference will give an ample opportunity to learn several areas of nutrition and their applications in the field of medicine, nursing, epidemiology, public health, biology, reproductive and child health, health economics and health informatics. — OC

Jagraon, November 4
An extension lecture on the topic, ‘ethical values in changing scenario’ was organised at Lajpat Rai DAV College, Jagraon, today.

Dr Satish Kumar Sharma, Director Colleges, DAV Management Committee, graced the occasion as the chief guest and inaugurated the function by lightening the ceremonial lamp.

College Principal Dr Karan Sharma welcomed the chief guest and other dignitaries.

Dr JC Joshi, retired principal of the Gaud Brahmin College of Education, Rohtak, was the resource person.

While delivering keynote address on the occasion, Dr Joshi stressed the need to maintain ethical and moral values in the current socio-economic set-up, which has been changing with a rapid pace.

He emphasised on the importance of spreading the message of secularism, humanity and equality among the masses for setting up an ideal society.

“Our country has been developing very fast, thus the social-economical set-up of the country has also been changing with a rapid pace. In such a scenario, there is a need to maintain ethical values among the people. Good ethics and moral values hold utter importance in creating a better society,” said Dr Joshi.

Dr LP Upadhayay, senior professor at DAV University, Jalandhar, insisted on the need to spread good ethical values among the younger generation, especially the students.

“Though our country has been developing, with this development the gap between the rich and the poor has also been growing. The young generation needs to be taught about good ethics. The people should be sensitive towards their fellow citizens and it is the duty of every individual to extend help to those who are in need,” said Dr Upadhayay.

Dr Satish Sharma applauded the initiative of the college management for holding this seminar. He said: “We should make efforts to create a healthy social atmosphere where all can lead a respectful life”.

He called upon the students to play an active role in transforming society into an ideal society.

Later, chief guest Dr Satish Sharma also inaugurated the Student Information Centre at the college.

In the end, vice-principal Dr Rekha Watts thanked the chief guest and other dignitaries for sharing their views with the students.

Raj Kumar Bhalla, chairman of the College Management Committee, and many senior faculty members of the college were also present on the occasion. 

Ludhiana, November 4
Zindagi Live Foundation, a non-government organisation, in association with students of Delhi Public School staged a play at Sarabha Nagar Main Market to create awareness on thalassemia.

The play highlighted the plight of thalassemia patients and apprised the public of ways to prevent the disease.

On the occasion, the manager of the foundation, Rajesh Kapoor, highlighted as to how by just a simple blood test thalassemia could be prevented.

Kapoor also appreciated the efforts of the parents of the children of Delhi Public School. Various officials were also present from the foundation.

Ludhiana, November 4
City based sculptor Harminder Boparai has won the national award for his metal scrap sculpture. The talented artist won the first prize in the sculptor category during the 800th All-India Exhibition organised by the Indian Academy of Fine Arts in Amrtisar. The award will be given by the academy on November 14.

Boparai has bagged the prize for untitled work on fighting roosters and bulls. “The nature of the fight between roosters and bulls is the same, so I depicted it through the face of bulls and body of rooster,” he said.

Ludhiana, November 4
The youth festival (inter-college) of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University started with fine arts events today.

The Director Students Welfare, Dr Satinder Pal Singh Sangha, was the chief guest during the first session of the on-the-spot painting competition.

“We are providing good facilities to students to improve their performances. Participants are also in high spirits,” said Sangha. The organising secretary of festival, Dr Darshan Singh Barhi, said the six-day extravaganza is a good opportunity for the students to showcase their talent.

Today three events, namely on-the-spot painting, poster-making and cartooning, were held. A total of ten students participated in the event. Ten took part in poster-making and six students participated in cartooning.

The theme of the on-the-spot painting competition was ‘Visible view of nature’. For poster-making, the subject was child labour and atrocities on women. Corruption and ‘Achhe Din Aane Wale Hain’ were the topics for cartooning.

Dr Meera D Ansal coordinated the fine arts events session.

For poster-making session, Dr HS Sandhu, Dean College of Veterinary Science, was the chief guest and for cartooning competition, Dr Asha Dhawan, Dean College of Fisheries, was invited as the chief guest.

Students expressed their thoughts on various current and important issues.

Three colleges of university, College of Veterinary Science, College of Dairy Science and Technology, College of Fisheries, School of Animal Biotechnology, Veterinary Polytechnic, Kaljharani, along with the affiliated college, Khalsa College of Veterniary and Animal Sciences, Amritsar, participated in the competition.

The president of the Dance Drama and Music Club, Dr NK Sood said results of the competitions will be announced on November 6.

Various competitions such as collage-making, photography, clay modeling and rangoli-making will be held on November 5 at the examination hall of the College of Veterinary Science.

Ludhiana, November 4
Shabad gayan competition and quiz marked the sixth day of the Inter-College Youth Festival at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).

Various music items were presented yesterday evening, wherein Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, was the chief guest.

The Dean, College of Home Science, Dr Jasvinder Kaur Sangha presided over the morning session today.

Dr Dhillon said healthy competitions boost self-confidence. He urged the students to uphold their ethics, moral values, culture and make significant contribution towards the society at large.

Dr Sangha said spirit of competition is a must and that students should maintain a balance between academics and extra-curricular activities for an all-round personality enhancement.

Ludhiana, November 4
The National Annual Conference of Sahodaya School Complexes was held in Kochi. Principals and heads of the CBSE schools from all over the country participated in the conference. Principals from about 12 local schools took part in the event.

Jagraon, November 4
There seems to be no end to snatching incidents in Jagraon. Several snatching incidents have taken place in the town in the past few months and the Police Department has failed to prevent such incidents.

In yet another snatching incident in Jagraon, two unidentified youths allegedly snatched gold earrings from an NRI woman yesterday evening. The incident took place in Ram Nagar locality of Jagraon.

As per information, Canada-based elderly woman Chander Parbha was returning to her house after meeting her relatives in Ram Nagar locality.

The victim, Chander Parbha, said when she was opening the door of her house, two unidentified youths riding a motorcycle came there and snatched the gold earrings that she was wearing.

The victim raised an alarm following which some nearby residents gathered at the spot. However, the snatchers managed to flee. The youths fled towards Tehsil Road on the motorcycle after snatching the earrings from the woman.

The family members of the victim informed the local police about the incident. Later, a police team led by Station House Officer (SHO) Shiv Chand reached the spot and launched an investigation.

DSP Jagraon Surinder Kumar also visited the crime scene to take account of the situation. SHO Shiv Chand said a case had been registered against unidentified persons while further investigation was underway.

It is pertinent to mention here that Ram Nagar locality is being considered one of the safest residential areas in the town and the snatching incident in this locality had raised a serious question mark on the ability of the police to stop such incidents.

SSP Jagraon Ravcharan Singh Brar said the police had been working tirelessly to check snatching incidents in Jagraon.

“We formed eagle squads. Now the number of teams in the eagle squad has also been increased. Besides, we have also increased patrolling in the town to prevent such incidents,” said the SSP.

Jagraon, November 4
The Jagraon police have arrested an alleged drug peddler and seized 4 grams of heroin from his custody.

The accused has been identified as Ramandeep Singh, a resident of Agwar Lopon locality, situated on the outskirts of Jagraon.

As per the information, the accused was arrested by a police team, led by ASI Jarnail Singh, following a tip-off.

Shiv Chand, Station House Officer (SHO), Jagraon, said a police team led by ASI Jarnail Singh was patrolling in the area when an informer passed on information about a suspected drug peddler.

“The police team received a tip-off that a suspected drug peddler has been seen in the under-construction Chandigarh Colony. The police team immediately carried out a raid and nabbed the accused. On being searched, the police recovered 4 grams of 
heroin from the accused. Later, he was arrested,” said the SHO.

The police have registered a case against the accused under the NDPS Act at the Jagraon City police station and further investigation is on.

According to the police, the accused himself was a chronic drug addict.

Ludhiana, November 4
This youngster is kicking and boxing his way to success. Kick, punch, grapple and throw have been Harshdeep Singh’s success mantra.

He has won a bronze medal in Hapkido boxing in the South Asian Hapkido Boxing Championship, apart from a gold medal and a silver at the state level. He has also won three bronze medals.

A Class XI student of Nankana Sahib Public School, Harshdeep has clinched a gold medal in the India Challenge Cup Karate-Do Championship.

“When it comes to martial arts, I don’t restrict myself to one form,” said the 17-year-old. So be it Hapkido, kickboxing, karate, wushu or taekwondo, he knows how to punch and evade to win. But it is hard work for the youngster as he practises for hours. The day starts at 4.30 am for the youngster when he joins his coach Pardeep Kumar Yogi for running.

He said he used to play basketball earlier, but it was his coach who identified the hidden talent and inspired him to play the game. He is full of gratitude for his coach. “I owe my success to my coach, who has trained and enabled me to compete. He inspired me to play the game,” he said.

The budding boxer is already preparing for a national championship to be held in Rohtak and another one to be organised by the CBSE in Meerut. But he wants to carry on playing the game from school to college, but wants to become an IPS officer. “My cousin is a police officer,” he said.

Ludhiana, November 4
Manjot Gill, a trainee of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Coaching Centre, has been selected for the Asian Youth and Junior Judo Championship to be held from December 11 to 14 at Hong Kong.

Manjot, a Class XI student of Ryan International School, will compete in the +70kg weight category in the U-17 section. Prior to her participation in the mega event, Manjot will attend a preparatory camp to begin on November 7 at Aurangabad. Another judoka from the centre, Kiran, a student of the Khalsa College for Women, Civil Lines, Ludhiana, will also attend the camp. Manjot’s coach Parveen Thakur said she stood a good chance to win a medal in the upcoming event. “She started attending the centre only three years ago and improved her game tremendously. She is a good prospect for the country,” said the coach. It was matter of great honour that after 12 years, a girl judoka from Ludhiana had been selected to take part in an international-level tournament, added Thakur. Manjot won a silver medal in the Junior National School Games held at Delhi in January last year, besides a bronze medal in the Junior National Judo Championship at Dehradun in December.

Ludhiana, November 4
Hosts DAV Public School, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar branch, Ludhiana, came out triumphant in the boys’ as well as girls’ sections in the DAV National Table Tennis (cluster level) Tournament today. Players from the school proved their mettle outplaying Police DAV School, Jalandhar, in both the sections to clinch the titles. Eight teams from DAV Schools drawn from all over Punjab, including two in the girls’ section while six in the boys’ section took part in the tournament.

In the girls’ final, DAV School, Ludhiana, proved too good for its opponents as the former romped home victorious 3-0. In the first match, Tanya outwitted Navpreet 11-7, 11-8 and 11-8 to put her side into the lead. Amandeep Kaur of Ludhiana survived a scare from Saveta whom she overpowered 12-10, 11-9 and 11-7 to consolidate the lead 2-0. The third match was played between Yashmilan and Ishita in which the former, after some initial hiccups managed to prevail upon in three sets 11-9, 13-11 and 11-8 and completed the rout.

In the boys’ section, hosts beat Police DAV School, Jalandhar 3-1.

In the opening match, Parivanshdeep Singh of Ludhiana outplayed Tarandeep Singh 11-5, 11-9 and 11-8.

However, the visitors restored parity as Rupinder Singh of Jalandhar defeated Karaj 11-9, 11-8 and 12-10 to level the score one-all. In the third match, local lad Manit got the better of Priyansh 11-6, 7-11, 11-8 and 11-5 to read the score board 2-1. In the reverse match, Parivanshdeep beat Rupinder Singh.