Ludhiana, November 8
Although the traffic police is trying its best to make one of the busiest markets of the city Ghumar Mandi free from haphazard parking, one can come across long queues of vehicles stuck in traffic jams there.

It takes almost double the time to cross this market from Aarti Chowk to Ghumar Mandi Chowk during the peak hours.

Though the police have banned the entry of four-wheelers from the Aarti Chowk side, haphazard parking and encroachments by vendors hamper the movement of traffic in the evening.

On this 800-metre stretch, a two-wheeler takes only two minutes to cross the market in the early morning hours when the shops are closed. In the evening (at 5 pm), it takes 5 minutes to cross the market on the same stretch. But if one wants to cross the market at 7 pm, it would take from seven to eight minutes.

During a visit to the market, it was found that the police were manning both entries to the market to avoid traffic jams. But, the encroachments by shopkeepers and vendors, and haphazard parking are a big hurdle in the smooth flow of traffic. It takes only two minutes to cross the market on the next stretch of 1 km from Ghumar Mandi Chowk to Fountain Chowk, as the police have removed vendors from the roadside.

Other traffic bottle necks were found near Jagraon Bridge, Bharat Nagar Chowk and Bhaiwala Chowk. Three-minute traffic lights at each of these places lead to long queues of vehicles.

“The Police Department has to make special arrangements to regulate traffic during the festival season. There are markets such as Ghumar Mandi where people shop for weddings. There is an urgent need to solve the traffic problem in the city,” said Shaminder Kumar, a local resident.

Richa Agnihotri, Assistant Commissioner of Police, said: “We are doing our best to manage the traffic in the Ghumar Mandi area. We have closed the entry for traffic from one side for 15 days, which gave commuters some respite from traffic chaos. We want to close the entry of vehicles from Aarti Chowk but the shopkeepers do not cooperate with us. Shopkeepers claim they would suffer losses with this move. We have stationed a recovery van in the market to tow away haphazardly parked vehicles. The yellow line is hardly visible. We have written to the Municipal Corporation to draw a new line”. 

Ludhiana, November 8
As if poor governance and deteriorating law and order situation was not enough, the increasing instances of reckless driving by the drivers of private transport companies, mostly owned by senior functionaries of the ruling party, has become a cause of concern for the ruling party leaders.

They believe these “unruly” bus drivers are bringing a bad name to the government as also denting the vote bank.

Police sources revealed that the district heads had been told to go strict on traffic violations caused by bus drivers.

A meeting in this regard was also conducted recently during which bus drivers were told in no uncertain terms that they should follow the traffic law and should not manhandle the traffic police.

The warning came following reports that drivers of these buses break the law with impunity and misbehave with the traffic police.

The issue of ill-mannered conductors was also taken up at the meeting. They were warned against hurling abuses while talking in buses.

“The warning to the bus drivers and conductors is a step towards image management as it is a general perception that the traffic violations by bus drivers are state sponsored. There is latent fear among the police that if they took any action it would invite the ire of politicians. The drivers and conductors of these buses make most of this fear and indulge in all kind of violations. The lawlessness is putting politicians in bad light,” said a police officer while talking about the issues discussed at the meeting.

On May 16, Ashutosh Singh, son of Assistant Inspector General (Prisons) JP Singh was crushed to the death at the Gill flyover by a vehicle of the Orbit Transport company that is owned by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal. But it took 10 days for the police to arrest the erring driver. Initially, the investigating officer was reluctant to reveal the name of the transport company but later when the driver was caught, the police were compelled to divulge the names.

Ludhiana, November 8
The city police issued 60 challans to traffic violators during a special checkpoint set up on the Ferozepur road late last evening. It was a joint effort of the district administration and the city police to curb violations by influential people, who would often try to get away using their connections.

A bus owned by Orbit Transport Company was also challaned for overloading and use of black film on windowpanes. The passengers were travelling on the rooftop of this Ludhiana-Barnala bus. The bus conductor’s attempt to escape action using his influential connections went in vain.

District Transport Officer (DTO) Anil Garg said the chairman of the All-India Powerloom Association was challaned for illegally installing a red beacon atop his vehicle. The police also issued a challan to the son of a police Inspector for installing a blue beacon atop his vehicle.

Meanwhile, a car driver, whose vehicle was fitted with a blue beacon, escaped from the check point.

“We have noted down the registration number of the vehicle and will mail the challan on his address,” said DTO.

The police issued 18 challans for use of black film, two for overloading trucks and challaned two drivers for drunken driving.

“We have been setting up these special checkpoints to curb traffic violations. No one will get away by using his influence. We have challaned a bus owned by Orbit Bus Company, a son of police Inspector and the chairman of a national trade association. This drive will continue with the help of lawyers, media and NGOs,” said Inspector Gagandeep Singh.

Ludhiana, November 8
Supporters of BJP councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetu and president of the Active Anti-Corruption Group Ramesh Bangar clashed in the Kidhwai Nagar area here this evening.

One member of the Bangar group was allegedly injured in the clash.

In a press note issued here, Ramesh Bangar stated that Gurdeep Singh Neetu and his supporters attacked a gym instructor, Krishan Lal Happy, who is a supporter of Bangar. Bangar’s supporters staged a protest and burnt an effigy of the BJP councillor.

The clash took place outside the Mini Rose Garden at Kidhwai Nagar. Bangar alleged that Neetu, along with his supporters, attacked Krishan Lal with sharp weapons.

Earlier, a group of women, led by Gurdeep Singh Neetu, staged a protest outside the office of Commissioner of Police, seeking action against Ramesh Bangar in the morning.

Neetu alleged that Ramesh Bangar was involved in blackmailing and other anti-social activities under the banner of an NGO. Neetu demanded an inquiry against him.

Joginder Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Police-1) said the police investigation was going on.

Ludhiana, November 8
Most local playways boast of their elaborate curricula, sometimes of foreign teaching and engagement methodologies. However, psychologists have warned against such regimented studies for the children of such young age. As many playways are springing up in every nook and corner of the city, they try to woo parents by showcasing varied activities and curriculum.

Most of the playway schools teach poems, how to write and learn alphabets to children as young as two or three years old. But they are too young to be taught these studies. Instead, they should be allowed to simply play and engage with other children. Cognitive skills of children start developing after the age of five and that is when such studies according to a curriculum may be introduced, says Dr Ravinder Kala, a city-based psychologist.

Playways are meant for play and that is all they should allow children to do, she says. Playways give an atmosphere for children to play with the children of the their age. By playing with other children, they get to learn the initial lessons of life, relating with other children, winning and losing, etc, said Dr Kala.

Some playways try to teach children alphabets and poems, but these are meaningless for the children of such tender age. Even if they memorise these poems, these don’t contribute to cognition or intelligence development. Even “A” for apple is pointless to children, she says.

Many playways organise activities and give away prizes to children. But giving prizes to children can be rather unhealthy. It has a negative impact on the psyche of children who may not get such prizes. “Some of the children who may be shy of doing these activities, may later on develop anxiety,” she said.

Learning is a social-emotional process. Comparison with other children and fear of not being able to perform at this tender age would inhibit the learning process, she added. 

Ludhiana, November 8
To prevent accidents, the civic authorities had decided to reduce the circumference of Cheema Chowk. The work, which was started a month ago, is going on a snail’s pace. Traffic jams have become a routine occurrence on the stretch.

“The roundabout is being narrowed for the convenience of the general public. But the pace of work is too slow. Thousands of commuters take the stretch to reach their respective destinations. The work should have been completed by now. It seems that it will take the authorities a month of Sundays to complete the work,” said Manohar Singh, a shopkeeper.

A factory owner, Suresh Kumar, said traffic jams had aggravated the problem. Fatal mishaps can occur on the dug-up road alongside Cheema Chowk. President of the Human Welfare Society Jatinder Khurana said two months ago, they had submitted a memorandum to the MC authorities asking them to do the needful. “Although the work has been started, residents cannot heave a sigh of relief until the chowk is narrowed. The other day, a two-wheeler skidded off the road. Passersby came to the rescue of the rider,” said Khurana. One can see construction material scattered around the chowk. Long queues of vehicles are seen on the road. The stretch leading from Cheema Chowk to the bus stand is in a miserable condition. Despite repeated attempts, executive engineer, MC, Karamjit Singh could not be contacted.

Phillaur, November 8
After Punjab BJP affairs in charge Ram Shankar Katheria, BJP star campaigner Navjot Singh Sidhu and state BJP president Kamal Sharma, now Punjab BJP BC cell in charge MP Singh Goraya has flayed the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Badal Government for their wrong policies.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Goraya alleged that though Punjab was reeling under the debit of more than Rs 93,000 crore, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal were spending huge amounts on their own tours and travels.

He alleged that the people, including civil servants, were being instructed and advised by the Badals to curb their expenditures, but they themselves could not impose any restriction upon themselves.

Goraya further alleged that most of the government properties were either been purchased by Badals and their associates or these are being mortgaged with a few banks. — OC

Ludhiana, November 8
The second edition of art event commenced today. City based Art Bounty in collaboration with Gallerie Angel Arts, Mumbai, exhibited their paintings. Works of artists from Mumbai were also showcased during the event.

The works on display were selected by a jury, including artist Picky Bindra, Amita, Samita Munjal and Neepa Sharma. Samita Munjal is an art consultant, Neepa is a proprietor of an art consulting firm ‘Artfile’ and handles art and portfolio management services in Chandigarh and Punjab. Picky Bindra is striving to put Ludhiana on the international art scene and Amita is passionate about promoting various art forms and runs ‘Creative Arts Institute’.

The shortlisted 35 contestants include Harpreet Kaur, Praveen Kainth, Rajesh Ranjan, Saru S, Sahil Jain, Jagdeep Kaur Sandhu, Reva Verma, Charanjit Kaur, Amanjot Gill, Purnima Grover, Prabhjot Saundh, Chanpreet Chawla, Mukesh Kumar, Daman Singh, Malika Singla, Pratima Chadha, Akshit Dhanda, Dr Suneet Aurora, Navita Arjun Vohra, Archana Bhalla, Mamta Kaura, Vijay Kumar, Aakriti Saxena, Sonia Kumar, Dharminder Singh, Kunal Bedi, Deeksha Soni, Veenoo Julka, Richa Jain, Aman Ryait Sohal, Santveer Singh, Neenu Vij, Prerna Behl, Navneet Kaur and Rimmi Mehra. Gharana Music Band also performed this evening.

The exhibition will be open from 11 am to 6 pm at Ireo Waterfront.

Ludhiana, November 8
Members of the EGS-AI-STR Teachers Union today protested against not getting their salaries for the past four months.

These teachers are engaged under the Education Guarantee Scheme, Alternative Innovative Education and Special Training Resource schemes.

Daljit Singh, vice-president of the union, said the government also got three surveys done from the teachers, but did not pay any allowance to them.

They submitted a memorandum to the District Administration and staged a sit-in in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office. They also carried out a protest rally.

Members of the union also demanded that their pay should be made equivalent to ETT teachers and their posts be converted to “Shiksha Mitr”.

Ludhiana, November 8
Different shades of social and political issues were highlighted during the fifth day of the ongoing youth festival of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University here today. Events like skit, mime, quiz, mimicry, mono acting and one-act plays were performed today.

In the morning session, quiz, skit and mime were held. The evening session was reserved for theatrical events. One-act plays showcased the miserable conditions of women’s life.

Dr Pali Bhupinder’s play, ‘Leeran Di Guddi’, was based on the real-life story of a Pakistani woman. Play ‘Lal Honth Peele Chehre’ was based on the novel of Baldev Singh named Lal Batti. The play depicted the miseries of prostitutes. It showed the life of ‘Red Light’ area of Indian cities.

Ajmer Aulakh’s play, ‘Mitti Rudan Kare’, depicted the story of drug menace in Punjab. ‘Nati Binodani’, a play written by Kudrat Pal, was also the depiction of a true story. It expressed the efforts and failure of a woman theatre artiste. She performed a number of acts on the stage but failed to save her theatrical group. At the end, trophies and certificates were presented to all winners.

In today’s events, all three colleges of the campus, along with School of Animal Biotechnology, Veterinary Polytechnic, Kaljharani, Khalsa College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Amritsar, took part.

Results

Light Vocal (Solo): 1 Gurpartap Singh, College of Dairy Science & Technology; 2 Ranjit Singh, College of Fisheries; and 3 Raman Vohra, College of Veterinary Science and Amandeep Kaur, College of Fisheries

Group Song (Patriotic): 1 College of Veterinary Science; 2 College of Dairy Science & Technology; and 3 College of Fisheries and Khalsa College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Amritsar

Group Song (Indian): 1 College of Fisheries; 2 College of Veterinary Science; and 3 College of Dairy Science & Technology and Khalsa College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Amritsar

Mime: 1 College of Veterinary Science; 2 Khalsa College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Amritsar; and 3 College of Fisheries

Quiz: 1 College of Dairy Science & Technology; 2 College of Veterinary Science; and 3 College of Fisheries

Skit: 1 College of Dairy Science & Technology; 2 College of Veterinary Science; and 3 College of Fisheries — TNS

Jagraon, November 8
Incidents of theft and snatching are on the rise in the Jagraon area these days. Every other day, reports of theft or snatching keep surfacing at various places, which have left the area residents worried.

In yet another snatching incident, two youths riding a motorcycle allegedly snatched gold earrings from an elderly woman at Malak village near Jagraon yesterday evening.

Ludhiana, November 8
The railway police have booked a developer and his two sons in an abetment to suicide case. The accused have been identified as Vijay Aggarwal, Amit Kumar and Dinesh.

Kamal Sahni (52), a resident of Basant Avenue, jumped before a train on Dhuri railway tracks a week ago. It was learnt that Kamal had purchased a plot from the accused.

The victim had left a suicide note accusing owner of Basant Avenue of harassing him. The deceased held Vijay Aggarwal and his sons responsible for his death.

On the complaint of the deceased’s family, a case under Section 306 of the IPC was registered. No arrest has been made so far. The deceased had registered a case against the accused in 2007 and the trio was allegedly threatening him to withdraw the case. — TNS

Ludhiana, November 8
Players from Ropar and Jalandhar dominated the proceedings, winning three and two titles, respectively, on the penultimate day of the 55th Punjab State Inter-District and Open Table Tennis Championship being held at Shastri Hall near Guru Nanak Stadium today.

Paddlers from Ropar annexed titles in the sub-junior and junior girls’ sections while Jalandhar players stamped their superiority in the boys’ section, clinching titles in the junior and the youth sections. In the individual category, local lad Parivanshdeep Singh caused a flutter as he upset top seed Nikhil Saini of Patiala in straight sets to sneak into the final in the sub-junior section. Parivansh wrapped up the semifinal match 11-8, 11-9 and 11-9 to set up the title clash with Amritsar boy, Sarthak who overpowered Shitij of Jalandhar 11-9, 11-9, 11-13 and 11-4.

Earlier, Amritsar made a clean sweep as its players came out triumphant to win the team championship in the men’s as well as women’s sections. Jalandhar secured the second position.

Results

Sub-junior girls (quarterfinals): Yashi (Ropar) bt Prabh Simran (Patiala) 11-7,11-8,11-5; Tania (Ludhiana) bt Aarushi (Jalandhar) 11-5,11-9,11-0; Parivita (Mohali) bt Anmol (Jalandhar) 11-2,11-5,11-9; Kashish (Amritsar) bt Parmeet (Amritsar) 11-9,7-11,11-8,13-11; semifinals: Yashi (Ropar) bt Tania (Ludhana) 11-8, 11-7, 11-9; Kashish (Amritsar) bt Parvita (Mohali) 11-9, 11-8 and 11-5; sub-junior boys (quarterfinals): Nikhil Saini (Patiala) bt Sidharth (Fatehgarh Sahib) 11-9,12-10,-11-8; Parivansh Deep (Ludhiana) bt Deshpreet (Ludhiana) 11-9,11-4,7-11,11-8; Shitij (Jalandhar) bt Dharya (Patiala) 11-9,11-8,11-7; Sarthak (Amritsar) bt Raghuveer (Ludhiana) 11-9,11-8,11-6; semifinals: Parivansh Deep (Ludhiana) bt Nikhil Saini (Patiala) 11-8,11-9,11-9; Sarthak(Amritsar) bt Shitij (Jalandhar) 11-9,11-9,11-13,11-4; cadet boys (quarter finals): Suhan Gulati (Jalandhar) bt Vivek (Fatehgarh Sahib) 11-9,11-8,11-6; Jasjot (Mohali) bt Raghav (Amritsar) 11-9, 11-1,11-3; Tamanpreet (Ludhiana) bt Kanan (Jalandhar) 11-3,-11-4, 11-9; Jaskamal Preet (Mohali) bt Pranay (Ludhiana) 11-3,11-6,11-8; semifinals: Jasjot Singh (Mohali) bt Vivek (Fatehgarh Sahib) 11-9, 11-9, 11-7; Jaskamal (Mohali) bt Tamanpreet (Ludhiana) 11-9,11-8,11-9; cadet girls (semi finals): Ananya (Ropar) bt Arneet (Fatehgarh Sahib) 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 and Hiya Syal (Fatehgarh Sahib) bt Gurneet (Jalandhar) 11-9,11-8,11-6.

Doraha, November 8
Gurkirat Singh, a student of Guru Nanak National College, has the done the town proud by emerging boxing champion for the fifth consecutive time. The championship was held from November 5 to 8 at Talwandi Sabo.

Gurkirat lost his father recently. Despite the tragedy, he worked hard and won the championship. He has also won championships at Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Ropar and Sangrur.

His coach Sukhwant Singh said: “Gurkirat is a promising boxer. He is diligent. Testing times can never deter him from reaching his goal. He is working hard for the Inter-Varsity Boxing Championship.”

“I want to make it to the 2016 Olympics. I will defy all odds to achieve my goal. After my father’s death, life seemed so difficult. But I resolved to make him proud. It was his dream to see me win the matches.”

Principal of Guru Nanak National College Dr Narinder Singh Sidhu said: “The town is basking in the glory of Gurkirat. His teachers are all praise fro him. He is a hard working player and will certainly live up to the expectations of his parents and coach.” 

Ludhiana, November 8
Police DAV School, Amritsar, secured the ‘best school’ award in the inaugural edition of the Reliance Foundation NBA Basketball Competition for boys and girls which concluded at Guru Nanak Stadium yesterday.

In the 5x5 competition (girls U-16), Government High School, Mall Road, Amritsar, emerged winners while those from Khalsa Girls School, Ludhiana, finished runners-up. In the boys’ section, Nav Bharti Public School, Ludhiana, romped home champions, followed by Police DAV School, Amritsar, who had to content with the second spot.

Similarly, in the 3x3 competition (girls U-13), Government High School, Balsarai, finished ahead of others to lift the title. Government Girls School, Mall Road, Amritsar, lifted the title in the U-16 category.

In the boys U-16 group, Nav Bharti School, Ludhiana, won the title while Government Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana, bagged the title in the U-13 category.

In the hot shot competition, Bhavya Gupta of Dasmesh Public School, Faridkot, and Jashan of Government Girls School, Mall Road, Amritsar, proved their class to bag top honours in the girls U-10 and U-13 categories, respectively, while Sandeep Kaur of Government Girls School, Mall road, Amritsar, clinched the title in the U-16 category.

Ashish of PS Sayad Khalsa School, Ludhiana, Anand of Government High School, Jamalpur (Ludhiana), and Pavan of Government Senior Secondary School, Chhehreta, Amritsar, won titles in the U-10, U-13 and U-16 categories, respectively.

Ludhiana, November 8
A group of NRIs of the region donated a mini-bus to the Mata Sahib Kaur Hockey Academy, Jarkhar village.

Acknowledging the achievements of players at different level tournaments, the sports promoters presented a bus to the academy.

Daljeet Singh Jarkhar of Canada, Buta Singh Johal, Manmohan Jodhan from the USA, Gurmeet Singh Singh Saran of Canada and Narain Singh of Australia purchased the bus. The apex hockey body in the country, Hockey India, made the Jarkhar Hockey Academy its associate member, ensuring a direct entry into the national-level tournaments.

A function was organised at Gurdwara Manji Sahib, Jarkhar, to express gratitude to the sports promoters. Chief sewadar Bhai Surjit Singh, Sahnewal, thanked the NRIs for their invaluable contribution. Later, the players left for Delhi to take part in the All-India Nehru Hockey Cup Tournament. Surjit Singh Latala, Joginder Singh Grewal, Surinder Singh Khanna, Narinder Pal Singh Sidhu, Dr Jagjeet Singh Jarkhar, Principal Hardev Singh, Dalbir Singh, Jagroop Singh Jarkhar, advocate Harkanwal Singh, Sarpanch Dapinder Singh, Shingara Singh Jarkhar and Tejinder Singh, office-bearers of the aademy, were present.