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Gambling rampant in big hotels, posh areas
Ludhiana, November 12
While the police is registering almost ten cases on an average daily against the seemingly ‘small-time’ gamblers indulging in the illegal activity on streets or abandoned places, it has not been able to lay its hands on any bigwig involved in gambling.

PAU hostel warden given clean chit, but shifted
Ludhiana, November 12
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has shifted the warden of Hostel Number 7 and the hostel supervisor in the wake of allegations levelled against them by residents of the hostel. Though the warden, Dr Gurdip Singh, has been absolved of all charges in a university inquiry, his resignation has been accepted. 

Kidney racket: cops ‘following’ forgive and forget policy
Ludhiana, November 12
No further headway has been made in the kidney-racket case after the arrest of two persons of Patiala who are not the main accused in the case.  

Four-year-old girl electrocuted
Ludhiana, November 12
Tragedy struck the family of a mason in Baba Deep Singh Nagar here last night when a 4-year-old girl was electrocuted after she accidentally came in contact with high voltage electricity wires that pass over the area just a feet or half above the rooftops.

Recession-hit industrialists economise on Divali gifts
Ludhiana, November 12
The mood of industrialists this Divali is a little bit depressive. Hard talks at Doha on the WTO have affected the sentiments of the industry, especially of garment manufacturers. Decline in exports in the aftermath of terrorists attacks on the WTC and subsequent war in Afghanistan have hit profit margins of the local units.

Hospitals gear up for Divali 
Ludhiana, November 12
While Divali is yet to come, several fire incidents have already claimed some lives in the city. At the same time, the authorities of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and the Civil Hospital have alerted their doctors and other staff to be prepared for any eventuality during the Divali days.

Government employees in for a holiday bonanza
Ludhiana, November 12
Starting from tomorrow, the employees of the government departments, state boards and corporations all over the state can look forward to a week-long holidays and indulge in festivities to celebrate Divali.

Burglary at cremation ground
Ludhiana, November 12
Not even sparing the place for the dead, burglars broke open locks of a number of donation boxes placed at a cremation ground in Salem Tabri sometime last night and decamped with about Rs 3000.

COMMUNITY

Pervez, Bush bashed in poems
Ludhiana, November 12
The role being played by the Chief Executive of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, in the ongoing war in Afghanistan seems to have caught the fancy of poets and satirists. Most of the poets who participated in a Hasya Kavi Sammelan in Nehru Sidhant Kendra here on Saturday evening took to Musharraf bashing and painted him a helpless person caught between the need to please the Americans and the Islamic world at the same time.

MC launches sanitation campaign in city

Ludhiana, November 12 The Municipal Corporation today launched a comprehensive sanitation campaign in the city in the wake of ongoing festival season and the National Games 2001, scheduled for November 19. The campaign would run till December 5. Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, MC Commissioner R.L. Kalsia, Additional Commissioner S.K. Sharma, flanked by councillors and the other MC officials, sweep an open area around Guru Nanak Stadium to mark the commencement of a sanitation campaign in Ludhiana on Monday. —IV

Rural bias alleged in govt policies
Ludhiana, November 12
The District Youth Congress (DYC) has lambasted the SAD-BJP government for its total failure to provide basic civic amenities, said Mr Parminder Mehta, president, DYC (Urban), while addressing a party workers meeting at Ram Nagar on Hargobind Marg. Alleging that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Cabinet colleagues had amassed massive wealth, he said the government exchequer was empty and the trade and industry were facing an unprecedented recession.

Potters’ once-a-year hay day 

Ludhiana, November 12 Subhash Kumar, a potter in Ghumar Mandi, and his family have been working nonstop day and night these days. For this time comes only once in a year. They are busy making earthen lamps (diyas) that will be sold on Divali. The family hopes to sell at least 10,000 earthen lamps this year as there has been much demand for these lamps. Ghumar Mandi, which owes its name to potters, has only a few potters left now. In fact it has become one of the busiest and modern shopping malls in Ludhiana. A potter’s wheel of fortune comes a full circle every Divali.  —Photo Rajesh Bhambi

• MC workers to observe ‘black Divali’

• Kandils, hataris add glamour to Divali

• Peace march

Stress on need for competitive strategies
Mandi Gobindgarh, November 12
The Desh Bhagat Institute of Management and Computer Sciences, Mandi Gobindgarh, organised the second one-day national level seminar on ‘Creating and augmenting competitive strategies in Indian organisations’ on Sunday.

Schools celebrate Divali, Children’s Day

Ludhiana, November 12 Lovely Lotus Nursery School celebrated today Children’s Day and Divali this morning. The children were excited about the double celebrations and came dressed in colourful clothes. The students danced to numbers like ‘Mein nikla gaddi le ke, Pyar ki kishti mein, Hum juda ho gaye etc.  Children at a fancy dress competition organised at the Students Home, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. —Photos Inderjit Verma

New appointments in PAU
Ludhiana, November 12
Dr Darshan Singh, has joined as Additional Director of Research (Agriculture), Punjab Agricultural University, from November 9. He served as Professor and Head, Department of Entomology, from March 1999 onwards. 

Hostel residents adjusted elsewhere
Ludhiana, November 12
The controversy on the vacating of hostels by students of Punjab Agricultural University in view of the National Games ended here today after the authorities moved postgraduate students from hostels for undergraduates to hostels for postgraduates.

Inter-school healthcare quiz
Ludhiana, November 12
The Indian Academy of paediatrics, Ludhiana district branch organised an inter-school child health quiz at DAV Public School today morning. Eight teams from different schools — St.Thomas Senior Secondary School, BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School.

COURTS

Forum quashes PSEB demand
Ludhiana, November 12
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has quashed a demand of Rs 53,949 made by the Punjab State Electricity Board from Mr Harvinder Singh, a resident of New Lajpat Nagar. The forum has also directed the PSEB to refund the amount deposited against the said demand along with the interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum from the date of deposit till actual payment.

High Court restores councillor’s membership 
Ludhiana, November 12
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the operation of the Punjab Government order dated August 20, removing Mr Sat Pal Puri, councillor of ward no 66 in the city, on grounds of earning disqualification.

Health Dept employees stage dharna
Ludhiana, November 12
The Punjab Health Department Subordinate Officers Clerical Association today staged a state-level dharna outside the Civil Surgeon’s office to protest against the recruitment of two senior assistants in the department.