BKU activists hold dharna
Our Correspondent

Samrala, December 22
Bhartiya Kisan Union activists of the district organised a dharna on the courts compound, here today, under the leadership of Mr Netar Singh Nagra.

Addressing the workers, Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, general secretary of the BKU, said the farmers of Punjab had fallen in a debt trap and the youth were becoming drug-addicts due to unemployment. He added that the people were facing rampant corruption everywhere. Mr Rajewal said with the state elections approaching, all parties were busy defaming their opponents and none had any programme to solving the problems plaguing the state. He added that the need of the hour was to start a strong movement in Punjab.

Mr Baldev Singh Mianpur, state president of the BKU, said while huge industrial loans were declared non-performing assets, the agricultural loans were not written off as nobody cared for the farmers. Mr Onkar Singh, state general secretary of the party, said a movement would be started to force the politicians to formulate an economic programme on the issues concerning the masses.

EDUCATION

Students collect Rs 1.7 lakh for cancer patients
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 22
Ms Savita Sodhi, Manager Global Concern India, North Region, was presented a cheque for Rs 1.70 lakh by Mr Satyanand Munjal, Co-Chairman and MD Hero Cycles, and Ms Paramjit Kaur, Principal of B.C.M. Arya Model Senior Secondary School, here today. The money has reportedly been collected by the students of the school.

Later, Global Concern India, in collaboration with Mohan Dai Oswal Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation, Ludhiana, organised a cancer detection camp in the school. This was the first such camp organised in Ludhiana in collaboration with the hospital by GCCI. The president of the school, Mr Satyanand Munjal , was the chief guest.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sukhdeep Singh Gill of GCCI, said,‘‘ Each penny collected by the students will be spent for lessening the sufferings of the cancer patients.’’ Ms Nidhi, a student of B.C.M. School, delivered a speech on ‘Cancer- A dreadful disease’. Dr Pardeep Kapoor Senior Consultant spoke about the ways of prevention of this disease. 

PAU students spread message of cleanliness
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 22
As a part of the 10-day NSS camp, the students of various colleges of Punjab Agricultural University including College of Agriculture, College of Agricultural Engineering and College of Home Science visited various villages today and launched a cleanliness drive in schools, and on the roads in of these villages.

According to Dr K.S. Verma, Programme Coordinator of the camp, the students cleaned the premises of various schools, playgrounds, lens and drains of the villages. The girl students gave various demonstrations to the housewives regarding cleanliness, kitchen management and other subjects of home science.

The students visited Pamal, Baddowal, Mullanpur and Pamali villages along with the Project Officers Dr H.S. Jassal, Dr R. Mohindra and Dr R. Kalra, where various lectures were also conducted on various topics like “Importance of trees for environment,” Impact of use of pesticides and other environment-related topics.

Dr Verma said the students would take out a rally tomorrow through all these villages to create awareness against social evils, use of intoxicants and harm ful effects of pesticides.

Xmas celebrations at GMT school
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 22
Tiny tots of GMT Public School celebrated Christmas with zeal and enthusiasm. The glittering Christmas tree added the beauty to the classrooms.

An excellent presentation of the “birth scene of Jesus Christ” dramatised by nursery students was the highlight. Some students were dressed up as “Santa Claus” and distributed gifts among students. Rhymes were sung by students of LKG and UKG classes.

A message of peace and love for humanity was conveyed by the Principal Ms Heema Jassal and the Director S.G.S. Thind wished a Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all. The function was presided over by Directors Kashmir Singh and Jasbir Singh. Sweets were also distributed among the students in the end.

HC notice to bank chairman
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 22
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a notice to the Chairman of the Punjab and Sind Bank after accepting a writ petition, filed by about 100 employees of the bank, who have sought restoration of various benefits denied to them at the time of retirement under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) last year.

About 1,900 employees of the Punjab and Sind Bank, had opted for voluntary retirement last year. According to them, although the scheme was operational for a specific period between December 1 to 31, 2000, and the option was irrevocable. However, at the fag end of this period, when a large number of employees had already opted for the voluntary retirement, certain guidelines were issued denying them various benefits.

Mr Bhupinder Singh, president of the PSB Association of VRS Pensioners, alleged, “The management has denied the benefit of notional increase of five years in service, available to VRS pensioners who had completed 20 years of service, encashment of leave fair facility, inclusion of training period in the service period and promised pension amount.”

According to Mr B.S. Sachdeva, general secretary of the association, the employees took the extreme step of approaching the Punjab and Haryana High Court after waiting for a long period as the management had been delaying a decision on these issues.

ROUND-UP
Celebrities added colour to cultural scene
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 22
Ludhianvis got an opportunity to enjoy cultural events, watching top models and designers, sharing “tasty-bites” with leading chefs and getting beauty tips from known personalities in 2001. The eventful year presented a rich cultural scenario to the city residents.

The credit of bringing back the cultural spirit among Ludhianvis goes to a certain extent to the Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam (LSS). The organisation organised various plays, dramas, musical events and dance performances by renowned personalities during the year.

Ms Sarabarinder Dhaliwal, an elderly homemaker, appreciated the efforts of LSS in promoting rich Indian culture. She said, “Earlier, all these activities were missing. The satirical play Taash ke patte by Kader Khan, Naseeruddin Shah’s play Ismat apa ke naam and Jaya Bachchans’ Maa retire hoti hai are the plays which have left unforgettable images on our minds. We got an opportunity to see great artistes performing live”, said Ms Dhaliwal.

SPICMACAY, too, organised many musical and dance performances which were lauded by not only general public but students also. Wadali Brothers, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhat, A.Hariharan, Misra Bandhu, Shovana Narayan, Niladari brothers entertained the Ludhianvis with their captivating performances. Students of various city schools also experienced the rich culture.

The elite clubs of the city also organised colourful mega events throughout the year. The Satluj Club celebrated the festivals with leading models and Bollywood singers. Aditi Govitkar, Nethra Raghuraman, Mehr Bhasin, Gul Panag, Vandana Vadera and Shefali Talwar had been in the city to entertain city people.

The city residents also had a gala time while enjoying the numbers of their favourite singers like Harbhajan Maan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sardool Sikandar, Vinod Rathod, Amar Noorie, Shankar Sawney.

The residents also had the pleasure to watch eminent personalities like Bloosom Kochchar, Jatin Kochchar, Vandana Luthra and Mehr Bhasin judge the events like Miss Lashkara 2001.

The fashion conscious people of Ludhiana also had an opportunity to share beauty tips with famous hair stylists and beauty therapists like Sylvie, Javed Habib and Cory Walia. Besides Italian hairstylist Andrea Minghatti also hold demonstration.

Designer Leena Singh (of Aashima-Leena fame) and Spanish Designer Magda Prats were there to share latest designs in vogue with Ludhianvis.

Ms Archana, a city resident said, “It’s nice that at least Ludhianvis have taken an initiative to promote culture in 2001. All these activities were missing earlier. By organising such events, the younger generation will be able to understand the importance of rich culture of various other states”.