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One killed, 7 hurt in factory blast Mandi Gobindgarh, December 6 The workers said while they were working in the night shift of the factory on the intervening night of December 5 and December 6, a blast took place at 1 am. Immediately after the blast, the district police chief, Mr Shiv Kumar, reached there. When this correspondent reached at the site, a pall of gloom had descended on factory premises, the pieces of iron, scrap were lying scattered. Residents of the nearby village of Ajnali said they heard a big noise of blast and they reached at the site. Talking to mediapersons, Mr Shiv Kumar said a case had been registered vide FIR No. 211 under Section 304A, IPC, against Supervisor of the factory Surinder Kumar, son of Roshan Lal, resident of Ambi village in district Kangra, on the basis of a statement of Puran Singh, son of Daman Singh, resident of Abheypur, a relative of the deceased, and worker of the same factory. A special police party comprising 20 cops from the Sirhind range had been deputed from December 4 for patrolling at Mandi Gobindgarh which had succeeded in checking the increasing cases of theft in the town. To check the accidents on the G.T. Road, the parking of trucks on the G.T. Road within 1.5 km of the crossing had been banned, he added. |
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Scarcity of exam forms leaves students panicky Ludhiana, December 6 Hundreds of frustrated students demanded that the last date of submission of forms should be extended as it was not their fault if they could not buy the forms. Gurmeet from Moga who had to submit forms for a compartment examination said, “I have been at the counter of since yesterday and I was told that the forms would be available today , but again we have been deceived as no forms are in sight while December 8 is the last date. How are we supposed to deposit them if we do not get the forms as we have to complete formalities of attestation etc?” Devinder Kumar who works in a bank said, “I had to take leave to help my brother buy forms. When we saw no forms were available, I was forced to buy the form for Rs 1,300 whereas the original form is priced at Rs 775. My brother was very tense.” Renu Bharat had come from Samrala Chowk to buy the forms for MA final examinations accompanied by her father. She was also disappointed as for the last two days, they had been waiting for the forms. The last day for submission of forms should be extended, her father said. Ashok Kumar said some persons were selling the forms for Rs 1500 but he did not have the money. He said it was clear that a “scarcity” had been “created .” The students who were fortunate to get the forms also felt harassed since they had to wait for long. Ludhiana Tribune found that the library was closed and only the Assistant Section Officer was present. He said the forms had not been received from Chandigarh and he did not know when the forms would be available.” Avinash Sikka of a book depot said the forms were not coming from Chandigarh and there was an acute scarcity of the forms. Everyday hundreds of students had been coming to buy the forms but they went back disappointed. |
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Board gets strict on copying Ludhiana, December 6 The board chief said disciplinary action would be taken against examiners who failed to reach the examination centre for their duties. The Chairman said that the decision had come in the wake of complaints from many school principals who said that the examination began late in their centres as they kept waiting for the examiners. Under such circumstances, they had to arrange for external examiners with the permission of the District Education Officer which was a very tedious job, he said. The PSEB Chairman said now there would be a seniority list and if the superintendent or supervisor did not turn up, the next seniormost person would be deputed in his place. He also said that following complaints that some police personnel deputed at the school gates connived with the authorities, no policeman would be allowed to enter the examination room. The board chief said if any case of copying is detected, it would not just be the students but also the supervisors who would face suspension for dereliction of duties. Dr Kehar Singh said the board had also changed its norms of internal assessment of middle class with effect from this session. The 20 per cent marks that have to be allotted by the school authorities would have a fixed criteria. |
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Teachers’ stir hits studies Ludhiana, December 6 Prof Parminder Singh,
Today, attendance in colleges here was thin as the students were aware of the strike. Dr S.M. Sharma, Principal of Arya College, said the teachers came to the college, marked their attendance, and stayed away from teaching. Ad hoc teachers were taking the classes . The teachers had given an application that on Monday, (December 8) they would not be teaching and would hold a protest rally at the park. He says, “The government must break the impasse and fulfil genuine demands of the teachers in interest of students. December examination are approaching and the syllabus has to be completed. The teachers have to resort to protests as the government is not fulfilling their long-pending demands.” Ms Madanjit Kaur Sahota, Principal of Master Tara Singh College, said permanent teachers were present in the college but there was no teaching. The ad hoc teachers were carrying on with their work. Ms Inderjit Kaur, MTS College unit president of the PCCTU, said 32 permanent teachers had been abstaining from teaching whereas 24 ad hoc teachers of the college were carrying on the teaching work. The attendance, however, was good in the college. |
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Defunct park panels await payment Ludhiana, December 6 He said in accordance with its resolution dated September 16, 1999, the PMCs were entrusted with the maintenance of 467 parks at Re 1 per sqm. However, the government, through a letter dated February 19, 2000, threw a spanner, saying that the PMCs should be paid at the rate of 50 paise per sqm and an equal amount should be raised by residents on their own. Subsequent resolutions adopted by the then MC general House in 2000 and 2002 resolved that the payment to the PMCs should be made at the earlier agreed rate of Re 1 per sqm but the government stuck to its stand. The resolutions approved by the house were also stayed by the government, which led to the PMCs suspending work. He said even as the MC was in the process of handing over the work for maintenance of the parks to the contractors, there was no justification to withhold the pending payment of PMCs. The MC had signed agreements with the respective PMCs which were legally binding upon both parties and the civic authorities should clear the payments without further delay to avoid legal repercussions, they said. |
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Gujral optimistic of peace between India, Pak Ludhiana, December 6 Known for his moderate approach, Mr Gujral refused to be drawn into any controversy about the foreign policy or other issues facing the country. He said he was to address a press conference at Jalandhar where he would be answering such questions. At the same time he maintained that there should be a consensus on every issue and the nation must be taken along when it comes to handling issues of national importance. Mr Gujral was accorded warm reception at the railway station by members of the Dhan-Pothohar Brotherhood, led by its president, Mr N.S. Nanda. Bouquets were presented to him and his son. Mr Gujral, who hails from the Dhan-Pothohar region, now in Pakistan, congratulated Mr Nanda on creating a sense of belonging among the people from that region. Appreciating the efforts of the Pothohar Brotherhood, he said, celebrations in memory of great writers, poets, artists and others should be organised frequently. He said he felt nostalgic of the Dhan-Pothohar region, but refused to make further comments. Mr Nanda announced that an all-India shaheedi conference would be held in March at Ludhiana and would be
dedicated to those Pothoharis who had laid down their lives at the time of Partition and made sacrifices for the welfare of the South Asian
civilization. |
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Muslims observe ‘kala divas’ Ludhiana, December 6 They demanded that the mosque should be reconstructed on the spot as the Muslims had the right, as provided by the Constitution, to have their religious place in the country. Addressing the participants, the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Maulana Habib-Ur-Rehman Sa-ani Ludhianvi, said some communal elements had demolished the mosque on the day 11 years ago. He said these were some people who were trying to separate Indian citizens on the basis of religion. The Shahi Imam said the Muslims had always worked for the integrity of nation and they had contributed to the freedom struggle of the country and dreamt of a free nation where they would be allowed to live respectfully. Mr Atiq-Ur-Rehman Ludhianvi, President of Indian Muslim Council, said India was the largest democracy of the world and it was shameful that a historic place was demolished by some vested interests. The National Sportsmen Ahrar submitted a memorandum to the President of India, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and demanded the reconstruction of the masjid. A copy of the memorandum said that they were not against the coming up of Ram temple, but they were against the demolition of a religious place. |
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Militancy over, sentry boxes continue Ludhiana, December 6 The Officer’s Colony, has a row of sentry boxes and kiosks. The road has been blocked by these temporary structures in front of the houses of several DSPs and Inspectors as these have encroached upon the road. The main road leading towards Sutlej Club and further to the Deputy Commissioner’s residence from Rakh Bagh remains blocked to traffic and even to pedestrians for security reasons. A number of houses belonging to senior police officers, members of the judiciary and other government officers are along the road. Blocks were put on the entry point to this road almost 15 years ago when the situation was different and such measures were a routine affair. Residents feel that such encroachments on public streets, more so by police officials, was uncalled for and steps should be initiated to remove these structures. The entry point of the road towards Sutlej Club should also be opened to the public, they said. |
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Grain storage research on anvil Ludhiana, December 6 Speaking on the occasion, Dr S.M. Ilyas said under the CAP storage system, 9 million tonnes of foodgrains were kept and often the quality of the grains suffered due to prolonged exposure to the vagaries of weather and temperatures, besides humidity. This resulted in the loss of value, besides causing
physio- chemical change, rendering it unfit for human consumption. Those who participated included Mr K. Shiva
Parsad, Senior Regional Manager, FCI, Punjab region, Dr G.P. Pandey, Manager, (Quality Control), and other senior officers of the
FCI. The research scheme has been undertaken by CIPHET and the corporation under the leadership of Dr D.S.
Uppal, Principal Investigator, and Dr V.R. Bhagat, Dr Dalip Jain, Ms Aleksha Kudos and Dr
V.K. Bhargava. |
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CM visits city today Ludhiana, December 6 The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President, Mr H.S. Hanspal, is also scheduled to attend the bhog ceremony. |
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Three booked in assault case Ludhiana, December 6 Injured:
Transformer stolen:
Two gamblers held:
Liquor seized:
Beaten up:
Threatened:
Knife seized:
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Eunuch killed Ludhiana, December 6 The complainant stated that he had gone to see Sitara on Thursday evening but when he entered her house, he found that Sitara was lying dead in her bed which was stained with blood.
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Govt to ease ills of steel industry Mandi Gobindgarh, December 6 Mr Aggarwal was talking to mediapersons at Gymkhana Club here last evening after his visit to the Modern Steel, Neelkanth Strips, C.S. Forging, Rajiv Alloys and Bhiwani Industry, Mr B.N. Mathur, Joint Secretary, Mr S.I. Singh, Director, SISST and Mr S.M. Goyal, Manager, District Industry Centre, to find out the causes in slump in the industry and to provide a helping hand through the Punjab Government to save the industry. A deputation of the All-India Steel Re-rollers Association, led by its chief Vinod Vashisht, Mr Chanan Singh Matharu, vice-president, Steel Re-rolling Mills Association of India, Mr J.P. Sharma, president, Mr Jai Kutti, secretary, Steel Chamber, respectively, Mr Anil Suraj and Mr Ajay Gupta presented a memorandum to Mr Aggarwal. It was pointed out that high cost of inputs and power problems had made it difficult to keep the wheel in motion. The delegation said the Central Government had declared that no subsidy would be allowed to the industry and had disbanded the scheme of freight equalisation scheme by virtue of which the railway freight from the MSPs/ISPs was equal to all destinations irrespective of their distance from the plants. The scheme was intended to assist and boost the economy of the small units away from the plants. The withdrawal of the scheme had caused a loss to the entrepreneurs in this border state far away from the sources of raw materials. On the other hand the government was protecting the interests of the big steel units and the induction furnace units. As much as 5 per cent duty had been imposed on the import of melting scrap to the majors from where such scrap was rooted to the small rolling mills. If it was imported directly by the rolling mills the custom duty was charged at the rate of 25 per cent which was discriminatory, the delegation added. They stressed that the custom duty on such material should be fixed at 5 per cent which would increase the revenue manifold as a result of heavy import. At present the units with turnover below Rs 3 crore fell in SSI category. Keeping in view the sharp increase in the prices of inputs, its limit should be extended up to Rs 6
crore. |
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Steel price hike
hits small units Ludhiana, December 6 The Ludhiana Motor Parts Manufacturing Association said the increase of almost Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 per metric tonne in the prices of rounds and bars would inflict a crushing blow to the crisis-ridden auto parts units. Mr Jagat Singh, president of the association, said the attempts by the Union Government to discipline the major steel producers against repeated and arbitrary increase in the steel prices, had failed to have the desired effect. Even the threat of slashing custom duty on steel to enable the users to import the raw material had not deterred them. The auto parts units in the small sector were finding it difficult to survive. The problem had been compounded by the fact that the unit owners were not in a position to procure raw material from the international market due to high custom duty at the rate of 25 per cent. Several industrialists said the main steel producers had virtually broken the backbone of the engineering industry. Also the state government had continued to be “indifferent” to the fate of the industrial units. They called for urgent steps by the government to control steel prices and urged that custom duty on iron and steel be reduced from 25 per cent to 10 per cent along with the scrapping of counter-vailing duty in order to check the excesses of the steel producers. |
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PNB lends Rs 450 cr in Punjab zone Ludhiana, December 6 Mr Bhargava said PNB had taken various steps for the sanction of loans to the eligible borrowers without any hassles and in order to provide housing loans in shortest possible time, the bank had already opened a retail hub at Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana, in the month of July this year. A team of specialist officers at the hub was exclusively dealing with housing finance and ensured sanction and disbursement of loan within 48 hours on the completion of formalities by the prospective borrower. The retail hub, he said, had taken a lead and recently it had sanctioned housing loans to four borrowers on the basis of their salary slips/income tax returns, although they were yet to finalise purchase/construction of house. Mr Bhargava added that the bank had reduced rate of interest on housing loans. The rate of interest under the floating option had been slashed to 7.50 per cent for repayment periods up to 10 years and for loans with repayment periods of 10 to 20 years, the rate of interest had been reduced by 1.5 per cent to 7.75 per cent. The reduced rates have become effective from December, 2003, and was valid up to
December 31. He said the bank was celebrating the deposit-cum- hi-tech products promotion fortnight from
December 1 to 13. The fortnight was being held to invite attention of the customers to the services being provided by
the bank. The bank had already introduced many hi-tech products for its customers
like PNB Smart Roamer, where a customer gets benefits of a fixed deposit while maintaining current account; PNB Prudent Sweep, where a customer earns interest of a fixed deposit while maintaining saving account;Internet Banking and various other modern facilities.
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Bank holds seminar on team building Ludhiana, December 6 In his inaugural address, Mr U.S. Bhargava, General Manager of the Punjab zone, said the process of team building in the bank had started with the sole aim of equipping the staff members with innovations in the banking sector and to enhance their inter-personal skills. Team building efforts also help in developing good communication skills by way of getting shared knowledge, said Mr Bhargava. The interest rates were changing occasionally and the bank was introducing new products, hence good communication skills would help discharge duties in a more effective manner, he added. Mr M.A. Zahir, ex-Dean, Business of Management, PAU, apprised the participants with the latest techniques of team building. He exhorted the participants to prepare themselves to meet the challenges of modernday banking. He gave the concept of team building as shared goal and vision, relationship between team members, empathy listening, supporting atmosphere and innovations. As many as 70 senior managers and managers participated in the seminar.
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