L U D H I A N A

CM’s sops for industrialists 
Comprehensive package of relief and concessions
Ludhiana, May 16
In an apparent bid to woo industrialists before the assembly elections next year, Mr Parkash Singh Badal announced some sops for the state’s industry in general and the city’s in particular during his short visit to the city on Tuesday evening.

Badal’s industry darshan a stunt: industrialists
Ludhiana, May 16
Industrialists have alleged that Mr Parkash Singh Badal is trying to woo them for the ensuing election by providing small concessions. They are surprised how Mr Badal is accepting their demands all of a sudden.

Good news for 181 CSSF employees
Ludhiana, May 16
Thanks to Mr Parkash Singh Badal’s visit to city here yesterday, 181 employees of the Centre State Seed Farm at Lodowal can hope to get their salary after more than a year. 

Punjab Lok Morcha constituted

Ludhiana, May 16 Close on the heels of the announcement of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra to form a joint panthic group, various other non-Congress political parties have formed the Punjab Lok Morcha to fight the “misdeeds” and “anti-people” policies of the Badal government.

Leaders of the newly constituted Punjab Lok Morcha at a press conference in Ludhiana on Wednesday. — RB

‘No business’ in declaring area residential
Ludhiana, May 16
Owners of thousands of small industrial units of New Janta Nagar and Simlapuri on Gill Road here are miserable after the area has been declared ‘residential’ by the local Municipal Corporation (MC). After the decision, the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) is not allowing new power connections and load extension.

Police stations functioning from occupied land, unsafe buildings
Ludhiana, May 16
Facing a serious resource crunch, a number of police stations in the city are functioning from illegally occupied land or from unsafe buildings. While the safety of the staff in condemned buildings is under threat, the police department is at loggerheads with the other departments over the issue of paying rent of the occupied land or to vacate it.

CBI solves triple murder case
Fatehgarh Sahib, May 16
With the arrest of Gurvinder Singh of Rasulpur village in Amritsar district allegedly for killing the family of his in-laws, the Jammu branch of the CBI claims to have solved the mystery of the triple murder committed at Kotla Bajwara village in the district in 1996 in which all the three members of the family were killed. 

Arhtia robbed of Rs 25,000
Ludhiana, May 16
Two armed youths robbed an arhtia (commission agent) of Rs 25,000 at gunpoint in New Grain Market this afternoon. The Jagraon police has registered a case, but no arrest has been made.

 

LUDHIANA CALLING The Pradesh Congress Committee President, Capt Amarinder Singh, has vowed to give up mass machhi and madira (meat, fish and liquor). The oath was taken at Bhaini Sahib, an important centre of the Namdhari sect, about 25 km from Ludhiana, after being “blessed” by the sect leader Baba Jagjit Singh. The PCC president was there to participate in a seminar on Namdhari history. A matter of faith Just married Dog of the boss Bada paper, Chhota paper Police scores over admn Brother cheats sister! Cruelty still haunts Addressing God

COMMUNITY

‘Drug abuse rampant among school students’
Ludhiana, May 16
“Youngsters are experimenting with drugs because of peer pressure, easy availability of drugs in chemists’ shops and the frustration of unemployment,” said Ms Romila Dubey, Principal Secretary of the Department of Social Security and Welfare of Women and Children, at a press conference in the Salem Tabri Acupuncture Hospital here today.

Meeting flays WTO pact 
Ludhiana, May 16
Representatives of different political parties held a meeting on the deteriorating scenario of the country and some specific issues and invited all secular and democratic elements in the state to join hands to build a powerful mass movement for redressal of the people’s grievances.

Workshop on modelling Ludhiana, May 16 “There has been a sea change in thinking among the people about modelling as a career. The profession that lacked dignity earlier has not only become respectable and is also hot favourite in our society today. Kanwal Toor, one of the finalists of Femina Miss India-2001 and Vandana Vadera address a press conference in Ludhiana on Wednesday. — RB

Dharna against police inaction
Ludhiana, May 16
A large number of angry residents of Barrewal village, near here, blocked traffic on the Ludhiana-Malerkotla road for about an hour and staged a demonstration in front of Dehlon police station today in protest against the dowry death of a newly married woman and the alleged police inaction.

Trucks released, agitation over
Mandi Gobindgarh, May 16
Sixty trucks, which were impounded, were released after verifying their documents and the action committee has withdrawn the agitation.

CRIME

‘Killer’ of daughter arrested

BUSINESS

Arms dealers demand relief
Ludhiana, May 16
The Punjab Arms Dealers Association (PADA) has demanded reduction in the excise duty and octroi on arms and ammunition and has also urged the government to remove many other hurdels impeding their business.

AGRICULTURE

Palledars resent non-payment of wages, irregularities
Ahmadgarh, May 16
Resentment is brewing among 118 members of the Punjab Pradesh Palledar Mazdoor Union(PPPMU) here against the non-payment of their wages for the past more than three months and certain irregularities with regard to payment and loading of trains called ‘wheat specials’ at the local railway station.

2.63 lakh tonnes of wheat procured: DC
Fatehgarh Sahib, May 16
Mr Vikas Partap, Deputy Commissioner of Fatehgarh Sahib, told mediapersons here yesterday that the various government agencies had procured 2.63 lakh metric tonnes of wheat in the district till May 15 as compared to 2.44 lakh last year.

EDUCATION

COA students end strike
Ludhiana, May 16
The deadlock between the state government and agitating students of College of Agriculture (COA), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) ended here today with the students calling off the 14-day-old strike after getting assurances from the Education Minister here yesterday.

Dastarbandi and painting contests for school children Ludhiana, May 16 The Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Sarabha Nagar, bustled with a different kind of activity today. Almost 500 students from 40 schools participated in painting competition and dastarbandi competition organised by Guru Gobind Study Circle, Model Town. Students getting ready for dastarbandi competition at Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Sarabha Nagar. — Photo Rajesh Bhambi

SPORT

Basketball teams announced
Ludhiana, May 16
The district junior basketball teams (boys and girls) have been announced. According to a press release issued here today by Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, Secretary, Punjab Basketball Association, the teams were selected for the 52nd Punjab State Junior Basketball Championship which was scheduled to be held from May 17 to 20.

• NSO camp in July