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‘Sacrilege’ leads to  group clash
Protesters block road, tension engulfs city

Ludhiana, November 9 Tension engulfed the city this morning following a confrontation between Guru Ravidass Mandir Committee and Amrit Sanchar Jatha, a Sikh organisation, at a place of worship at Basti Jodhewal last night.

Angry protesters near Guru Ravidass Mandir, Basti Jodhewal Chowk, in Ludhiana on Friday—Photo Inderjit Verma

Irregularities alleged in MC tenders
Ludhiana, November 9
All norms and regulations were thrown to the winds and established practices flouted with impunity in the receipt of tenders for various city development works in the Municipal Corporation office here on Thursday. A number of MC contractors called up the newspaper offices to allege that some of the contractors were being prevented from offering their bids, while a lobby of powerful contractors had pooled their rates for the bids, which would cause massive financial loss to the civic body.

World Bank grants Rs 2,243 lakh to PAU
Ludhiana, November 9
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has been sanctioned an amount of Rs 2,243 lakh by the World Bank and also it has become the leading university in the country to have 92 National Agricultural Technology Projects (NATP).

Telecom Dept, police at loggerheads
Ludhiana, November 9
The district police and the local Telecom Department are at loggerheads over the issue of payments due for services provided to one another. While the Telecom Department claims that the police owes it about Rs 30 lakh on account of non-payment of telephone bills, the police says the Telecom Department owes it over Rs 70 lakh on account of non-payment of salary to two police personnel posted as guards with the Telecom Department for the past two decades.

• Woman raped

COMMUNITY

Tribes Dal seeks quota in jobs
Ludhiana, November 9
The All-India Tribes Dal, a body of depressed scheduled castes including Sansi, Boria, Bengali, Teha, Biharia and Sikligar, have urged the President of India to intervene to provide them their due rights, which includes the status of ‘scheduled’ tribes and reservation in government jobs and state legislative assemblies and Parliament.

Centre to assist in tourism projects
Ludhiana, November 9
The Union Government will provide all necessary assistance to the state government to develop Ranjit Sagar Dam as one of the prominent tourist spots in the state. The state government has already decided to develop Ranjit Sagar Dam and the Harike lake as tourist spots.

MC meeting adjourns without business
Ludhiana, November 9
In a dramatic turn of events, the much hyped general house meeting of the Municipal Corporation was adjourned today without transacting any business other than making obituary references to four victims of a fire tragedy in Jawahar Nagar locality here on Tuesday, condemning the terrorist attack on World Trade Center (USA) and paying homage to senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Madhav Rao Scindia.

Breach in channel plugged
Ludhiana, November 9
The breach in the Mukerian Hydel Channel has been plugged and all four power houses of the Mukerian Hydel Project have been generating power for the past four days. The breach in the channel was reported on October 9, as a result of which all four power houses of the hydel power station stopped generation.

Bowling alley at Sutlej Club
Ludhiana, November 9
Another recreation facility for club members and their dependents, a bowling alley, was inaugurated by Mr S.K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, and its ex-officio president, at the Sutlej Club here recently.

Projects for benefit of jail inmates
Ludhiana, November 9
Three projects aimed for the benefit of inmates of the local Central Jail would be inaugurated by Mr Ajit Singh Kohar, Minister for Prisons, at a function in the jail premises tomorrow morning.

• Sonia to visit Ludhiana

• Govt decision hailed

Punjab targets Rs 500 crore vegetable exports by 2005
Ludhiana, November 9
The Punjab Agriculture Export Corporation ( PAGREXCO) has signed a memorandum of understanding( MOU) with APEDA, an agency of the Union Ministry of Commerce, to establish an agricultural export zone for producing vegetables in Punjab. The area under the project would cover the districts of Patiala, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ropar. The project involves a capital investment of Rs 26.77 crore, including government support of Rs 11.83 crore and private investment of Rs 14.94 crore.

Cycle market: whither Chinese?
Ludhiana, November 9
Leading cycle manufacturers in Ludhiana feel that a phobia has been created about the “Chinese invasion” in the cycle market. Cycle and cycle parts manufacturers are not at all worried, as they believe that various myths related to Chinese cycles have already been exploded.

NCP for action against PAU teacher
Ludhiana, November 9
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has demanded immediate dismissal of a teacher of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), who has been under suspension for more than a month, on the charge of sexual harassment of a postgraduate student of the Department of Soils.

PAU employee union poll
Ludhiana, November 9
Election for various posts of the Employees Union of the Punjab Agricultural University took place peacefully on the campus here today. The venue for the voting was abuzz with activity as both the groups were trying to woo the employees till today.

Students, teachers hold exhibition
Ludhiana, November 9
Students and teachers of BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, organised an exhibition of candles and lamps here today. Of the total 1,400 candles displayed on the occasion, 200 had been made by the teachers while the rest were readymade candles decorated by students of the primary section.

• Unemployed teachers hold meeting

• Fancy dress contest

Legal Services Day observed
Ludhiana, November 9
The Legal Services Authority, Ludhiana, today observed Legal Services Day and organised a seminar on the Sessions Court complex to highlight to the masses various beneficial schemes run by the authority. The seminar was presided over by the Acting District and Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, Mr A.K. Sharma.

Dental health fortnight from Nov 17
Ludhiana, November 9
The Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, will celebrate ‘Dental Health Fortnight’ from November 17 to December 1 in all Civil Hospitals of the state. This was stated by Dr Puneet Girdhar, Medical Officer (Dental), Department of the H&FW and secretary Indian Dental Association (IDA), at a Teachers’ Training Programme organised at the GHG College of Education, Sidhwan Khurd, Jagraon.

SPORTS

Punjabi culture presentation at Games’ opening

Ludhiana, November 9 Viewers of the National Games which are scheduled to be held on November 19 will be treated to a cultural extravaganza as the North Zone Cultural Centre is preparing for a mega event bringing forth the traditional Punjabi culture to be presented on the inauguration of the Games. The college girls practicing for gidha which they are going to perform on inaugural function of national games on November 19.—Photo by Rajesh Bhambi

• Sahil for Nationals