L U D H I A N A

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TOP STORIES

Congress lobbying for MC poll ‘successful’
Ludhiana, March 22
Hectic lobbying by the Congress to ensure unanimity for president and vice-president of the Municipal Councils of Malerkotla and Mandi Ahmedgarh proved successful with the proposed candidates being declared elected today.

Trade, industry oppose VAT, entry tax
Ludhiana, March 22
The trade and industry here is up in arms against the proposed introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) by the state government from April 1 and the entry tax in place of octroi from July 1.

LIFE IN THE HOLE.— Photo Inderjit Verma

Prosperity all around, courtesy cricketers

When the Indian cricket team will be clashing with the Australian team to win the World Cup 2003 final, the official sponsors LG, Pepsi and Hero Honda would also be watching the game with keen interest, apart from Indian fans.  India’s entry into the world cup has cheered them, as they are witnessing an increase in the sale figures during the past few days’ besides ‘extra goodwill for the brands.’ Children ‘gear up’ for the cricket World Cup final, in Ludhiana on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

City witnesses five convocations
Ludhiana, March 22
The city witnessed five convocations in various colleges of the city today. Mr Tej Parkash Singh, Transport Minister Punjab, was the chief guest at the annual convocation of Government College for Women.

Students of Christian Medical College and Hospital during their annual convocation-cum-prize distribution; Prof K.N. Pathak, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, interacts with toppers at the annual convocation of Malwa Central College of Education — Tribune photographs

Three new prizes for farmers instituted

Ludhiana, March 22 Punjab Agricultural University will get a corpus fund of Rs 20 lakh from the Chief Minister for giving out prizes to three progressive farmers from the next year. One prize each will be given to an outstanding dairy farmer, fruit grower and a farmer following diversified pattern of agriculture. Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, shows new varieties of wheat developed at the campus research farm to Capt Amarinder Singh during the Kisan Mela in Ludhiana on Saturday. — Photo Pardeep Tewari

Vietnam invites agriculture scientist
Ludhiana, March 22
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam, has invited Dr Malwinder Singh Malhi of Syngenta India to discuss the rice drum seeder and leaf colour chart in the Mekong Delta with emphasis on integrated crop management.

COMMUNITY

Demand for free water, sewerage facility raised again
Ludhiana, March 22
With the induction of local Congress legislator Harnam Das Johar in the state Cabinet, the demand for free water supply and sewerage facility to the city population, has once again gained momentum.

Bush, Blair effigies burnt

Ludhiana, March 22 The local unit of the Inquilabi Kendra and the Lok Morcha today staged a demonstration against America’s unilateral attack on Iraq. The agitators, including a large number of women, held a dharna in front of the Mini Secretariat and raised slogans against the policy of spilling blood for oil and carrying on with the war in the absence of UN sanction and widespread protests across the world. Activists of the Inquilabi Kendra stage an anti-US protest in Ludhiana on Saturday.

War memorial in state of neglect

Aliwal, March 22 More than 150 years ago, the British erected a monument near this village to salute the bravery of their soldiers as well as to remember the scores of Sikh soldiers who had displayed exemplary courage before losing to a much stronger British army. But today, when governance is in our own hands, the monument stands neglected. The “Flame of Memory” war memorial near Aliwal village. IV

Development works get under way in city
Ludhiana, March 22
The projects for resurfacing of roads in ward no 70 and laying a 16-inch sewer line in Industrial Area-A in ward no 56 were taken in hand with area councillors Sushil Kumar, Raju Thapar and Malkiat Kaur, respectively, performing the land cutting ceremonies in well-attended functions.

Council chief’s election tomorrow
Samrala, March 22
The election of president of the local Nagar Council will be held on March 24 on the premises of the committee office. This was stated by Mr Vinod Mehta, Executive Officer of the committee, here today.

New attraction in tiger safari
Ludhiana, March 22
The local Tiger Safari on Ludhiana-Jalandhar highway would have two naughty attractions for the visitors soon. Two tiger cubs, that were born in this zoo in August last month, would soon be released in the safari for the visitors.

DTO ‘seeks’ money for vehicle’s release
Mandi Gobindgarh, March 22
Mr Jaspaul Singh, a resident of Kalaudi village, in a complaint to the Punjab Chief Minister has alleged that Rs 4,000 were demanded from him for getting the possession of a Maruti van impounded by the DTO, Fatehgarh Sahib.

Retreat for elderly
Ludhiana, March 22
At the Day Care Centre for Senior Citizens, run by the Ludhiana Social Welfare and Charitable Society, 65 elderly persons met a year ago. Now they are like members of a family.

CRIME

Woman injured
Sahnewal, March 22
Gurpreet Kaur, wife of Harjinder Singh of Bilga village near here, has complained to the Sahnewal police that when she and her child were about to board a bus, a scooter driver coming from Sahnewal, hit her and as a result of her leg broke and she was admitted to Sidhu Hospital at Doraha.

Flesh trade racket busted
Ludhiana, March 22
The police claims to have busted a flesh trade racket in the city following the arrest of five persons, including three women, from a house in Chander Nagar locality near Salem Tabri here.

BUSINESS

Appeal to bring PSEB out of the red
Ludhiana, March 22
The Cycle Trade Union has condemned the review of power tariff in the state and has appealed to the PSEB to enhance its image in the minds of consumers by taking inhouse measures to bring the board out of the red.

Small-scale sector may be exempted from excise duty 
Ludhiana, March 22
Union Textile Minister Kashiram Rana has not ruled out exemption of the small-scale industrial sector from central excise duty. Talking to reporters here today, the Union Minister said central excise had been imposed only after the recommendations of the Kelkar Committee and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Indian capital market competitive: SEBI chief
Ludhiana, March 22
The Chairman of the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Mr G.N. Bajpai, today said that the Indian capital market was very competitive and it had all the ingredients of a vibrant and safe market. He was speaking at the Ludhiana Stock Exchange at the seminar on ‘empowering investors through education’.

Seminar on bank audit, trust taxation
Ludhiana, March 22
The city branch of Institute of Chartered Accountants organised a seminar on taxation of charitable trusts, Union Budget and bank audit at a local club here. Speaking at the occasion, Mr Girish Ahuja, an eminent tax consultant from Delhi, highlighted the registration formalities and income provisions of charitable trusts.

AGRICULTURE

Setting high standards of farming
Sahnewal, March 22
Mr Mohinder Singh Grewal, a progressive farmer, grows four to five crops on a hectare in a year. This is nothing short of a miracle for many experts who visit his farm frequently. “My aim is to get the maximum out of crops in the minimum possible time,” says Mr Grewal.

Moong variety introduced
Amloh, March 22
A seminar on crop diversification was held at Sounti village, near here, on Thursday. Dr S.S. Sekhon, in charge, Pulses Department, Punjab Agriculture University, addressed the seminar.

EDUCATION

Coaching centres go high-tech
Ludhiana, March 22
Now you can appear for mock tests on computer as you prepare yourself for the entrance examination to medical, engineering and polytechnic institutes at a coaching centre. The computer will allow you a limited time for solving the test paper and as soon as you finish it will provide you the score, mistakes committed in the paper and shortcomings to be worked upon.

COURTS

HC directive on lecturer’s plea
Ludhiana, March 22
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Principal Secretary, Department of Higher Education, DPI Colleges, and Principal, Government College of Boys, Ludhiana, to pass appropriate orders in accordance with law, treating the legal notice dated February 24, 2003 served by a lecturer, Mr Ashwani Syal, as his representation.

SPORTS

Sports meet concludes
Samrala, March 22
The 21st three-day sports festival, organised by the Youth Sports Club at Lopon village, 10 km from here, has concluded. Hardeep Singh stood first in the trolley back race while Baljeet Singh was second.