Ludhiana, January 1
Even as the city may be taking pride in hosting the six-day annual conference of the Association of Surgeons of India (ASICON 2008), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) seems to have suffered financial loss during the conference.

A section of the faculty and non-teaching employees of the farm university feels that the authorities had gone out of their way to “co-host” the event without realising that the PAU was already reeling under financial crunch and such expenses would aggravate its problems.

According to sources, the PAU took a nominal amount for providing various venues to the organisers of the conference. “If they wanted, huge amounts could have been collected. Instead of taking several lakhs of rupees, it was happy with peanuts,” a senior faculty member said.

As per information, the PAU charges about Rs 40,000 per day for any event to be held at Pal Auditorium; Rs 1 lakh for exhibitions on the Mela Grounds; Rs 25,000 for preparations; and about Rs 20,000 for functions to be held at the wheat auditorium.

Sources said for government functions, the university charged only about Rs 8,000 per day at Pal Auditorium, besides the security charges of Rs 15,000.

A former office-bearer of the PAU non-teaching employees union, on the condition of anonymity, said apart from providing the venue, the staff was also put on “day and night” duties. The ground near Pal Auditorium, which was never provided to anyone for holding functions, was also given to surgeons. Tables, chairs, notice boards, security guards, etc. were also provided to the organisers by the PAU.

“We feel proud to be part of this national conference where about 1,000 surgeons gathered. It is a great academic achievement, but the university should not compromise with financial matters, especially at the time of a crunch. Even pensioners have not been paid their dues for long,” another faculty member said, adding that a senior faculty member went on “protest” as the committee/computer rooms of his department were being used by the organisers.

The senior vice-president of the PAU non-teaching employees union said: “We do not want to comment on the issue at this stage.”

Estate officer Gurkirpal Singh said since various departments were involved and decisions were taken by the higher authorities, he could not comment.

Dr Jagtar Singh Dhiman, additional director, communications, said the PAU was just the host.

Despite repeated attempts, the vice-chancellor could not be contacted for his comments.

Ludhiana, January 1
The New Year seems to have brought the district administration and the municipal corporation at loggerheads as the MC today published a notice for the public auction of Sutlej Club which is headed by deputy commissioner Sumer Singh Gurjar.

According to the notice, the club would be auctioned on January 7 at 10 am at the site itself. The decision was taken after the civic body attached the property after it failed to pay house tax amounting to over Rs 1.50 crore.

Talking to The Tribune, municipal commissioner GS Ghuman said: “The amount of Rs 33 lakh, which has been deposited by the club, is just a part of the principal amount and the interest is still untouched. I have directed officials to deposit the cheque and make a record that just part payment has been received.”

He said the MC had been working in compliance with the Punjab Municipal Act and would not spare any defaulter.

“This year, the municipal corporation is going to bring in a change in every aspect be it encroachments, traffic or roads. It’s not a statement, we are going to prove our mettle and bring about development in the city,” he said.

He also urged the public to support the MC, saying that nothing was possible without its help.

Meanwhile, in a press statement issued by the club general secretary, Yogesh Bansal, said the club had moved a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court that they would deposit 50 per cent of the principal amount within three weeks. Following the petition, the court had given a notice of motion for February 6.

However, when the municipal corporation was asked about it, senior officials said the copy of the petition of 2008 did not mention that the court had given a stay. Since, there was no stay, the civic body would continue with its process.

Highly placed sources in the corporation revealed that a cheque for Rs 23,21,989 had been handed over late last evening, and the general secretary of the club said the cheque was issued on December 30.

The club had not paid house tax since 1999 and had moved a petition in the court earlier also, but had lost the case.

Ludhiana, January 1
The Rs 16-crore indoor stadium, the idea of which was conceived in 1998, has yet to be completed due to the “ignorance” of technicalities by members of the finance and contracts committee.

This was stated by Sunil Kumar Day, principal architect who had come from Delhi to meet municipal commissioner GS Ghuman to discuss the project.

He said: “The delay by the committee was the reason why the cost of the construction of the stadium has shot up to Rs 80 crore.” But as the municipal corporation did not have enough funds, the construction expenses had to be limited to Rs 40 crore, he said.

He said it was the third international standard indoor stadium in the northern region after two such ones in New Delhi.

He rued that due to lack of will of officials and interference of politicians, the project was hanging fire.

He said when the plan was finalised, it was done by a jury comprising engineers and the then municipal commissioner. But as the councillors did not know anything about the technical aspect, they could not comment on it.

Day added that the committee had never asked him to present a plan before it.

The MC had not even paid his consultant fee for the past four years that amounted to around Rs 21 lakh.

Divulging details of the plan, he said: “We had planned the stadium in a way that it would be earning money for itself. We have made around 75 shops and office spaces so that this space could be either rented out or sold to earn revenue.”

He also revealed that the amount sanctioned by the committee was not enough to meet the international standards and alleged that even the contractor engaged by the civic body was not working according to the proposed plans.

Ludhiana, January 1
The city ushered in 2009 in style: while some partied till wee hours, others made their way quietly into the New Year. Some said “no” to the celebrations due to the Mumbai tragedy and ushered in the New Year by sending flowers and cakes, giving the message of peace and brotherhood.

The Sutlej Club and the Lodhi Club cancelled their celebrations due to the Mumbai incident. Other hotels, like Hotel Majestic Park Plaza and Fortune Klassik, entertained the guests with foreign bands, belly dancers and DJs. Park Plaza’s terrace party was a hit among the young couples. Enjoying music amid chilly weather was the idea that clicked with youngsters.

Some celebrated at their farmhouses, while some others went all the way to distant places like Shimla, Kasauli and Parwanoo. “Enjoying New Year eve amid snow-clad mountains and bonfire made it special. Ushering in New Year while in hills was a splendid feeling,” added Smita, a city resident.

Still others made it quietly to the New Year. Members of the Friends Club, Leisure Valley, had a get together on January 1, where friends exchanged greetings with each other. “This year, I have sent white flowers, giving the message of peace, to all my friends and relatives,” said one of the members.

Giving the message of universal peace and brotherhood, Yash Momi, a teacher at Government School, Phillaur, has painted a picture of pigeon on his hand. Momi believes that the hands spread violence, and only these will help in spreading peace and unity.

“New Year is special time and everybody wants peace and harmony in the coming year. The white pigeon painted on my hand gives the message of peace,” he said.

Ludhiana, January 1
Playing an elemental role in commencing of the year 2009 on a positive note, the doctors and the staff at city hospitals are ushering in new lives on the first day of the year. A majority of the newborns born today are girls, which the gynaecologists pronounce as a ray of hope to reverse the scenario of “female foeticide” in the district, and the state at large.

Poonam Kakria is a proud mother, who has welcomed her third daughter with open arms who also happens to be a “midnight baby”. The baby-girl was born in Chawla Nursing home, Basti Jodhewal, at 12 midnight.

Dr Neena Chawla, while commenting on the attitude of the mother and father of the child, Manmohan Kakria, said: "They are not in the least repentant about having third daughter. On the contrary, they are looking forward to celebrate her first Lohri and name her on the same day."

Ramandeep, who gave birth to a baby girl at the same hospital at 1.50 pm today, expressed her elation, adding, "I share my birthday with my daughter and there is nothing more special for me. Daughters are a blessing, and God has been kind enough to have answered to my prayers as I always wanted to have a baby girl as my first child," said Ramandeep.

The CMCH also celebrated January 1 with the birth of two baby girls born at 9.27 am and 12.45 pm today. Unable to hide their emotions, Shilpi and Gunjan, the young mothers of both the baby girls, termed the moments as “special”.

A city-based advocate, Nitin Kapila, and his wife bid adieu to 2008 with their “twin daughters”, who were born on the morning of December 31. "We have stepped into the new year with our hands full of joys in the form of our daughters," expressed advocate Kapila.

However, it was an all-boy day at DMCH as Shalu and Gurpreet gave birth to baby boys today noon.

Ludhiana, January 1
The Sadar police station, which has so far been running from an old building, is all set to celebrate the New Year by moving to its new premises.

The police station, which had been running from a building constructed during the British ear in 1934, was in a shambles and the building had outlived its life.

Also, there was a perpetual threat of suspects housed in the building fleeing from custody.

A police official at the station said the building lacked sufficient number of rooms to store seized goods.

The division No. 5 police station was also shifted from an old building to a new one a few years ago as it was also grappling with similar problems.

Making significant changes in the age-old policing process in the city, SSP RK Jaiswal recently got a building plan approved to construct a modern building for the Punjab Police, which would replace the 174-year-old building of the city’s Kotwali.

He said city’s first model police station would also start operating in few months as the work to finish the project was being carried out at a rapid pace.

He said more infrastructure changes would be made for improving the condition of city’s police stations.

The newly constructed Sadar police station is equipped with a separate malkhana, two cells and a separate computer room.

Besides, landscaping and lighting have been made to beautify of the police station.

Sources said the department would create a cyber cell in the old building once the Sadar police station shifted to its new premises.

According to SHO Jangjeet Singh: “We are awaiting SSP’s orders as the work is already over at the new police station.”

Ludhiana, January 1
There’s good news. No case of brawl was reported in the city on New Year’s Eve as the police successfully dispersed “excited” crowd.

Despite some stray incidents of minor scuffle, no major brawl was reported. Also, no eve-teasing case was reported.

This time, more men turned out for parties and youths thronged city roads to celebrate New Year. Except for some high-end hotels, no major clubs or food joints organised New Year parties.

“There was no safe place to celebrate New Year last night as drunk youths were out on the streets. My parents told me to stay at home as it was not safe to go outside,” Shruti, a college student, said.

The Sarabha Nagar market, the celebration destination, was turned into a fortress as heavy police force was deployed there and no vehicle was allowed to enter the market.

Davinder Kumar, SHO, said they had received strict orders from the authorities not to allow any vehicle to enter the market. Special checks were held in malls and roads leading to the malls and that helped keep rowdy elements away.

Ludhiana, January 1
Members of the Contract PRTC Workers’ Union held a gate rally outside the PRTC workshop gate here today.

The union leader Jasveer Singh said the gate rally was held with regard to the strike scheduled to be held on January 15. Union members Baldev Singh and Buta Singh Barnala urged the other members to come forward and work together on a mass scale for the welfare of the contractual staff.

They demanded that the government should stop the exploitation of the contractual staff, failing which the union threatened to intensify the stir. They also demanded that their long-pending demands be fulfilled.

Ludhiana, January 1
Carrying on with its anti-encroachment drive, the Tehbazari wing, in a joint exercise, removed various kiosks and hand-carts from Feroze Gandhi Market and Pakhowal Road here today. Besides, the sabzi mandi on the Pakhowal Road, which is held every Thursday, became a target of the MC fury.

The MC team, equipped with 10 vehicles, one JCB and lifters, along with the MC police team, led by Municipal Commissioner GS Ghuman, held the drive.

The Tehbazari staff was accompanied by MTP Hemant Batra and ATP SS Bindra of the D-zone.

Even the posh area of Sarabha Nagar was not spared as the banners and illegal advertisements on display were also removed.

The MC employees seized various handcarts and other articles during the drive, while vegetables and fruits were smashed using the JCB.

Ludhiana, January 1
The Professor Puran Singh Dhami awards constituted by Alag Shabad Yug Trust, Ludhiana, were granted to 14 personalities serving humanity in different fields.

The function commenced with a shabad dedicated to Gurta Gadi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Dr Sarup Singh Alag, chairman of the trust, highlighted the humanitarian selfless services rendered by Prof Puran Singh Dhami during his lifetime.

He briefed the activities of the trust, involving distribution of soul lifting and character building literature free of cost throughout the world in Punjabi, Hindi, English, Bengali and Gujrati languages.

Dr Alag also mentioned the services being rendered by the 14 awardees to the society. Every awardee was presented cash award of Rs 5,100, a silver medal, a citation, memento siropa, Doshala and a set of some publications of the trust.

Prof Mota Singh Sarai, the chief guest announced to provide financial assistance to the trust.

Inderjit Hassanpuri and Bhagwan Singh Ludhiana, recited poems.

Doraha, January 1
Obesity was known to be a disease of rich and advanced countries but due to changes in lifestyle and eating behaviour, this menace is catching up fast in the developing world as well.

These views were expressed by Dr Gurdip Singh Sidhu, director and chief of surgery department at Sidhu Hospital, while delivering his guest lecture during the 68th national conference of association of Surgeons’ of India organised recently.

Dr Sidhu said due to constant and adequate supply of food, human beings are better adapted to starvation than to excess supplies of food, which he termed as worldwide epidemic of obesity. For the first time in human history, the number of overweight and underweight individuals is about the same i.e. 2:1 billion each 38 per cent women and 30 per cent men are obese in Punjab according to the CRRID, Sidhu asserted. Social, psychological, and economic effects of morbid obesity are devastating not only for the individual, but the entire family.

He said obesity is associated with more than thirty co-morbidities, which substantially decrease the life span.

The risk of death from diabetes or heart attack is five to seven times greater. Dr Sidhu emphasised that every person should know his or her Body Mass Index (BMI).

"Bariatric surgery is the only treatment for permanent, sustained weight loss. There are three types of laparoscopic bariatric operations, which include gastric banding gastric bypass and sleeve resection.

The surgery is planned very meticulously depending upon patient's physical condition and eating behaviour", the surgeon opined.

He said India is at par with the Western world in bariatric surgery and patients from all over the world come here to get permanent relief from this dreaded disease.

Obesity in children is of special concern, as these obese children will ultimately become obese adults and become more disease prone.

Dr Sidhu finally warned that it is important to understand that obesity is a serious ailment that should be treated at the earliest lest it may forge irrevocable consequences.

Ludhiana, January 1
With the declaration of New Delhi being the venue for ASICON 2010, the surgeons from north India expressed their elation thereby sharing their enthusiasm to work in unison with the northern chapter of ASI. The ASICON 2009 will be held in Coimbatore.

The decision was taken on the concluding day of the 68th annual conference of the Association of Surgeons of India on Tuesday at PAU in Ludhiana.

As many as 3,000 surgeons from India, including some world acclaimed surgeons from leading medical institutions and research centres in the world attended the conference.

Meanwhile, a valedictory function was held, wherein the outgoing president of ASI Dr Abdul Ahmed Hai, welcomed the new ASI president Dr RP Srivastava from Ranchi.

“ASI is planning to evolve some training and research oriented programmes for the coming conferences wherein maximum involvement of postgraduate students will be ensured,” stated the ASI president.

The scientific sessions were a boon to the surgeons said Dr Anuj Poddar from Kolkata.

Ludhiana, January 1
The New Year gift to government schools, a proper kitchen to cook midday meal, has been hailed by the school authorities. The Government of India has sanctioned a special grant of Rs 77 crore for the Punjab state to set up kitchens in the government schools.

"The scheme is to be implemented in all the primary and upper primary schools of the state. The design for the construction of the kitchen has been provided by the Central government with an aim to cook the food under the hygienic conditions," said Krishan Kumar, director general, Punjab schools education.

Midday meal manager finance and accounts Jindal, said under this scheme 12,292 government schools of the state would be covered. Each school will be provided with a financial assistance of Rs 60,000 for the kitchen set.

The cross section of government-school teachers has lauded the scheme. They said this was a good step and the students would get healthy food. Midday meal has already improved the attendance chart and good food would further strengthen the attendance of the students in the schools.

Ludhiana, January 1
The potential of farm tourism was discussed in the meeting of PAU Kisan Club members that was held today under the patronage Dr NS Malhi, director of extension education.

PS Pangli said farm tourism could have attraction for the NRIs visiting the state. Modern facilities of civic nature and boarding and lodging need to be created for this, he added. He said the department of tourism had already put the agenda of farm tourism on their programme and that the expertise of the varsity could also be used.

Jagraon, January 1
A youth of Mullanpur Dakha has filed a complaint against a company for allegedly extortion and blackmailing him in the name of the Copy Right Act. Jagjiwan Singh of Issewal village, who runs a mobile-phone shop at Mullanpur Dakha, has complained to the SSP, Ludhiana (rural), that Gurpreet Singh, a field officer, along with two executives of the Bharat Ratan Dr Babasahab Ambedkar Pratisthan (anti-piracy cell) and an unidentified SI and a constable of the Punjab police came to his shop and extorted an amount of Rs 60,000 in cash and a hard disk of his computer from him with the convenience of police officer, and threatened to eliminate him at gunpoint. He claimed that the policemen had removed their name plates from the uniform to hide their identity.

The complainant levelled charges against the Dakha police for inaction for three months and then refusing to act on the complaint. He said he gave a complaint regarding the extortion, blackmailing and threatening on October 3, 2008.

In his complaint, he has accused that the said accused gang came to his shop on October 2, 2008, and Gurpreet Singh, claiming to be a field officer of Bharatratan Dr Babasahab Ambedkar Pratisthan (anti-piracy cell), at New Shopping Complex, Ghumar Mandi, Ludhiana, forcible captured him at the shop and started on his PC laying there. Using a thumb drive, he copied some discriminating material in his computer and threatened of implicating him in the copy right case and keeping obscene material in the PC and making obscene MMS using mobile phone at his shop. He also claimed that they took out a complaint-like form referred to the Dakha police.

They then took his computer and put in the rear compartment of their Indica car with a sticker of National Press pasted on the windscreen. The slip of temporary registration number was torn, and only 6763 was visible.

He said they forcibly made him sit in the car and took him near Chowkiman village, where they demanded Rs 1 lakh for freeing him. He said he got the deal struck at Rs 60,000, and paid them the money. After receiving the money, the police officer and Gurpreet Singh, weaving their revolvers before him, warned to eliminate him in case he discloses the incident. While leaving, they also took away his 80 GB hard disk from the computer.

Jagjiwan said he recalled their conversation that revealed the police officer seemed to be close to the accused and had earlier accompanied them to far off places like Gwalior, Agra and New Delhi to assist them nabbing the violators of the Copy Right Act. He also overheard that the accused had borne the expenses of his family when they also accompanied them when they went to these places. He said later on, he lodged a complaint in person and by registered post at Dakha police station. He suspected the involvement of Dakha police in the incident as the police did not act on it, and later refused to act on the pretext that the area of crime was under the jurisdiction of Jagraon police station. He also accused Dakha police for pressurising him to reach out for a compromise with the accused for Rs. 20,000.

The investigation by The Tribune revealed that these types of accused are usually former Punjab police personnel, who know the loopholes of police working. Beside this, they usually succeed in acquiring police help.

The other method used by these tricksters is that they arrive at a music shop or mobile-phone shop and present themselves to be press reporters from some outer area and then request to copy the contents of their memory chip to make some space on the chip and after some time, mostly the next day, they raid the shop and begin their exercise of extortion and blackmailing. The ignorant shopkeeper fell to their prey of the social stigma of humiliation of being caught with obscene films and clips.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, January 1
A woman of Kothala village in Sangrur district got her asthmatic husband killed by her lover and his accomplices within five months of their marriage.

Apprehending that the victim who was thrown in canal water after tying his legs might not survive, the main accused kept his head in water till he breathed his last.

Had the Sangrur district police not used technical approach for solving the case, the accused, including the woman, could have been enjoying over property worth crores, which the widow could have inherited after the death of his husband.

Sandeep Kaur of Kothala village, who was married to Gurdeep Singh of Kasba Bharaal village on June 30, 2008, allegedly got her husband killed by her lover, Jagdev Singh Jaggie of Buraj Hari Singh, and his accomplice on November 18.

Investigations revealed that Gurdeep Singh had gone missing after he had left his house at Kasba Bharaal to take medicine for asthma from Jhaner village on November 18. His motorcycle was found abandoned on a kacha road leading to Jhaner village near here the next day.

Having received no lead from parents and relatives of the deceased, Naunihal Singh, SSP, Sangrur, constituted a special investigating team (SIT), supervised by circle officer Gurpreet Singh Sikand.

Intensive investigations revealed that Sandeep Kaur allegedly had illicit relations with Jagdev Singh Jaggie, a youth of Buraj Hari Singh. They had fallen in love with each other when Jaggie was studying at Government Senior Secondary School, Kothala.

Though the lovebirds had got disappointed when Sandeep got engaged to Gurdeep Singh, they planned to live together after inheriting his property after eliminating him.

Acting on the basis of information provided by Sandeep Kaur, Jaggie and his accomplice kidnapped Gurdeep Singh from the vicinity of Jhaner village, and killed him by drowning in canal near Barbareke village on the fateful day.

The accomplices of the main accused were identified as Karamjit Singh Kala of Buraj Hari Singh, Sukhdev Singh Sukha of Chachrari, Sukhwinder Singh Giri of Raikot and Avtar Singh Tar of Chachrari. Beside using Sumo, no. DL-6-CG-1548, of Sukha, the accused used a borrowed Indica car.

Investigations further revealed that Sandeep Kaur and Jagdev Singh had been communicating with each other before and after disappearance of the victim. The mobile owned by the victim was also used by the accused, which he destroyed later.

The body of the deceased was recovered from the canal by the Bagha Purana police. Though the police, taking it as unclaimed body, had cremated it after registering a report under Section 174 of the Cr PC, the parents of the deceased identified it on the basis of his photographs and clothes preserved by the police.

According to the SSP, all the accused, booked under Sections 364, 302, 149 and 120 B of the IPC had been arrested when they were trying to leave the area today. Vehicles used in the crime were also seized.

Ludhiana, January 1
Namdhari Academy, Bhaini Sahib, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Academy of Amritsar won their matches to join Surjit Academy, Jalandhar, and Sarinh Academy of Jalandhar in the semi-finals of the Canada Gold Cup Hockey Tournament being played at the Prithipal Singh Memorial AstroTurf Stadium of the Punjab Agricultural University campus, here today.

In the first match of this three day-day knock out tournament, Namdhari Academy, Bhaini Sahib, faced a little challenge from Gurukul Mehta Academy, Doraha, 5-1 after leading by four goals to one at the breather.

Namdhari lads surged ahead in the 7th minute through a field goal scored by Gurmeet Singh. Seven minutes later, Harmeet Singh converted a penalty corner to increase the lead.

Balwinder Singh found the target in the 16th minute to read it 3-0 while Amolakh Singh struck in the 24th minute to further cement the lead 4-0.

However, they conceded a goal with four minutes to go for the lemon break when Gurpreet Singh of Doraha outfit scored a fine field goal to reduce the margin (4-1). Lakhwinder Singh of Namdhari Academy added a goal in the 42nd minute to complete the tally (5-1).

In the second match, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Academy, Amritsar pipped Ludhiana Academy 2-0.

Satwinder Singh opened the account for Amritsar through a penalty corner conversion in the 14th minute while the second goal came off Gurvinder Bir Singh's stick in the 28th minute, which enabled the visitors to wrap up the issue comfortably.

The third match played between Sarinh Academy, Jalandhar, and Jarkhar Academy turned out to be a well-contested affair with the former romping home victors 5-4 through a tiebreaker, as the issue remained goal-less at the end of the stipulated period.

In the fourth match of the day, Surjit Academy of Jalandhar registered 6-0 victory over Sangrur Academy. Karampal Singh and Sukhdeep Singh contributed two goals each while Prabhdeep Singh and Manjinder Singh accounted for one goal each to steer their side to a thumping 6-0 win.