In Brief

Not issued in time,schools fail to comply with DC orders
Ludhiana:Despite orders issued by Deputy Commissioner Vikas Garg regarding closing down the schools and colleges today due to the ongoing tension in the city,many institutions failed to comply with the orders. School principals said they were not conveyed the directives on time,as it was around 10.30 pm on Friday,when the DC had issued orders to close down schools and colleges on December 5.

R S Patial,Principal of DAV public school said,” We came to know about the orders from a policeman around 10 am today and by then the school was already functioning. So we closed down at 12. Such orders should be issued in time so that it could be conveyed to the students and their parents.” Paramjit Kaur,Principal of BCM Senior Secondary School,Shastri Nagar,said,” We exempted all students who come from affected areas to attend the classes,while others came to school and attended as usual.” Many teachers of government schools remained in confusion as whether they should attend the school or not,with many returning home after reaching half way.

Cane-crushing season begins
Ludhiana :The crushing season of sugarcane formally began today at Budhewal Sugar Mill,with MLA Jagjivan Singh Khirnia and Sharanjit Singh Dhillon,Chairman Punjab Agro present on the occasion.

Dhillon said efforts are being made to get the closed sugar mills re-opened. He added that directors of sugar mills should be given more powers by the Punjab government. Khirnia honoured five farmers for providing good quality sugarcane to the mill. The government should increase the price of sugarcane for farmers by at least Rs 30 per quintal to encourage more area under cultivation,he added.