M A I N   N E W S

Punjab farmers to get more power
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 3
Punjab farmers will get 100 mw additional power and increased supply after midnight, it was decided today.

The decision to increase power supply to Punjab by drawing from the eastern sector came after the state Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, met the Power Minister, Mr Suresh Prabhu, and urged him to take immediate action to help farmers.

The Chief Minister also called on the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, in the morning and discussed matters pertaining to his State.

Mr Badal also met the Union Minister for Surface Transport, Maj- Gen (retd) B.C. Khanduri, and discussed various projects of national highway, four-laning of Dabhwali town and Central funds for the repair and construction of roads in the State.

Mr Badal also requested for grouping the PWD works on national highways and awarding through limited tendering amongst pre-qualified large contractors so that the quality of roads could be improved and the road project could be cleared and completed speedily.

Chhabildas Mehta resigns from Congress

Ahmedabad, May 3
Veteran Congress leader and former Gujarat Chief Minister Chhabildas Mehta today resigned from the primary membership of the party.

Mr Mehta has faxed his resignation to party President Sonia Gandhi.

Giving reasons for his resignation, Mr Mehta said, “I do not want to say much about the approach of the Congress party, but due to the Centre’s policy of globalisation and liberalisation lakhs of small and medium units were forced to close down and crores of people become unemployed”.

In a statement issued to the press this afternoon, Mr Mehta said there was no proper forum to hear the grievances of the public at large. There were so many factions or groups and each of them was working according to its whims and fancies. PTI