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Can Gujarat poll be held early?
Delimitation Commission yet to file report
Chandigarh, July 25
Can elections to the Gujarat assembly be held before the Delimitation Commission submits its report ?
The issue has been raised by former Punjab Minister and MP Umrao
Singh.
Dang questions efficacy of anti-graft drive
‘Embezzlement continues in Social Security Department’
Amritsar, July 25
The unearthing of the Rs 23-crore old-age pension scam notwithstanding, many more skeletons still exist in the cupboard of the Social Security Department.
Genuine persons are being denied old-age pension even as the state government has failed to take corrective measures to streamline the functioning of the
department.
 Cong govt about to fall: Badal
Wajidpur (Ferozepore), July 25
Lashing out at the Congress today, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supremo and Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan
Sabha, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said the days of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh were numbered because of dissatisfaction within the ruling party.
Order to cut illegal water connections
Bathinda, July 25
The Principal Secretary, Public Health Department, Mrs Gurvinder Kaur
Chahal, today ordered district officials to legalise illegal water connections in various villages or take action against defaulters within 15 days.
Bhaura for probe against MLA, kin
Bathinda, July 25
Mr Bhan Singh Bhaura, Member of Parliament has demanded an inquiry into the allegations that the Akali Dal MLA from Mansa district and one of his kin had amassed wealth by illegal means.
CPM workers block traffic
Jalandhar, July 25
Workers of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) today blocked traffic on the Jalandhar-Ludhiana road near Paragpur village for one hour following the arrest of Mr Kulwant Singh
Sandhu, secretary, district unit of the CPM from a “dhaba” this evening.
3 Punjab BJP units dissolved
Phillaur, July 25
Punjab BJP President Brij Lal Rinwa has dissolved the BJP units of Amritsar (Urban), Amritsar (Rural) and Batala with immediate effect, and setup ad hoc committees.
Engineer held captive, shopkeepers booked
Moga, July 25
The Punjab police today booked local shopkeepers for allegedly keeping a Moga Nagar Council engineer in wrongful confinement.
The shopkeepers have been booked for creating hurdles in the official duty of the Municipal Committee encroachment removal squad last evening in the presence of a
police party, the police said here.
With scarcity of grazing areas due to a drought-like situation, a cow
is attracted by the smell of wheat flour paste used to affix a poster on
a wall in Bathinda.
— Photo by KB |
Head priests not ‘performing’ ardas
Amritsar, July 25
Giani Mohinder Singh, octogenarian former SGPC secretary, today said jathedars had stopped performing ‘ardas’ and reciting ‘rehras’ at Akal Takht which had been a practice about two decades ago.
Teenaged boy rescued from sadhus
Nangal (Ropar), July 25
The local police yesterday rescued a teenaged boy who was allegedly kidnapped by sadhus from Jalandhar about 10 days ago.
Raju, an eight-year-old boy, was rescued from the camp of the sadhus near the railway station.
Two railway cops held on charge of
chain-snatching, released
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 25
The police had nabbed and later released two persons on charge of chain snatching, identified as Jhamu Ram and Chinder Pal Singh, constables of the Railway police
(GRP), from the Sirhind Railway Station. These two had reportedly snatched a chain from a woman,Ms
Madhu.
1052 matrimonial cases to be taken up at Lok Adalat
Patiala, July 25
As many as 1,052 matrimonial cases will be taken up by 28 benches of the state level Lok Adalat which is scheduled to be held at the District Court Complex here.
Murder
accused surrenders
Patiala, July 25
The prime accused in the Mukhija murder case, Gurbaksh
Singh Kukoo, today surrendered in the court of Special CBI Magistrate
Jaspinder Singh Heyer.
Roadways leaders threaten stir
Nawanshahr, July 25
Mr Dilbagh Singh and Mr Surinder Singh, state president and general
secretary, respectively, of the Punjab Roadways Conductors Union,
addressing a press meeting here yesterday, said all unions of Punjab
roadways under the banner of the Punjab Roadways Joint Sangharsh
Committee would observe a one-day strike on August 2 against the “callous”
attitude of the government towards their demands.
Punjab bank staff block road
Patiala, July 25
A traffic jam was caused on the Mall here today by thousands of
agitating employees from all over the state belonging to Joint Action
Committee Cooperative Bank and the Land Mortgage Bank of Punjab as
they held a protest rally, leading to the Chief Minister’s
residence.
Ahluwalia case committed to Sessions Court
Patiala, July 25
The Saru Rana case in which the Punjabi University student of fine arts has alleged that the ousted Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, attempted to rape her has been committed to the Sessions Court.
Special court for NRIs’ cases
Chandigarh, July 25
A Punjab Government spokesman said today that the state government would shortly request the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to set up a special court to deal with property-related disputes of NRIs in a time-bound manner.
Harpreet’s ultrasound test done
Patiala, July 25
An owner of ultrasound centre in Chandigarh today testified in the Harpreet death case that the check up of
Harpreet, daughter of former SGPC President Jagir Kaur, was carried out at his centre.
DRDA asked to disburse subsidies
Jalandhar, July 25
With a view to encouraging self-employment in the district, the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner yesterday instructed the District Rural Development Agency
(DRDA) to form self-help groups of unemployed youth for disbursal of subsidies and other aids to such organisations under various central and state sponsored schemes.
BJYM district chief held for murder
Hoshiarpur, July 25
Nipun Sharma, district president of the local unit of the BJYM, was arrested by the Sadar police yesterday night under Section 302, IPC, for allegedly killing Sudesh Dimple, wife of Shiv Dev Singh of Chohal village on June 8. Om
Parkash, father, Romesh Kumari, mother and Pooja, wife of Nipun Sharma, are still at large.
Delhi boy among 5 killed in mishap
Patiala, July 25
Five persons were killed in a van-truck collision on the Patiala-Rajpura road, near Muradpur village here.
Tonsillitis operation: doctor held
Fatehgarh Sahib. July 25
The police arrested Dr Saroj Sethi, a doctor of the local Civil Hospital, today. She was later released on bail. It may be mentioned that the doctor was blamed for alleged negligence while operating upon Saroj
Wadhwa, who died during the operation. Saroj was being operated for
tonsillitis.
Complaint against MLA dismissed
Chandigarh, July 25
The Punjab Lokpal, Justice D.V. Sehgal, has dismissed the complaint against Mr Sadhu Singh
Rajiana, an Akali MLA from Baghapurana.
Diarrhoea cases on the rise
Abohar, July 25
Water-borne diseases and respiratory problems are on the rise in the region due to non-potable water and delayed monsoon.
Farmers await paddy compensation
Amritsar, July 25
As many as 25 farmers from the Tarsikka block are being driven from pillar to post to get compensation from the government. They had approached arhtiyas for the payment of compensation for paddy sold at rates below the minimum support price of Rs 580 per bag.
Dry weather hits milk production
Bathinda, July 25
With no sign of arrival of monsoon in the region and low moisture content in the air not only the kharif crops like paddy and cotton are in bad condition but dairy farming is also affected. Due to drought-like situation there is a scarcity of green fodder which has adversely affected the capacity of milch cattle.
PSEB step on salaries ‘illegal’
Chandigarh, July 25
“Any cut in salary is illegal and unconstitutional,” claim 300-odd policemen on deputation with the PSEB maintaining that they would accept their salaries for July “under protest”.
Thermal plant staff
refuse to accept pay
Lehra Mohabat (Bathinda), July 25
Employees of the local thermal plant have refused to accept the salaries as they alleged that about 60 per cent cut had been imposed on the salaries and allowances by the authorities concerned.
Property records
computerised
Doda (Muktsar), July 25
Mrs Usha R. Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, while inaugurating the computerisation of the property records said here today that the same facility had been provided at Muktsar, Malout and Gidderbaha tehsils and Lambi
sub-tehsil.
Scholarships
for wards of martyred cops
Chandigarh, July 25
The Punjab Government has announced the release of scholarship to 1299 wards of police personnel, who sacrified their lives while fighting terrorism in the state.
Husband held for murdering wife
Jalandhar, July 25
The district police has succeeded in solving a blind murder case with the arrest of the husband of the victim whose body was exhumed from the outskirts of Dhogri village near here last night.
Ajaib Singh of Bhaini Jassa
village, who smuggled poppy husk wrapped in packets around his legs,
at a police station in Bathinda on Thursday.
— Photo by Kulbir Beera |
Gang of car thieves busted
Patiala, July 25
The Patiala police has arrested three members of an inter-state gang of car lifters and recovered four Maruti cars and four motor cycles from their possession.
One held for cheating Vigilance Bureau
Bathinda, July 25
When the Vigilance Bureau was giving a prize of Rs 25,000 to Balbir Singh for getting a ‘corrupt’ patwari nabbed little did it know that the drama was erected for getting the prize money.
Ex-minister’s son held for giving fake job letter
Faridkot, July 25
The district police has arrested former minister, Gurcharan Singh Panjgrayan’s son Amarjit Singh, for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh from a youth and giving him a fake appointment letter in return.
Industrialist’s killers held
Abohar, July 25
The two alleged killers of multi-millionaire industrialist Bal Mukand Jindal have been
arrested, senior police officials confirmed late last night. Jindal (41) was killed yesterday morning when he was having tea near the main gate of his house in Vinoba Basti at Sri
Ganganagar, 40 km from here.
Principals to
meet today
Pension-cum-gratuity scheme
Chandigarh, July 25
The shadow of despondency in the private-aided colleges over the
pension-cum-gratuity scheme notified on July 9, 2002, will eclipse the meeting of the Principals of government and private colleges convened by the Punjab Education Minister at Ludhiana tomorrow.
Punjabi University results
Patiala, July 25
Mr Sukhjitpal Singh has topped the B.Ed. entrance test held by Punjabi university on July 14. The result has been declared seven days ahead of the scheduled date.
No move to close down PTU centres: govt
Chandigarh, July 25
The Punjab Government today clarified that it had no intention of closing down the distance education centres of the PTU operating in the state and elsewhere.
Canadian experts visit site for college
Phagwara, July 25
A Canadian team of educational experts yesterday visited the nearby Athouli village to assess the feasibility of a nursing college that the Guru Nanak Nursing Educational Trust proposes to set up in the village with the help of the village panchayat and NRIs led by Mr Lehmber Singh
Ghagg.
Security in varsity to be revamped
Amritsar, July 25
The Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University Dr S.P. Singh, has accepted the demands of agitating students, including revamping of campus security. The students had blocked traffic in protest against the alleged high-handed manner of security personnel on the university campus yesterday.
Medical college admission rule relaxed
Phillaur, July 25
The Punjab Government now again has given a relaxation to those medical students who have secured merit position in PMT and are keen to get admissions to medical colleges of the state by deleting the controversial clause 9 (R), of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, through a notification.
Amritsar exporters rue shift in Pak trade
Amritsar, July 25
The continuous standoff between India and Pakistan notwithstanding some Mumbai-based exporters have managed to expand their commercial ties with Pakistan via Karachi while Amritsar traders have been forced to cool their heels till both countries decide to open rail and road cargo traffic. The Amritsar Chamber of Exporters has been crying hoarse to allow trade with Pakistan from the city through the rail route.
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