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VB gears up for 2nd anti-graft phase
Chandigarh, January 23
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau is all set to launch the second phase of its campaign against corruption. The bureau chalked out a strategy at a high-level meeting here today, attended by over 60 gazetted officers posted in the field and state headquarters.

FIR against me fabricated: Ajnala
Amritsar, January 23
Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala, former Akali Minister today pointed out some “discrepancies” in the FIR, registered against him by the Vigilance Bureau. Addressing a press conference, here today, Dr Ajnala claimed that some of the moveable assets mentioned in the FIR did not belong to him.

KIDNEY ISSUE
Khaira trying to scuttle issue: Dang
Amritsar, January 23
Mr Satya Pal Dang, Communist leader, reacting to the statement of Dr Navdeep Khaira, president, Nephrology Society, seeking the arrest of Mr Mehar Chand who had confessed to having bought a kidney for his son, and his interrogation (veteran CPI leader) for his association with Mehar Chand, termed it as an attempt to confuse the issue to save the kingpin and others in the ‘kidney racket”.

Thermal plant account attached
Ropar, January 23
The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) authorities have attached the bank account of the Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant here, which is one of the major generating units of the PSEB.

A monkey child kisses its mother at the Deer Park in Bathinda on Thursday. — Photo Kulbir Beera

Bhattal exempted from appearance
Chandigarh, January 23
The counsel for Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Punjab Agriculture Minister, today opposed the appearance of a private counsel on the behalf of Mr Balwant Singh Dhillon, the complainant in a case pertaining to alleged corruption and embezzlement of Rs 20 lakh registered against Ms Bhattal, Punjab.

SAD opposes shifting of Jalandhar DD
Jalandhar, January 23
The move to shift the Punjabi news section of the Jalandhar DD to Chandigarh has sparked a row with its officials apprehending it to be a brainchild of some Chandigarh-based bureaucrats. The SAD (B) and the Congress here dubbed it as an “anti-Punjab” step.

In video

Efforts are in their last stretch towards the recognition of the Golden Temple as a UNESCO world heritage site.  (28k, 56k)

COMMUNITY

Harbhajan Mann to awaken youth
Politics of loot and plunder
Chandigarh, January 23
Noted folk singer and cine star Harbhajan Mann has volunteered to work for creating “political awakening on important issues of public interest” among the youth of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.

Medical equipment worth lakhs lying unused
Bathinda, January 23
Machines worth lakhs of rupees in the Civil Hospital here remain unused due to want of space to install these and lack of trained staff to handle these.

Campaign against travel agents
Hoshiarpur, January 23
The district police has started a campaign against the travel agents who cheat youths on the pretext of sending them abroad.

Sodal temple offerings: DM seeks report
Jalandhar, January 23
The District Magistrate, Mr K. Siva Prasad, today sought a report from the SDM pertaining to alleged non-accountability of offerings and other revenues running into lakhs of rupees being collected by Sodal Temple following an appointment of a receiver to run daily affairs of the temple by a local court in the recent past.

Urban estates’ scheme: PUDA extends date
Patiala, January 23
Move of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) to have urban estates at Nabha and Barnala has been received well response to the move at Fatehgarh Sahib and has been non-existent average at Rajpura.

Rs 62 lakh released for disabled
Ropar, January 23
The Central Government under the NPRPD programme has released a grant of Rs 62 lakh for the rehabilitation of disabled persons in the district. The Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, Ms Seema Jain, stated this in a press note issued here today.

Gurdaspur, Kangra police at loggerheads
Pathankot, January 23
The Gurdaspur police and the Kangra police are at logger- heads on account of last evening incident, in which SHO Purana Shalla police station in Gurdaspur district was allegedly injured by a mob at Jassur falls in the jurisdiction of Nurpur police station in Kangra district.

Border villages face stray cattle menace
Bathinda, January 23
Residents of Punjab and Haryana villages, which are located on the border, are facing the menace of stray cattle, which has been damaging crops.

Fog hits telephones
Amritsar, January 23
Of the total 1.7 lakh BSNL telephone connections, more than 11,000 telephones have remained out of order for the past fortnight.

NCM members’ term ends
Amritsar, January 23
Even as the three-year term of eight-member National Commission for Minorities (NCM) ends today, the outgoing Vice-Chairman, Mr Tarlochan Singh today urged the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, to arrange a meeting between SGPC delegation and Gen Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, for the upkeep to Sikh shrines in Pakistan which were in dilapidated conditions.

Netaji’s birth anniversary celebrated
Faridkot, January 23
The District Congress Committee today celebrated the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chander Bose. A large number of Congress workers and people from other sections of the society attended it.

SDM to probe conflict between arhtiyas, farmers
Muktsar, January 23
Ms Usha R. Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, yesterday asked the SDM Gidderbaha, to conduct an enquiry into the incidence of brawl between farmers of Chak Attar Singhwala village in Bathinda and arhtiyas of Gidderbaha on January 18.

Two more farmers held for non-repayment of loan
Bathinda, January 23
Primary Agriculture Development Bank (PADE) authorities of the district today arrested two more farmers against whom warrants were issued by the authorities concerned after they allegedly defaulted in there payment of instalments of the loan taken by them for non-farm activity and allied purpose.

Plan to develop rural areas
Faridkot, January 23
The Punjab Government has drawn up a plan for the overall development of the rural areas in the state. Under the scheme initially two villages in each block will be selected for providing various facilities like a sewer system, augmentation of the piped water supply and the pavement of streets.

Farmers electrocute field rats
Ferozepore, January 23
The mined fields of farmers living in villages along the zero line of the Indo-Pakistan border have become breeding grounds of rats.

Panels to review development schemes
Sangrur, January 23
With a view to giving greater role in the implementation of the rural development programmes by MPs, the Union Ministry for Rural Development has reconstituted state and district-level Vigilance and Monitoring Committees.

Student ends life
Sangrur, January 23
Sachin Sharma, a student of the Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, allegedly committed suicide in his hostel room at Longowal village, about 20 km from here, today.

Rice scam accused in police custody
Barnala, January 23
Rajvir Singh, prime accused in the Barnala rice scam, has been remanded to police custody till January 27.

ADMINISTRATION

PSIEC Junior Engineer sacked
Chandigarh, January 23
Junior Engineer, (Electrical) Guljinder Singh was dismissed from service by the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation Managing Director, Mr P.S. Aujla, on January 17.

PSEB JEs hold protest rallies
Patiala, January 23
Junior Engineers (JEs) of south zone of the PSEB today held protest rallies in front of their respective circle headquarters to lodge their protest against the reported move of the state government to dismantle and privatise the board.

Junior grade for 5 IAS officers
Chandigarh, January 23
The Punjab Governor has placed the following IAS officers of the 1994 batch in the Junior Administrative Grade of the Indian Administrative Service (Rs 12,750-375-16,500 (non-functional), with effect from January 1, 2003.

Vikas Partap, 4 others promoted
Chandigarh, January 23
The Punjab Governor has placed the three IAS officers of the 1994 batch in the Junior Administrative Grade of the Indian Administrative Service (Rs 12,750-375-16,500 (non-functional), with effect from January 1, 2003.

Selection grade for 17 IAS officers
Chandigarh, January 23
The Punjab Government today placed 17 IAS officers in the selection grade.

Revision of poll rolls from Feb 3
Bathinda, January 23
Mr Anurag Verma, District Election Officer, in a statement here yesterday said the revision of electoral rolls for panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads would be started from February 3.

CRIME

Undertrial flees, rearrested
Jalandhar, January 23
The police today arrested Emunal Masih, an undertrial, who had fleed away from the Civil Hospital here after giving the slip to the guards early today.

Theft bid foiled
Ahmedgarh, January 23
An attempt by some unidentified persons to cart away rice bags belonging to the FCI from near the railway track under the cover of fog was foiled yesterday morning.

EDUCATION

Grewal’s statement irresponsible: Principal
Patiala, January 23
The Government Physical Education College Principal, Dr Indu Sarwal, today claimed that the Punjab Women Grievances Commission Chairperson, Ms Surinder Kaur Grewal, was making irresponsible statements with regard to happenings in the college which were contrary to the factual position.

Recounselling for dental colleges on
Faridkot, January 23
Following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court for recounselling of candidates for admission in the BDS courses in various government and private dental colleges in the state, The Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFHUS), Faridkot selected 290 aspirants of the general category at the two-day interviews which ended here today.

B.Pharma students go on strike
Patiala, January 23
Students of the Pharmacy Department today decided to go on indefinite strike following repeated cancellations of a meeting of a committee constituted by Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor S S Boparai to look into their demands.