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HIGH COURT
Records of transplants sought
Chandigarh, February 3
In less than three weeks after the kidney conspiracy was reportedly unearthed, an Amritsar-based advocate today sought the grant of anticipatory bail in the matter. Taking up the lawyer’s petition, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the summoning of the record.

• Lawyers seek CBI probe

NFL may wind up depts
Ropar, February 3
National Fertilizers Limited has been planning to wind up the transport and horticulture departments, besides schools, a hospital and rest houses. Sources said at a board meeting held recently, company Directors had decided to cut workforce of these departments.

Norms for leasing out forest land flouted
IAS officer’s sister-in-law beneficiary
Pathankot, February 3
The Irrigation and Forest Departments here are under a cloud for allegedly flouting rules and regulations laid down for leasing out strips of prime forest land at many places in Gurdaspur district.

Private bodies may run govt schools
Bargadi (Faridkot), February 3
To reduce the dropout rate and enhance the standard of education, the Punjab Government is contemplating to hand over the management of some of its schools to privatise institutions on an experimental basis.

Bhattal’s kin held for graft
Sangrur, February 3
A close relative of Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Mr Harwant Singh Marahar, Block Agriculture Officer-cum-Assistant Project Officer with the office of the Chief Agriculture Officer, here, was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau from his office, today.

COMMUNITY

Salary of DSP, Inspector attached, warrants issued
Mansa, February 3
A court here today issued non-bailable warrants against Gurjit Singh, DSP Sherpur of Barnala police district and Inspector Chuhar Singh posted in this district. The court also attached their salaries and wrote to the SSPs concerned to secure their presence in the court on February 24, 2003 and attach their salaries.

Traders oppose Exim form, stage dharna
Jalandhar, February 3
Hundreds of traders and owners of sports goods manufacturing units today gheraoed Congress Bhavan here in protest against the imposition of the Exim form by the state government.

Residents seek closure of Civil Hospital
Bathinda, February 3
Residents of Maur Mandi, a town in this district, have urged the state government to close down the Civil Hospital as the functioning of the hospital was not up to the mark.

Lawyers plea to HC on judicial officers’ posts
Jalandhar, February 3
The District Bar Association here today urged that the Punjab and Haryana High Court to direct the Punjab Government for the completion of the selection of PCS (Judicial) officers.

Stress management course for cops
Phillaur, February 3
One of the best ways to handle stress, a side-effect of the modern competitive world, is to keep physically healthy through strenuous exercises. This was stated by Dr S.S. Boparai, Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University, while inaugurating a six-day national-level Vertical Interaction Programme for senior officers of different states and paramilitary forces at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy here today.

Clinton invited to Golden Temple
Amritsar, February 3
Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar, SGPC chief has invited former US president Bill Clinton to visit the Golden Temple on his visit to India.

Plea to commute Bhullar’s death sentence
Sangrur, February 3
A deputation of the Akali Dal (Amritsar), led by Mr Jeet Singh Alloarkh, district president, and Mr Surinder “Babbi”, press secretary of the Akali Dal (Amritsar), today gave a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Sarvjit Singh, here with regard to commuting the death sentence of Prof Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar to life imprisonment in a TADA case.

• Bitta to contest Bhullar’s mercy appeal

Punjab IMA’s tribute to Kalpana
Sangrur, February 3
The Punjab unit of the Indian Medical Association has decided to dedicate all its programme, including seminars and conferences, to Kalpana Chawla, who died in the Columbia space shuttle disaster on February 1.

PSEB staff burn govt’s effigy
Phagwara, February 3
PSEB employees today burnt effigies of the Haldia Committee, Board Management, and the Punjab Government on the local Banga road, disrupted traffic for a while, held a gate rally and sat in dharna in protest against the government’s move to split the PSEB for privatisation.

• JEs against PSEB restructuring

• TSU workers to strike work today

CM condemns attack on XEN
Chandigarh, February 3
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today condemned the attack on Mr D. P. S. Virk, Executive Engineer, PWD (B&R) and his family near Neelon bridge, while travelling from Ludhiana to Chandigarh.

Probe sought into death of labourers
Bathinda, February 3
The Centre of Indian Trade Union Congress while mourning the death of two workers, who died in a local factory, demanded that a judicial probe should be ordered into the incident.

Worker buried as well caves in
Bathinda, February 3
A worker was buried under debris while working in a well at Kalyan Sukha village, about 25 km from here. According to information, two workers had gone inside the well for some repairs, when it caved in, burying both of them.

Protest against US move on Iraq
Sangrur, February 3
Members of various revolutionary and democratic organisations of the district today held a rally in the local Banasar Garden in protest against the possible attack on Iraq by the USA. They also took out a protest march through the main bazar, carrying placards and banners.

Police clueless about student’s murder
Moga, February 3
Despite questioning 30-odd persons in the murder case of a Lala Lajpat Rai Polytechnic student, Baghel Singh, whose decomposed body was found on January 29, the district police is still clueless.

Dalits gherao police station
Jalandhar, February 3
Hundreds of dalits today gheraoed Sadar Police station here for four hours to protest against police failure to arrest those, who allegedly used derogatory remarks against Guru Ravidass during elections to the Managing Committee of Shaheedan Gurdwara in Talhan village near here 15 days ago.

70 loan cases solved at adalat
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 3
Mr Vikas Pratap, Deputy Commissioner, inaugurated the first cooperative lok adalat in the district at Bachat Bhavan yesterday. Additional District Sessions Judges, Mr G.S. Gill and Mr B.J. Nangali, presided over the function.

• Tribune employee bereaved

ADMINISTRATION

Commendation for 102 cops
Kapurthala, February 3
The Jalandhar range DIG, Mr Rohit Chaudhary, today gave commendation certificates to 102 police officials of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr in recognition of their good work.

Defence college team calls on CM, Ratra
Chandigarh, February 3
A 16-member team of National Defence College led by Rear Admiral L.K. Saluja, Senior Directing Staff (Navy), today called on Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and held discussions on a wide range of issues pertaining to military education, agriculture, industry, female foeticide, drug addiction and Panchayati Raj System etc.

• Gill appointed

CRIME

Home Guard kills son, commits suicide
Abohar, February 3
Pala Ram of the, a Home Guards, committed suicide after giving celphos tablets to his son Narotam (7) at Ramsara village near here yesterday. According to an FIR lodged at the Sadar police station here by Mr Surender Kumar, his brother Pala Ram was having strained relations with his wife and in-laws. Pala Ram’s brother-in-law Subhash Chander visited the residence of the victim yesterday and alleged that Pala Ram had been torturing his wife, so her parents had decided to teach him a lesson.

PSEB employee strangled
Amritsar, February 3
Arpandip Kaur, wife of Baljinder Singh, a resident of Akal Garh, was found strangled
near the Majitha road drain here last evening. The victim was an employee of the Punjab State Electricity Board, Hall Gate.

Gang of thieves busted, 6 held
Ropar, February 3
The police has busted a gang of thieves, who besides committing thefts in various parts of the district, were allegedly involved in robbing pilgrims to the Naina Devi and Chintpurni shrines.

EDUCATION

Talent search toppers awarded
Jalandhar, February 3
The Punjab Technical Education Minister, Mr Mohinder Singh Kaypee, gave away prizes to some of the outstanding students of the state, who achieved meritorious positions in the 2nd Talent Search Examination conducted by Dhilwan International Public School at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall yesterday.

UK cultural delegation arrives

Amritsar, February 3 A 31-member UK delegation, including 12 students and a media crew arrived here at the BBK DAV College here today on a two-day cultural and educational exchange mission. The Britons were delighted with the traditional welcome they got under ‘phulkari’ canopy amidst singing of Punjabi folk songs. A member of the delegation from the UK dances with students in traditional dresses in Amritsar on Monday. —Photo Rajiv Sharma

Entrance test: CM holds meeting today
Amritsar, February 3
For the holding of joint entrance tests for (engineering) by all universities of the state, Chief Minister Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh has convened a meeting in Chandigarh tomorrow.

Arya College wins overall trophy
Dhuri, February 3
A three-day Youth Festival of Vikas Sheel Girls Colleges Association of Punjab concluded at the local Arya College yesterday. Eight colleges of the association namely the Gandhi Memorial College for Women, Kot-Kapura, the Shaheed Smark College for Women, Rampura Phul, the Punjab Public College for women, Bhadour, Nand Ram Malik Girls College, Lehra Gaga; 3, Kanya Maha Vidyalaya, Bhucho Mandi, Arya College, Dhuri, Lal Bahadur Shastri College, Barnala, and Kanya Maha Vidyalaya Jaito, participated in the festival.

School education survey
Chandigarh, February 3
The seventh All-India School Education Survey will start in various parts of the country this month. The Punjab Government has appointed the Deputy Director of Education Department, Mr Baldev Raj, as the State Survey Officer.

Punjab science cong from Feb 7
Sangrur, February 3
The 6th Punjab Science Congress will be held at Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology at Longowal village from February 7 to 9. The topic of the congress is — “sustainable innovations in science and technology for regional development”.

Seminar on Hindi journalism
Patiala, February 3
A one-day national seminar on ‘Hindi Journalism: New Dimensions’ will be organised by the Hindi Department of Punjabi University on February 5. The seminar will be inaugurated by a former Editor of ‘Jansatta’, Mr Prabhash Joshi. Senior journalists from Chandigarh and New Delhi, including Mr Radhe Shyam Sharma, a former Editor of Dainik Tribune and Chairman of the Haryana Sahitya Academy, Mr Chander Trikha will present papers in the seminar.

Punjabi varsity students attend course at FTII
Patiala, February 3
Students of the Department of Journalism and Communication of the Punjabi University are all agog with excitement over their recently concluded orientation course at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. They also have to their credit the distinction of being the first batch of students from any university all over India to be allowed to visit the institute.

Prof for forensic science  education
Patiala, February 3
The role of scientific methods in criminal investigation were stressed during the valedictory function of a UGC-sponsored refresher course in forensic science organised at the Department of Forensic Science at Punjabi University.