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TOP STORIES

House debate turns into personalised attack
Chandigarh, September 25
The much-hyped limited debate on ‘’corruption and law and order’’ in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha today ended in a whimper. “It has yielding nothing. 

• 36,053 crore debt burden on Punjab: Lal Singh

• CM’s offer on CBI probe

• State’s supplementary demands passed

78 medical officers reverted
Council may derecognise colleges
Amritsar, September 25
As many as 78 medical officers from medical colleges, Amritsar, and Patiala, who have not been paid salaries for the past three months following audit objections, have been reverted to their parent department, Director Health Services, Punjab, with immediate effect.

DSGMC poll: Badal ‘tried to bargain’ with Bhai Ranjit Singh
Amritsar, September 25
Bhai Ranjit Singh today claimed that Mr Parkash Singh Badal had offered to re-install him as Jathedar Akal Takht in November after annual elections of the SGPC on the condition that he (Bhai Ranjit Singh) would ask his supporters to extend support during the recently concluded elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.

Paddy glut, but farmers don’t have much to cheer about
Khanna, September 25
 Cloudy weather, distress sale, absence of official procurement agencies from the market and illegal buying of paddy at certain places have robbed farmers of moments of joy. 

Labourers engaged in the drying of paddy at the Khanna grain market in Ludhiana district on Thursday. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

• Farmers plan stir on Sept 30

• Kisan rally at Wagah border

Chatha to head Punjab infrastructure board
Chandigarh, September 25
Former Chief Secretary and Chairman of the industry revival committee Ajit Singh Chatha is all set to be named the Chairman of the Punjab Infrastructure Regulatory Authority, a body that will approve tariff policy for private entrepreneurs who develop, operate and maintain infrastructure.

11 booked for obtaining fake B.Ed degrees
Jalandhar, September 25
Eleven persons who had allegedly procured fake B.Ed degrees and had been appointed as primary teachers in different schools of the district on the basis of these degrees, landed in the soup as they were booked for using fraudulent means to gain employment.

Driving licence scam: ex-SDM, 7 others booked
Bathinda, September 25
Hundreds of persons were issued permanent driving licences for various types of vehicles by Subdivisional Magistrate of Sardulgarh (Mansa district), Baljit Singh inviolation of rules. Driving licences were issued to these persons by the District Transport Officer, Bathinda.

POLITICS

Dhankar to conduct Punjab BJP poll
Chandigarh, September 25
The BJP high command has appointed Mr O.P. Dhankar, National Secretary of the party, as chief election officer to conduct the election of president and other office-bearers of the Punjab unit of the party on September 28 here. Mr Sangh Priya Gautam, Minister of State in the Union Cabinet, and Mr Ram Pyare Pandey, Organising Secretary, North Zone, would be present during the election.

COMMUNITY

Damdami Taksal opposes Nanakshahi calendar
Amritsar, September 25
The SGPC received a major setback today as Damdami Taksal chief Baba Thakur Singh criticised the ‘hasty’ implementation of the Nanakshahi calendar. Earlier, Takht Patna Sahib and Hazoor Sahib had already opposed the Nanakshahi calendar.

Labourers make effigies of Ravan, Kumbhakaran and Meghnad which will be torched on the eve of Dussehra festival, in Amritsar on Thursday . — PTI

Process for return of 8 Pak teenagers begins
Faridkot, September 25
Countdown for sending back eight teenagers of Pakistan, detained in the observation Home (juvenile jail) here for the past one year, has begun as the criminal cases registered against them under the Passport Act at various places of Punjab have been withdrawn and the Department of Home Affairs, Punjab, informed of this action.

Centre to set up consumer protection councils in Punjab
Faridkot, September 25
The Central Government has plans to set up District Consumer Protection Councils in every state and at district headquarters to enlighten consumers on their rights vis-a-vis State Consumer District Redressal Commission and District Consumers Redressal Forums in their areas in the country. 

Workshop for police personnel
The district police organised a one-day workshop for police personnel and their families here today. It was conducted by Dr Pardeep Jain, Associate Professor and Mr Manoj Kumar Goyal, Senior Lecturer from SLIET Longowal. All gazetted officers, SHOs, I/C units and hundreds of police personnel participated in the workshop.

Langoorwala mela from today
Amritsar, September 25
Nine-day “Langoorwala festival”, at the Durgiana temple, begins tomorrow. Children believed to be born after the blessings of “God Hanumana” dress as ‘langoors’, and offer prayers and seek blessings of the deity.

COURTS

Bhattal directed to appear in person
Chandigarh, September 25
The Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, was today directed to appear in person in a corruption case registered against her by a local court acting on the application moved by the complainant, Mr Balwant Singh Dhillon. Ms Bhattal has been directed to appear on October 7 by the UT Special Judge, Mr R.S Baswana.

CM’s application dismissed
Chandigarh, September 25
An application moved by the Chief Minister of Punjab, Capt Amarinder Singh, for quashing a defamation case filed against him by Mr Sukhbir Badal, SAD general secretary, was dismissed by a court here today holding it to be premature in nature.

CRIME

Engineer held on bribe charge
Bathinda, September 25
An attempt by a junior engineer of the Punjab State Electricity Board, Mr Baru Ram, to extort money from a farmer by threatening to register a power theft case against him, has landed him in the Vigilance Bureau net.

Cop beats up LIC woman employee
Bathinda, September 25
A Head Constable of Punjab Police, Mr Avtar Singh, allegedly beat up a woman employee of the local office of the Life Insurance Corporation of India, Mrs Saroj Bala, in her office today.

Bank’s field officer held on graft charge
Ropar, September 25
Vigilance officials led by the DSP vigilance, Mr Tersem Singh, have arrested Harvinder Singh Bajwa, field officer of Primary Agriculture Development Bank, on graft charges.

JE arrested for taking bribe
Hoshiarpur, September 25
A Vigilance Bureau team headed by Mr Harbhajan Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, caught red-handed Mr Tarsem Lal, a Junior Engnieer, of the Punjab State Electricity Board, Hariana, sub-division while he was taking Rs 700 as bribe from Vijyant Kumar of Kothe Mukadam in his office yesterday.

4 poppy husk smugglers held
Mansa, September 25
The local CIA staff has arrested four persons, Mangu Singh, Lal Singh, both of Ralli village, Jaglal Singh, alias Jugly of Dariyapur village, and Ravi Kumar of Budhlada in the Sardulgarh police station area and impounded a truck (HR46A-7777) coming from Haryana in which they were smuggling 30 bags of poppy husk worth Rs 2.1 lakh.

Deaf and dumb minor raped
Hoshiarpur, September 25
A case of rape of a 12-year-old deaf and dumb girl by a migrant labourer was reported to the Dasuya police station yesterday.

EDUCATION

Resignation of Provost rejected
Patiala, September 25
Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor Swarn Singh Boparai today refused to accept the resignation of Dr H.S. Bhatti from the post of Provost of the varsity.

NIFD centre inaugurated
Barnala, September 25
Nikita Anand,Miss India Universe 2003 inaugurated a National Institute of Fashion Designing centre here yesterday. Addressing the audience she said: “It is indeed very good that NIFD is providing quality education in the field of fashion and designing.