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TOP STORIES

Punjab to have 2 more ADGPs, 2 IGs
Chandigarh, February 5
The top-heavy Punjab police will have two more Additional Directors-General (ADGPs) and as many Inspectors-General (IGPs) as the state government ordered the transfer and posting of three ADGPs, 14 IGPs, nine DIGs and 21 Superintendents in a major reshuffle today.

Spokesman Editor declared ‘tankhaiya’
Amritsar, February 5
Even as the Sikh clergy today declared Mr Joginder Singh, Editor of the monthly magazine spokesman, as “tankhaiya” (guilty of religious punishment), the latter was convened a meeting of his supporters at Chandigarh March 10 to defy the directives publicly.

Zaffarwal acquitted in Ribeiro case
Jalandhar, February 5
Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, one of about two dozen accused in a case relating to the 1986 attack on former Director-General of the Punjab Police J.F. Ribeiro in the PAP complex, was acquitted by a local Additional TADA designated court for the failure of the prosecution to prove conspiracy charges against him.

Resolve issues peacefully, says Dr Chohan
Jalandhar, February 5
The Khalsa Raj Party, headed by “Khalistan” ideologue, Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan, here today resolved to work for removing “bad blood” from politics and exhorted people and youth to free themselves from “corrupt and selfish” politics, led by Mr Parkash Singh Badal and his coterie.

Holocaust day goes unnoticed
Rohira, February 5
The Wadha Ghalughara Day (big holocaust), observed in memory of those men, women and children massacred by forces of Ahmad Shah Abdali, was not observed today.

POLITICS

BSP authorises Mayawati to decide on alliances
Kapurthala, February 5
The National Executive Committee of the Bahujan Samaj Party has authorised Ms Mayawati, President of the BSP, to decide on alliance with political parties barring the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Barnala not keen on contesting, says Badal
Bahadurgarh (Patiala), February 5
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Parkash Singh Badal yesterday said Andhra Pradesh Governor and senior Akali leader Surjit Singh Barnala did not desire to contest from Sangrur during the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

SAD to have election office at Jalandhar
Jalandhar, February 5
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has decided to set up a central election office here which will be formally inaugurated by the party president and former Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal on February 17.

SAD panel to decide on meeting issue
Longowal (Sangrur), February 5
A decision on whether the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will participate in the all-party meeting convened by the Punjab Government on February 7 on the SYL canal issue will be taken by the political affairs committee (PAC) of the party at its meeting tomorrow, said SAD President Parkash Singh Badal here today.

COMMUNITY

Pak Sikh panel releases calendar
Chandigarh, February 5
The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) has recently released a table calendar featuring historic Sikh shrines in that country.

Bhalla blames coterie on transfer issue
Patiala, February 5
The issue of handing back powers of transfer of officials to the Administrative Member of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), Mr Raman Bhalla, is far from settled, with the member, a Congress legislator, claiming that the coterie surrounding Chairman Y.S. Ratra has been blocking the move.

New campaign under community policing scheme
Moga, February 5
The Punjab police has started a new campaign under the community policing programme to bring the police in close contact with the people.

Sikh bodies to meet Governor
Amritsar, February 5
Representatives of various Sikh bodies will meet the Governor on February 7 to apprise him of human rights situation in Punjab and Chandigarh after jail break in Chandigarh.

16 jail guards refuse duty, suspended
Patiala, February 5
The local Central Jail authorities today suspended 16 jail guards when they refused to do duty under the 'disc system' which has been reintroduced in the jail following the sensational escape of the Beant Singh accused from Burail jail in Chandigarh last month.

Notice issued to 13 jail warders
Sangrur, February 5
The Sangrur District Jail authorities today issued final notices to 13 jail warders, seeking reply by 9 am tomorrow or face suspension.

• 7 jail guards suspended

Fate of Pak boys hangs in balance
Faridkot, February 5
The Tihar Jail authorities have turned down the Punjab Government’s request to lodge seven Pakistani boys, under the age of 17, in Tihar Jail. The jail authorities made it clear that in the absence of any criminal case against the juveniles, they could not detain the boys.

PPCC hails decision on DA
Chandigarh, February 5
The president of the PPCC, Mr H.S. Hanspal, has hailed the decision of the Punjab Government to merge 50 per cent of the dearness allowance (DA) with the basic pay of employees on the Central pattern.

Decision to shift akademi offices
Chandigarh, February 5
The Punjab Government has decided to shift the offices of the Punjab Sahit Akademy, the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademy and the Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademy to Patiala, Amritsar and Jalandhar, respectively.

Emptying of sarovar leaves fish dead
Amritsar, February 5
The emptying of the holy sarovar at the local Ram Tirath temple has left several fish dead which are being devoured by vultures and stray dogs.

Ferozepore, Amritsar rail line sought
Phagwara, February 5
A rail line running along the Indo-Pak border linking Ferozepore with Amritsar has been demanded by SAD (A) Chief Simranjit Singh Mann.

Avoid tubectomy, says surgeon
Amritsar, February 5
Dr R.C.M. Kaza, pioneer of the NSV technique for vasectomy in India, stressed here today that it was not fair to conduct tubectomy as it was complicated, risky and expensive. He was here to address a three-day camp which began today.

COURTS

Court summons ex-MP in cheating case
Hoshiarpur, February 5
A local court here today issued summon for personal appearance on March 22 to ex-MP Kamal Chaudhry, his wife Ms Sudha Chaudhry and five others in a cheating and forgery case.

HIGH COURT
Funds for Ludhiana jail
Chandigarh, February 5
The Court directed the state of Punjab to release Rs 12 lakh for the Ludhiana Central Jail. The directions were issued in a suo motu case by the Bench headed by Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy.

AGRICULTURE

Mansa to have modern cotton market: Singla
Abohar, February 5
Mr Sant Ram Singla, Chairman, Punjab Mandi Board, said the Punjab Government was committed to the demands of farmers, traders and labourers.

ADMINISTRATION

Vigilance raids on rice mills
Rampura (Bathinda), February 5
A team of the Vigilance Bureau from Chandigarh today conducted raids in four rice mills located in this region to find out bunglings in the allotment of agencies to them, paddy and rice stock and quality of rice being delivered to the agencies.

CRIME

1,000 drug capsules seized from convict
Ferozepore, February 5
The jail authorities here yesterday seized 1000 drug capsules from a murder convict, allegedly delivered to him by his brother who had been acquitted in the same murder case last year.

3 held for drug smuggling
Jalandhar, February 5
The district police has arrested two persons for drug smuggling and seized 250 gm of heroin worth Rs 25 lakh from them.

Father, sons kidnapped; released after 4 hrs
Shahkot (Jalandhar), February 5
Fear gripped residents of this township this morning as a group of 35-40 armed persons allegedly kidnapped Charagdin, a local resident, and his two sons, bundled them in a car and took the trio towards Moga.

SHO surrenders in custodial death case
Sangrur, February 5
Kulwinder Singh, SHO of Sherpur police station, allegedly involved in a custodial death case, today reportedly surrendered before the Barnala police. His anticipatory bail application was dismissed by the Sessions Judge yesterday.

EDUCATION

Capt inaugurates engineering college
Talwandi Sabo, February 5
The Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today inaugurated the Yadwindra College of Engineering, set up on the Guru Kashi Regional Centre campus here. He said the government would also set up a university of animal sciences in the name of Guru Angad Dev.

Protest by students at PTU
Jalandhar, February 5
Hundreds of students of a large number of technical colleges of the state held a dharna in front of Punjab Technical University here today in protest against the university’s decision to revoke the 24 credit system which was implemented last year.

GND varsity to start M.Phil in English
Amritsar, February 5
Guru Nanak Dev University will start M.Phil in English from the next academic session.

Teachers thrash college student for carrying mobile
Ropar, February 5
Students of the Rayat Engineering College today held a dharna outside the college to protest against the alleged thrashing of a B-Tech student by three teachers.

1,700 teachers to be appointed
Chandigarh, February 5
Punjab School Education Minister Khushal Behl said today that the recruitment process to fill 1,700 posts of teacher in the Punjab School Education Department had been initiated after the lifting of the ban on fresh recruitments.

National conference
Patiala, February 5
A two-day national conference on “Trends in Instrumentation and Control Engineering”, organised by the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET), was inaugurated by the Director CSIO, Chandigarh, Dr R.P Bajpai, here today.

BUSINESS

Plan to launch 27,500 WLL connections
Jalandhar, February 5
The BSNL has decided to release 27,500 telephone connections under the Wireless in Local Loup (WLL) service. The connections will be launched in the Jalandhar telecom circle, comprising Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr except Balachaur, on February 16.

PSIEC offers land to dyeing units
Chandigarh, February 5
The Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC) has decided to offer plots to the polluting dyeing and electroplating industrial units in Ludhiana at the focal point on the outskirts of the city.