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MC attaches accounts of govt offices
Failure to pay house tax
Patiala, September 5
In an unprecedented move, the local Municipal Corporation authorities have attached the financial accounts of a number of state government offices after the same failed to meet their house tax liabilities.

CM presiding over economic doom, says Kanwaljeet
Jalandhar, September 5
Ridiculing the functioning of the Amarinder Singh government by accusing it of “presiding over the economic doom of Punjab,” former Punjab Finance Minister Captain Kanwaljit Singh has alleged that the “shoddy” implementation of VAT, sans much needed prior home work, has disrupted the normal functioning of the trade and industry.

Militancy can’t be revived in Punjab,
says Badal
Phagwara, September 5
In the first-ever comment of his party over the issue, Shiromani Akali Dal President and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal maintained that legislature, executive and judiciary were the vital organs of governance in a parliamentary democracy and none should overlap and neither of these could be given unlimited powers.

Teachers do the vanishing act
Move abroad to make a quick buck
Bathinda, September 5
Entrusted with the onus of shaping destinies of young minds, teachers across the country are revered on Teachers’ Day, but some people of their ilk prefer to leave their students in the lurch just to realise their dreams of making it big abroad.

Admn secys to go into demands of teachers
Chandigarh, September 5
Concerned over the growing anger among various sections of teachers against the state government, the Punjab Chief Minister’s office (CMO) today took action to check the situation from getting out of hand.

Book land mafia, says dist admn
Bathinda, September 5
Following complaints against land mafia active in the city and around, the district administration today sought from PUDA registration of FIRs against them.

Livestock cargo to Pak halts at Wagah
Wagah, September 5
The first two consignments of 334 cattle-heads to Pakistan faced a major roadblock today owing to procedural delays. It was seen that the poor animals, tied in trucks, faced hunger and thirst throughout the day as officials went about pursuing procedures for the export.

India, Pak to free prisoners
Wagah, September 5
As many as 435 Indians, including 371 fishermen, languishing in various jails in Pakistan will be released and repatriated to India through this Indo-Pak joint post on September 12, an official spokesperson said here today.

Couple alleges police harassment
Gurdaspur September 5
Kanika Malhotra of Jalandhar and Rahul Uppal of Gurdaspur married in a temple on August 30 against the wishes of their parents. 

COMMUNITY

Conspiracy behind Dalit violence: Dullo
Ludhiana, September 5
The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president, Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, apprehends “some deep-rooted conspiracy” in violence against Dalits in the Congress-ruled states. He observed that the motive appeared to defame the Congress governments as the Dalits have always been strong supporters of the party.

SGPC manager suspended
Amritsar, September 5
The SGPC executive meeting held here today placed Mr Harbans Singh Malhi, manager (properties) under suspension on charges of alleged irregularities while sub-letting the shops of the Shiromani Committee.

Avoid controversy on seva, SGPC urged
Chandigarh, September 5
The Movement Against State Repression (MASR) has urged the SGPC and other Panthic bodies to avoid unnecessary controversies with regard to the participation of women in amrit sanchar and other ceremonies such as seva at Harmandar Sahib.

Baba Farid society award for Tarun Tejpal
Faridkot, September 5
Gurdwara Godri Sahib Baba Farid Society has announced the Baba Farid award of honesty 2005 to Tarun Tejpal, the editor of Tehlka.

Residents set up Gadar martyr’s memorial
Ludhiana, September 5
While the Centre is yet to accord the status of the freedom fighters to the Gadar martyrs, residents of Sunet Colony here have constructed a memorial depicting Cellular Jail, commonly known as Kala Pani, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The model of Cellular Jail, constructed as a memorial to a Gadar martyr, at Sunet, Ludhiana.
— Photo by Sayeed Ahmed

Power cuts: crisis deepens
Patiala, September 5
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) is struggling with its demand and supply position as the demand for power has risen to over 1,500 lakh units in the state against the availability of 1,200 lakh units only.

AWWA celebrates Raising Day
Ferozepore, September 5
With an view to motivate its members, the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) has been doing yeoman’s service to ensure that the soldier does not have to worry about his family when he goes to the frontier for the call of the duty.

Work done at spiritual head’s behest: panel
Amritsar, September 4
The restoration work of the monuments belonging to Ahmadiyya Muslims at Qadian, was carried out at behest of the supreme head of the community who expressed his unhappiness over the ‘destroying’ of the heritage while giving them a face-lift.

Help spies’ families, MP to PM
Gurdaspur, September 5
Reeling under poverty, families of spies languishing in Pakistan jails have found another supporter in the Rajya Sabha member from the district, Mr Ashwani Kumar.

H.N.S. Grewal dead
Chandigarh, September 5
Dr Harnarain Singh Grewal, former Director, Health Services, Punjab, and elder brother of former Union Cabinet Secretary S.S Grewal, died here today. He was also the brother-in-law of former Tribune Trust Chairperson, Mrs. Serla Grewal. He was 87.

300 job cases sanctioned
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 5
At least 300 youths have been sanctioned loans in the district under the Prime Minister Rozgar Yojna by the District Industrial Department this year, where as last year 260 were given loans, said Ms Jaspreet Talwar, Deputy Commissioner, here today.

4 hurt in mishap
Bathinda, September 5
At least four persons were injured seriously when a tractor-trailer hit a Matador at Multania road here last night.

Villagers block road
Ropar, September 5
A large number of villagers today blocked the road in front of the Brahmpur Jimedara village, protesting against the poor conditions of the roads.

COURTS

Death sentence for rape, murder of niece
Sangrur, September 5
Mr K.K. Garg, Sessions Judge, Sangrur, today awarded death sentence to Ujjagar Singh (50), a resident of Bangawali village (near Dhuri), in a case of raping and murdering his married niece, Mukhtiar Kaur, alias Murti.

ADMINISTRATION

Ex-cadre DGPs not to be removed
Chandigarh, September 5
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today said that several DGPs appointed against ex-cadre posts in the state would not be removed, but adjusted against vacancies arising out of retirement at the top rung.

Bureaucrats reshuffled
Chandigarh, September 5
The Punjab Government effected an administrative reshuffle today. Ms Harsimrat, Principal Secretary, Labour and Employment has been shifted to the Department of Programme Implementation, replacing Mr R.N. Gupta, who will continue to work as Principal Secretary Public Grievances and Pensions.

CRIME

Gang of robbers busted, 7 held
Khanna, September 5
The local police claimed to have busted a gang of robbers by arresting seven members during a press conference organised by SSP Naunihal Singh at his office here today. SSP disclosed that the members of the gang were working like the gangsters of Mumbai, who settle personal scores of people by taking ‘suparis’.

Woman beats up husband
Phagwara, September 5
Instead of the traditional cases of wife-beating in our country, an incidence of husband-bashing, has came to light.

EDUCATION

PTU decides in favour of striking students
Jalandhar, September 5
Taking decision over the fate of nearly 400 first year undergraduate students of Punjab Technical University who had been denied admission in the second year, a hurriedly convened board of governors meeting was held today.

Teachers flay govt policies on education
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 5
Teachers of the district under the banner of government Teachers Union, today commemorated Teachers Day as “Sikhya Bachao Divas”. Hundreds of teachers, instead of sitting in some conference room, sat in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, wearing black badges.

Non-teaching staff go on mass leave
Patiala, September 5
Non-teaching employees of private colleges went on mass leave on the call of the Private Colleges Non-Teaching Employees Union, Punjab and Chandigarh today.

Govt teachers stage protest
Ropar, September 5
Protesting against the indifferent attitude of the Punjab Government towards teachers, government teachers of the district, under the banner of the Government Teachers Union Punjab, today held a dharna in front of the Mini Secretariat here.

Teachers’ Day with a difference
Amritsar, September 5
It was rare honour for Master Ajit Singh, a social worker and founder of ‘Citizen Forum Vidhya Mandir’ — a charitable school for the children of victims of drug addiction — who was made chief guest on occasion of celebration of Teachers’ Day by the DAV Public School today.

Kavitri sammelan held at GCG
Patiala, September 5
The Punjabi Sahit Akademi organised a Kavitri sammelan at the Government College of Girls here today. A number of reputed poets, including Dr Pal Kaur, Dr Gurminder Sidhu, Mrs Amarjit Ghuman, Mrs Taraan Gujral, Mrs Neeru Aseem, Dr Surinder Kaur Chauhan and Mrs Seema Safak presented their compositions in Hindi and Punjabi.