50 pc seats go vacant in Punjab polytechnics
Chandigarh, August 18
Technical education in the state seems to have hit an all-time low. While almost 50 per cent seats went vacant in engineering colleges affiliated to Punjab Technical University (PTU), another 50 per cent seats have now gone vacant in the various polytechnics in the state.

high court
PIL filed against land concessions to Reliance
Chandigarh, August 18
Certain Shiromani Akali Dal MLAs today moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Congress Government in Punjab and Reliance Retail Limited, a sister concern of Reliance Industries Limited for setting up a special economic zone (SEZ).

Notification on SEZ welcomed
Amritsar, August 18
The much-awaited SEZ dream project announced by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, two years ago for the holy city has finally been notified by the Department of Industry and Commerce.

Punjab to examine plea for road tax exemption
Chandigarh, August 18
The Punjab transport authorities have agreed to examine the request of the Chandigarh Administration to exempt school buses from road tax which ferry school children to Mohali.

Four held for bid to kidnap girl
Amritsar, August 18
The police has arrested four persons for allegedly trying to kidnap and rape an Army officer’s daughter in an inebriated condition. While two persons are still absconding the police has impounded the white Maruti van used in the crime.

 

POLITICS

Badal woos residents of border areas with sops
Ferozepore, August 18
If voted to power, they would offer incentives to industrialists keen on establishing units in the border districts of Punjab, stated Mr Parkash Singh Badal, president of SAD, while addressing a mammoth gathering of border residents during a rally jointly organised by SAD-BJP in Guruharsahai, 40 km from here today.

Unite, Dullo tells Cong men
Ferozepore, August 18
Congressmen should desist from airing their personal differences in public, failing which disciplinary action would initiated against them by the party, stated Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, president, PPCC, while addressing a meeting of party workers, leaders and office-bearers at Congress Bhavan, here, today.

Tandon to form front to save industry
Chandigarh, August 18
A former president of the Punjab unit of the BJP, Mr Balramji Dass Tandon, today said he was in the process of forming a non-political front to save industry in the state.

COMMUNITY

Bhagat’s memorials to be national monuments
Bathinda, August 18
Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s memorials in three villages on the Hussainiwala border — Mudki, Pherushahr and Sabrao — are being developed as national monuments, said the Faridkot Division Commissioner, Mr Kulbir Singh Sidhu, at Talwandi Sabo today.

Challenges before Ludhiana police
Ludhiana, August 18
This financial and industrial capital of Punjab has been in news for the past sometime because of some horrifying incidents of crime which included the kidnapping of a son of a leading industrialist whose kidnappers have not been arrested so far.

Longer power cuts as 1 unit shut again
Ropar, August 18
In yet another jolt to the people of Punjab, one unit of 210 MW capacity of the Super thermal plant, Ropar, was again shut late last night. As a result the PSEB, which was already facing the shortage of power to meet demand, extended power cuts to 10 hours in cities and in the rural areas to 12 hours in the state.

SAD (A) activists’ plea to PSEB chief
Patiala, August 18
A delegation of the SAD (Amritsar) today met the PSEB Chairman and urged him to provide uninterrupted power supply for more than eight hours to the farming sector, keeping in view the fact that the region was facing drought-like conditions due to scanty  rainfall.

Protests near PSEB head office banned
Patiala, August 18
A local court has restrained various trade unions, including the Joint Struggle Coordination Committee, from holding demonstrations, meetings, dharnas, gheraos, raising and writing of slogans, damaging property of the PSEB office, within a radius of 200 metres from the boundary wall of the PSEB head office.

Dalit Sena burns effigies of CM, SSP
Sangrur, August 18
Members and activists of the Dalit Sena, Punjab, led by Mr Kiranjit Singh Gehri, state president of the Punjab unit of the Dalit Sena, yesterday burnt the effigies of the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, and the Bathinda SSP at the traffic lights chowk here in protest against their alleged anti- Dalit and anti-poor policies and attitude, and police atrocities on Dalits.

Recruitment for West Asia goes on
Hoshiarpur, August 18
Travel agents are openly carrying out recruitment drives in the district for employing labourers in West Asia.

Cop’s death highlights stressful work conditions
Fatehgarh Sahib, August 18
The death of Sub-Inspector Ajmer Singh while on duty for the President’s visit to Sanghol yesterday is a clear indication that the police personnel in the district, particularly lower rank, are working in tense situations and facing stress.

Doctors seek ‘specialist cadre’
Amritsar, August 18
The Punjab Civil Medical Services Specialist Doctors' Association (PSDA) has demanded the creation of a separate 'specialist cadre' within the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) so that patients could be provided quality specialised services in rural Community Health Centres and Civil Hospitals of Punjab.

Panel set up to consider DSGMC employees’ demands
Amritsar, August 18
An eight-member subcommittee has been constituted to consider the demands of the employees of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).

AC bus service to Delhi
Patiala, August 18
Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) has decided to launch a super luxury air-conditioned service on the Patiala-New Delhi route from August 21.

MC employees resume dharna
Pathankot, August 18
Employees of the Municipal Council today resumed dharna and demanded the arrest of the former councillor, Mr Jang Bahadur Bedi, who had allegedly beaten up a junior engineer of the council, Mr Desh Bandhu.

CRIME

Cop among vehicle thieves held
Gurdaspur, August 18
The local police has busted a gang of vehicle thieves and fake currency peddlers that had a serving cop as its kingpins. The cop, Pardeep Kumar, who was posted at Taran Tarn, had stolen about 35 vehicles from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and sold them in Jammu and Kashmir after preparing fake documents.

EDUCATION

Assurance on pension scheme
Chandigarh, August 18
The Education Minister, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, and the Finance Minister, Mr Surinder Singla, who held a meeting with a deputation of the Punjab State Aided School Teachers and the Other employees union, today assured that the pension scheme, which was discontinued in June, 2003, would be resumed soon for retired employees of aided schools.

Annual day
Patiala, August 18
Sri Aurobindo International School today celebrated its annual day, which was held to commemorate the 129th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo at the school’s premises today.