Illegal de-addiction centre raided, 33 rescued

Amritsar, February 25 Thirtythree out of 65 addicts of the border belt, who allegedly were being tortured by musclemen, were rescued following a raid by the additional deputy commissioner, the civil surgeon, doctors of the Institute of Mental Health and officials of the Red Cross Society at Gaunsabad village, a few kms from here, today. Addicts who were rescued at Gaunsabad village on Monday. - Photo by Vishal Kumar

 

POLITICS

Nanded Sahib Airport
Badal urges PM to rename it
Chandigarh, February 25
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and urged him to name the proposed airport at Nanded Sahib as Guru Gobind Singh Airport.

Khera on Insaf Rally
Hoshiarpur, February 25
Chairman of the Malta Boat Tragedy Probe Mission Balwant Singh Khera, in his letter addressed to the Governor of Punjab, demanded an inquiry into the alleged unconstitutional and illegal conduct of the state government, led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC officials, into the jamboree being organised tomorrow in Delhi.

COMMUNITY

Kandi canal breach submerges hundreds of acres

Talwara, February 25 In nine months, another major breach developed in the Kandi canal (stage-I) flooding hundreds of acres in Asifpur, Shekha-Matta, Gagarh, Badhalian and nearby villages this morning. The nearly 100-foot-wide breach developed in the canal bank between Asifpur and Gagarh villages causing panic among villagers.  A breach in the Kandi canal (stage-I), which submerged hundreds of acres at Shekha-Matta near Talwara on Monday. - Photo by K.S. Saini

Unbundling of power board: State seeks extension
Starts steps to clear subsidy arrears
Chandigarh, February 25
While the Punjab government has urged the Union Power Ministry to give it another extension for unbundling the Punjab State Electricity Board, it has started the process to clear Rs 1,361-crore subsidy arrears to the board as directed by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

PSEB, a haven for retired engineers, officers
Chandigarh, February 25
While qualified youth have been finding it difficult to get jobs in Punjab government departments, the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) virtually has become a haven for retired persons, especially top-level engineers.

15,000 health activists to be appointed
PPSC to select 147 specialist docs by Apr
Sangrur, February 25
Under the National Rural Health Mission Scheme, 15,000 accredited social health activists (ASHAs) will be appointed by the Health Department in the state to look after pregnant women, educate women on diseases and advise them on the care of newborns in rural areas.

PUDA eyes prime land to increase revenue
Patiala, February 25
The Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) will dispose of government land in the elegant Chhoti Baradari area by auction under the Optimum Utilisation of Vacant Government Land Scheme. 

Board to protect Punjabi culture, check vulgarity
Sangrur, February 25
To protect and develop Punjab's culture and heritage in a big way and check vulgarity in songs and films etc, the Punjab government will set up a culture development board soon.

Spreading Punjabiat through resin statues
Amritsar, February 25 While music is believed to be a major carrier of Punjab's culture, ethos and folklore beyond borders, the same are also being popularised through resin products in Amritsar. Courtesy, two brothers Tajinder Singh and Manohar Sigh of Amritsar. 

Hindi writer transliterates Batalvi to Bengali script
Amritsar, February 25
Born in Alipur (North Bengal), daughter of Punjabi parents, Hindi writer Neelam Sharma Anshu (42) has transliterated Shiv Kumar Batalvi, hailed as one of the great Punjabi poets of all times, to Bangla script for the first time.                       Neelam Sharma Anshu 

Langah denies berating doctors, lawyers
Chandigarh, February 25
Sucha Singh Langah,Punjab agriculture minister, here today said he did not say anything against doctors, advocates and teachers. He had been misquoted in a section of the Press. "I did not use any bad expression against any class of employees and any other section of society,"he said.

3 teams formed to nab undertrial
Nabha, February 25
Three teams, comprising 25 persons, led by three SHOs, have been constituted to nab Manoj Kumar, son of open jail superintendent of Nabha, who escaped from the custody of the Chandigarh police in town. 

COURTS

High Court
Punjab rapped for shoddy investigation procedure
Chandigarh, February 25
Expressing exasperation over the manner of investigations carried out by the police in a murder case in Punjab, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has called upon the "quarters concerned" to "set their house in order".

Chahal's case returns to Sessions Judge
Ludhiana, February 25
In an interesting development, Additional Sessions Judge A.K. Mehta today returned the high-profile attempt to murder and land-grabbing case, involving B.I.S. Chahal, former media advisor to former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, to the Sessions Judge, Ludhiana.

CRIME

Abandoning Pregnant Wife
Accused booked for theft only
Ludhiana, February 25
Over 48 hours after a pregnant woman was abandoned by husband and in-laws, the police here could only book the accused man, his brother and mother for stealing jewellery and household goods with no relevant section of the IPC  detailing an offence of forsaking a wife in  such a manner.