POLITICS

Kharbanda in ‘self-exile’ Amritsar, May 17 Even as the PPCC has lodged a fresh complaint against chief secretary Ramesh Inder Singh, municipal committee commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda has decided not to come back to Amritsar till the Amritsar byelection. The commissioner is at present in Hyderabad in connection with a training programme. The transfer of deputy commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu has dampened the spirit of the local administration and the officers don’t want to earn the wrath of the CEC by obliging the ruling party.   DC Pannu goes on leave

Amritsar MC Commissioner  D.P.S. Kharbanda

Sukhbir backs Nihang leader Balbir Singh
Patiala, May 17
Denying misunderstanding or differences between the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and alliance partner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal asserted the two outfits had been working like one party for over 20 years.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal (third from left) with Baba Santa Singh’s sister Kishan Kaur and new Nihang chief Baba Balbir Singh at Bagichi Baba Bamba Singh in Patiala on Sunday. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar 

We’ve enough proof against CS: Cong
Amritsar, May 17
Chief spokesman for the PPCC Bir Devinder Singh, in a fresh complaint to the chief election commissioner (CEC), has said his party had enough proof that the chief secretary met SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal in Amritsar in violation of the election code.

COMMUNITY

Don’t succumb to political pressure, DGP tells force
Chandigarh, May 17
The Punjab police chief today cracked the whip on SSPs in an attempt to ensure violence-free elections to the Gram Panchayats on May 26.

Coop societies to sell goods on CSD pattern
NRIs’ deposits to be accepted under a special scheme

Patiala, May 17 “Given the present scenario of the liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation, cooperatives have to play a major role in the faster development of Punjab. For this, cooperative departments need to co-exist with the corporate world to mutual benefit each other,” stated Punjab cooperation minister Kanwaljit Singh, while inaugurating a national seminar on the “Cooperative movement in socio-economic development in South-west Asia”, organised by Punjabi University’s Centre for South-West Asia Study at the university here yesterday.

Capt Kanwaljit Singh

Turban Row
Probe ordered; parents to move court
Sangrur, May 17
Sangrur deputy commissioner V.K. Ohri today entrusted an inquiry to additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Indu Malhotra to probe a matter with regard to forcing Hindu students to wear turbans by the Akal Academy, Cheema, about 15 km from Sunam. The ADC will submit her report in two to three days.

Ridding Sirhind Canal of Pollution
Badal sets up task force
Chandigarh, May 17
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal yesterday constituted a task force of officers from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology and the Water Supply and Sewerage Board to draw up blueprint for ridding the Sirhind canal of pollution to achieve the objective of “safe drinking water for all”.

‘Include state under food security mission’
Chandigarh, May 17
The Punjab government has asked the Centre to include the entire state in the National Food Security Mission (NFSM)-Rice to ensure better contribution to the Central pool of foodgrains as well as long-term national food security.

Water Scarcity
PSHRC seeks report
Chandigarh, May 17
Taking suo motu notice of a news report carried in Hindi daily, the PSHRC has asked the state government through the DC, Muktsar, to submit report on June 19.

 

Pak fishermen repatriated Attari, May 17 About 14 fishermen were repatriated to Pakistan at the Attari/Wagah joint check post today. They had been brought from Gujarat two days ago. Mohammad Razzak, a resident of Atharki village in Sindh district, said he, along with his brother, had gone fishing and both were arrested by the Indian authorities about a year ago when they had inadvertently ventured into the Indian seas.

GOODBYE INDIA

 

Sarpanch’s daughter clears civil services Chandigarh, May 17 Sharandeep Kaur Brar, only daughter of Manjit Singh Brar, sarpanch of Mehma Bhagwana village, near Bathinda, has cleared the civil services examination. Placed at 433 in the ranking in the main IAS examination, Sharandeep is expected to join the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). She is a former student of St Joseph School and Government Senior Secondary School, Bathinda. — TNS

Sharandeep Kaur Brar

EDUCATION

Recruiting Govt College Principals 
State flouting UGC norms
Chandigarh, May 17
On the one hand Punjab follows University Grants Commission (UGC) norms for recruiting government college lecturers, on the other it ignores the same in case of recruitment of principals.

CRIME

Baba Darshan Singh booked for fraud
Tarn Taran, May 17
Baba Darshan Singh of kar sewa fame and president of the Managing Committee of Bir Baba Budha Sahib has been booked for transferring college land worth crores donated by residents of the area in his own name. The residents had donated the land for the smooth running of the college.

Video

Amateur numismatist flaunts enticing coin collection. (56k)