The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Youth’s Murder Cops crack case; woman among 3 held Our Correspondent Amritsar, July 19 With the arrest of three persons, the Amritsar police on Saturday claimed to have solved the blind murder of a youth here. In a press release issued here, SSP Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh said the deceased, who was the brother of a photojournalist of a Punjabi news daily, had fallen in love with a girl Amandeep Kaur. On day Amandeep’s maternal uncle Haracharan saw the couple in a compromising position when he returned home from work. Infuriated Harcharan hit Pal with a baseball bat which was later recovered by the police. The accused along with another uncle of the girl Partap Singh of Sarai Amanat Khan and Amandeep, threw the body near Fatehgarh Sukarchak village. It is pertinent to mention that Varinder had gone missing on July 9 and a complaint was lodged at the Islamabad police station in this regard. Three days later his body was found from Akalgarh area under Mattewal police station in a decomposed condition. A special investigation team led by SP city SS Mann was constituted. All the three accused have been arrested by the police. The cellphone of the deceased and the motorcycle used in the disposing off the body were recovered by the police.
	N-deal gets villagers’ support Tribune News Service Jalandhar, July 19 The signature campaign started in favour of the nuclear deal by Gurbinder Singh Atwal, general secretary of the PPCC, is getting a good response from the people of Punjab. On Friday, people from many villages of Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Ludhiana invited Atwal to their villages for the signature campaign. People from Pansala, Poonchh Takiar and Narud Panshata villages, among others, invited Atwal to extend their support to the campaign. Addressing the villagers, Atwal said, “in view of the energy requirements, the nuclear deal is the need of the hour. When the deal is finalised it will put a check on inflation, the country will be relieved of regular power cuts, industrial production will grow and it will create new opportunities for employment.” Ridiculing those opposing the deal, Atwal said, “I don’t know why Prakash Karat, the BJP and Mayaweati are coming in the way of the deal.” Atwal also visited Bilga, Chuheki, Bundala and Rurake villages. NTF bats for pact The National Thinkers Forum (NTF) has urged all the political parties to support the UPA on the nuclear deal in the forthcoming Parliament session on July 22. Talking to mediapersons here today, forum president Manish Sehgal urged the citizens and political leaders to rise above party politics and come forward to save the civilian nuclear cooperation between India and the USA. He said it would give new impetus to the country’s development policy and end the nuclear-apartheid against India. Every Indian should strongly endorse the initiative being taken by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to sign the deal which was in national interest, he added. ‘Cure for energy crisis’ Jalandhar: Stating that the nuclear deal was the best way to tackle the energy crisis in the country, State Mahila Congress chief Gurkanwal Kaur took out a car rally to promote the UPA initiative here on Saturday. “We should stop indulging in petty politics and support the efforts of the PM and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.” District president Dr Jasleen said the Congress had always supported what was best for the country. Senior ward president Rajinder Sahots, PBV president Rajinder Kaur, rural Ludhiana president Amandeep Kalkat and rural Amritsar president Savinder Kaur, among others, were present on the occasion.
	Traffic control room to ease chaos P.K. Jaiswar Amritsar, July 19 In order to streamline the traffic in the city, the Amritsar police set up a traffic control room which was inaugurated by DIG (border range) P.P.S. Sidhu here today. The main aim of the control room would be the implementation of basic traffic rules and inculcating civic sense among the residents. The DIG stressed upon the implementation of the new technologies for streamlining the traffic. He also flagged off two ambulance vans consisting of first aid boxes and other related equipment in case of an accident or emergency. Each ambulance will be headed by an ASI-rank officer, assisted by four constables in each shift. Two shifts have been made for round-the-clock supervision, said Sidhu. SSP Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh said the district police had also started a phone line 0183-2210300 for the facility of the citizens in case of an emergency, accident or traffic jam. He said a quick reaction team (QRT) had been instituted which would be sent in case any serious crime was reported in the city. The team would visit the crime spot along with a force from the police station concerned. A separate room had been earmarked for honorary traffic wardens who were working with the police in traffic management, he added.
	Illicit liquor seized, 2 arrested Tribune News Service Phagwara, July 19 The police here seized 750 cases of liquor being taken to Hoshiarpur from Chandigarh in a truck. According to police sources, a truck bearing registration number of Rajasthan was intercepted on a tip-off at Sahni T-point on the Hoshiarpur road by a police team led by Rawalpindi SHO Inderjeet Singh. On search, 750 cases of illicit liquor worth over Rs 13 lakh were seized. Both Anup Singh and Kalu of Kotri village in Bikaner of Rajasthan, who were boarding the truck, were taken into custody. During preliminary interrogation, they disclosed that two contractors of Sector 26 in Chandigarh had asked them to take the liquor to Hoshiarpur. An FIR under sections 61/1/14 of the Excise Act has been registered against them.
	Sarpanches’ poll on July 23, 24 Tribune News Service Kapurthala, July 19 Sarpanches will be elected in 535 out of the total 545 villages in the district on July 23 and 24. Deputy commissioner J.M. Balamurugan issued guidelines to all presiding officers to ensure free and fair elections. In a special meeting held here today, Balamurugan said the required quorum of two-third panches should be present in the meeting for electing a sarpanch of a panchayat. If the quorum was not complete in the meeting, the election of the sarpanch of the panchayat concerned would be postponed and new date would be fixed with a prior notice of at least 24 hours to each panch, the DC said while addressing the presiding officers. A panch was required to propose the name of a candidate for the post of sarpanch, which should be seconded by another panch and if there was no other candidate for sarpanch, he or she would be elected unanimously, the DC said, adding that if there was more than one candidate for sarpanches, secret voting would be done for the election. A presiding officer would hold the elections of sarpanches in five to eight panchayats during two days, he said, adding that the presiding officer would hold the elections of sarpanches of maximum four panchayats in a day. Balamurugan claimed that adequate security arrangements would be made to ensure free and fair elections and to maintain law and order on both days.
	Relax BEd admission conditions: SFPCA Our Correspondent Nawanshahr, July 19 The Self-Financed Private Colleges Association (SFPCA), Punjab, has urged the state government to relax conditions for the candidates seeking admission to the BEd course. Talking to The Tribune, association spokesman P.K. Johar said if the government failed to take immediate steps, students would be forced to pay hefty amounts to get admissions in other states which would render infrastructure and faculty useless. He said this year 32,999 candidates applied for the BEd entrance test conducted by Punjabi University, Patiala, and only 12,540 cleared it, while 25,000 seats were available for the course. “The pass percentage too had fallen this year after mathematics was made compulsory. When the candidates already fulfil the eligibility criterion laid down by the NCTE, Jaipur, then there is no purpose of conducting the entrance test,” he said, adding that admission criterion should be relaxed in public interest.