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TOP STORIES

State rejects Centre’s plea on BBMB
Jalandhar, November 28
The Punjab government has rejected the Centre’s plea that status quo should be maintained in case of appointment of members of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), one of the most powerful body engaged in power generation and management of water for irrigation and flood control.

Lahore chamber for boosting trade ties
Chandigarh, November 28
The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry today called for the creation of a ‘friendship park’ on the Wagah border to offset expected squeeze in extending visas following the terror attacks in Mumbai besides opening a dedicated gate for trade on the border.

Afghanistan wants to do trade through Wagah

Delegates at a conference on “Cooperative Development in South Asia” at CRRID in Chandigarh on Friday.  Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Govt bails out PSEB
Jalandhar, November 28
For the time being, the state government has bailed the PSEB out of the financial crisis. The government has agreed to stand guarantee to a loan worth Rs 7,000 crore proposed to raised by the PSEB to pay instalments and interest on Rs 12,000 crore loan raised by it earlier.

Global meltdown not to affect state: CM
Rakhra (Patiala), November 28
In an effort to give a ray of hope to the people and to dispel their misconceptions about the possibilities of dwindling fiscal growth, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today that global meltdown would not cast much of its shadow on the economy of the state.

Badal’s plea to Guv
Chandigarh, November 28
In a significant move, aimed at ensuring expeditious possession of urban properties from tenants in Punjab to NRIs, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has urged Governor S.F. Rodrigues to implement the amended East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction Act 1949 in union territory of Chandigarh.

IAS officers shifted
Chandigarh, November 28
The Punjab government today transferred four IAS officers with immediate effect.

POLITICS

BSP sends names to Mayawati
Sangrur, November 28
After the declaration of candidates for six Lok Sabha seats, Sangrur, Anandpur Sahib, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar and Fatehgarh Sahib, some time ago, the Punjab unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has now recommended names of its candidates for two more LS seats, Faridkot and Gurdaspur, to the party chief Mayawati.

COMMUNITY

Central panel inspects export facilities at Amritsar airport
Amritsar, November 28

A 3-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce today made an on-the-spot study of the export infrastructure in the state. The international trade through airport, land and rail route has been facing a series of bottlenecks due to lack of hi-tech infrastructure and has failed to enthuse the business community, already reeling under global meltdown. MP Kanshi Ram Rana (third from left) at the Amritsar International Airport to inspect export infrastructure on Friday. Photo: Vishal Kumar

Agro-Tech 2008
Cos to launch AC tractors
Chandigarh, November 28
Big is strong and small is beautiful. In a major shift from manufacturing farm equipment for large-scale holdings, top tractor companies today showcased sleeker models of tractors, tillers and harvesters for the small- holdings farmers of Punjab and Haryana.

44 lakh tonnes of wheat lying in open
FCI to lease private godowns
Chandigarh, November 28
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has decided to take private godowns on lease in view of 44 lakh tonnes of wheat lying in the open.

Sugarcane farmers lift dharna
Chandigarh, November 28
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) and sugarcane farmers today decided to lift its ongoing dharna being held here to demand immediate payment to sugarcane growers besides other issues after the government released Rs 17.5 crore for payment of arrears to the growers.

Cong MP seeks paddy bonus
Chandigarh, November 28
Senior Punjab Congress MP Rana Gurjeet Singh yesterday asked the Badal government to announce additional bonus of Rs 50 per quintal on paddy on the pattern of bonus announced by Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Sobha’s art gallery turns into boozers’ den
Sri Hargoindpur (Gurdaspur), November 28
Famous painter late Sobha Singh seems to have become alien in his own birthplace thanks to the indifferent attitude of the state government.

4 killed in bus-car collision
Mullanpur Dakha, November 28
Four persons, including two children, were killed and one was injured when a Sirsa-bound PRTC Bus (PB 11 AB 5840), coming from Pathankot, hit a Maruti car (PB 10 G 6052) near Bhanohar village this evening.

COURTS

Militant sentenced to 10-yr RI
Gurdaspur, November 28
Mohommad Hanif, alias Shakur Ullah Khan, alias Amar Singh Gill, a divisional commander of the Lakshar-e-Toiba and resident of Pakistan, was today sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment each by two local courts in two cases.

Cable Business
Small-time operators fear implication
Chandigarh, November 28
If allegations in a petition filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court are to be believed, small cable operators in the State of Punjab are being harassed by big-time operators in connivance with the local police. Not only this, they are being implicated in criminal cases.