THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

P U N J A B

TOP STORIES

ST worth crores being evaded
Traders smuggling wheat from Punjab
BATHINDA, Jan 12 — The evasion of sales tax worth crores by certain traders by smuggling wheat to other states from Punjab has come to light. Official sources said that the district sales tax authorities had detected transactions worth more than Rs 23 crore on which sales tax had been evaded. 

There was no policy on ‘cats’, says DGP
ROPAR, Jan 12 — The Cats were recruited in the Punjab police, by individual officers and there was no definite policy for recruiting them. Individual officers recruited Cats and gave promotions to certain persons, claiming that they proved useful in curbing terrorism.

Using ex-cops as musclemen to get dues
CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — It was more than a month after Mr A. Singh (not his real name), a technocrat, and his son had been allegedly kidnapped by “muscle men of a finance company” that the Ludhiana police has registered a case.

PSUs bane of Punjab
CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — The Public Sector Disinvestment Commission has been set up in Punjab at a time when government attempts to reform and restructure the 75 public entities, corporations and apex cooperative institutions have repeatedly failed.

BBMB: Punjab opposes J&K as member
CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — Punjab is opposed to according the status of member to Jammu and Kashmir on the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). According to well-placed official sources, Jammu and Kashmir has sought the status of member on the BBMB and also enhancement in the power share of the state from the BBMB.

Honour killings on the rise
Chandigarh, Jan 12 — Live with honour; die for honour, and if need be, kill to safeguard your honour. This tribal concept seems to have a lot many takers in one of the most advanced states in India, Punjab, if the number of honour killings committed in the state during the recent past are any indication.

Harpreet case: doc deposes in camera
Patiala, Jan 12 — In-camera proceedings were held today in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate following a reported application filed by Dr Balwinder Singh Sohal urging that he be allowed to turn approver in the case involving the death of Harpreet Kaur, daughter of former SGPC chief Jagir Kaur .

POLITICS

Kairon slams Brar for anti-party activities
AMRITSAR, Jan 12 — Mr Gurinder Singh Kairon, a senior Congress leader of Majha, who has recently burried hatchet with Mr Amrinder Singh, the PPCC chief, has criticised Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar for indulging in ‘anti-party’ activities.

RSS vitiating peace: Mann
FEROZEPORE, Jan 12 — Cautioning the RSS against bloodshed in Punjab, the Lok Sabha member from Sangrur Mr Simranjeet Singh Mann today said that his party — the Akali Dal (Amritsar) would not allow RSS volunteers to enter gurdwaras to preach the Ramayana. 

Urban development fund ‘inadequate’
CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — Mr R.R. Bhardwaj, Chairman of the Economic and Planning Cell of the Punjab unit of the Congress today described as a “mere gimmick” the move by the Punjab Government to allocate a sum of Rs 300 crore for urban development.

COMMUNITY

Filling of earth near sanctuary sparks row
HARIKE (Ferozepore), Jan 12 — The filling up of a patch of the natural bird habitat close to the wildlife sanctuary here by the inmates of Gurdwara Ishardham Nanaksar to turn it into a parking lot has sparked a controversy.

Encroachers in for another bonanza
Chandigarh, Jan 12 — In yet another pre-poll bonanza, the Punjab Government proposes to legalise thousands of encroachments on government land throughout the state. According to well-informed sources here today, the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, has already asked the officials concerned to work out modalities in this regard as quickly as possible so that the issue could be taken up for consideration by the state Cabinet at the earliest.

People robbed of lakhs
All for getting guard’s job with FCI
BATHINDA, Jan 12 — The case of three persons who were running a fake job agency in this region has turned out to be a big racket as the three collected lakhs of rupees in connivance with the leaders of a so-called employees’ union of the Food Corporation of India (FCI).

PSEB men held for stoning cops
BATHINDA, Jan 12 — The local police has rounded up 30 activists of the PSEB employees struggle committee who allegedly pelted stones at policemen, leaving seven of them injured.

SBOP staff protest against VRS
PATIALA, Jan 12 — The All-India State Bank of Patiala (SBOP) Employees Federation held a demonstration in front of the SBOP Head Office here today. The employees were protesting against the introduction of the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). Similar demonstrations were also held in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Bathinda.

Barking deer in rescue centre
JALANDHAR, Jan 12 — Pashupalika, the Jalandhar Police-run 24-hour animal rescue and rehabilitation centre, has become a home to an injured barking deer.

PSGPC invites jatha to Pak
FEROZEPORE, Jan 12 — The chairman of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Mr Sham Singh, in a message to Mr Harpal Singh Bhullar, president, International Bhai Mardana Society, has requested him to bring a jatha of 1500 Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan on the eve of Baisakhi to be celebrated in Gurdwara Punja Sahib, Hasan Abdal.

Punjab concedes truckers’ demands
New Delhi, Jan 12 — The truckers in Punjab have decided to celebrate January 15 as victory day as the state government has conceded to some of their demands, said the President of the Lok Bhalai Party, Mr B.S. Ramoowalia, here today.

Sangat darshan organised
PATIALA, Jan 12 — Mr Vikas Pratap, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) heard the grievances of residents of various localities at a Sangat Darshan organised at the Deputy Commissioner’s office here today.

24-hr power supply scheme modified
PATIALA, Jan 12 — Mr G.S. Sohal, Chairman of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), has modified the scheme for 24-hour power supply to the villages in Punjab. Mr Sohal opined that the scheme was not only less expensive but would also help the board in the reduction of system losses in the rural network.

Probe ordered into octroi bungling
ABOHAR, Jan 12 — An inquiry has been ordered into the alleged misappropriation of octroi collected by the municipal council here.

Trains running late due to fog
PHILLAUR, Jan 12 — Most of the Northern Railway mail, express and passenger trains were running one to seven hours behind schedule.

• Suchi Pind mishap to be probed
  

Punjab to approve new pension cases
BARNALA, Jan 12 — Nearly 2 lakh new cases of old-age pension will be shortly be approved in Punjab. Approximately Rs 167 crore will be spent annually on old-age pension beneficiaries numbering around 7 lakh in Punjab.

CRIME

Army aspirant held for faking age
FEROZEPORE, Jan 12 — An aspirant for the Army was arrested for furnishing a false matriculation certificate during a recruitment drive here and later handed over to the police for investigation.

33 held under Excise Act
BATHINDA, Jan 12 — The district police has nabbed two members of an interstate gang involved in the smuggling of narcotics, poppy husk in the past few days. Dr Jatinder Jain, SSP, said Jagbir Singh and Balwinder Singh were arrested and 60 kg of poppy husk was seized from their possession.

EDUCATION

Rs 1 cr sanctioned for Urdu academy
MALERKOTLA, Jan 12 — Punjab Minister for Higher Education Mohan Lal said here today the issue of creating work culture in higher education would be the major thrust this year.

Hike in fee to go, says minister
MALERKOTLA, Jan 12 — Master Mohan Lal, Higher Education Minister, Punjab, has assured leaders of the Punjab Students Union and the Students Federation of India that the enhancement in fee by Punjabi University, Patiala, will be withdrawn shortly.

German scientists donate equipment to Pbi varsity
PATIALA, Jan 12 — Two German scientists donated a sophisticated equipment during their visit to the Department of Forensic Science, Punjabi University here. The scholars — Dr Jurgen Henke and Dr Fraulotte Henke of the Institute of Blutgruppenforschung, Koln (Cologne), Germany — have been lecturing at the university since January 9.

BUSINESS

Milkfed coops earn profit for first time
CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — For the first time in its history, 95 per cent of the total of 6,078 functional village-level cooperative milk societies of Punjab Milkfed have shown a profit at the end of December, 2000.