THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

P U N J A B

TOP STORIES

No new taxes likely: Kanwaljit
MAJITHA, Feb 5 — In view of the forthcoming general election, the Punjab Government may not impose fresh taxes, thereby giving a “people-friendly and development-oriented” budget.

PWD officials ‘favour’ contractors
Tenders rejected on flimsy grounds
BATHINDA, Feb 5 — A district-level committee formed for supervising tender work and execution of work on the road link from NH 64 to the Guru Gobind Singh Oil Refinery at Phulokhari has called for fresh tenders after the earlier tender process was allegedly vitiated by the PWD authorities.

Rs 5-cr sanitation project for Bathinda
BATHINDA, Feb 5 — The Central Government has sanctioned a Rs 5-crore rural sanitation programme for this district. It envisages setting up of rural latrines, rural sanitary marts, complex for women and school sanitation schemes.

9 cases of hepatitis-B
Unregistered docs using recycled syringes
BATHINDA, Feb 5 — As many as nine residents of Chauke village of this district have been found suffering from hepatitis-B out of a total of 40 residents who were suspected of carrying the virus by the district health authorities following a news item which appeared in this connection on February 3.

Cops partial to govt put on poll duty : PPCC
AMRITSAR, Feb 5 — In a representation to the Election Commission, the PPCC took objection today to the orders dated January 29, 2001, signed by the Inspector-General (Border), Mr A.P. Pandey, for the deployment of police personnel allegedly partial to the ruling party for election duty at Majitha.

Medical colleges to lose control over NRI fees
PATIALA, Feb 5 — Government Medical Colleges of Punjab will now no longer have control over the fee collected by them through admission of Non-Resident Indians with the government notifying that funds collected under this head should be transferred to its account.

Quake : BA staff, agents raise 5 lakh
CHANDIGARH, Feb 5 — Members of the staff of British Airways and travel agents from Punjab and Chandigarh in a novel gesture collected Rs 5 lakh for contribution to the Gujarat earthquake victims by organising a small programme in Jalandhar yesterday.

Badal, Rinwa condemn killings
CHANDIGARH, Feb 5 — The President of the Shiromani Akali Dal and Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and the president of the Punjab unit of the BJP, Mr Brij Lal Rinwa in separate statements have condemned the recent killing of Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir and described it as a heinous crime against humanity.

COMMUNITY

GOOD NEWS — PUBLIC RESPONSE
A man whose word is command
CHANDIGARH, Feb 5 — He symbolises universal brotherhood, unity and goodwill. Though illiterate and an artisan by birth, he commands respect among all 4,000-odd residents of Ballian village in Sangrur district.

Move to shift defiant prisoners
FEROZEPORE, Feb 5 — The Central Jail authorities here are contemplating to shift defiant prisoners to Faridkot in view of the recent violence that left about 30 undertrials injured. A recommendation to this effect has already been forwarded to the government.

PNFC workers block traffic
ROPAR, Feb 5 — Workers of the Punjab National Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd (PNFC) today, once again, blocked the traffic on the Una-Chandigarh road. The workers of the closed unit sat on a dharna on the Nangal Dam bridge, the only connecting link across Sutlej, disrupting the traffic on the route.

SGPC despatches relief to Bachau
AMRITSAR, Feb 5 — Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today flagged off a contingent of more than 200 volunteers of the SGPC in 23 trucks loaded with foodstuff and other essential items to the quake-hit town of Bachau in Gujarat.

CID ASI suspended for graft
JALANDHAR, Feb 5—A Phillaur based CID Assistant Sub-Inspector, who allegedly strayed into the house of a Sundh village resident, posing as an ASI posted at CID unit, Banga, and forced him to cough up Rs 4,300, lying that he had been deputed to enquire abut his Italy based son, has been transferred and placed under suspension, while the Incharge of the Phillaur, CID unit has been suspended by the department for alleged lack of control over his subordinates.

Nine police officials transferred
AMRITSAR, Feb 5 — Poll observers have ordered the transfer of police officials. Mr Kewal Kumar, SP (City), was transferred to the Indian Reserve Battalion, Patiala, as its Additional Commandant (Second Battalion).

Demolition drive continues
BATHINDA, Feb 5 — The demolition drive launched by the Punjab Urban Development Authorities on Dhobiana Road continued for the second day today without causing any incident of violence.

2 killed, 3 hurt in road mishap
DHURI, Feb 5 — Two persons were killed on the spot and three injured, two of them seriously, when their Maruti car in which they were travelling rammed into a vehicle near Bhasour village on the Dhuri-Malerkotla road last night.

CRIME

Markfed may recover loss from guards
FEROZEPORE, Feb 5 — The Markfed authorities are contemplating to recover the loss of about Rs 2 lakh caused by the recent theft of over 300 bags of wheat from security staff.

3 held for duping tractor owners
BARNALA, Feb 5 — The Dhanaula police has unearthed a tractor resale racket, in which 26 tractor owners were duped of about Rs 50 lakh, with the arrest of three main accused. Suba Singh of Kotduna village, Harjinder Singh and Joginder Singh, sarpanch, Surjitpura Kothe village and 24 others have been booked in the case.

2 chemist shops burgled
BATHINDA, Feb 5 — The locks of two chemists shops, located on the main road near the bus stand were found broken on the intervening night of February 3 and 4. The shopkeepers said they came to know about the incident in the morning when they found that the locks of the shops were broken.