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TOP STORIES

Unity issue dominates Cong meeting
Chandigarh, May 7
Realising that a disunited Congress will not be able to end SAD-BJP rule in the state, the party’s top leaders have started closing ranks in the state. This was evident at today’s meeting of office-bearers of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), its former heads, MLAs, MPs and other senior leaders.

The PPCC President, Capt Amarinder Singh (extreme left), and other senior leaders at a party meeting in Punjab Congress Bhavan, Chandigarh, on Monday.  — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

• Congress against general amnesty

Probe indicts Punjabi University VC
Gurdaspur, May 7
Mr Mohan Lal, Minister for Higher Education, while talking to newspersons at Pathankot said today that the enquiry report submitted by the Secretary for Higher Education against Mr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, has indicted him on many counts. The report is being processed by the department and will be shortly forwarded to the Chief Minister for action.

AIDS data belies government claim
Ropar, May 7
According to the recently released figures by the Punjab Health Department there are no AIDS patients and just five HIV positive cases in Ropar district. It has been claimed that the district has the distinction of being AIDS free. However, the data collected by this correspondent from various doctors, private and government hospitals presents a different picture of the AIDS or HIV positive cases in the district.

Police averts clash between SAD groups
Jalandhar, May 7
The differences between Punjab Jail Minister Ajit Singh Kohar and Welfare Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur came to the fore today, when Mr Kohar accused the latter of being hand in glove with the Congress to sully the image of the Shiromani Akali Dal by promoting factionalism in the party.

Reproducing murals on canvas
Amritsar, May 7
Pained at the apathy of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in preserving invaluable murals at Baba Atal, Phulan Rani (78) has taken up the challenge to reproduce these on canvas.

Royal family may contact UK Embassy
Kapurthala, May 7
Trying not to betray much enthusiasm about the discovery of the recent treasure of the erstwhile Maharaja of Kapurthala Jagatjit Singh from the Mediterranean Sea by a husband-wife salvage team, the royal family of Kapurthala is contemplating contacting the British Embassy to have more information about the treasure.

COMMUNITY

Drought forces Rajasthan to seek Punjab’s help
Bathinda, May 7
Drought-like conditions prevailing in Rajasthan have forced the state government to seek help from Punjab to get fodder for the cattle.

Mir Nasir Ahmed’s tomb found
Jalandhar
The Kapurthala district administration has stumbled upon the beautiful tomb of Mir Nasir Ahmed, a descendant of the legendary musician Mian Tansen who was imprisoned by the British along with the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, after the 1857 mutiny.

PHRC steps in where state fails
Chandigarh, May 7
The state of Punjab and the Police Department, having allegedly failed to protect a witness of tree-smuggling in Ropar, Mr Mohinder Singh, the Punjab Human Rights Commission has stepped in for his protection.

In service of mankind
Bathinda, May 7
The Goodwill Society, a local social organisation, has been serving society since 1980 by holding blood donation, vaccination and medical check-up camps. It is also running a charitable hospital and a school in Paras Ram Nagar of the city.

Doing his bit for native village
Fatehgarh Sahib
Dr Daljeet Singh Rana, a UK-based Indian from Sanghol village in the district, has adopted the village for all-round development. He also intends to set up an ideal educational institute for children of the area.

Revised rail agreement
Attari (Amritsar) May 7
Under the new rail agreement, the Indian rake consisting of 15 bogies pulled by a Pakistani engine left the station at 2.40 p.m. for Lahore. It will return tomorrow after a night break at Lahore.

Ayurvedic doctors ‘paid less’
Ropar, May 7
Ayurvedic doctors are being given a “stepmotherly” treatment by the Punjab Government. Though the Central and other state governments have given the ayurvedic doctors the same pay scales as allopathic doctors, in Punjab, they are paid lesser.

Tota Singh’s suggestion to PSEB
Moga, May 7
The Punjab Education Minister, Mr Tota Singh, today asked the Punjab State Electricity Board to make immediate arrangement for providing wooden support to wires and tightening the span. A large number of farmers in Punjab had suffered losses of their harvested crop due to sparking from loose wires.

• Muslims decide against rally

• Medical check-up camp by Shiv Sena

• Blood donation campaign launched

• Teenager killed in accident
  
  

AGRICULTURE

CM order on wheat
Chandigarh, May 7
Showing concern over the glut of procured wheat in mandis, the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today directed the agencies concerned to lift the wheat within a week.

Licences of commission agents suspended
Patiala, May 7
The licences of 13 commission agents have been suspended, while seven other agents have been served with show-cause notices due to irregularities committed by them during the ongoing wheat procurment season.

ADMINISTRATION

Roadways staff to strike work
Hoshiarpur, May 7
The Punjab Government Transport Workers Union affiliated to (AITUC) will stop the plying of Punjab Roadways buses from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on May 23 in protest against the non-implementation of agreement arrived between the leaders of the union and the Chief Minister on August 9, last year.

PSEB staff to intensify stir
Barnala, May 7
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), comprising PSEB Employees Federation, Technical Services Union, J.E. Council PSEB, and ministerial Staff Clerical Union, has decided to intensify its stir by staging a protest march here on May 14 and organising rallies at PSEB’s Tapa, Barnala, Bhadaur and Shehna subdivisions on May 7, 8, 10 and 11, respectively.

CRIME

34 arrested for various crimes
Bathinda, May 7
The district police has arrested Kuldeep Singh, resident of Rampura Phul in the district, for allegedly selling medicines which were used by youths as intoxicants, at a price higher than the printed maximum retail price.

2 held for thefts

EDUCATION

College may not get MCI nod on seats
Faridkot, May 7
The matter regarding the increase in the number of seats to 100 from the existing 50 at the local Guru Gobind Singh Medical College (GGSMC), which has been handing fire since 1997, is likely to get delayed further as the college is not equipped with the necessary facilities to get the nod of the Medical Council of India (MCI) for the same.