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TOP STORIES

No follow-up of raid on chemists
Amritsar, August 19
Intoxicating drugs are available across the counter at grocery and provision stores, especially in rural and sub-urban areas. The death of two more persons in Maqboolpura, known as the locality of widows has belied the claims of the Health Department that drug addiction has been eradicated from the state.

Narcotics’ smuggling unchecked: Brar
Bathinda, August 19
Senior leader and chief whip of the Congress Parliamentary Party, Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar, today alleged that youths of Punjab had been failling prey to drug addiction as smugling of narcotics in the state had been going on unchecked due to active patronage of the authorities concerned.

Frenzied betting over Chhota Shakeel’s fate
Ludhiana, August 19
The bookies today had a field day as uncertainty over the fate of Chhota Shakeel, who was reported to be found dead in Karachi on Friday evening, persisted Speculations became more rife and betting more intense after he rang up a television news channel to claim that he was very much alive and at present living in Singapore with Dawood Ibrahim. 

Traders’ ultimatum on octroi abolition
Mandi Gobindgarh, August 19
The Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal, the state level-body of traders today gave an ultimatum to the state government to abolish octroi by September 2 failing which it would launch protest rallies at municipal committee and corporation offices on September 3. Later, if required it would resort to jail bharo agitation.

POLITICS

SAD may revive youth wing
Amritsar, August 19
The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal may revive its youth wing with a view to infuse fresh blood in its ranks before the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Give ticket to local leader: Cong men
Ropar, August 19
Congress workers of the Nangal Assembly constituency at a meeting at Nangal today, demanded that the party ticket in the forth coming Assembly elections should be given to some local leader. The meeting which was attended by about 300 Congress workers, was the first overt activity of the district Congressmen in view of the Assembly elections.

‘Secret pact’ between CM, Cong
Mansa, August 19
Former Punjab minister, Baldev Singh Khiala, a rebel Akali MLA, while talking to mediapersons here today accused Mr Parkash Singh Badal of having a secret understanding with certain leaders of the Congress.

Bitta not to contest poll
Amritsar, August 19
Former President of the Indian Youth Congress and chief of the Anti-Terrorist Front, Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta announced that he would not contest the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Sainiks try to burn CM’s effigy, arrested
Amritsar, August 19
Twelve Shiva Sena activists were arrested today to avoid any unsavoury situation on the call of the sena to burn the effigy of the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, near Harmandar Sahib. The arrested activists include Promodh Singh Babla, Sukhdev Sandhu, Baldev Bhardwaj, Jugal Lumba, Chander Shakar Baba, Ashwani Dhunu and others.

CPI flays NDA policies
Nawanshahr, August 19
Dr Joginder Dyal, secretary of the state unit of the CPI, while talking to mediapersons here yesterday criticised the NDA Government and said its policies had put the nation’s economic independence, secular democratic set up and sovereignty in danger by following policies of privatisation under WTO pressure, safforanisation of education and compromising security of country.

30 Cong men resign
Kapurthala, August 19
Thirty Congressmen, all office-bearers of the Block Congress Committee, Kapurthala, have sent their resignations to Captain Amarinder Singh, President of the PPCC, to register their protest against the removal of Mr Desh Bandhu Sharma from the post of president of the Block Congress Committee.

COMMUNITY

Houses they decline to live in
Sunam
Allottees of more than 30 dwelling units (one-room sets) constructed by the Punjab Panchayati Raj Department for Scheduled Castes families in Gharachon village on the Sunam-Patiala road have declined to stay in them.

Journals' publication stopped
Amritsar, August 19
The Chief Khalsa Dewan, which runs a number of educational, religious and social organisations, has stopped its weekly and monthly journals which were being published for more than 100 years.

Pannu’s son elected Sarpanch
Naushehra Pannu (Tarn Taran), August 19
Mr Navamarbir Singh Pannu, son of the late Balbir Singh Pannu, who was a Senior President of the SGPC, supported by Mr Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, won the crucial byelection for the post of Sarpanch of this village by a margin of 878 votes, defeating Mr Ranjit Singh, a confidant of Mr Surinder Singh Kairon, a close relative of Mr Parkash Singh Badal.

Include Jats in OBC list, says BKU Amritsar, August 19 In a significant development, the Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) has decided to launch a peaceful ‘morcha’ (agitation) for acceptance of the demands of farmers. Bharti Kisan Union leaders Ajmer Singh Lakhowal and Manjit Singh Qadian while receiving 'siropas ' from Giani Bhagwan Singh, head granthi, Akal Takht, at Amritsar on Sunday.  — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Punjab Law Forum office-bearers
Bathinda, August 19
The following have been elected office-bearers of the Punjab Law Forum (PLF) at a meeting of lawyers and law graduates from different cities of Punjab held here today under the chairmanship of Mr M.L. Angi, president of the PLF. chairman

Bahujan morcha to hold rallies
Phagwara, August 19
The Bahujan Samaj Morcha will take out cycle/scooter ‘chetna’ rallies on September 2 in Assembly constituencies and hold five conferences by September 23 to awaken the Dalits, the poor and the Backward Classes against the “anti-Dalit policies” of various parties and governments.

Sangat ‘denied’ Badal’s darshan
Bathinda, August 19
The All-India Fertilisers Ltd., SC, ST, BC and Minority Employees Welfare Union, here stated that the representatives of the association were not allowed to meet Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during his ‘sangat darshan’ programme in the city held recently.

Fair dedicated to mentally challenged Bathinda, August 19 A fair dedicated to the service of humankind was organised here by Sahara Jan Sewa, a non-government organisation. The fair was for the mentally challenged and neglected of section society. Volunteers of Sahara Jan Sewa give bath to the mentally challenged in Bathinda on Sunday.

• Medical camp organised
  
  

ADMINISTRATION

Auction for 58 shops on Aug 24
Amritsar, August 19
In a desperate attempt to sell shops in the Nehru Shopping Complex, the Improvement Trust is embarking on a plan whereby a number of shops could be auctioned.

Decision on octroi soon, says minister
Hoshiarpur, August 19
Any decision on abolishing octroi will be taken after receiving the Shaker Committee report. This was stated by Punjab Local Bodies Minister Balramji Dass Tandon while talking to mediapersons here today.

CRIME

Four arrested, opium seized
Bathinda, August 19
The district police has arrested four persons and seized 2.4 kg of opium from their possession. This was stated in a press note issued by Dr Jetinder Kumar Jain, SSP, here today.

Four held for sacrilege
Barnala, August 19
Four persons, Bhuppa Singh, Major Singh, Pappu Singh and Mrs Tej Kaur, have been arrested by the police for burning a copy of Guru Granth Sahib at Pakho Kalan village about 20 km from here, today.

EDUCATION

Agitating teachers to move court
Amritsar, August 19
Hundreds of candidates who were not called for JBT interviews allegedly on flimsy grounds have decided to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting held here today by such candidates.

Hold interview for B.Ed teachers: union
Bathinda, August 19
The state government, which is still occupied with the issue of unemployed ETT teachers, is now facing stir threat from unemployed B.Ed teachers of the state. The teachers have threatened to start agitation on state level if they were not called for the interview for the posts of ETT teacher.

Pvt schools want tax exemption
Phillaur, August 19
The Punjab Private Schools Organisation, representing nearly 20,000 private schools of the state, has urged the state government to exempt the schools from various taxes imposed upon these.

Barnala opens PTU study centre
Barnala, August 19
Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor of Uttaranchal, inaugurated a Punjab Technical University (PTU) distance education study centre here today.

Contests on population explosion
Bathinda, August 19
The District Population Control Organisation (DIPCO) today organised essay writing and painting competitions at a local school on the theme of population explosion.