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TOP STORIES

Badal calls PAC meeting
Chandigarh, February 15
Believing that the political game is wide open in the state, the Shiromani Akali Dal chief, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, has called a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the party to discuss the post-election scenario.

• Repoll in Mahal Khurad today

SAD candidate’s kin discharged
Ballianwali (Bathinda), February 15
Mr Himmat Singh, brother-in-law of Mr Jagdeep Singh Nakai, Chairman, Milkfed, Punjab, and SAD candidate from the Joga Assembly segment, who was arrested for alleged possession and distribution of poppy husk and liquor on February 12, was discharged last evening by the Judicial Magistrate, Rampura Phul. However, five persons who were arrested along with Mr Himmat Singh have been remanded in judicial custody.

• Clarification

Bandh observed in Gidderbaha
Gidderbaha, February 15
Residents of the home town of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today observed a bandh from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and staged a rally on the Bathinda-Malout road in protest against the failure of the police to arrest SGPC member Gurpal Singh Gora, Charanjit Singh, Rachpal Singh and their associates for their involvement in violence on February 13.

Residents of Gidderbaha blocked traffic on the Bathinda-Malout road, protesting against the failure of the police to arrest those responsible for poll violence on Friday. — photo Kulbir Beera

Building of Nehru college unsafe
Mansa, February 15
It is hard to believe that even after 53 years of Independence students in this district have to pursue higher education putting their life at stake. The reason: this district has just one college — Government Nehru Memorial College — where classes are held in a building which could cave in anytime and has been declared “unsafe” by the Public Works Department (PWD) six years ago.

Punjab finance panel submits report
Chandigarh, February 15
The Second Punjab Finance Commission, which was constituted in September, 2000, with Mr B.B. Mahajan as the Chairman, today submitted its report to the Governor Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), at Punjab Raj Bhavan. The report covers the period from 2002-2003 to 2005-2006.

RSS behind trouble on campus: VC
Patiala, February 15
The Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, said here today that the RSS had engineered all major confrontations on the campus in his three-year term (that ends in May) with a view to saffronising education.

• FEAR: stop VC from making appointment
  

POLITICS

‘Exit poll a bundle of lies’
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 15
The exit poll, being televised by different TV channels, is a misuse of the media, which had been hired by the Congress to influence the voters in the state. The 91 seats being shown in favour of the Congress by the channels is a bundle of lies. Even Ms Ambika Soni, a Congress leader, had admitted that the party would not win more than 50 seats.

10,000 votes ‘deleted from lists in city alone’
Patiala, February 15
District Congress Committee (Urban) president Ved Prakash Gupta today claimed that as many as 10,000 votes had been deleted from the voters’ list in the Patiala Assembly seat itself.

Hope for poor patients
Jalandhar
For thousands of poor people of the Doaba region of Punjab, the recently set up Devi Talab Charitable Hospital has brought a ray of hope. The Devi Talab Temple Management Committee has set up the 50-bedded hospital with the help of donations totalling about Rs 6 crore given by people, particularly businessmen and industrialists, belonging to the region and a grant of Rs 25 lakh from the Punjab Government.

70.65 pc polling in Morinda
Kharar, February 15
As many as 97,983 voters had cast their votes in the Morinda Assembly constituency out of 1,38,691 voters in the polling held on February 13 and the overall poll percentage in the constituency was 70.65.

ADMINISTRATION

Municipal Council flouts code of conduct
Bareta (Mansa), February 15
The president and executive officer of the local municipal council in the district flouted the code of conduct, by allotting civil works worth Rs 10 lakhs on January 8 allegedly to some of its favourites contractors and thereafter, beat a hasty retreat when it became public on January 16.

Demand to revise poll-duty wages
Chandigarh, February 15
The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers' Union has urged the Chief Election Commissioner , Mr J.M. Lyngdoh, to revise the remuneration of government and non-government employees who are deployed on election duty.