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IT Dept moves special court
Seeks cash, documents of Ravi Sidhu
Chandigarh, April 26
The Investigation wing of the Income Tax Department today moved a formal application in a Ropar-based special court seeking all cash and documents of financial transactions recovered from arrested Punjab Public Service Commission Chairman Ravi Sidhu, his mother and friends.

PPSC members for transparency
Write to PM for national-level guidelines
Chandigarh, April 26
Three members of the Punjab Public Service Commission — Ms Harjit Kaur Randhawa, Mr R.C. Gupta and Mr Amarjit Singh Chawla — have sought the intervention of the Prime Minister for laying down clear-cut guidelines at the national level to be followed by all public service commissions and other recruitment agencies to ensure total transparency in the system.

• Court remand for Pammi

• Hearing on bail plea of Jagman on May 6

Scare in Akali circles
Ministers may seek anticipatory bail
Chandigarh, April 26
The Congress tirade against corruption has created ripples in political and bureaucratic circles in Punjab. There is a general feeling of scare in Akali circles. A former Minister, Mr Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, has filed an anticipatory bail application in the High Court.

SAD may challenge probe panel in HC
Chandigarh, April 26
Former Chief Minister and President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today hinted at his party challenging the appointment of the one-man inquiry commission in the Punjab and Haryana High Court here. Mr Badal also demanded a special girdawari in respect of crops damaged by the recent spell of inclement weather.

SGPC poll: lowering of voting age sought
Ludhiana, April 26
The Chief Commissioner for Gurdwara Elections Justice J.S. Sekhon has written to the Central Government for lowering the voting age for the SGPC elections from 21 to 18 years as was for the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections.

• Anti-corruption drive to cover civic officials

VC not likely from Pbi varsity
Patiala, April 26
The Punjab government is veering down to the view of not appointing any teacher from Punjabi University as Vice-Chancellor after the ouster of Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia from the post.

• Cheema remanded in police custody

Punjab  Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh presents a traditional 'phulkari'  to Press Council of India Chairman Justice K Jayachandra Reddy after a  seminar on media in Patiala on Thursday.  — PTI photo

Warrants against Giani Kewal Singh ‘misplaced’
Talwandi Sabo, April 26
Giani Kewal Singh, former Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib and a confidant of a former Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, has been evading arrest, despite the fact that his plea for anticipatory bail was rejected by a Bench of the Supreme Court on April 15 and non-bailable warrants issued against him by the trial court.

Crime data on computer
Jalandhar, April 26
The Punjab police will go in for computerisation of crime-related data in a big way in its endeavour to nab habitual offenders and hardened criminals. The police will also identify criminal suspects and maintain a strict vigilance over them.

COMMUNITY

Residents block traffic over power cuts, water shortage
Pathankot, April 26
Unannounced power cuts and water shortage are putting residents of the town to great difficulty. Punjab State Electricity Board authorities and Local Municipal Council are indifferent to their problem allege residents.

A farmer carries what remains of his wheat crop, damaged by heavy rain on the outskirts of Chandigarh on Friday. Many farmers in the area suffered losses due to the rain. — Reuters

Govt urged not to hold panchayat poll
Sangrur, April 26
Members of the Punjab Panchayat Union today asked the Punjab Government not to hold elections to the village panchayats before the expiry of their five-year term, i.e. August 31, 2003.

Hospital spruced up for WB team
Bathinda, April 26
The local 100-bedded Civil Hospital which was frequented by stray animals has been witnessing a huge sanitation exercise and getting a whitewash thanks to a World Bank team which is likely to visit the hospital on April 29 to inspect various projects sponsored by it.

Stress laid on fighting tuberculosis
Fatehgarh Sahib, April 26
A district-level workshop on “Revised National TB Control Programme” on the directions of the state TB Control Society was held at Bachat Bhavan here today. The workshop was presided over by Mr Vikas Paratap, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chairman of the Society.

Chickenpox cases in Boha area
Mansa, April 26
Chickenpox has once again resurfaced in Boha area of the district. Sometime back the area was infested diseases like chickenpox and plague. Many people of the area have been approaching the sadhus to get amulets for curing the disease.

On cloud nine after hip surgery
Bathinda, April 26
Ms Jaswinder Kaur, 50, a resident of a nearby Kotli Khurd village, was on cloud nine today when she was able to walk on her own after fully recovering from a total hip replacement surgery, conducted for the first time in the district, at a hospital of a city-based orthopaedic surgeon.

‘Form global panel for Pak gurdwaras’
Amritsar, April 26
Even as the SGPC has expressed aversion to the formation of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee and criticised Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), for recognising PSGPC, the International Bhai Mardana Yadgari Kirtan Darbar Society has urged Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to form an international Sikh committee to look after the gurdwaras there.

Pak urged to renovate gurdwaras
Ferozepore, April 26
The International Bhai Mardana Yadgari Kirtan Darbar Society has urged the Pakistan Government to form an international committee for the renovation and management of 170 gurdwaras in Pakistan.

Bridge on Lohand Khud approved
Chandigarh, April 26
A bridge on Lohand Khud near Kiratpur Sahib which will open link between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh (HP), roads connecting Siswan (Kharar) and Baddi (HP) and Mianpur Purkhali - Bardar road to HP border will be constructed under the Economic Importance Scheme of the Union Ministry of Road and Surface Transport.

Notice issued to PSEB Chairman
Kharar, April 26
Mrs Preeti Sahni, Additional Civil Judge, Senior Division, Kharar, has issued a notice to the Chairman, Punjab State Electricity Board, and the SDO, Bhagomajra, for June 12 in a PIL by Mr Baljinder Singh of nearby Dharak Kalan village.

Indian envoy returns home
Wagah, April 26
Walking with the help of a stick, expelled Indian diplomat Anil Kumar Khanna breathed a sigh of relief as he along with his family members crossed over into India through this road checkpost here this afternoon.

• Punjab releases 37.5 cr for civic bodies

• Punjab staff seek promotional scales

• Man, son jump into dam, die

Give relief to border farmers: Mann
Amritsar, April 26
The President of the SAD (Amritsar), Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, has urged the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Ajit Singh, to provide relief to the border farmers of Punjab. Mr Mann in a letter to the minister gave a graphic account of the miseries suffered by them in wake of the occupation of their land by the Army.

A farmer gets his ears cleaned while waiting for the procurement of his wheat at a grain market in Bathinda on Friday. — Photo Kulbir Beera

Relief for farmers announced
Chandigarh, April 26
The Punjab Government today announced that it would pay Rs 11,000 per acre to farmers whose crops had been burnt in fire incidents in the border belt and other areas.

400 border farmers given cheques
Gurdaspur, April 26
At least 400 farmers whose lands were used by the Army for laying land mines in the border areas of Kalanaur and Dorangla, were given compensation cheques at a function organised by the civil administration and the Army.

Livestock board to import 65 bulls
Patiala, April 26
The Punjab Livestock Development Board will import 65 bulls of the Holsting Frieson breed from Australia in the near future, whose progeny are likely to produce double the quantity of milk.

ADMINISTRATION

Fee for spl-category advocates slashed
Chandigarh, April 26
Facing sharp criticism in legal and political circles over the appointment of more than 90 law officers in the office of the Advocate-General, the Punjab Government has slashed the exorbitant fee fixed by the previous government for special-category advocates who are engaged to plead cases in the Supreme Court.

CRIME

Cyber cafe showing porno movie raided
Patiala, April 26
Use of internet in various cyber cafes in the city to watch pornographic material by teenagers today came out in the open when a police team today caught young boys and girls watching pornographic material at one such cyber cafe on the Punjabi University campus.

EDUCATION

BHMS exam from May 15
Abohar, April 26
At least 15 per cent seats in Homeopathic Medical Colleges in Punjab have been reserved for candidates from other states to promote this system of medicines. This was stated by Mr Tara Singh Sidhu president of the managing committee of the Homeopathic Medical College during the visit of the Deputy Commissioner, Mr D. K. Tiwari, here today.

PTU makes global presence felt
Chandigarh, April 26
Punjab Technical University, in its efforts to make its presence felt globally, has appointed the GCS Computer Tech Pvt. Ltd., Chandigarh, as their international service provider. PTU has considered GCS, which is an ISO 9001:2000 certified company.

Strike by teachers of aided colleges
Chandigarh, April 26
Teachers observed a strike in all local aided colleges on a call for a lightning strike by the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union here today. The call for the strike in colleges affiliated to Panjab University was given to remind the Punjab Government of its promises of releasing grants, arrears and implementing the pension-cum-gratuity scheme after assuming charge.