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Amarinder meets MPs today
Shiromani Akali Dal to hold ‘rasta roko’
Chandigarh, February 9
As the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, meets Members of Parliament here tomorrow, the Badal-led SAD will hold a “rasta roko” agitation in the state. While the Chief Minister aims to draw up a strategy to resolve pending issues of the state with the Centre, the Akalis will block major roads in pursuance of their ‘’people-oriented’’ 15-point agenda of October 20.

• PSEB, govt clarifications contradictory

• Factories not sealed: CM’s kin

Hospitals cock a snook at PPCB
Sangrur, February 9
Health institutions are reportedly flouting the Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998. Many government hospitals are still operating without the authorisation of the prescribed authority, the Punjab Pollution Control Board, despite the fact that hospitals with more than 50 beds had to obtain authorisation from the PPCB till December 31, 2001, and those with less than 50 beds and treating more than 1,000 patients per month till December 31, 2002.

Suspended Tehsildar held in church land scam
Pathankot, February 9
The police today arrested Subhash Padam, who had been suspended as a Tehsildar and was allegedly the main accused in the multi-crore church land scam, for amassing property disproportionate to his known sources of income.

COMMUNITY

Wheat yield to touch 140 lakh tonnes: Bhattal Bathinda, February 9
Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, today said if the weather continued to be favourable, the yield of wheat was expected to touch 140 lakh tonnes, even as the crops of fruits and vegetables have suffered extensive damage due to the cold wave. Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Punjab, addresses the representatives of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal at Bathinda on Sunday. — Photo Kulbir Beera

Rs 240-cr budget for pension schemes
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 9
The Punjab Government has filled 4,149 of the 5,623 vacant posts in various departments as per the directions in the welfare of handicapped Act 1995 in which 3 per cent quota had been reserved for the physically challenged. Presiding over a state-level seminar at Bachat Bhavan here today, the Social Security Minister, Punjab, Mr Santokh Singh, said the backlog had been filled according to the Act. The two-day seminar was organised by the Punjab Physically Handicapped Association.

Ardas divas for Bhuller held

Amritsar, February 9
“A peaceful struggle for the release of Prof Davinderpal Singh Bhuller will continue till the mother is resolved,” Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar, Akal Takht, announced at the ardas divas held for Professor Bhuller at Diwan Hall, Manji Sahib, in the Golden Temple complex here today. Giani Vedanti in a brief speech said, “Death penalty to Professor Bhuller is a Sikh issue and this is the first phase of the struggle for his discharge, which will continue.

• Bitta lashes out at Hanspal

Irish ‘rebels’: SAD (A) to hold service
Jalandhar, February 9
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) will hold a service in the memory of the Irish soldiers, who sacrificed their lives for liberty in the lesser known rebellion against the British. One thousand Irish soldiers had laid a siege of Jalandhar Cantonment and declared it the seat of “Free Irish govt-in-exile: in the summer of 1920.”

Technical error blurs youths’ Army dream
Nawanshahr, February 9
Youths belonging to Sikh Mazhabi and Sikh Ramdasia castes, aspiring to join the Sikh Light Infantry, have been facing problems as these posts though are reserved for the Sikh Mazhabi and Sikh Ramdasia castes but the caste certificates being issued to them by the government officials concerned do not include word ‘Sikh’ with their castes Mazhabi and Ramdasia.

Sugar mill to be set up in Kapurthala
Kapurthala, February 9
Rana Gurjit Singh, a local Congress MLA, has announced that a sugar mill will be set up in the Dona area of the Kapurthala constituency soon to boost the morale of cane-growers of the area.

Second phase of polio drive ends Hoshiarpur, February 9 Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Romesh Chander Dogra inaugurated the second phase of the pulse polio programme by administering polio drops to children below the age of five at the local Civil Hospital today. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Dogra said polio drops were being given to more than 36 lakh children up to the age of five in the state.

Members of a team from France administer polio drops to a child during the second round of pulse polio campaign at Bathinda on Sunday. — Photo Kulbir Beera

Don’t form corpn, say staff of Supplies Dept
Bathinda, February 9
Employees of the Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department have threatened to launch a “do-or-die” agitation if the government makes a move to form a corporation after dismantling the department. The employees, claiming that they were not in any way responsible for the poor state of the department, said they would seek the help of associations of employees of other departments, who were also suffering due to “wrong policies” of the government, for the agitation.

Cosmetic mammoplasty ‘becoming popular’
Jalandhar, February 9
Dr Kulwant Singh Bhangoo, Assistant Professor Plastic Surgery, State University of New York, at a seminar organised by Jalandhar Surgical Forum said here today that mammoplasty for the reconstruction of breasts following a disease was gaining popularity in India. Women usually feel low after surgical removal of breast following a disease, he said, adding that now it had become possible for surgeons to create a natural-looking breast.

MLA takes up traders’ cause
Bathinda, February 9
In an unprecedented move, the local MLA and Chairman of high-powered finance committee, Punjab, Mr Surinder Singla, took up the matter of taking a bribe of Rs 2,000 from a trader by a government official at the sales tax information collection centre, Doomwali in the district, with the Chief Secretary, Mr Y.S. Ratra, sought action against him.

Denny wins dog show trophy
Jalandhar, February 9
Hundreds of dog lovers, particularly, youngsters, swarmed the local Guru Gobind Singh Stadium to have a look at more than 200 pedigreed dogs of varied breeds that participated in the annual dog show organised by the Kohinoor Kennel Club.

Fire in thermal plant, one hurt
Lehra Mohabbat (Bathinda), February 9
A major fire broke out in the generation room of unit No. 2 of Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant here this evening as oil allegedly leaked out from the oil tank or pipes and caught fire.

EPF scam: action sought against plant officials
Ropar, February 9
The All-India Trade Union Congress has demanded action against those officials of the Ropar Thermal Plant who were allegedly responsible for the EPF scam.

‘Declare cow a national animal’
Sangrur, February 9
Swami Virendranand Giri, state president of the Rajasthan Sadhu Samaj (Jaipurwale), has urged the Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to declare cow as a national animal, and impose a ban on cow slaughter in the country.

• Tips to cope with stress given

CRIME

Councillor’s son held for hunting sambar
Ropar, February 9
Buoyed by the media reports regarding the daylight killing of a sambar by hunters in Nangal town on Friday, a police team, led by the DSP, Anandpur Sahib, Mr Varinder Brar, today arrested Rakesh Kumar, son of a Nangal municipal councillor, Mr Bishan Dass, on the charges of killing the animal.

EDUCATION

Punjab Science Congress ends
Longowal (Sunam), February 9
A three-day sixth Punjab Science Congress, organised under the auspices of the Punjab Academy of Sciences at the Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, concluded here today with the adoption of certain recommendations to boost the sustainable innovations in science and technology for regional development.

50 schools for destitute children face closure
Amritsar, February 9
Nearly 2000 children studying in 50 schools of the city run under the National Child Labour Project face closure as funds for the project have not been received since February 2002.

Debate on social issues organised
Jalandhar, February 9
Lyallpur Khalsa College here today organised “Synergy, 2003” — a debate to improve communication skills of students to enable them understand issues facing society. “There is no threat to secularism in India” Indians are not materialistic” and “Liberalisation of Indian Economy”.

Boost to student entrepreneurs
Chandigarh, February 9
To encourage entrepreneurial spirit amongst the students of technical education, the Punjab Government has promoted an autonomous, para-statal body christened “The Punjab Council of Technical Education and Entrepreneurial Development”.

Students seek CM’s help
Bathinda, February 9
Students of Desh Bhagat Dental College and Hospital, Muktsar, have sought the intervention of the Punjab Chief Minister in connection with their admission to the first year of the BDS course at the college. The students while showing the letter to the correspondent here yesterday said they had been admitted to the college in accordance with the policies of the government.

‘Faulty’ higher education blamed for backwardness
Bathinda, February 9
Fall of standards of higher education in the country has hit the growth of the Indian economy towards making it a developed nation. Stating this in his speech at the annual function of SSD Girls College here yesterday, Chairman, High-Powered Finance Committee Surinder Singla said three crises — access of a few people to higher education, its poor standard and lack of relevance were hampering country’s march to a progressive and developed nation.

PCCTU rally postponed
Phagwara, February 9
The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union has decided to postpone the zonal rally of the units of the GNDU area colleges, which was scheduled to be held in Jalandhar on February 12.