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BSP rally: Kashyap’s plea to UP Chief Secretary
Chandigarh, June 24
While the Punjab Government has rejected the Bahujan Samaj Party’s proposal to hold a public rally in Chara Mandi at Jalandhar on July 7, the BSP has called its crucial meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue.

• BSP firm on rally despite ban

SGPC Secretary denies seeking meeting
with CM
Amritsar, June 24
Mr Harbeant Singh, Secretary, SGPC, today denied that he had ever sought a meeting with the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to expedite the “galliara yojna” (beautification of the surroundings of the Golden Temple).

‘Unbundling’ of PSEB cleared
Council of Ministers accepts expert group’s report
Chandigarh, June 24
The Decks have finally been cleared for “ unbundling” of the Punjab State Electricity Board as the State Council of Ministers, which met here today, approved the expert group’s report in this connection.

No postal ballot papers this time
Sangrur, June 24
Though the Rule 22 of the Punjab Panchayat Election Rules, 1994 provides for the right to cast a vote by post in panchayat elections to those voters who are in service or on election duty etc, but in the current panchayat elections, to be held on June 29, thousands of such voters will be deprived of this right as no postal ballot paper would be issued.

292 panchayats elected unopposed
Jalalabad, June 24
At least 52 sarpanches and 155 panches of the 134 panchayats in the block have been elected unopposed. All of them belong to the Congress. A total of 641 nomination papers for the 134 posts of sarpanch were filed. Out of these, 75 nomination papers were rejected on technical grounds.

Contractor defaults on payment
Relevant file missing from MC office
Ropar, June 24
The octroi contractor of the municipal council, allegedly in connivance with some officials is involved in a scam that may cause a revenue loss of about Rs 20 lakh to the council. The company hired by the council to collect octroi allegedly defaulted on about Rs 20 lakh in the payment of contract.

8 octroi clerks suspended on graft charges
Patiala, June 24
The local municipal corporation has claimed to have detected instances of corruption by its octroi staff amounting to lakhs of rupees and suspended eight Octroi clerks on the charges of retaining O - 4 form books which contain receipts of octroi collected from traders.

POLITICS

Suspension of 2 poll officials recommended
Chandigarh, June 24
The state Chief Election Commissioner, Mr C.L Bains, has recommended the suspension of two officials for alleged irregularities in the panchayat elections. According to sources in the Election Commission Office, the charge against the BDO, Nabha, is that he forced the returning officer, for villages falling in cluster No 7 of the Nabha block to reject the nominations of four candidates, to allegedly help the fifth one in the fray to be unanimously chosen as the sarpanch.

Poll staff face problems
Bathinda, June 24
The Returning Officers for the June 29 panchayat elections, who have been asked to scrutinise the ballot papers being printed at a local private printing press, are finding it difficult to do the job in the absence of proper facilities.

COMMUNITY

DIG’s transfer casts shadow on irrigation scam probe
Bathinda, June 24
Will the transfer of Mr R. P. Meena, DIG, cast it shadow on the probe of the irrigation and drainage scams? Will investigations into the various irrigation and drainage scams during the SAD-BJP government reach their logical end?

Jatha to go to Pak on June 26
Amritsar, June 24
A jatha of Sikh pilgrims will go to Pakistan on June 26 to observe the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh which falls on June 29. This was disclosed by Mr Ram Singh, an official spokesman for the SGPC in a press note issued here today.

Bibi Jagir Kaur escapes unhurt
Kharar, June 24
A former SGPC president and SAD MLA from Bhulath, Bibi Jagir Kaur, had a narrow escape when the car in which she was travelling rammed into a milestone on the Roopnagar-Nawanshahr highway at Dhaa Kaleram village near Banga in Nawanshahr district today, the police said.

Mandi Board to be made accountable
Patiala, June 24 Punjab Mandi Board Chairman Sant Ram Singla today said the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had asked him to bring in accountability in the Mandi Board. Talking to newsmen after meeting the Chief Minister along with his family members yesterday, Mr Singla said he had assured the Chief Minister that, besides accountability, he would bring in complete transparency in all working and would complete all projects in a time-bound schedule.
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh felicitates Sant Ram Singla, the newly appointed Punjab Mandi Board chairman, at his residence on Monday. — Photo Subhash Patiala

Toll tax levied
Chandigarh, June 24
Travelling on the Ropar-Phagwara road and crossing over the high-level bridge over the Sutlej connecting the Jagraon-Nakodar road will no more be free of cost. The Punjab Council of Ministers today fixed the toll tax for travelling on the Ropar-Phagwara road and to cross over the Sutlej bridge at 10 for a car, Rs 15 for a bus or truck and Rs 20 for a multi-axle vehicles.

JE, contractor get bail
Ropar, June 24
The District and Session Judge, Mr Inderjit Sharma, has granted bail to PSEB Junior Engineer Ranjit Singh and contractor Ashwani Gupta in the SYL canal power station scam. They were released against a bail bond of Rs 10,000 each and a surety bond of Rs 10,000 each yesterday.

HIGH COURT
Panchayat elections on schedule
Chandigarh, June 24
In less than a week before panchayat elections are scheduled to be held in the state of Punjab, Mr Justice Hemant Gupta of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today refused to stay the elections.

• Rail traffic disrupted

• Labourers hold dharna

• Coop mills’ staff stage dharna

• Dharna by TSU

• Official retired compulsorily