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TOP STORIES

Centre to take up issue with Punjab
Sales tax on CSD items
Chandigarh, August 17
The Centre will take up the issue of imposition of sales tax on items sold through CSD canteens in Punjab with the state government, the Minister of State for Defence, Mr Chaman Lal Gupta, said here today.

Appoint ex-Major as nurse, Punjab told
Chandigarh, August 17
The state of Punjab should not have taken into consideration the ban on fresh recruitment while taking up the case of an ex-servicewoman for appointment, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled in a significant judgement on a petition filed by a Ludhiana-based former Major.

George urged to shift ammo dump
Sangrur, August 17
Fearing demolition of their houses, hundreds of persons living in the 700m radius of the military ammunition dump here today urged the Union Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes to shift the dump from the populated area.

Vinod Khanna decries decision on bridge inauguration
Gurdaspur, August 17
Mr Vinod Khanna, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, told reporters here on phone today that the decision of the Punjab government to get the bridge on the Beas near Naushera inaugurated by the Chief Minister would deprive the state of certain benefits which the Prime Minister might have announced if he were to inaugurate it. 

POLITICS

Probe bungling of MC funds, says MLA
Jalandhar, August 17
The Congress MLA, Mr Raj Kumar Gupta, today demanded a vigilance probe into the alleged embezzlement of funds in the Rs 39 crore development projects executed by the civic body after the formation of the Congress government in the state.

COMMUNITY

Barnala for knowledge exchange with Andhra
Bathinda, August 17
Mr Surjeet Singh Barnala, Governor, Andhra Pardesh, today said that he would make efforts to develop rapport between the youth and farmers of Punjab and Andhra Pardesh so that they could exchange technical knowhow for bringing improvement in agriculture and information technology.


Andhra Pradesh Governor Surjit Singh Barnala speaks to mediapersons at Bathinda on Sunday.
— Photo by Kulbir Beera

Cinema licences: social bodies' bid to placate media
Bathinda, August 17
The cancellation of licences of two local cinema houses by the Deputy Commissioner on August 8 for allegedly screening pornographic films and pasting obscene news items has snowballed into a controversy.

Conjoined twins rechristened    
Amritsar, August 17
Conjoined twins Neelu and Peelu were rechristened Sohna and Mohna on the All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society premises here today. Physically healthy, the Siamese twins were being well looked after here. A three-member medical team was deputed to monitor their health.

An attendant with the conjoined twins at the All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society in Amritsar on Sunday.
— Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Nanaksar sect chiefs bury hatchet
Jagraon, August 17
The chiefs of three sub-groups of the Nanaksar sect have buried the hatchet. There had been violent clashes between the followers of the sub-groups for the last over three decades.

Noormahalias not allowed to hold programme
Tarn Taran, August 17
Timely intervention by the local police prevented a conflict between Sikh organisations and Noormahalias at Kajikot village where followers of Divya Jyoti Jagran Sansthan were to organise their programme today.

Poor maintenance of parks irks residents
Patiala, August 17
Residents of Dhillon Colony here are sore over the poor maintenance of the so-called green parks of the area, which have not been developed for the past 20 years.

Tributes paid to freedom fighter
Faridkot, August 17
More than 2,000 persons from all over Punjab paid rich tributes to Lajwanti, freedom fighter and wife of late Seth Ram Nath, a frontliner in the Congress and former chairman of the Punjabi Regional Council, at her 'Antim Ardas' at Jaito, 23 km from here, today.

Bhandari bridge to be jacked up
Amritsar, August 17
Arrangements have been made for diverting traffic and beefing up security as part of an operation to jack up the oldest multi-lane Bhandari bridge here for the first time in half a century of its inception.

Kisan chetna seminar organised
Fatehgarh Sahib,  August 17
Mr S.K. Ahluwalia, Deputy Commissioner, while addressing a kisan chetna seminar at Sirhind today said that the economy of the country depended upon the farming sector and the government was making all efforts to improve the economic conditions of farmers in the state

80,600 sapling planted, cleanliness drive launched
Faridkot, August 17
The one day community project on tree plantation in Faridkot district launched by the district administration planted 80,600 saplings of different varieties. Nearly 50,000 were planted in villages and the rest in urban areas Mr Hussan Lal Deputy Commissioner said yesterday that an 11-member committee of district officials and members from other organisations headed by him had been formed to oversee the project.

COURTS

Court seeks record of fund allocation
Chandigarh, August 17
Coming down heavily on the state of Punjab for not making payment of pensionary benefits to employees allegedly “due to financial constraints”, Mr Justice M.M. Kumar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that the “budgetary allocation to the Education Department for 2002-03 and 2003-04 should be placed on record along with complete statement of accounts, to ascertain the bona fides of the respondents”. 

Probe ordered into death of mechanic
Abohar, August 17
The District Magistrate here has ordered a magisterial inquiry into different aspects of the death of a local automobile mechanic after he was allegedly kidnapped by a partner and some employees of a finance company, official sources said.

Four get judicial remand
Kharar, August 17
Mr Ranjan Kumar Khuller, Judicial Magistrate, Kharar, yesterday remanded four persons Manjeet Singh, Harpreet Singh, Shamsher Singh and Parminder Singh in judicial remand till August 30.

ADMINISTRATION

Govt may levy local area development tax
Hoshiarpur, August 17
The Punjab Government has approached two Delhi-based agencies to ascertain income and expenditure details of municipal corporations and councils so that octroi can be abolished. This was stated by Mr Jagjit Singh, Minister for Local Bodies, here today.

CRIME

Flesh trade racket busted, 5 held
Jalandhar, August 17
The district police claims to have busted a flesh trade racket with the arrest of its kingpin and four girls for their alleged involvement in prostitution. According to the police, they had received a tip-off that Sawarnjit Kumar of the Bhargo camp locality was running a flesh trade racket in the city and was supplying girls to the prospective customers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 by making deals on his mobile phone. 

Gang of dacoits busted, three arrested
Mansa, August 17
The district police has arrested three members of an interstate gang involved in bank dacoities. Those arrested are: Baljinder Singh, a resident of Khatrai Kalan in Amritsar district, Amarjit Singh of Mukerian in Hoshiarpur district and Dalbir Singh, alias Bira, of Sudhar in Ludhiana district.

Theft or bungling?
Mansa, August 17
Large-scale bungling in the purchase of electric goods has come to light in the market committees of Budhlada and Bareta. The committees had purchased these electric goods for lighting at the purchase centres.

EDUCATION

JBT teachers not paid salaries
Fazilka, August 17
As many as 20,831 JBT teachers and related staff working in about 13,000 government primary schools of the state and offices of the Block Primary Education Officers under the non-plan temporary posts have not been paid salaries for the months of June and July. As a result, they are facing a severe financial crunch.

Dhahan Trust to set up medical college in 5 years
Nawanshahr, August 17
The Guru Nanak Mission Medical and Education Trust, Dhahan Kaleran (Nawanshahr), an NRI-sponsored charitable trust, organised a function on the trust premises on yesterday to welcome Mr Budh Singh Dhahan, founder president, Mr Hardev Singh Kahma, senior vice-president and Bhai Joga Singh, who have returned after more than two months’ ‘fund raising visit to the UK’. 

Teachers to observe ‘black day’
Jalandhar, August 17
The Punjab State Aided School Teachers Union has decided to boycott official functions of Teachers Day and to observe ‘black day’ to protest against the failure of the state government to accept its demands.

Varsity staff to hold rally today
Amritsar, August 17
The Guru Nanak Dev University Non-teaching Employees Association will hold a rally on the university campus here on August 18 in protest against the alleged anti-employee policies of the state and central governments.

Security sought for college Principal
Hoshiarpur, August 17
Members of the Principals’ Association of Non-Government Colleges, affiliated to Panjab University, Chandigarh, at their meeting held at S.G.G.S. Khalsa College, Mahilpur, yesterday condemned the attack on Dr Janmit Singh, Principal DAV College Hoshiarpur allegedly by Mr Kamal Chaudhary, former MP and President of the DAV Managing Committee and his men on August 12 on the college premises.

Assessment council visit on Aug 26
Bathinda, August 17
The team of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council Bangalore is visiting Bhai Asa Singh Girls College, Goniana Mandi in Bathinda district on August 26 and August 27, 2003 for its assessment and accreditation.