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TOP STORIES

Badal to meet top BJP leaders
Tug of war over seat sharing
Chandigarh, February 18
SAD President Parkash Singh Badal will meet top BJP leaders to sort out the differences over sharing of seats in Punjab. Sources close to Mr Badal said he would go to Delhi on February 20 for talks in this connection.

Panthic Board to contest 13 LS seats
Ropar, February 18
The Chairman of the Panthic Parliamentary Board, Mr Jawant Singh Mann, here today said that it would contest 13 Lok Sabha seats, including 11 in Punjab, one in Haryana and the Chandigarh seat. On the Sangrur seat, the Board would extend support to the President of the SAD (A), Mr Simranjit Singh Mann.

Tape reveals political muck Amritsar, February 18 The revelation about the alleged ‘contract killer’ operating from the high security jail here has put the Shiromani Akali Dal and the jail authorities in a piquant situation.

Punjab, Haryana face social crisis on sex ratio
Chandigarh, February 18
Dr Nina Puri, the newly elected President of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), has warned of a looming social crisis in the country caused by an “unholy nexus between technology and tradition” which was resulting in a skewed sex ratio in favour of men.

Rajasthan drawing excess power
Punjab, Haryana losing 6 cr monthly
Ropar, February 18
The Rajasthan State Electricity Board (RSEB) has been drawing power in excess of its share in the Bhakra Beas Management Board, causing loss worth crores to partner states, Punjab and Haryana.

Set up police posts to check power theft, PSEB chief urged
Patiala, February 18
The issue of creation of exclusive police stations to deal with power theft cases, which was given the nod by the state government and is awaiting notification, has come into focus again with the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Vigilance Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP) writing to the board Chairman to get the move expedited.

PU to start BA (Hons) in social sciences
Chandigarh, February 18
For giving grounding to students in social sciences as a whole, Panjab University has given a nod to the BA (Hons) in social sciences course. The classes for the three-year programme, to be started from the forthcoming academic session, would be held at the campus itself and admission would be made through entrance test.

POLITICS

Tohra abandons Chandumajra on ticket issue

Patiala, February 18 Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Gurcharan Singh Tohra today admitted parting company with his protege Prem Singh Chandumajra and said the party could not give ticket to one who was looting people and had chosen Capt Kanwaljit Singh for the Patiala seat as he was responsible for giving something to the people. Former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra at a protest rally against Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal at the village of Kurali in Patiala district on Wednesday. — PTI photo

Hanspal: CPM didn’t consult us on Hoshiarpur seat
Jalandhar, February 18
The state Congress chief H.S. Hanspal today said that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had announced the candidature of the Hoshiarpur seat without consulting the state Congress.

BJP move to field Hema, Dara Singh
Chandigarh, February 18
The BJP high command has given a clear indication to its Punjab unit to nominate, Dara Singh, a renowned wrestler turned film actor, from Amritsar and the dream girl Hema Malini from Hoshiarpur for the Lok Sabha elections. Dara Singh belongs to Dharam Chak village near Amritsar. However, there is strong resentment among the party leaders from Punjab against this move of the party high command.

CPI ridicules ‘feel-good’ factor
Faridkot, February 18
Mr Pawan Preet Singh, general secretary of the district unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI), has ridiculed the “feel good factor” of the Central Government, which has been claiming a laudable development made in different fields during its over past four-year rule in the country.

COMMUNITY

PCMS doctors threaten stir
Rampura, February 18
The PCMS Association, Rampura Phul unit, has threatened a stir if the police framed any doctor of the civil hospital here for ‘favouring’ Dr Laxmi Garg, shifting to Faridkot hospital after her arrest in an illegal abortion case. The patient was referred to Patiala hospital when she complained of pain on February 7.

Plea to review caste-based reservation policy
Faridkot, February 18
A state-level seminar on “Caste based reservation and misuse of scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention Act 1989,” organised by the district unit of the General Categories Welfare Federation Punjab, here today flayed politicians for dividing the country on caste lines to meet their personal ends.

Sarpanch denied entry into police station
Bathinda, February 18
Even as the state government has been claiming that it has initiated the process of devolution of powers to panchayats, a section of Congress sarpanches of villages falling under the Nathana block, are agitated over the treatment meted out to one of their colleagues by a police official last night.

Villagers stage dharna before police station
Fazilka, February 18
The Lok Sangram Manch, Punjab, which had launched an agitation against the deletion of the name of an accused, Bachan Singh, from the Chiman Singh murder case by the police, staged a dharna before Sadar police station here today. Hundreds of men and women of different villages raised slogans against the police and demanded the arrest of Bachan Singh.

Hindu jatha leaves for Pakistan Wagah, February 18 A 130-member delegation of Hindu pilgrims today crossed over to Pakistan to visit the historic Karasraj temple. Members of a Hindu jatha at the Wagah checkpost before leaving for Pakistan on Wednesday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma Indo-Pak mushaira on Feb 25 In video: Passengers resent Lahore-bus fare hike. (28k, 56k)

• 2 hurt in train mishaps

• Shivratri crowds throng temples
  

PATIALA HERITAGE FESTIVAL

Residences of royals re-opened to public
‘Heritage Walk’ starts in Qila Androon
Patiala, February 18
The Qila Androon, the residential quarters of the erstwhile royalty of Patiala, opened to the general public today after decades with the inauguration of "Heritage Walk" of its painted chambers, courtyards and varying architecture. The "walk" is the idea of Mr Debashish Nayak who has pioneered other such walks in Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, is targeted at spreading awareness about the city amongst its people and also "connecting" them to it.

Yamini — the prime classical ballerina
Patiala, February 18
Yamini Krishnamurty is special in more ways than one. Although predominantly identified with Bharatnatyam, she has invested a world of time and energy in lending new dimensions to kuchipudi and odissi.

Doyens celebrate classicism
Patiala, February 18
Last evening saw a celebration of classical tradition against the majestic backdrop of Quila Mubarak. As one heritage played host to another, the evening  moved from one level of joy to another, winding up on a blissful note, that emerged from the repertory of Girija Devi.

Ancient crafts lend dignity to mela
Patiala, February 18
Ancient craft forms are perhaps one part of our cultural legacy which remains partially buried beneath the sand of time and only concerted effort by organisations dedicated to the cause of the artisans of India can offer a ray of hope for our ‘languishing’ art and craft forms. Platforms similar to the ongoing Heritage Crafts Mela being held in the city are perhaps the few oasis left for them.

ADMINISTRATION

Patran made subdivision
Patran (Patiala), February 18
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today announced the creation of a subdivision for this town with immediate effect, meeting a long-pending demand of the people of the area.

Revenue officials asked to recover bad debts
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 18
Mr S.K. Ahluwalia, Deputy Commissioner, while addressing the monthly meeting of district officials here yesterday, directed revenue officials to launch a campaign for the recovery of loans belonging to various government departments from defaulters.

Admn fails to control noise pollution
Amritsar, February 18
Even as students are preparing for various Board and other annual examinations, the district administration has done little to control noise pollution.

• Naranjan Singh heads panel

• Clarification on excise policy
  

CRIME

Recruitment on fake certificate: 1 booked
Batala, February 18
The city police has registered a case against Mohinder Singh, a resident of Kila Nathu Singha village, in Kalanaur for giving a fake certificate for recruitment to the 3rd Battalion of the India Reserve Battalion.

Murder accused rearrested, four cops booked
Ropar, February 18
A murder accused Amarjit Singh alias Fauja who escaped from police custody from the Anandpur Sahib court complex yesterday was rearrested in 24 hours day. At a press conference here today SSP Surinder Pal Singh said that the accused with the help of Jaswinder Kaur had fled to Nada Sahib gurdwara in Haryana in a taxi CHF-971 after escaping from custody.

Pets recovered
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 18
The police has recovered a stolen German shepherd pair of dog and bitch, worth Rs 80,000, with the arrest of a resident of Nandpur Kalour, Jagtar Singh. Two other accused are still at large.

SHO arrested for beating up youth
Nawanshahr, February 18
Mr M.F. Farooqui, SSP, in a press note issued here today said Paramjit Singh, former SHO, Kathgarh police station in the district, had been arrested under Sections 323, 325, 342 and 120 B of the IPC as he was found guilty of illegally beating Kuldip Kumar at the police station on February 6.

Reader caught taking bribe
Amritsar, February 18
District Bar Association president Randhir Singh Sandhu caught a Reader of a court allegedly taking bribe. He presented the Reader in the general house of the association in front of advocates.

EDUCATION

Punjab to recruit 2,000 trained teachers
Faridkot, February 18
The Punjab Government plans to recruit more than 2000 B.Ed teachers to fill vacant posts in various schools. The Cabinet had already accorded approval and the process in this regard was likely to start by the next week. This was stated by Mr Sant Ram Singla Chairman, Punjab Mandi Board, while taking to mediapersons at Mulla village here after laying the foundation stone of a link road.

BUSINESS

Bathinda to be developed as textile city
Bathinda, February 18
Mr Surinder Singla, chairman of the High Powered Finance Committee, Punjab today said that a textile city would be set up here after the city gets the status of the special economic zone (SEZ) from the Centre.