Employees demand right to strike
Bathinda, February 24
Thousands of members of the Punjab Bank Employees Federation, Punjab Mulazam Sangharsh Committee, Paramedical Staff Union, Income Tax Staff Union, Medical Representatives Association, BSNL Employees Union, TSU, Kisan Sabha and MES Workers Union today took out a march and held a rally here in protest against the verdict on strikes given by the Supreme Court.

Banks, electricity board work affected

Police accused of implicating innocent
Chandigarh, February 24
If allegations in a complaint filed before the Punjab State Human Rights Commission are to be believed, then the police has implicated an innocent in an attempt to save an Amritsar resident accused of being involved in his wife’s murder.

POLITICS

Oppn members ‘not invited’ to grievances panel meetings
Faridkot, February 24
Jathedar Swaran Singh Panjgrain, senior state vice-president, Akali Dal (Amritsar), and Mr Narinder Mittal, general secretary, district unit of the BJP and members of the District Grievances Committee, Faridkot have expressed concern over the indifferent attitude of the Punjab Government to wards holding meetings of the bodies without ensuring the presence of their members particularly those belonging to different political parties thus regarding the very set back purpose for which these were set up.

Awla appointed Punjab YC chief
Fazilka, February 24
Mr Raminder Singh Awla (29) has been appointed president of the Punjab Youth Congress Committee. He is the youngest Congress leader to be appointed Punjab Youth Congress chief. He has earlier been the vice-president of the state unit during 1999 and 2000.

COMMUNITY

Handling of abortion case raises eyebrows
Rampura, February 24
The authorities of Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMC), Faridkot, have again sent the foetus, recovered from a garbage dump in the town on February 7, to a Kolkata-based laboratory for a DNA test as earlier it was not accepted due to some technical shortcoming.

Abandoned child gets birth certificate
Bathinda, February 24
Sakhsi, abandoned by “unknown parents” just after birth and adopted by an issueless couple today got birth certificate after the couple who adopted her fought for it more than five months.

World Bank grant to research centre hiked
Abohar, February 24
The World Bank, under the crop diversification plan has enhanced by Rs. 1 crore grant for research work at the Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET) here. The institute had succeeded in bringing down losses in production and marketing by 17 per cent with an aid of Rs 3 crore from the World Bank.

CJM’s daughter’s case to be re-investigated
Moga, February 24
Senior Superintendent Police Anita Punj today ordered reinvestigation of the case got registered against 11 persons by Savita, daughter of Chief Judicial Magistrate Moga J K Mattu, including her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law and others, for demanding dowry and threat of murder.

Railway overbridge at Dhuri to cost Rs 27.50 cr
Dhuri (Sangrur), February 24
A long-standing demand of the local residents is likely to be fulfilled soon with the laying of the foundation stone of a railway overbridge across two level-crossings here today. The foundation stone was laid by Mr B.R. Patil, Union Minister of State for Railways, at the local railway station.

Pakhoke flayed for opening Sena office
Tarn Taran, February 24
Several Sikh organisations today sent a memorandum to the Jathedar, Akal Takht, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, against Mr Alwinderpal Singh Pakhoke, senior vice-president of the SGPC, for becoming the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the office of the local unit of the Shiv Sena here. They demanded his expulsion from the Panth.

Police to launch ‘samparak campaign’
Hoshiarpur, February 24
The police will launch a ‘samparak campaign’ in the Jalandhar range next month. This was stated by Mr Paramjit Singh Sarao, DIG (Jalandhar range), while talking to newspersons here yesterday. He said the campaign would be launched in Kapurthala district first and later it would be introduced in other districts.

Border farmers stage protest
Amritsar, February 24
Farmers of 43 border villages, who were issued notices to vacate their land, today held a protest rally in front of the Ajnala SDM’s office. They have been staging a dharna for the past 40 days.

• SC status for Rai Sikhs mooted

• SGPC budget on March 15

• Skipping 136 times in 15 seconds

• Gen J.J. Singh visits Jalandhar

• Youth fails in love, ends life
  

AGRICULTURE

BKU activists block PSEB gates
Patiala, February 24
Activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta)Ugrahan group and the Kisan Sangharsh Committee blocked the three gates of the PSEB headquarters for nearly three hours in protest against the state government’s move to privatise the board.

ADMINISTRATION

Panchayats to distribute pension
Fatehgarh Sahib, February 24
Powers have been delegated to the Panchyati Raj institution by allocating the pension amount to panchayats for the first time. The panchayats have been given cash amount to distribute the pensions in respective villages.

CRIME

Father held for killing daughter’s paramour
Morinda (Ropar), February 24
The father and brothers of Manjit Kaur, a resident of Doomcheri village, allegedly killed her paramour, Paramjit Singh, yesterday.

SDO chargesheeted for fund misuse
Ropar, February 24
A case of Drainage Department officials here misutilising Rs 12 lakh, given as loan by Nabard to the Punjab Government, has come to light.

Forest India MD arrested
Hoshiarpur, February 24
The Sadar police here has arrested managing director of Forest India Khushal Singh under Sections 420, 406, 120B of the IPC for cheating the public.

2 patwaris caught taking bribe Bathinda, February 24 A Vigilance Bureau team, led by the DSP, Mr Ashutosh, caught Gurjit Singh, a patwari of Kot Batta village in the district, while taking a bribe of Rs 1,000 from Sukhwinder Singh for making entries in the mutation register. Mr. Ashutosh (L), DSP, Vigilance Bureau, leads a team which arrested Patwari Gurjeet Singh at Bathinda on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Kulbir Beera

EDUCATION

Governor for change in higher education
Amritsar, February 24
The Governor, Justice O.P. Verma (retired), today stressed the need to change the entire system of higher education keeping in view the latest technology.

Inter-Zonal Youth Festival begins
Patiala, February 24
Punjabi University Campus team and Government Rajindra College, Bathinda, won first and second position, respectively, in the Jhoomer competition held on the first day of Inter- Zonal Youth Festival-2004 at Punjabi University here today.

BUSINESS

Industrialists resent non-issuance of subsidy bonds
Bathinda, February 24
Even as the state government has been celebrating the current year as “development year”, thousands of industrialists of the state are being driven from pillar to post to get capital and interest subsidy.