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Chandumajra paying for disobeying whip, says Badal
Ghanaur (Patiala), February 25
The president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today said senior leader Prem Singh Chandumajra had been denied party ticket from Patiala because he had disobeyed the party whip and abstained from voting against the no-confidence motion moved against the 13-day-old National Democratic Alliance government in 1998.

Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Kanwaljit Singh at a rally in Ghanaur on Wednesday.

Tur to revolt against SAD decision on seat
Tarn Taran, February 25
Mr Tarlochan Singh Tur, sitting member of the Lok Sabha from the local constituency, has decided to raise the banner of revolt against the decision of the SAD to make Mr Rattan Singh Ajnala the party candidate from the seat.

• Punjab BJP told to help SAD

Dying historical town struggles to preserve its legacy. (28k, 56k)

PSEB may withdraw tariff revision plea
Chandigarh, February 25
The Punjab State Electricity Board  is set to withdraw its tariff revision petition to the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission following a directive from the state government to do so.

Badal lambasts controversial selections
Chandigarh, February 25
SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal, has condemned the appointment of wards of two favourites of the Chief Minister as Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) by the Punjab Government setting aside the claims of renowned international sportspersons like Ramandeep Singh, Sukhvir Gill and Devinder Kumar.

• Appointment of DSPs’ illegal: CPI

• DSPs appointed on merit: Siddiqui

Docs to take up N-issue with Pak

Wagah (Amritsar), February 25 An 11-member delegation of doctors under the banner of the International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War today crossed over to Pakistan to take up vital issue of nuclear deterrence in south Asian region with Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and the Chairman of Pakistan Senate. The 11-member delegation of the International Physician for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) before leaving for Pakistan at Wagah on Wednesday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Stationary vehicles guzzle fuel worth 7 cr
Ludhiana, February 25
The sensational “fuel scam” detected in the local municipal corporation a few days ago has turned out to be one of the biggest scandals in the Local Bodies Department. Latest findings indicate that 50 per cent of the diesel, worth Rs 7 crore, purchased over the past five years, was never filled in the tanks of the MC vehicles.

COMMUNITY

40 lakh additional income tax surrendered
Ferozepore, February 25
In the recent survey, operations concluded by the Income Tax Development under the Administrative Supervision of Mr L.R. Nayyar, Commissioner, Income Tax, Bathinda, more than 40 lakh of additional income tax had been surrendered.

Rs 4.60 crore released for pension schemes
Ropar, February 25
The Punjab Government has released a grant of Rs 4.60 crore for the Ropar district under the old-age, widow and handicapped pension schemes. The pensions would now be given in cash to beneficiaries through panchayats.

Cyber Suvidha — a boon for helpless
Patiala, February 25
Seventy-year-old Jagat Singh of Nijamiwala village under Samana Police Station in the district had no-one to turn to when his two sons sold his house and the land that was his only source of income.

Fighting a long battle to cleanse Buddha Nullah
LUDHIANA: Human rights activist Charanjit Bakshi of Chandigarh has been fighting the battle for getting Buddha Nullah, Ludhiana’s “drain of sorrow” cleaned for the past two years. Talk to him about the issue and he shows almirahs full of files about the cases he is fighting for improving the highly deteriorated environmental conditions in Ludhiana, courtesy the nullah.

Punjab pensioners hold protest
Ludhiana, February 25
A protest rally was staged here today by members of the Punjab State Pensioners Confederation against the Punjab Government’s failure to settle their long-pending demands. The Punjab pensioners were joined by Central Government, Railway Board Pensioners, PSEB, Municipal Corporation and ex-servicemen and Himachal Pradesh Pensioners Kalyan Sangh representatives.

Experts discuss noise, emission control of engines
Dera Bassi, February 25
A workshop on “Noise and emission control of engines”, organised by the Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology, Dera Bassi, was attended by students of four engineering colleges here today.

Real film drama at Kharar
Kharar, February 25
Reel drama turned out to be a real life drama when a clash took place between members of a film shooting unit and local shopkeepers in the main bazar here today. As many as nine persons sustained minor injuries in the clash. Two persons lost their gold chains in the melee and four of them lost their mobile phones.

Pak to observe 400th martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev
Amritsar, February 25
The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and World Sikh-Muslim Federation have decided to observe the 400th martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev at a national-level in 2006.

BKU activists block entry to bus stand
Patiala, February 25
On the fourth day of the agitation, activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta) and Kisan Sangharsh Committee blocked the entry to the bus stand for nearly tow hours from 12 noon to protest against the decision to privatise the Punjab State Electricity Board, here today.

Panchayats decry harassment by excise staff
Tarn Taran, February 25
A large number of panchayats and other organisations have decried the alleged harassment of innocent people by the excise staff.

• Freedom fighter Amar Nath dead

• Hepatitis-A grips Goniana

• Farm labourers stage dharna

COURTS

High Court
Decision on application within a month
Chandigarh, February 25
Acting on a petition filed by Jalandhar-based Bharat Para Medical Sciences Educational and Development Welfare Society, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that the petitioner’s application for permission to run Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery and General Nursing Midwifery courses shall be decided within a month by passing a speaking order.

Woman, son get 10-year RI for dowry death
Moga, February 25
Additional Sessions Judge Jagmohan Singh Chawla yesterday sentenced a woman and her son, residents of Saidoke in Nihal Singh Wala subdivision of this district, to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment on a charge of poisoning to death her daughter-in-law on October 24, 2001.

ADMINISTRATION

DC’s warning to officials on ‘khula darbar’
Faridkot, February 25
Mr Hussan Lal, Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, has taken a serious view of many senior officials of various district departments failing to attend the ‘khula darbar’ being organised here every alternate Wednesday to redress the grievances of the people.

CRIME

VB arrests senior Punjab Agro official
Amritsar, February 25
The Vigilance Bureau has arrested Mr Jaswant Singh Ghumman, Divisional Manager of Punjab Agro Food Corporation, along with storekeeper Ranjit Singh while accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from transporter Ravinderbir of Dharambad village in the Dera Baba Nanak area.

Reader caught taking bribe
Mansa, February 25
A team of the Vigilance Bureau, led by the DSP, Mr Vinod Kumar, today caught Gurdarshan Singh, a Reader of the Tehsildar, Budhlada, while taking a bribe of Rs 10,000 from Baldev Singh.

Smuggled liquor seized
Kharar, February 25
Liquor, being smuggled from Chandigarh to Punjab, was seized by the police from three different persons. According to the police, Kewal Singh, a resident of Dhakoran Kalan, was today arrested from Behlolpur village on the charge of smuggling nine bottles of rum from Chandigarh.