P U N J A B

Top stories | Politics | Community | Courts

Crime | Education

TOP STORIES

Race for Hoshiarpur, Amritsar LS seats hots up
Chandigarh, March 11
Most senior BJP leaders from Amritsar and the Ropar-Hoshiarpur belt have rushed to Delhi to lobby for the party ticket. The BJP high command will meet on March 13 and 14 to decide the candidates for the Hoshiarpur and Amritsar Lok Sabha seats.

SAD to complain to CEC on officers’ postings
Amritsar, March 11
The Shiromani Akali Dal chief, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today alleged that many bureaucrats were still continuing to serve in their home districts in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

Cong hoardings violate Model Code of Conduct
Ropar March 11
Even 10 days after the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct, the government has made little effort to remove hoardings carrying pictures of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the district.

SAD (Longowal) revival on cards
Barnala, March 11
The revival of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Sant Harchand Singh Longowal) seems to be on the cards. It also appears that this move is being backed by the family of Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.

SJP for joint front against NDA
Jalandhar, March 11
The Samajwadi Janata Party (SJP), headed by former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, is trying to from a joint front of around six parties to oppose the NDA.

Liquor shops’ auction will fetch Rs 30 cr more
Bathinda, March 11
The Punjab Government will earn around Rs 30 crore more revenue from the current auction of liquor shops than the revenue it earned last year. Stating this here today at a press conference, Mr D.P. Reddy, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, said so far the state had earned Rs 20 crore more than the revenue collected by the department from the auction of liquor shops last year.

Policemen frisk bidders before allowing them to enter the venue of the liquor shops’ auction in Bathinda on Thursday. — Photo by Kulbir Beera

Birds died of gunshot wounds
Pathankot poaching case
Chandigarh, March 11
Birds had died of gunshot wounds, says a report of the Wildlife Institute, a national-level body, which conducted a post-mortem examination on two peacocks and four grey partridges recovered from the private jeep of Pathankot Subdivisional Magistrate, Puneet Goel by two wildlife wardens on February 29.

Councillor moves court on tainted officers
Chandigarh, March 11
Within a week after The Tribune reported the selection of tainted officers to the PCS (Executive) cadre, a local municipal councillor today moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, demanding the quashing of the selections and a CBI probe into the matter.

Neelam takes ‘Kitchen Katha’ to Pakistan Wagah (Amritsar), March 11 A 16-member troupe led by Ms Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry, a renowned theatre director and producer, today crossed over to Pakistan. They will stage a play “Kitchen Katha” in the ongoing Indo-Pak theatre festival being held at Lahore. Theatre director Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry, along with members of her troupe at the Wagah joint checkpost on Thursday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

POLITICS

Youth Cong meet
Patiala, March 11
A meeting of the Punjab unit of the Youth Congress was held here yesterday.

COMMUNITY

Pakistanis not allowed at mazar
Amritsar, March 11
BSF personnel did not allegedly allow Pakistan nationals to offer namaz today at the mazar of Baba Shah Braham on the International Border in the Khem Karan sector.

Include ecology in peace talks: experts
Amritsar, March 11
Environments called upon the government to include ecology and geology in the peace road map with Pakistan.

Ghulam Ali earns ‘wah wahs’
Phagwara, March 11
It was an evening with a difference for music lovers who were mesmerised by ghazal samraat Ghulam Ali. The singer rendered a couple of ghazals at the request of the audience. He also sang those stanzas of his evergreen hit, “Chupke chupke raat din...” which were left out during its LP recording.

60 pc cops suffer from hypertension, says Pandey
Amritsar, March 11
As many as 60 per cent police personnel suffer from hypertension, not due to the nature of their job but eating and drinking habits,” said Mr A.P. Pandey, Additional Director-General of Police (Vigilance), while delivering a lecture on the role of the Indian police for welfare of mankind and society, organised by the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, here today.

Education is Gujral’s priority
Jalandhar, March 11
“Development is my ideology and education has always been my priority as it is the only tool which can ensure development in the world,” says Mr Inder Kumar Gujral, a former Prime Minister.

Punjabi film with all-women cast
Amritsar, March 11
A feature film without a male character? An NRI producer-cum director, Jeet Matharu, has come here from England with a 33-member unit, including ace cameraman Hasmukh Rajput from Mumbai, to shoot a three-hour Punjabi thriller with an all-female cast.

NRI director Jeet Matharu directs Punjabi film Addi Tappa with an all-women cast on location at BBK DAV College for Women, Amritsar, on Thursday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Life fellowship for Amrita Pritam
Patiala, March 11
Punjabi University has bestowed life fellowship on litterateur Amrita Pritam. A function was organised at her house in New Delhi on March 8, in this connection, a press note said here on Thursday. Vice-Chancellor Swarn Singh Boparai said Amrita Pritam was a living legend.

Cancer, heart diseases main killers: expert
Amritsar, March 11
Cardiovascular diseases and cancer are the major killers in developed nations. With the increased lifespan and an aging population, it is clear that the major goal of medicine in the 21st century would be the control of cancer, cardiovascular ailments and behavioural disorders.

Truck operators block traffic
Patiala, March 11
Members of Guru Nanak Truck Operations Union blocked the Rajpura road for nearly two hours on Thursday demanding action against the tractor-trailer owners who were plying them for commercial purposes.

Truckers park their vehicles on the Patiala-Rajpura road to lodge their protest against trolley operators. — Photo by Rajesh Sachar

1 killed, 40 hurt as truck rams into camel-carts
Abohar, March 11
More than 40 occupants of a truck, including two women, were injured as it overturned after hitting two camel-carts loaded with firewood outside the Military Station here this morning.

The truck which rammed into two camel-carts, killing one person and injuring 40, in Abohar on Thursday. — Photo by Raj Sadosh

Shiv sainiks protest against bad roads
Kapurthala, March 11
Workers of the local unit of the Shiv Sena today staged a protest in front of the office of Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on the premises of the Civil Hospital in protest against the poor condition of roads inside the hospital.

COURTS

High Court
Formation of forest protection panels challenged
Chandigarh, March 11
Challenging the formation of “Forest Protection Committees” in the state of Punjab, 13 gram panchayats today claimed that public funds were being diverted to “private individuals” under the garb of the committees by an MLA in connivance with a District Forest Officer.

Court clears Daler’s trip to Pak
Patiala, March 11
A local court has permitted Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi to proceed on a 15-day trip to Pakistan in connection with his performances. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate P.S. Dhanoa ordered the release of Daler’s passport yesterday on an application by him seeking permission to visit Pakistan for 15 days.

Man gets 7-yr RI for rape

CRIME

Woman done to death by husband
Muktsar, March 11
Manpreet Kaur, who was married to Sukhdeep Singh of Vanbala village, was allegedly beaten to death recently by her husband and father-in-law Balwant Singh for “indulging in immoral acts.” They dumped her body in the septic tank of their house.

Man, 4 sons stab youth to death
Ferozepore, March 11
A youth was stabbed to death in broad daylight allegedly by a man and his four sons. Suraj Mehta, alias Pehelwan, son of Rajpal Mehta, was stabbed to death allegedly by Hansraj Sethi and his four sons Sandeep, Gaurav, Ajay and Amit.

Case registered against bus driver
Kharar, March 11
A case has been registered against Mr Gurnam Singh, the driver of the bus, in connection with an accident in which two youths were killed near Khanpur village last evening.

Mother accused of poisoning kids to death
Patiala, March 11
A woman has been accused of killing her two children, nearly three months after the crime with the state chemical examination laboratory ruling that they had been poisoned to death.

EDUCATION

Crucial PTU meeting today
Jalandhar, March 11
The Chairman of the Board of Governors (BOG) of Punjab Technical University (PTU), Chief Secretary Jai Singh Gill, has convened an emergency meeting of the board in Chandigarh on March 12 to deliberate upon the issue of implementation of 24-credit rule system for 2001-batch students of different engineering colleges in the state.

College struggles for affiliation
Kharar, March 11
Students passing out of school in the town are suffering in the absence of a university-affiliated college and are compelled to depend on institutions outside the town.