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Symbolic kar seva by Advani
Amritsar, March 26
Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today paid obeisance and made a symbolic participation in the kar seva at the Golden Temple. The phase I of the kar seva concluded here today. Mr Advani applied a ‘tilak’ of the holy silt and took some of it in a polythene bag.

Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani greets devotees at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Friday. — Reuters photo

SAD leaders absent from Advani’s rally
Pathankot, March 26
The rally organised by the BJP on Thursday evening on the arrival of the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, here at Ram Lila Grounds proved to be a damp squib on account of the late arrival of Mr Advani and the absence of senior SAD leaders, who were scheduled to address the rally.

• Dang, Pasla among 200 lathi-charged, detained

• Mann, party workers released

• RRD decries Mann’s attempt to disrupt Advani’s yatra

• SAD(A) activists hold up Advani’s yatra

• Cong leader Bolaria joins SAD

Here everyone is praying for Tohra’s well-being
Tohra (Patiala), March 26
One knows one is in “Pradhanji’s” territory immediately after taking the link road for this village from Rurki village on the Patiala - Sirhind road. The excellent road takes one to Tohra village which looks more like a mini township with a 35-bedded hospital, Senior Secondary School, bank and even a 66-KV grid.

Gang that duped BSNL busted
Patiala, March 26
The gang that defrauded BSNL of Rs 80 lakh has been busted by the local police, which today claimed it was facilitating ISD calls through a base in Dubai that was linked with exchanges established in Chandigarh, Mohali, Ludhiana and Delhi.

Cops ‘shielding’ attackers of journalist
Ludhiana, March 26
Buckling under pressure from senior officers, the police is yet to arrest the accused involved in the murderous assault on a Malerkotla-based journalist and his younger brother on March 20. The main accused — Youth Congress chief Shakil — was reportedly nabbed the next day but was “ let off on instructions from the top.”

COMMUNITY

Rs 400 cr for Amritsar’s development sought
Amritsar, March 26
The central and state governments were ignoring the development of Amritsar. Even the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee had shown indifferent attitude towards the development of the city, alleged Dr Charanjit Singh Gumrala, president Amritsar Vikas Manch in a press note here yesterday.

MCs not to print transit pass books
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 26
To curb the printing of bogus “ transit pass books” at the municipal council level in the state, the Department of Local Self Government has devised a foolproof system under which the councils will not be allowed to get these pass books printed at their level.

MC to function from new bus stand top
Kharar, March 26
The Kharar bus stand, which is in a bad state at present, will be constructed on a built-operate-transfer basis. The office of the local Municipal Council will be housed on the top of the building.

US move breach of trust, says Raksha Dal
Amritsar, March 26
The Rashtriya Raksha Dal, a party of ex-servicemen led by Col Jagjit Singh Bal (retd) termed the US move to grant Major Non-NATO ally status to Pakistan as a breach of trust with India.

Air Marshal Bhojwani visits IAF station
Bhisiana (Bathinda), March 26
Air Marshal S. Bhojwani, Senior Air Staff Officer, Western Command, Indian Air Force had an aerial survey of the Air Force station here in a microlight aircraft during his two-day visit on March 24 and March 25.

• Demand for corridor to link Kartarpur gurdwara

• Rail blockade planned

• Tributes paid to Master Jagir Singh

COURTS

Ropar fast-track court to be functional from April 7
Ropar, March 26
A fast-track court will be functional here from April 7. Mr Sukhdev Singh has been appointed Judge of the court on a two-year contract. The recruitment of staff was under process. Sources here said the court would dispose of at least 18 old cases per month.

Judicial remand for 7 students
Phagwara, March 26
The seven students, who were yesterday arrested for stealing computer hardware, had been remanded in judicial custody, said DSP Jaspal Singh here this afternoon. The students are of plus two class of medical and non-medical streams at Kirpal Sagar Academy, Balachaur, Nawanshahr district.

AGRICULTURE

Farmers visit Gujarat to buy Bt cotton seed
Bathinda, March 26
Trains to Gujarat passing through Punjab have a number of farmers from Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur, Faridkot, Moga, Muktsar and Ferozepore districts going to that state for purchasing Bt cotton seed.

• Harvester use at night banned

CRIME

2 jail warders held on charge of cheating
Kotkapura, March 26
Two jail warders of Bathinda Central Jail have landed themselves in a jail in Faridkot after they were arrested by the local police for allegedly cheating Gurtej Singh, a resident of Bugra village, falling under the Dhuri police station of Sangrur district.

Two migrant labourers found dead
Khanna, March 26
The bodies of two migrant labourers were found at the Khanna grain market this morning. While one of the labourers was identified, the identification of the other had not been established.

EDUCATION

Bir Devinder ‘screens’ 30 teachers
Kharar, March 26
The calling of teachers of government schools today to determine their competence to teach in the English medium at the newly set up Government Model Senior Secondary School here has created a controversy.

Set up institutes for folklore studies, say experts
Amritsar, March 26
Union and state governments should establish Central institutes of folklore studies. This was the unanimous view of the delegates who participated in the three-day session of Indian Folklore Congress which concluded here today.

Six more colleges to get accredition
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 26
The quality of education in colleges of the state has improved and several government and private colleges are getting accredition from NAAC. Eleven government colleges have got the accredition and six are likely to get it soon.

BUSINESS

Banks fail to meet target of advancing loans
Bathinda, March 26
Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Deputy Commissioner, today expressed displeasure over the failure of various public sector banks to meet their respective targets of advancing soft loans to the poor under the differential rate of interest category.