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TOP STORIES

Travel agents, touts flourish as law is silent
Chandigarh, December 26
Emigration controls on skilled and unskilled manpower for developed countries notwithstanding, there is no law which can directly or indirectly supervise and control the activities of agents and touts who have flourishing business in human smuggling.

Efforts to install Isher Singh as Baba’s successor?
Chowk Mehta (Amritsar), December 26
A section of Damdami Taksal is lobbying hard to install Bhai Isher Singh, son of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwale, as acting Jathedar of Damdami Taksal, against the traditions of this 300-year-old Sikh seminary.

‘Harassed’ by SGPC, scholar releases TV serial in book form
Patiala, December 26
A television serial in a book. This is true in the case of a Sikh scholar, Gurmukh Singh Sehgal. The writer has recently got four episodes of a proposed television serial, which was to be produced by Cinevista, published in a book form.

Gurmukh Singh Sehgal, who has recently got four episodes of a proposed television serial published in a book form in Patiala.

Steps taken to maintain eco-balance in wetland
(Katli) Ropar, December 26
With a view to maintaining ecological balance in wetland at Harike in Amritsar, at Kanjli in Kapurthala and at Ropar, the Punjab government has initiated a project with help of Punjab State Council for Science and Technology.

Soul-stirring music strikes cord with audience
Jalandhar, December 26
Déjà vu. And its roots extending right up to a century.

Ronu Majumdar, a renowned flutist, performs at the 129th Shree Baba Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan in Jalandhar on Saturday. — Photo by S.S. Chopra

Rodrigues expresses shock
Chandigarh, December 26
The Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd.), has expressed his deep shock over the colossal loss of lives due to tsunami in Tamil Naidu, Andhra Pradesh and some other parts of the country. He conveyed his sympathies to the state governments concerned and the members of the bereaved families.

POLITICS

BJP to identify more seats to contest
Jalandhar, December 26
In charge of BJP’s affairs in Punjab Jaskaur Meena yesterday said the BJP would identify more seats in Punjab to contest in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the next Assembly elections.

Badal ‘misusing’ gurdwara funds
Phillaur, December 26
Former Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal was misusing the funds of Sikh religious places for “putar parchar” instead of “dharam parchar”, alleged Punjab Youth Congress president Raminder Singh Awla while talking to mediaperson at the residence of former nagar council chief Parmod Kumar here on Sunday.

2004: IN RETROSPECT
Year of political upswings and surprises
Chandigarh, December 26
Upheavals in the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) in general and the Punjab Congress Legislature Party (CLP) against the leadership in particular which started late last year, gradually evaporated as the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, strengthened his control and position on the government during 2004.

COMMUNITY

Jor Mela concludes with massive nagar kirtan
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 26
Lakhs of pilgrims from across the country and abroad participated in the three-day Shaheedi Jor Mela which concluded here today.

(From left) A little nihang: Four-year-old Bhupinder Singh carries a toy gun; thousands of devotees attend nagar kirtan procession; and a nihang with a hawk on the concluding day of the Jor Mela at Fatehgarh Sahib on Sunday. — Tribune photos by Pradeep Tewari

Ganga Sagar reaches Patiala
Patiala, December 26
Ganga Sagar, a metallic urn of religious and historical value for the Sikhs was brought to Patiala today. It was received at Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib by former chairman of the State Subordinate Board, Mr Tejinder Pal Singh Sandhu, and other Sikh leaders.

Christian body demands separate state minority commission
Amritsar, December 26
Mr Munawar Masih, President, All-India Christian Dalit Front, demanded the formation of a separate minority commission in the state to safeguard the rights of about 25 lakh Christians living in Punjab.

Pak to open gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur
Amritsar, December 26
In a significant development, the Government of Pakistan has decided to open Janamasthan Mata Sahib Kaur, wife of Guru Gobind Singh in Qila Rohtas, Jehlum, today to mark the tercentenary of the martyrdom of sahibzadas. The dilapidated gurdwara has been locked for more than 150 years.

International conference of Ahmadiyas begins
Qadian (Gurdaspur), December 26
The 113th annual international conference of the Ahmadiyas started here today. Thousands of delegates from across the world have thronged the streets of small and elusive town of Qadian to attend the conference.

Namdharis plan yatra
Chandigarh, December 26
To commemorate the tercentenary of martyrdom of Mata Gujri and four Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh, the Namdhari Darbar has decided to take out a “shradhanjali yatra” from its headquarters at Bhaini Sahib in Ludhiana district to Fatehgarh Sahib on January 1.

No easy task for BSF manning Indo-Pak border
Along the zero line (Ferozepore), December 26
When the dusk falls, the silent fields along the cobra fencing are set ablaze by thunderous galloping of horses, as BSF commandos set out to patrol the 553-km long Indo-Pakistan international border under the Punjab Frontier.

Pensioners flay govt for withdrawing health allowance
Jalandhar, December 26
Flaying the UPA government for the withdrawal of health allowance, the All-India Central Government Pensioners’ Association expressed their resentment here on Thursday.

Players suffer as funds for stadium remain unutilised
Kapurthala, December 26
Development work at the Guru Nanak Stadium on the Jalandhar Road seems to have been stalled for strange reasons.

Birth anniversary of Udham Singh celebrated
Abohar, December 26
The birth anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh was celebrated here today by the Punjabi Sabhyachar Manch. A large number of people, led by a former SDM and chief patron of the manch Mr B.L. Sikka assembled at the Shaheed Memorial, opposite the Municipal General Bus Stand, here.

Four members of family asphyxiated
Jalandhar, December 26
Four members of a family died due to asphyxiation at their New Jawahar Nagar residence here this morning.

AGRICULTURE

BKU stops auction of farmer’s land
Jaito, December 26
The district general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugraha), Mr Nachhatar Singh Ransinghwala, claimed to have stopped the auction of a farmer's land at Sarawa village, near here, yesterday.

Killed farmers’ kin get relief cheques
Abohar, December 26
Dependents of all the five farmers, killed during the use of force by the police during farmers' agitation for canal water last month, were given Rs 50,000 each from Kisan Seva Fund launched by the Indian Farmers Fertilisers Cooperative Ltd. (IFFCO) yesterday.

CRIME

Three booked for fraud
Kotkapura, December 26
Three persons have been booked for showing a married woman as widow and claiming widow pension for the past 13 years. The accused include the sarpanch of Romana Albel village and a panchayat member, Baldev Singh.

Two booked in dowry case
Moga, December 26
Two persons, including the husband of a woman have been booked for harassing her for more dowry.

ITO held for taking bribe
Sangrur, December 26
A special CBI team raided local Income Tax office and nabbed Income Tax Officer Sham Sunder Sharma red-handed when he was accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a cement store owner.

Man duped of Rs 4.5 lakh
Moga, December 26
Two residents of Nathuwala Garbi village have been booked for duping a person of Rs 4.5 lakh under the pretext of sending him to Germany.

Girl killed, five hurt in mishap
Kotkapura, December 26
A girl was killed and five others were injured when a Maruti car collided with a stationary bus at Ajit Gill village, near here, yesterday.

EDUCATION

National symposium on physics begins at GND varsity
Amritsar, December 26
Dr S.K. Sikka, Scientific Secretary to the Government of India, said the country must collaborate with other nations to develop the costly scientific infrastructure and to gain know-how of the new advancements in the field.

Teachers’ body threatens dharna over headship issue
Amritsar, December 26
Now the Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers Association (GNDUTA) and students of the Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy Department have crossed swords over the headship issue of the department.

2004: IN RETROSPECT
Varsity propagated Punjabi
Patiala, December 26
There were two great debates in Punjabi University this year. One concerned the status being accorded to Punjabi by the institution which was specifically created for the propagation of the language.