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Baba Harnam Singh acting chief of Taksal

Ram Singh heads breakaway faction Mehta Chowk, January 2 Even as Jathedars of Takhts and the SGPC today accorded formal recognition to the breakaway group of the 300-year-old Damdami Taksal, which has announced Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as ‘martyr’, by presenting ‘dastars’ (turbans) to Baba Ram Singh, yet Bhai Rajinder Singh Mehta, Adviser to the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and an SGPC member besides senior leaders of Akali factions accepted Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa as successor of Baba Thakur Singh, here today.

Baba Harnam Singh, soon after his anointment as acting Jathedar of Damdami Taksal at Chowk Mehta in Amritsar district on Sunday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

PUDA colony encroached upon
Pathankot, January 2
PUDA has launched a statewide campaign against encroachers and illegal colonisers. However, an entire colony of PUDA comprising 234 LIG, 172 MIG and 12 HIG flats has been encroached upon here.

Encroachments in front of the booths in the PUDA colony at Pathankot. — Photo by Jangi

Punjab seeks more time to unbundle PSEB
Chandigarh, January 2
The Punjab Government has sought additional three months’ time from the Central Government for unbundling the Punjab State Electricity Board. The state government has in its plea stated that since the procedures involved in unbundling the board into different corporations are very complex, the same cannot be implemented in such a short time.

Plaza row takes new turn
Jalandhar, January 2
The controversy surrounding the proposed Model Town market-based Municipal Corporation’s ultra modern shopping complex has taken an interesting turn with veteran Congress leader and former Revenue and Rehabilitation Minister Umrao Singh revealing that the MC authorities could not convert the park land into a shopping complex as it did not belong to the MC at all.

COMMUNITY

Providing succour to needy
Bathinda, January 2
In the chilly and foggy winters when no one likes to venture out, an army of about 50 volunteers of Sahara Jan Sewa, a local non-government organisation can be seen providing blankets to the homeless and the needy and lighting bonfires for them.

2005—year of development in Punjab, says minister

Faridkot, January 2 The year 2005 will be observed as the year of development in the state and developmental works in urban areas would be taken up on priority basis with special attention towards slum areas, the Punjab Local Bodies Minister, Chaudhary Jagjeet Singh, said while taking out draws for 152 plots of the Town Improvement Trust here today. Punjab Local Bodies Minister Chaudhary Jagjeet Singh and other dignitaries at a function of the Improvement Trust in Faridkot on Sunday.

IMA wants 2005 as de-addiction year
Sangrur, January 2
The Punjab unit of the Indian Medical Association yesterday urged the Punjab Government to initiate steps to make Punjab an “intoxicants free state”, by declaring the year 2005 as “de-addiction year”.

Peace delegation arrives
Amritsar, January 2
Twenty persons under the banner of the Joint Indo-Pak Peace and Goodwill delegation of Overseas Indian and Pakistanis crossed over from Pakistan into India here today and read a joint declaration at the border.

4 Ahmediyas not allowed to board flight
Amritsar, January 2
Four Pakistani nationals, all Ahmediyas, who had sought political asylum in the United Kingdom were not allowed to board the Flightjet Airlines flight from the Rajasansi International Airport here yesterday.

DC promises to promote Punjabi
Sangrur, January 2
With a view to promoting Punjabi language, and literature, Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Husan Lal held a meeting with the local Punjabi writers here yesterday and assured them that their demands would be fulfilled on a priority basis.

Casteist remarks: SSP begins probe
Phagwara, January 2
The Kapurthala SSP, Mr Arun Pal Singh, is conducting an enquiry into the pertaining to a teacher who allegedly made caste based remarks against a student. Miss Satnam Kaur, a plus two student of Government Senior Secondary School for Girls, here, had accused her teacher, Mr Nirmal Singh of passing remarks on her caste which according to her were offensive.

Khalsa Panchayat alleges ‘conspiracy’ on water issue
Chandigarh, January 2
The Shiromani Khalsa Panchayat alleged today that some lobby with in the Punjab Government was conspiring against the interests of the state on water issue.

Railway staff to donate one-day salary
Phillaur, January 2
All staff members of Ferozepore Division of the Northern Railway have decided to donate their one-day salary amounting of Rs 50 lakh for the help of tsunami victims, the DRM, Mr Dharam Singh, said here today.

Relief fund for tsunami victims
Bathinda, January 2
A cheque for Rs 44,000 was presented by Mr Satpal Goyal, president, Wholesale Cloth Merchants Association, to Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Deputy Commissioner, as a contribution to the relief fund of the tsunami disaster.

50 doctors transferred
Faridkot, January 2
The Medical Education and Research Department, Punjab, has transferred about 50 doctors posted in various medical colleges. These include some doctors from Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot.

AGRICULTURE

New cultivation method yields bumper cane crop
Batala, January 2
Ring-pit plantation method of sugarcane introduced in some villages of Batala subdivision by Batala Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd has shown remarkable results for 1,195 farmers who planted the crop in 1294 acres.

CRIME

Rape accused held
Phagwara, January 2
The police today arrested two youths Raju and Satnam Singh and booked them under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC for raping a 13-year-old girl at the local Kaulsar Mohalla.

Two bodies of migrant labourers found
Patiala, January 2
Two disfigured bodies of migrant labourers were recovered from Darhheri Jattan village, near here, today. Disclosing this, police sources said the bodies were discovered today by the Darheri Jattan village sarpanch who informed the police.