Punjab Government sanctions 4.4 cr grant for soldiers’ kin
Chandigarh, March 20
The Punjab Government has sanctioned a sum of Rs 4.4 crore for grant of monetary benefits to parents of soldiers belonging to the state who were killed during counter-insurgency operations.
Death sentence for rape, murder of minor
Mansa, March 20
Mr M.S. Chohan, Additional Sessions Judge, Mansa, has sentenced Amrit Singh, a resident of this district, to death after holding him guilty of raping a minor and then murdering her on November 3, 2003.
Parents’ wait ends in happiness
Nadala (Kapurthala), March 20
A long wait of parents to see their 20-year-old son came to an end when he was released by the Pakistan government from Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.
It was a festive atmosphere in the house of Mr Satpal Lahoria and Ms Ramesh
Rani, parents of Narinder Pal, at Nadala village of Bhulath sub-division as they sat by his side narrating how some fake travel agents duped them, along with 31 other youngsters from the region.
Endless
wait for missing daughter
Jalandhar, March 20
With a picture in their hands, Nirmal Singh
(45) and his wife, Baljinder Kaur, have been running from pillar to post in
search of their married daughter for the past over two months. But what has made
them sad is that all their efforts have failed to yield any result so far.
CM accused of double standards
Amritsar, March 20
The Dal Khalsa and Khalsa Panchayat today accused Capt Amarinder Singh of adopting double standards over Punjabis languishing in jails in Pakistan and India.
While Capt Amarinder Singh’s initiative in taking up the cause of Punjabis lodged in various jails of Pakistan was a welcome step, he failed to take any steps to get prisoners released from Indian jails.
Bureaucrats spoiling image of government, says Bhattal
Bathinda, March 20
In a significant statement that could have far-reaching effect on the political-bureaucratic relations in the state, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today said a section of bureaucrats had been spoiling the image of the Congress government.
NRI’s reel tribute to Amritsar’s communal amity
Amritsar, March 20
Mr Sukhdev Singh Kalsi, a Canadian citizen and a mechanical designer by profession, is currently in the city to shoot a documentary film on Sri Harmandar Sahib which would also highlight the city’s exemplary communal harmony even during the peak days of militancy.
Mr Sukhdev Singh Kalsi, an NRI Sikh, who is making film on Harmandar
Sahib.
— Tribune photo by Rajiv Sharma
Gen Harbaksh’s kin seeks justice after assault
by in-laws
Patiala, March 20
A local woman, who is the grandniece of the late General Harbaksh Singh, today claimed that the Sadar Police had let her in-laws, against whom she had registered a case of attempt to murder and kidnapping, get away even after they were picked up from their house. The woman claimed that the family of a prominent Shiromani Akali Dal
leader was helping the accused.
Punjabi girls being ‘forced’ into flesh trade abroad
Jalandhar, March 20
Besides a large number of Punjabi youths, the fate of around 250 girls from Punjab, who were being “forced” to indulge in flesh trade, hangs in balance in countries like Singapore and Malaysia, where they have been pushed into the trade by unscrupulous travel agents.
Mother strives in vain for justice
Chandigarh, March 20
Belo Devi’s struggle for justice seems unending. She has been running from pillar to post for the past seven years, to bring the politically-connected influential alleged assailants of her nine-year-old son to book.
Pak continues to recognise Lahore was founded by
Lord Rama’s son
Chandigarh, March 20
What should warm the cockles of millions of Indian hearts, especially of the Hindus, is the fact that Pakistan continues to recognise officially that Lahore, which is now called the heart of Pakistan, was founded by Lav, son of Lord Rama.
35 hurt as PRTC bus overturns
Sangrur, March 20
Nearly 35 persons were injured, nine of them seriously, when a bus of the PRTC, Sangrur Depot, overturned between Kakuwala and Dugal villages, near Patran, on the Dirba-Patran road this afternoon.
World Forest Day
celebrated
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 20
“It is the moral duty of society to prevent unnecessary interference with the working of Nature, if we continued to disturb it, it would disturb us. If we want our coming generations to live in clean environment, we have to stop felling of trees and to plant as many trees as we can,” said Dr Harbans Lal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary while addressing a gathering at World Forest Day celebration function being organised by the district environment protection society near Gurdwara Jyoti Swarup Sahib here today.
Fire in train; mishap averted
Phillaur, March 20
It was a close shave for passengers of Jammu Tawi-bound 4609 Up Hemkunt-Jammu Tawi Express, when the last coach caught fire, which was noticed by a Railway police constable Surinder Singh at Phillaur railway station, as soon as the train left the railway station at 11.44 pm on Friday. The constable rushed to Railway police post in charge ASI Subhash Kumar who immediately, informed the train driver and guard through railway officials by wireless and the train was stopped between Phillaur and Bhattian railway station.
9 pilgrims injured in road mishap
Phagwara, March 20
Nine pilgrims, including three members of a family, were injured near Guru Nanak Nagar on the Phagwara bypass in an accident involving two tractor-trailers they were riding here this afternoon.
Farmers urged to take up cultivation of hyola
Chandigarh, March 20
India imports almost a third of its entire oil requirement, costing the national exchequer Rs 12,000 crore annually. The country accounts for 9.3 per cent of the world oil seed production, yet about 43 per cent of the edible oil in India is imported.
Five arrested in child marriage case
Ferozepore, March 20
The police has arrested five persons in connection with a case in which a 12-year-old girl was forcibly married off to an aged person.
Pritam Kaur, daughter of Mewa Singh of Makhu village, was forcibly married off to 45-year-old Gurmukh Singh in Gurdwara Bhagoke.
Heroin worth 7 cr seized; 3 arrested
Amritsar, March 20
Close on the heels of the seizure of 9 kg of narcotics by the Amritsar police, the Customs Department here and the Majitha police in a joint operation seized 7 kg of heroin and arrested three persons in this regard.
Kingpin of gang nabbed
Phagwara, March 20
The police today arrested Amarjit Singh, kingpin of a three-member gang of thieves, and recovered from him six bicycles, one gold chain and 15 quintals of potatoes.
Two books on Punjab history released
Patiala, March 20
Two books on Punjab history were released today at the valedictory session of the three-day Punjab historical conference being held at Punjabi University here.
Delivering the Dr Sita Ram Kohli Memorial Lecture in the conference on “Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Jammu Hill States” Prof Jigar Mohammed from Jammu University said that Maharaja Ranjit Singh was one of those rulers of India who acquired political power by their hard work, sincerity and well-planned strategy.
Punjab to establish Urdu academy:
Bhattal
Patiala, March 20
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said today that astrology should be pursued as a scientific profession, adding the Punjab Government would do its bit to promote astrology as a science. She also announced that the state government was in the process of establishing an Urdu academy.
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Trouble arose on Sri Durgiana Mandir premises as the police did not allow hundreds of BJP-led Sangharsh Committee members, led by Mr Ramesh Sharma, to visit the temple in the afternoon today. 