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TOP STORIES

Bureaucracy comes under fire in Assembly
Chandigarh, October 14
Members of the Treasury Benches and the Opposition today joined hands in the Vidhan Sabha in launching a massive attack on Punjab bureaucracy, accusing it of inefficiency and inept in responding to the needs of development and industrialisation of the state.

Vidhan Sabha passes nine Bills
Chandigarh, October 14
Isolated instances of acrimony between the Treasury Benches and the Opposition notwithstanding, unanimity dominated proceedings in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha today, which, besides clearing two of nine Bills without a dissent, also resolved not to let bureaucrats head high-powered committees.

35 paise per km toll for motorists
Chandigarh, October 14
Motor vehicle owners in Punjab should be ready to pay 35 paise for each kilometre travelled by them on the roads and bridges of the state.

Rs 1.39 crore spent on car purchase
Chandigarh, October 14
For a long time the luxury cars of ministers have been in the news.

Assembly remembers quake victims
Chandigarh, October 14
The Punjab Assembly today observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to those who were killed due to earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan.

Three of family die in mishap, 30 hurt
Hoshiarpur, October 14
Four persons, including three of a family were killed and 30 wounded in four different accidents in Hoshiarpur district last night.

Woes weigh on cotton growers’ minds
Bathinda, October 14
Spate in cotton arrivals coupled with lack of space at the local grain market has led to woes for farmers as they have to wait for days to get their agricultural produce weighed.

Bid to kidnap boy foiled
Hoshiarpur, October 14
District police has foiled an attempt to kidnap a 10-year-old Sunil Kumar son of late Mr Sarabjit Singh of Sibo Chack by the two Sadhus yesterday.

Punjab’s LPG quota restored by Centre
Chandigarh, October 14
The Central Government has restored the quota of LPG for Punjab, ending the shortfall faced by the state last month. The state had quota of about 24,000 metric tonnes which had been slashed to 22,000 tonnes by oil companies following the urgent closure of an LPG bottling unit of a leading company based in Gujarat.

Foreign dreams turn into nightmare for 12 Indians
Ferozepore, October 14
Iran Police allegedly misled 12 Indian youths, who were duped by their travel agents, to enter Pakistan on the night of October 7, claimed the president of International Bhai Mardana Yadgari Kirtan Darbar Society here today.

COMMUNITY

Cops in dock over illegal possession of quarters
Bathinda, October 14
The district administration has recommended action against some policemen and an employee of the public Health Department who were caught holding illegal possession of four government quarters here.

Drive to identify kids with poor eyesight
Faridkot, October 14
The District Blindness Control Society(DBCS) has launched a special survey to identify people, particularly children, having problems in this district. To monitor the programme 30 medical teams has been constituted to visit every primary school to identify the problems.

Furniture godown gutted
Batala, October 14
A furniture showroom and godown was gutted in a devastating fire that broke out on the premises of Vishal Furniture House, here on Thursday.

AGRICULTURE

Farmers’ body vents ire over poor procurement
Sangrur, October 14
A large number of farmers, under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), led by Mr Joginder Singh Ugrahan, state president of the union, today blocked traffic for about four hours on Sunam-Patiala road and Sunam-Jakhal road at the ITI Chowk in Sunam, about 13 km from here.

CRIME

Pregnant woman set afire; husband held
Fazilka, October 14
A pregnant government schoolteacher Parveen Bala (27) of Basti Hazoor Singh locality here was allegedly burnt to death by her in-laws for dowry last night.

Man robbed of Rs 55,000
Hoshiarpur, October 14
Two unidentified motor cycle-borne youths snatched a bag containing Rs 55,000 from Mr Ram Parkash Kapila, a small savings agent, while he was going on his cycle near Tanda bus stand today.

Couple done to death in Ropar
Ropar, October 14
In an alleged case of contract killing, a couple of Agampur village was brutally done to death by four persons in the lure of money.

Cop held for graft
Moga, October 14
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau today arrested a head constable of the police posted at Billaspur post under Nihalsinghwala police station of this district on alleged graft charges.

EDUCATION

Punjabi varsity VC’s effigy burnt
Sangrur, October 14
In support of the agitation being run by the student organisations in Punjabi University, Patiala, the activists of the Punjab Radical Students Union (PRSU) and the Punjab Students Union (PSU) today burnt the effigy of Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor at the Akal Degree College in Mastuana Sahib, about five km from here.

Student unions hold protest
Patiala, October 14
Three students organisations — Punjab Students Union, Students Federation of India and Internationalist Democratic Students Front — held a demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on a call by the Panjab University Students Confederation.

Staff of private aided colleges court arrest
Chandigarh, October 14
About 500 teachers and staff members of the private aided colleges in Punjab were arrested here today. They were proceeding towards the state Assembly to protest against the suspension of pension to teachers and staff who retired after June, 1 2003.

School children used to promote computer centre’s business
Abohar, October 14
Schoolchildren today participated in an awareness rally organised by a private computer centre apparently, to propagate business.