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Battlelines drawn for Bholath seat
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Kandi canal: state to pay
for slow pace Protest over Saddam’s hanging Programme on blood donation Safai workers gherao Mayor’s house Man booked for firing in air
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Sukhbir Badal seeks transfer of DGP Jalandhar, January 1 He alleged that the DGP had been instructing the SSPs and other police officers regarding running a Congress campaign in the state. He said there were plans to use postal ballots for police employees and other staff on poll duty. Since the party members apprehended passing of fake votes in this case, they had asked the commission to do away with any such arrangement. The SAD general secretary also asked the bureaucracy to not to act on government diktats. The SSPs, RTOs and DTOs had been asked to arrange 100 TVs and 100 VCRs each for running a Congress campaign in 12,000 villages, he said. A state-level rally for traders would be held at Ludhiana on January 9.
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Battlelines drawn for Bholath seat Kapurthala, January 1 According to an announcement made by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at a public rally in Nadala on September 16 last year, Kapurthala District Congress Committee (DCC) chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira will be the Congress candidate from Bholath. Similarly, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has declared its sitting MLA and former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur as its candidate from Bholath in its first list of 62 candidates released on Saturday. It will be third time in a row when the Bibi and Mr Khaira will contest against each other from Bholath. During the last two elections in 1997 and 2002, Bibi Jagir Kaur emerged victorious on both occasions. While the Bibi secured 53,168 votes, Mr Khaira could get only 25,141 votes in 1997. Thus, the Bibi had registered her victory by a huge margin of 28,027 votes that time. However, the Bibi, also a former minister, got 41,937 votes and Mr Khaira 30,559 in 2002 and the margin of victory was reduced to 11,378 votes. Community affiliations are likely to affect the prospects of the candidates. The Lubana and Jat communities are almost in equal numbers in the Bholath constituency. Mr Khaira and Bibi Jagir Kaur had already started their electioneering in different parts of the constituency. Mr Khaira is raising the issue of ‘development’ made in the constituency by Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government at his public meetings and levelling allegations against the Bibi that she had not done any development during Mr Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government between 1997 and 2002. On the contrary, Bibi Jagir Kaur is seeking hes re-election on the issue of “development” works done by the SAD government. She is also making an appeal to re-elect her to form Mr Badal-led SAD-BJP government in the state again to get rid of the “corrupt” Amarinder government. Whether the Bibi will be able to make a hat-trick of winning the seat or Mr Khaira will make his debut in the state Assembly via Bholath this time. However, one thing is clear tht both will leave no stone unturned to ensure their victory.
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Fog greets New Year Phagwara, January 1 The people woke up to a chilly and misty morning and the fog continued to engulf the area till afternoon. The road traffic moved at a snail’s pace with vehicles having their headlights on till late in the day due to poor visibility. However, spicy SMSs, with interesting New Year greetings, warmed up the people’s hearts in the chilly weather. SMSs and e-greetings outdid greeting cards. A favourite SMS here highlighted the specialities of New Year thus: "It starts with Monday and also ends on Monday, the year hasgot the highest number of Sundays and Saturdays, no public holidays on Sundays, so enjoy the least working year". Another SMS was a little brain teaser having a good coinage, one having the potential of gaining popularity and currency of “Gandhigiri” of Lage Raho Munna Bhai fame. The coinage was "Gangulyfied". When a teacher quizzed a student to translate a sentence, “aap ko beizzat kar ke bahar nikal dia aur phir wapis bula liya gaya” into English, the student shot back: “You have been 'Gangulyfied'”. The coinage evidently refers to the unceremonius ouster of former captain of the Indian cricket team Sourav Ganguly from the team and his subsequent reinduction into it. New Yar revellers did not miss the headache caused by the network problem that went crowding/failed last midnight for long. “B4 my SMS gets lost in the overcrowded network, I m sending u my wishes for a vry vry Happy New Year," reads an SMS.
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Kandi canal: state to pay
for slow pace Hoshiarpur, January 1 According to the official sources, the construction of 70.50 km-long canal from Hoshiarpur to Balachaur had started on August 20, 2005. It was scheduled to be completed before March 31, 2007. But the construction without was going on at a slow pace. No bridges have been finalised yet to complete the work within the prescribed period. Sources said that Mr V. K. Mantrao, Chief Engineer, Irrigation Works Punjab, in a recent latter to Mr A. K. Batta, Superintending Engineer (SE), Kandi Canal, Hoshiarpur, had written that the construction of the second phase was being done under the fast-track programme of the AIBP Scheme of the Union Government but the pace of the construction was slow, which clearly indicated that it could not be completed within the prescribed period. He had advised the SE to speed up the construction of the main canal along with bridges and drain crossings. |
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Protest over Saddam’s hanging
Phagwara, January 1 Demonstrators led by Mohammed Sultan Shah Sabri, vice-president of the Mustkeen Sultan Mohammed Muslim Bhaichara Front (MSMMBF), shouted anti-US slogans, burnt the effigy of US President George W. Bush at Gol Chowk. The protest started about 11 a.m. from dargah on the Palahi Road after ‘Eid’ celebrations. Talking to mediapersons, Sabri said: “If Saddam was responsible for killing 148 innocents, who was responsible for death of six lakh civilians in Iraq in the past few years? Who was going to hang those responsible for that massacre?” ‘The ‘martyr’ would live on in our hearts and we would name our children and grandchildren after him,” added a Muslim activist.
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Programme on blood donation Hoshiarpur, January 1 The programme aimed to motivate all healthy persons from 18-60 years to donate blood voluntarily. Dr Ajay Bagga, a social activists, said one crore units of blood were required every year in India but only 60 lakh unit were collected by voluntary donation. Citizens should make voluntary blood donation a part of life, he added. Prof Bahadur Singh, president, Eye Donors Association, and Dr Avnish Ohri, president, Savera, donated blood for the 40th and 11th times, respectively.
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Safai workers gherao Mayor’s house
Jalandhar, January 1 The Safai Mazdoor Union, which is supported by the sewerage and water supply labour and drivers’ and technical labour union, began a rally from outside the MC office this morning and reached the Mayor’s residence at GTB Nagar. The agitating workers’ rally went through Namdev Chowk, Circuit House, Guru Nanak Mission Chowk and Nakodar Chowk, raising slogans against the Mayor, Mr Surinder Mahey, for not fulfilling their demands, including an increase in wages, regularisation, improving grades and ensuring check on societies allegedly victimising them. The protest continued outside the Mayor’s residence for over half an hour. The protesting workers had also planned a dharna outside the residence of Mr Mahinder Singh Kaypee, Minister for Social Security, Punjab, today but it was put off at the last moment, said Mr Naresh Kumar, a representative. Meanwhile, city residents have been at a receiving end for the past one week as garbage is not being lifted from colonies in the MC area. The garbage heaps have been piling up at all intersections, particularly on Nakodar Road, near Railway Station and Makhdoompura areas.
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Man booked for firing in air Jalandhar, January 1 Satwinder Singh Chahal, along with three others, including his brother Shindu and his nephew Manjit Singh, were booked on the complaint of Kishore Kumar of the same locality. According to police sources, injured Kishore Kumar was admitted to the Civil Hospital as he had allegedly been beaten up by the accused. An FIR under Sections 336, 323, 324, 427 and 34 IPC and 25/54/59 of the Arms Act was registered against the accused. No arrests have been made. |
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