Bridge washed away, 60 villages cut off
Mirthal (Pathankot), March 14
More than 60 villages of Bet area have been cut off after a makeshift bridge on Chhaki rivulet, near here, was washed away due to heavy downpour in this part of the region since Sunday.
The makeshift bridge had come up at a cost of Rs 1.95 crore.
Vidhan Sabha session from today
Chandigarh, March 14
The 13th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, which holds its first session from tomorrow, has its agenda cut out. Besides endorsing the vote on account for the first three months of the new financial year, it will elect its Speaker and decide who will go to the Rajya Sabha in place of Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder who died in harness some months ago.
Post officers of our choice, MLAs tell Badal
Chandigarh, March 14
Asserting their authority, MLAs of the SAD and the BJP today made it clear to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that officers of the rank of DSP and SDM should be posted with their consent in the subdivisions falling in their respective Vidhan Sabha segments.
New AC bus services from airport
Chandigarh, March 14
The Punjab government will start special airconditioned bus services from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, to various destinations in Punjab.
The government will also induct 93 ordinary buses for other routes at a cost of Rs 12 crore.
Rs 800-crore Amritsar land deal scam
Amritsar, March 14
Farmers are up in arms against the move of the Amritsar Improvement Trust to acquire 156 acres for the New Amritsar Phase II Scheme, even as a chunk of land in the heart of the scheme has been exempted for a coloniser.
PPCC to seek relief for farmers from PM
Jalandhar March 14
Seeking adequate compensation for farmers whose crops have been damaged by incessant rains in Punjab, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee has decided to seek the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.
Dullo asked to name ‘important person’
Jalandhar, March 14
The statement of former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Shamsher Singh Dullo that an "important person" had distributed crores of rupees in his constituency to ensure his defeat in the recent assembly poll can put the Congress in the dock as the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) has asked Dullo to reveal the name of the "important person."
Social boycott of Dalit farm workers alleged
Dirba SHO refutes allegation
Sangrur, March 14
High-caste landlords of Dhandholi Kalan
village, near Dirba, have allegedly socially boycotted Dalit agriculture workers of the village to "teach them a lesson." The workers have been demanding full wages and had not allegedly cast vote in the recently conducted Assembly elections to the candidates of the landlords’
choice.
Truckers block traffic
Charge of toll on Hoshiarpur-Tanda road
Hoshiarpur, March 14
Following a controversy over charging of Rs 128 a toll from every truck per trip by Aggarwal Infrastructural Company at toll-plaza Lachowal village, truck operators of the area blocked traffic by parking trucks on either side of the plaza from 11 am to 1.30 p.m. today at Lachowal village, 8 km from here today on the
Hoshiarpur-Tanda road.
Encroachment
Canteen on visitors’ area
Patiala, March 14
A private contractor has encroached upon the visitors’ area opposite the gynaecology ward of the Government Rajindra Hospital here to make space for a canteen. The land is owned by the Red Cross Society.
4 of a family buried alive as roof caves in
Jalandhar, March 14
In a tragedy, four persons of a family, a couple and their two
children, were buried alive under the debris as the roof of their room in the local Hardayal Nagar caved
in. Their two other children were injured in the roof-collapse.
Unmanned rly crossing puffs out 2 lives
Tarn Taran, March 14
An unmanned railway crossing claimed two more lives in the border belt today when vehicle of the security guards of Tarn Taran MLA Harmit Singh Sandhu rammed into a diesel multiple unit, near Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran crossing here. Two other securitymen, one of them seriously, were also injured.
Build electric crematorium soon: DMC
Amritsar, March 14
The Durgiana managing committee here today urged the municipal council to restart the construction work on the electric crematorium in Shiv Puri near the shrine as the people were facing problems in performing the last rites of their kin.
Customs burns 8 quintals of poppy husk
Amritsar, March 14
About 8.26 quintals of poppy husk valued at Rs 4.96 lakh in the market seized during 2004 was consigned to flames in a furnace of a private factory by the Customs Commissionerate here
today.
18 excise officers fail in excise law
Ludhiana, March 14
Eighteen of the 23 excise and taxation officials who appeared for the examination in November, failed in the excise law paper. The results of the departmental examination of the excise and taxation officers/inspectors held by the central committee of examination, Punjab, in November last was declared recently.
