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Budget to focus on health, education, power
Chandigarh, April 9
Even as the coming budget of Punjab will be a delicate balancing act due to a combination of subsidies on account of various people-friendly sops, the SAD-BJP government will focus on education, health, power and infrastructure development by providing adequate funds. The budget -- likely to be presented in June -- will be more of a vision document for the next five years, said officials.

Seats in medical colleges may be reduced
Chandigarh, April 9
There is bad news for those preparing for the Punjab pre-medical entrance test (PMET). The number of seats in the various medical colleges in the state is likely to be reduced for the forthcoming session, rendering the competition tougher. While the Government Medical College and Hospital, Patiala, and Government Medical College and Hospital, Amritsar, have been found to be deficient by the Medical Council of India to admit students in the next session, reports of some other private medical colleges in the state is also expected in the coming days.

PSHRC notice to govt on Home Guard's torture
Chandigarh,April 9
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) today sought report from the Punjab Government in a case of alleged police torture of a Home Guard jawan posted at Nabha and is subsequent suicide attempt inside the police station.

 

 

POLITICS

Poll-eve tubewell connections put on hold
Patiala, April 9
Over 3000 tubewell connections issued by the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) under the priority scheme just before the assembly elections, have been put on hold.

COMMUNITY

Blind murder case solved
Amritsar, April 9
The police here today claimed to have solved a blind murder case within three days. An old woman was allegedly killed by her relative in her house on March 6 under the Islamabad police station.

Dist Planning Board seeks report on funds
Gurdaspur, April 9
To detect irregularity in the use of funds in development works taken up in the district during the Congress rule, the SAD-BJP alliance government has sought a report form the officer concerned by April 15. The issue was raised by SAD-BJP leaders at the first meeting of the District Planning Board held under the chairmanship of Punjab forest minister Tikshan Sud, here today.

No phone-tapping machines bought, claim officials
Chandigarh, April 9
Punjab police officials, who were posted in the intelligence wing during the previous Amarinder Singh regime, have clearly stated that “no phone-tapping machines were ever purchased in the past.” Hence, there is no question of handing over any such machine to anybody, well-placed sources said today.

Summer brings water woes
Bathinda, April 9
The onset of summer has triggered off an acute shortage of drinking water in many parts of the city.

Crucial meeting on housing projects today 
Chandigarh, April 9
The issue of reframing the guidelines for housing projects near industries will come up at a meeting to be held under the chairmanship of the Punjab chief secretary here tomorrow.

Residents force admn to stop work on court complex
Malerkotla, April 9
The management of a mosque in the Quila Rehmatgarh area here today stopped the construction work by the administration in the area adjoining the mosque.

Dept cracks down on chemists
Patiala, April 9
The health department today cracked down on chemists selling medicines illegally. The civil surgeon said in Moog Khera village Rajinder Singh was running a physician shop without any registration and licence. Twentyfive types of medicines were seized.

2 killed as bus rams into tree
Gurdaspur, April 9
Two passengers died and 26 others sustained injuries when the bus they were travelling in rammed into a tree on the Gurdaspur-Batala highway at Mahadev Kalan village, near here, this morning.

One killed in accident
Ropar, April 9
One person was killed and 48 sustained injuries when a truck carrying a group of pilgrims overturned on the Ropar-Kiratpur Sahib national highway.

MLA hurt in car accident
Amritsar, April 9
Manjinder Singh Kang, Beas MLA, was injured when his bullet proof car rammed into a stray animal today. He was going to his constituency. He was rushed to a private hospital for treatment.

CRIME

3 youths rob bank of  Rs 5 lakh
Nawanshahr, April 9
Three unidentified youths assaulted a bank security guard, opened fire on the bank premises and looted Rs 5 lakh from the cooperative bank branch of nearby Ghataron village here today.

Boy battling for life
Bus hits auto-rickshaw
Patiala, April 9
A collision between a PRTC bus and an auto-rickshaw, carrying schoolchildren, this morning has left 12-year-old Avneet Singh battling for his life at the Government Rajindra Hospital here.

Bribery case
SE to face suspension 
Bathinda, April 9
The Punjab Government has decided to put V. K. Setia, superintendent engineer working for the local Municipal Corporation, under suspension for his alleged involvement in taking bribe from an applicant for sanctioning the site plan for the construction of a building.

Blue bull meat seized
Hoshiarpur, April 9
Nirmaljit Singh Randhawa, DFO (Wild Life), Hoshiarpur, said here today that a team of the wild life department raided the house of Rakesh Kumar in Sector-3, Talwara, last night and seized 25 kg of blue bull meat.

EDUCATION

Reader aspirants smell a rat, to boycott interview
Patiala April 9
Pandemonium is prevailing in Punjabi University, Patiala.The four candidates appearing for interview for the post of reader in the Department of Public Administration scheduled for tomorrow have decided to boycott the interview.

Varsity appointments on recommendations?

Patiala April 9 Were appointments at Punjabi University, Patiala, made on the recommendations of influential people? The appointment of a lecturer in the department of public administration points to this fact. As per documents available with The Tribune, Kanwalpreet Kaur Virk, a resident of Salaria Vihar urban estate, Patiala, moved an application before the vice-chancellor in May last year. A copy of an application carrying the recommendation of Punjabi University VC and vice-chairman of the State Planning Commission S.S. Johl. — A Tribune photograph

VC orders suspension of history dept teaching work
Patiala, April 9
Acting on the report of the head of the department of history, Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University Swaran Singh Boparai has ordered immediate closure of the history department for an indefinite period.

103 recruited at job fair
Sangrur, April 9
One hundred and three students from over 40 engineering, management and pharmacy institutes of various parts of the country like Punjab, Haryana, HP, Bihar and UP were given jobs when they participated in a massive recruitment drive, Mega Job Fair-2007, which concluded on the campus of the Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology (BGIET) here today.

BUSINESS

Heritage trees for Rs 96,000 !
Amritsar, April 9
The district administration has auctioned as many as 47 green trees, some of them having heritage value, for Rs 96,000 only ! These trees were planted in the erstwhile Saragarhi Memorial School, which was demolished to pave the way for a multi-storeyed parking.

Centre’s yes to hike in FDI cap in Bathinda refinery
Chandigarh, April 9
The Union Government has agreed to allow 49 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Bathinda oil refinery project.