Sikh groups against bypassing Salabatpura
Moga, June 21
Even as the district administration has suggested a new route from Dina Sahib here to Damdama Sahib in Bathinda district for the proposed Khalsa protest march to be held on June 24, Sikh organisations are determined to take the earlier route, involving Salabatpura.

Prez poll One more enters race Amritsar, June 21 A resident of the city, Baldev Singh Rathore, has decided to contest the presidential elections as an Independent. Claiming to have the support of 50 MLAs, he said yesterday that he was confident of winning the post.

B. S. Rathore

 

POLITICS

Assembly Session
Excesses: CM’s offer for setting up panel
Chandigarh, June 21
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave an open offer to Congress MLA and leader of the opposition in the Punjab assembly Rajinder Kaur Bhattal to set up a five-member committee to bring in his notice any case of “ political vendetta” and police excesses.

• Sidelights

COMMUNITY

Sarna dissociates from march
Amritsar, June 21
Fissures have appeared in the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC) with its Convener Parmjit Singh Sarna, president Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) dissociating himself from the proposed protest march to be taken from Gurdwara Dina Kangar to Takht Damdama Sahib on June 24 .

Question Hour
Teachers’ recruitment policy announced
Chandigarh, June 21
Education minister Upinderjit Kaur today announced in the Punjab assembly the criteria to be adopted to recruit about 20,000 teachers for government schools.

PSEB officials held hostage 
Amritsar, June 21
After six hours of high drama, two executive engineers and an SDO of the PSEB were today freed by villagers of the border village of Terha in Ajnala tehsil where they had gone to detect “un-authorised kundi connections”.

Protest against Gurgaon female foeticide
Patiala, June 21
The Global Punjab Foundation organised a meeting to protest against the recent Gurgaon female foeticide, at Rose Garden, here today.

Pak allows film team’s visit
Amritsar, June 21
The Pakistan government has given permission to a 25-member film delegation to conduct a survey of the historical buildings relating to the life of Shaheed Bhagat Singh for a Hindi feature film on the great revolutionary. The delegation would be headed by Rockey, grandson of late Sardar Hukam Singh, a former Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Blast victim 
Probe panel records statements
Amritsar, June 21
A four-member inquiry team, led by J.S. Dalal, director, research and medical education, yesterday visited Guru Nanak Dev Hospital to probe the alleged negligence into the treatment of blast victim Paramjit Singh, who had succumbed to injuries in the hospital on June 18.

Memorandum to SSP
Sangrur, June 21
A deputation of various Sikh organisations, led by SGPC member Nirmal Singh Gharachon and saint Buta Singh Gurthali Wale, today submitted a memorandum to the SSP in his office here, demanding the arrest of “killers” of Kanwaljit Singh.

Takht to decide on apology: SGPC chief 
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 21
Chief of SGPC Avtar Singh said here today that the SGPC would follow whatever directives were issued by Akal Takht over the latest apology letter sent by the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda.

Refinery
CM welcomes central nod to project
Chandigarh, June 21
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today welcomed the clearance given by the union cabinet for the refinery at Bathinda and said it would radically change the economy of the state, generate thousands of jobs and most importantly, re-buff any politically motivated propaganda that investors were fleeing Punjab since the SAD-BJP ruling combine was voted to power.

AGRICULTURE

Punjab to develop herbal farm
Rajpura, June 21
The Health Ministry has decided to develop a herbal farm at Dayalpur village, near here. Cabinet minister for health and family welfare Laxmi Kanta Chawla yesterday issued the orders in this regard.

Farmers’ Debt 
Cong ready to support Bill
Chandigarh, June 21
With two walkouts in as many days by the Congress during the ongoing budget session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, it expectedly evoked divergent reactions from the Congress and the SAD.

Kandi farmers being forced to pay for canal water
Hoshiarpur, June 21
Farmers living in the Kandi areas are being forced to pay for the irrigation water supplied either by the Punjab state tube well corporation (PSTC) or from the Kandi canal and the Dholbaha dam construction circles.

ADMINISTRATION

Dept promotes dead doctor
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 21
The state’s Health Department has not only promoted but given new posting to a doctor, who had died a month back.

Suspension of 2 sarpanches recommended 
Sangrur, June 21
Sangrur Deputy Commissioner S.R. Ladhar today recommended the suspension of Farwali village (Malerkotla) and Salemgarh village (Moonak) sarpanches for allegedly committing irregularities. The DC made these recommendations at a sangat darshan programme here today.

DC inspects damage caused to Beas
Gurdaspur, June 21
The district flood control committee headed by deputy commissioner Vivak Partap Singh inspected the most vulnerable area of the Beas today. The committee visited the Samraj complex near Shri Hargobindpur to check erosive tendency of the Beas towards its right edge.

CRIME

Groom dead in mishap
Abohar, June 21
Shyam Sunder Bishnoi a provincial civil service officer and his brother-in-law Atul were killed as Bishnoi was heading towards his hometown after marriage along with wife and others in the Anoopgarh area of Sriganganagar district on Wednesday. The car used by the newly weds was hit by a truck near Chak 12GB village. Atul (20) was driving the vehicle. His sister was among other three occupants of the car who received injuries.

2 cops held for cheating trader
Bathinda, June 21
Head constable Bhupinder Singh was arrested today allegedly for defrauding a Ludhiana- based trader.

2 fake travel agents held
Moga, June 21
The district police has arrested two fake travel agents for cheating a Dalit family.

7 arrested with poppy husk
Patiala, June 21
A police team arrested seven persons with 20 bags of poppy husk from different nakas, here today.

Man suffers shot wound in clash
Tarn Taran, June 21
Situation at border township Chabal, 16 km from here, remained tense today after the last night violence in which four persons were injured when a group of around 20 armed persons opened fire at the rival group.

EDUCATION

Migration of VC’s son under scrutiny
DRME to conduct probe
Patiala, June 21
Vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Dr Ravinder Singh is in a bind due to alleged illegal migration of his son from Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMCH) Ludhiana to Government Medical College here.

Entrance test cell open  on all days
Patiala, June 21
In view of the approaching last date for the submission of application forms for the BEd entrance test, scheduled for July 15, the Entrance Test Cell of Punjabi University will remain open on Saturdays and Sundays as well.

New MBA course in Ludhiana college
Chandigarh, June 21
Panjab University will conduct an entrance test for admission to the post-graduate course --MBA in commerce and information technology. The two-year degree course is being offered by Master Tara Singh Memorial College, Ludhiana, under the innovative scheme sponsored by the UGC.

Sikh Varsity
SGPC keen on sister campus in Pakistan
Fatehgarh Sahib, June 21
The SGPC, which is all set to develop a Sikh university in the district, has expressed keenness on a sister campus of the said university at International Guru Nanak Dev University (IGNDU) being planned at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.

Village girl tops MBA entrance test
Amritsar, June 21
“I did not believe my ears when Dr Gurnam Singh informed and congratulated me for having topped the MBA entrance examination conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University on June 17,” said Mandeep Kaur while talking to The Tribune here today.