Nawanshahr, December 14
There was no response to the call for taking out a victory march by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and to the bandh call given by Shiv Sena (Hindustan) in connection with the installation of portrait of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Registering no response to the calls by the two organisations life remained normal today. Shops remained open, buses plied normally and no traffic blockades were witnessed. The district administration made elaborate security arrangements to tackle any untoward incident. Gurpal Singh Bhatti, deputy commissioner and SSP B. Chandra Sekhar, along with senior civil and police officers also visited different towns to monitor law and order situation.

Jalandhar, December 14
Despite efforts by former technical education minister and senior Akali leader, Jagdish Singh Garcha, the standoff between the PTU authorities and contractual over the issue of regularisation could not be resolved on Friday.

Nearly 300 ad hoc and contractual employees of the university have been on an indefinite strike since Wednesday demanding regularisation.

While addressing the protesters, Garcha expressed solidarity with them. He then even went to meet the vice-chancellor Dr S.K. Salwan and other senior officials.

After the meeting, the former minister again talked to the employees, who demanded one-to-one interaction with the varsity management. A meeting was held between the two groups, but they fail to reach any conclusion.

The agitators insisted that instead of appointing new persons to fill up the regular posts, the varsity should regularise them, as they have been playing a vital role in the organisation from the last 11 years. They said they had been appointed by the state government because they fulfilled the eligibility criteria.

The employees demanded that the fresh criteria, calling for qualifications such as diploma holders for the post of driver, to be withdrawn. Employees also demanded formation of a committee to decide the nomenclature of the post and requisite qualifications.

Dr Salwan, however, maintained that maximum relaxation had been allowed such as increasing the age limit and considering their experience on the campus at the time of making fresh appointments.

Braving the chill, the protesters were seen sitting on the dharna in the open lawns till late evening on Friday and raising slogans against senior officials. Normal campus remained paralysed today too. Students are suffering due to the delay in the delivery of required documents.

PTU Employees Union president Yadwinder Singh said the union would continue the dharna outside the campus till a committee is formed to concede to their demands. He said officials had agreed to cancel advertisement for the posts of drivers and get data entry operations carried out by PTU staff, besides setting up of a committee including three union members to decide on posts and qualifications.

Hoshiarpur, December 14
The joint forum of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has decided to launch a decisive battle against the Punjab and Union governments against the proposed abolition of the PSEB and its handing over to the private sector.

In a press release here on Thursday, leader of the joint forum Om Parkash stated that under the proposed decisive battle, all the employees of the PSEB would stage protest, demonstration and mass dharna at Chandigarh on February 5, 2008, and would also observe a complete strike throughout the state on February 7.Members of the joint forum would make the public aware of the difficulties to be faced by the farmers, consumers, industrialists and employees after the abolition of the PSEB. A meeting with farmers would also be held on December 21 at Patiala.

Power has become costlier and beyond the reach of the common man in those states where state electricity boards had been abolished, Parkash claimed.