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Badal govt biased, says Virk’s counsel 
Chandigarh, February 20
After seven adjournments, the counsel for former DGP S.S. Virk argued for four hours in the DGP suspension case at the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) here today.

Power Tariff
Clear subsidy arrears before rollback, panel to govt
Chandigarh, February 20
Though the BJP, a coalition partner in the Punjab government, is insisting for the rollback of power tariff that was hiked a few months ago by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission, there appears to be no possibility of it.

Diesel scam in Roadways depot
3 held for embezzling fuel worth lakhs
Hoshiarpur, February 20
A diesel scam involving the embezzlement of lakhs of rupees has been unearthed in the Punjab Roadways Depot here. The works manager of the depot got a case of embezzlement registered against four employees of the department at the Model Town police station last evening.

Come March, pay Rs 3 more for milk
Ludhiana, February 20
Milk will get costlier in Punjab by Rs 3 per litre next month onwards. Troubled by “steep” rise in the cost of cattle feed, dairy farmers across the state today decided to effect the hike from March 1.

Sukhbir mobilises cadres
Patiala/Sangrur, February 20
Shiromani Akali Dal president and MP Sukhbir Singh Badal today demanded from the Central government a loan waiver for farmers in view of the bad state of farm economy in Punjab.






President of the SAD Sukhbir Singh Badal addresses a gathering at Rajpura on Wednesday. Photo: J.S.Virdi

COMMUNITY

Following UNAIDS study, govt declares war on injecting drug use
Chandigarh, February 20
Within months of a UNAIDS study showing high HIV prevalence (13.80 per cent) among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Punjab, the state government today admitted to having destroyed prescription drugs worth Rs 1.60 crore across the state over the past year. This is the largest ever seizure of prescription drugs in the state.

WHO Fellowship for Medicos
Date of application extended
Mohali, February 20
Dr Roshan Sunkaria, secretary health-cum-managing director, Punjab Health Systems Corporation, said here yesterday that the last date for applying to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Fellowship programme had been extended to February 29, 2008. The WHO had announced more than 500 fellowships for health professionals under the WHO’s fellowship programme for the biennium 2008-09.

Nod to Sikh school in Southall
Amritsar, February 20
The secretary of state at the Government Office for London and mayor of London Ken Livingstone have given the green light for a Sikh primary school in Southall.

Pension cases of dam staff returned
Chandigarh, February 20
The Retired Workmen and Other Employees Welfare Association of the Ranjit Sagar Dam Project has expressed concern over the returning of pension cases of employees without sanction by the government authorities.

Panel to study pension for aided school employees
Chandigarh, February 20
Education minister Upinderjit Kaur today met a deputation of the Punjab State Aided Schools Teachers and Other Employees Union led by Gurcharan Singh Chahal.

Ferozepur Central Jail
HR panel seeks report on medical facilities
Chandigarh, February 20
Taking note of an article that appeared in a Punjabi daily, on medical facilities in the Ferozepur Central Jail, the Punjab Human Rights Commission has asked civil surgeon, Ferozepur, to file a reply seeking details of the same.

Playwright Fariyadi dead
Bathinda, February 20
Renowned, poet, lyricist, playwright and opera writer Jagdish Fariyadi died at his house here this morning. He was 81. He was also one of the founder members of the state unit of IPTA (Indian Peoples Theatre).

CM’s media adviser bereaved
Chandigarh, February 20
Gurdev Singh Bains (59), a brother of Harcharan Bains, media adviser to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, died due to cardiac arrest at the PGI here last night.

4 of family die in accident
Amritsar, February 20
Four members of a family were killed on the spot while two others seriously injured when the car in which the family was travelling collided with a private bus near Jathuwal village, 8 km from here, this morning. The driver of the bus fled from the accident site.

CM greets people
Chandigarh, February 20
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today felicitated people of the state on the 631st Parkash Utsav of Guru Ravidas.

COURTS

Red beacons to 20 SGPC members: Punjab Govt
Chandigarh, February 20
The Punjab government has so far issued permission for red beacons to 20 SGPC members, while security has been provided to 10 on the basis of threat perception.

EDUCATION

Faux Pas
Pupils taught from new book, tested from old
Bassi Pathana, February 20
Strange are the ways of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), they introduced a new Punjabi book for Class-V students and taught from it, but the paper was set from the old book.

BUSINESS

Condemned jeep awaits auction
Sangrur, February 20
A discarded jeep of the Drainage Department lying at the district administrative complex here for the past several years has been attracting the attention of many as it has been adversely marring the beauty of this multi-crore complex. The jeep has now turned into junk. Besides this, several parts of this jeep have been stolen. The window panes on both sides of the front seat and a headlight are also not there. The engine is also in a very bad shape.
The condemned jeep lying at the district administrative complex in Sangrur. Photo by writer