POLITICS

SAD’s Feb 26 Rally in Delhi
All state roads lead to Delhi
Chandigarh, February 24
All roads in Punjab are leading to Delhi. This will hold true at least for the next two days. The first batch of Congress leaders from Punjab left this morning to reach in time for the “scheduled date” with the party high command. Their political rivals in saffron and blue representing the SAD-BJP alliance too will start converging on Delhi from tomorrow for what is being termed as a “historic” “Insaf Rally to persuade the Centre concede more doles for Punjab”.

Buses go off road, rural passengers worst hit

Ludhiana, February 24 The public transport system, especially on rural routes in the state, has been seriously hit with private buses vanishing from the roads after Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) leaders allegedly adopted legal and illegal methods to arrange the vehicles for ferrying people to Delhi for a massive rally there on February 26. Commuters wait for buses on the Pakhowal road in Ludhiana on Sunday. — Photo by Inderjeet Verma

COMMUNITY

Dense fog forces CM to cancel visit Gurdaspur, February 24 Dense fog in this part of the region forced Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal to cancel his visit to the Dera Baba Nakak area, thus disappointing a large number of residents of the area. Commuters cross a railway track through dense fog close to the railway station in Amritsar on Sunday. — AFP photo

Woes of PAU pensioners
Ludhiana, February 24
Woes of pensioners of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) do not seem to have any solution in the near future. Rather, the woes are on the increase as they (pensioners) have not received pension for the past four months.

Solar power: Rs 10 per unit subsidy offered
Chandigarh, February 24
The Union government has offered a liberal subsidy on producing solar energy. Sources said the Union government would offer Rs 10 for addition of each unit in the power grid from the energy produced.

Community Policing Officers leave the scheme
Tarn Taran, February 24
The Community Policing Officer (CPO) scheme launched in this district one and half years back can be termed a failure as most of the CPOs have left the job.

Tributes paid to Bularia
Amritsar, February 24
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, along with SAD president Sukhbir Badal and leaders of various political parties, today attended the bhog and antim ardas ceremony of Raminder Singh Bularia, MLA of Amritsar (South), here today.

Bathinda boy plays Ash’s fiance in ‘Jodhaa Akbar’

Bathinda, February 24 The Malwa area of Punjab has a reason to feel proud. A son of the soil, Amandeep Dhaliwal, whose family hails from Ghumman Kalan village in Bathinda and presently resides at Mansa, has made a mark in Bollywood by acting in the blockbuster “Jodhaa Akbar.” Amandeep Dhaliwal (second from right) takes last-minute tips from Ashutosh Gowarikar, director of “Jodhaa Akbar,”during the shooting of the film.

Maharashtra incidents condemnable: RSS leader
Amritsar, February 24
The Maharashtra incidents, in which workers and supporters of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) attacked north Indians after alleged instigation by its chief Raj Thackrey, was unfortunate and should be condemned by one and all.

Poll: IDP starts awareness programme
Nabha, February 24
With an eye on the coming civic body elections, the International Democratic Party (IDP) has started an awareness programme in the state. The party organised an interactive seminar here on Friday to educate people about the rights and duties of elected representatives in municipal councils and the role of voters in improving filthy politics.

Improve civic amenities in Zirakpur: Assn
Chandigarh, February 24
Miffed at the apathetic attitude of the authorities concerned, the Commercial Welfare Association (godown area), Zirakpur, today sought the intervention of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to stem the rot in the area housing the godowns of multinational companies.
                                                                                      F.S. Nagra

AGRICULTURE

Farmers told to reduce area under paddy
Sangrur, February 24
The Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, and the Farm Advisory Service Scheme (FASS), Sangrur, organised a convention on “Alternative cropping systems to rice-wheat in saving of irrigation water” at Majhi village near Bhawanigarh, under the leadership of Dr Mandeep Singh, district extension specialist, Sangrur, yesterday. 

Malwa region agriculturists rue dry canals
Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda), February 24
Dry irrigation canals in the Malwa heartland of Punjab have made agriculturists weep. Most of the canals and tributaries in the area have been lying dry and causing drinking water crisis for the past two months, farmers cry.

The filthy tank of a water filtration plant at Jajjal village in Talwandi Sabo block has been lying dry for the past two months and (right) selling drinking water is brisk business in many villages of Talwandi Sabo block. — Tribune photos by Kulbir Beera