Jalandhar, March 5
The election commission of India has empowered the National Information Centre (NIC) by assigning it some major tasks and taking its much-needed technical support for the smooth and fair conduct of the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

While the NIC had helped the election commission by devising a software for an electronic random selection of the government staff to be deputed at different polling booths in the last assembly elections, this time the centre has been given similar duties on a more extensive scale.

The staff have been asked to set up a software for random picking of the electronic voting machines as well as the appointment of micro-observers for poll duties in different booths of different constituencies.

“No one will know till the last day as to which machine is being sent where and which observer will be sent to which area, just as the polling staff in the assembly elections did not know till the previous evening as to which booth they will be dropped in for duty. The exercise helps further mitigate any minimal chance of bungling in the elections even in highly sensitive areas,” they revealed.

Further, the NIC has been asked to devise a communication plan near all polling booths for developing communication links with the staff there on the polling day or a day before.

Since no mobile phones are allowed inside the booth on the polling day, the NIC staff have been asked to prepare a list of contact numbers of SHOs, SDMs, lambardars, village chowkidars or resource persons of the area in which a polling booth is set up.

The entire list of contact numbers for each booth across the country will be entered and uploaded into the NIC’s software.

This arrangement is being made so that the officers sitting in the election commission office in Delhi or Chandigarh could make random checks even in a remotely set up booth, pass on any fresh directions, verify a complaint or even directly make a query into the conduct of poll.

Jalandhar, March 5
The UK cannot afford to lose out on the tremendous economic growth potential of India and the country is on top of the England’s business strategy.

India, with a GDP of 7 per cent, is tipped to be the one of the three most growing economies in the world in the near future and no country can overlook this crucial factor with the economies of most of the developing world on the downswing in the current global meltdown, says Helen Deas, head, East Midland India Business Bureau.

Speaking at a session of “East Midland relation with India” organised by the CII and Punjab Link Council (PLC), UK, in the city here this evening, she said although certain sectors were affected during the financial crisis but overall the trade balance had been in their favour.

Presently, the current volume of trade between both countries was about 1 billion pounds annually, she added.

She said the key theme of the tour was growth through the delivery of shared visions between Punjab and the East Midlands region of the UK that matched Punjab in agri-business, engineering, education, textiles and research.

“We are keen to develop partnerships in these fields besides sharing diverse and advanced technologies in space, transport, waste treatment, bio and life sciences,” she added.

She said East Midlands also was host to high-quality services, innovative design education, skills assessment and freight transport and the region was home to nine leading universities and colleges of their country.

Resh Plaha, director, Crystal Quality,UK, said high standards and quality played an integral role in the market place and facilitated trade.

As the volume of trade between both countries grew, increased cooperation in the area of standards and conformity assessment systems and their regulation in India and the UK had to be ensured.

Earlier, Baljit Singh, CEO, PLC, said they were here to meet entrepreneurs to come together to develop long-term mutually beneficial businesses in Punjab.

Hoshiarpur, March 5
Devotees of the ancient Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Karam Singh at Badaon village in Mahilpur block of this district were in for a surprise as they found a perfectly intact grave of Shaheed Baba Karam Singh while digging the plinth of a building during reconstruction of the gurdwara.

The news of the recovery of the grave spread in the area like a wild fire and people thronged the gurdwara to have a glimpse of the martyr who sacrificed his life while fighting the Mughal army to save Brahmin girls.

Shaheed Baba Karam Singh was a member of the army of Sahibzada Ajit Singh, son of Guru Gobind Singh, and fought many battles against the Mughals.

Surjit Singh, president of the parbandhak committee of the gurdwara and former sarpanch of Badon village, and committee member Amrik Singh told this correspondent that the digging of the plinth had been suspended and special measures adopted to keep the ancient grave (with the beautiful painting works on the tombstone) in tact.

Baba Karam Singh was seriously wounded during a battle with the Mughal army when he along with Sahibzada Ajit Singh was saving the Brahmin girls.

Sahibzada Ajit Singh left him in the village for treatment where Baba Karam Singh succumbed to his injuries and was buried in the village.

Later, a gurdwara was built on the grave in the memory of Baba Karam Singh, they claimed. The committee had decided to keep the grave as historic monument and would open it for the general public.

Amritsar, March 5
The dispute over some property at Jalalusma village today led to firing in which a person was injured.

The Mehta police has booked Swinder Singh and Santokh Singh, reportedly close associates of a former Congress MLA, in this regard.

A case under sections 307 and 34 of the IPC and sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered against them.

Milkha Singh of Jalalusma village, who sustained bullet injury on his leg, was admitted to a hospital where his condition is stable.

Baljit Singh, son of Milkha Singh, said Swinder Singh, former sarpanch of Razdan village, along with Santokh and two unidentified persons came to their fields and tried to stop them from watering them.

This led to an altercation followed by firing by Swinder. He said a bullet hit the leg of his father while he saved himself by running from the fields.

After listening the gunshots, people from the village started gathering near the spot. On seeing this, the accused fled leaving their vehicle behind.

According to details, the victim has mortgaged his land to one Partap Singh Chhajalwindi, who allegedly sold the property to Balkar Singh.

Balkar further got the property registered in the name of Swinder Singh, it is learnt. No arrests have been made so far.

Amritsar, March 5
Babbi, a resident of Bhullar village, was allegedly strangled to death by her husband for bringing insufficient dowry.

The police has arrested Gurlal, her husband, and registered a case against him. According to family members of the victim, Babbi was married to Gurlal about eight months back.

Rajinder Kumar, father of the deceased in his complaint alleged that Babbi’s in-laws were harassing her for more dowry. Gurlal sent Babbi back to her parents’ house to bring a television.

He said they took Babbi to Gurlal about two days ago and today they got the information and Babbi had died of heart attack. However, when they reached the house they found some scars on her body.