The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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City area gets Rs 1.46 cr for facelift
Jalandhar, February 25
The area around the 120-feet road today got a boost for a major facelift with the laying of foundation stone for starting works to the tune of Rs 1.46 crore.

Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Chairman’s advice to people
Save water or else Punjab will become Rajasthan
Phagwara, February 25
Cautioning the people about the decreasing water level, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board chairman Dr Baldev Chawla said if people didn’t start saving one to five litres of water per person daily, Punjab will have to face a Rajasthan-like situation in next 20-30 years.

Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Chairman Dr Baldev Chawla talks to mediapersons in Phagwara on Friday. Photo: Ashok Kaura

Bajwa decries Majithia’s statement
Jalandhar, February 25
PPCC spokesperson Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa has decried the derogatory language used by Youth Akali Dal patron Bikramjit Majithia against party chief and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at a rally yesterday.

Seminar on teaching of English begins
Jalandhar, February 25
A two-day-long UGC-sponsored national seminar on “Teaching of English in India - Problems and strategies” started at Lyallpur Khalsa College here today. Top-level linguists, academicians, language teachers and scholars from across the country discussed the topic.

Rs 45,000 snatched
Hoshiarpur, February 25
Three motorcycle-borne masked youths snatched Rs 45,000 from a shopkeeper, Amrik Singh, resident of Kaintha, at his shop near Garna Sahib last night. According to police sources, three masked youths came to the shop of Amrik Singh at about 7.45 pm yesterday and snatched Rs 45,000 from him. After snatching they fled on their vehicle.

IMA flays manhandling of doctor
Jalandhar, February 25
The state unit of Indian Medical Association today condemned the incidence of manhandling of a doctor at Neelam Hospital, Rajpura, on February 23.

Newly-wed woman commits suicide
Pathankot, February 25
A newly-wed woman, Rajwinder Kaur (22), reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan of her room here today. Rajwinder Kaur got married to Dilraj Singh, a resident of Malout, and got posted at Mamun Military Station about three months ago.

Youth run over by train, killed
Pathankot, February 25
A youth, Romesh Kumar, resident of Sakoh in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, was run over and killed by a passenger train on the Pathankot-Baijnath railway track here today.

	Sarpanch booked for attacking gunman Tribune Reporters Amritsar, February 25 A sarpanch of a village in Faridkot, Pritam Singh, allegedly roughed up the gunman of Passport Officer at his office in Ranjit Avenue here today. He was handed over to the Civil Line police, which has registered a case against him. R.S. Sodhi, Passport Officer, informed that Pritam Singh attacked and injured his gunman Balraj Singh, who tried to push him outside the office as he was creating disturbance and involving in unnecessary verbal arguments with the staff. Pritam had come for getting issued a passport in an adoption case. He said Pritam had visited the passport office earlier also during which he was asked to present the real parents of the child, who was adopted by the applicants. However, he and the applicants again visited the office today. He indulged in a verbal duel with the staff and created hindrance in office working. When the gunman tried to take him outside the office, he attacked the gunman with a kirpan and injured him. 3 held with two stolen mobikes Batala: The police arrested three persons with two stolen motorcycle here today. The arrested persons have been identified as Charanjit Singh, alias Sonu, Satnam Singh, alias Bagga, resident of Ajit Nagar, Batala, and Gurpreet Singh, alias Lalli, resident of Chatha village. The SSP, Gurdip Singh, told mediapersons here today that a case under Section 411 of the IPC was registered.
	Woman’s family refuse to cremate body till arrest of in-laws Amaninder Pal /TNS Jalandhar, February 25 Irate family members of Sushma Rani, who was allegedly killed by her in-laws on February 22, today kept her body in front of Maksoodaan police station and refused to cremate it until the arrest of the in-laws. The body of Sushma was found hanging at her in-laws’ home at Nurpur village, near here, on February 23. In a police complaint filed by Sushma’s Delhi-based parents, Kamaljit Singh, deceased’s father, alleged that Sushma was murdered as she opposed her husband’s illicit relationship with some other woman. The body was later hanged to make it look like a suicide, he alleged. A case under Section 302 of the IPC was registered against Sushma’s husband, his father and mother. However, her parents alleged that even after 24 hours of the complaint, the police failed to arrest Sushma’s husband and her mother in-law. Only her father-in-law was rounded up by the police, they alleged. Gulshan Kumar, SHO, Maksoodaan police station, said the postmortem of the deceased was conducted on Friday. It would take two more days to ascertain the cause of death. Contrary to the claims of her parents, in-laws alleged that Sushma was suffering from depression for the past couple of months, which led to her suicide, added SHO.
	Health Dept promotes 18 senior assistants Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, February 25 The Health Department finally succumbed to the sustained pressure piled on it by the Punjab Health Department Clerical Association (Ministerial Staff) following which it has now promoted senior assistants to the post of superintendents. Ministerial staff (Gurdaspur unit) president Ashok Thanewal said the association members met the Director (Health) early this week in Chandigarh and after discussions the department issued orders for 18 senior assistants to be promoted as superintendents. This was one of the demands of the ministerial association although Thanewal admitted that many of their other demands were still to be addressed by the department. Sukhwinder Singh, president of the Punjab unit of the association, claimed that the Director (Health) JP Singh had given an assurance that the department would consider promoting clerks to senior assistants within a week. This was the second major demand put forth by the association to the Health Department. The Director (Health) was also urged to fill vacant posts of ministerial staff in civil hospitals in all newly created districts of the state. Another item discussed with the Director was the filling of posts of administrative officers of Patiala, Faridkot and Amritsar medical colleges. Sukhwinder added that the authorities told him that the case had already been forwarded to the state government for final approval. He said the association had put on hold their proposed strike following their meeting with the Director (Health).
	City area gets Rs 1.46 cr for facelift Tribune News Service Jalandhar, February 25 The area around the 120-feet road today got a boost for a major facelift with the laying of foundation stone for starting works to the tune of Rs 1.46 crore. The road is being widened at a cost of Rs 30 lakh. It is being beautified further with the construction of footpaths and central verges. The internal roads of the Dilbagh Nagar, Baldev Nagar and Gobind Nagar localities are being laid using inter-locking tiles at a cost of Rs 65 lakh. A new road is being constructed from Revenue Road to New Rasila Nagar at a cost of Rs 35 lakh. The area, which falls under the ward represented by Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia, will also get plantations to the tune of Rs 13 lakh. Rs 8 lakh will be spent on setting up a fountain at Freedom Fighter Mahant Agya Singh Park. The function was attended by MLA Bhagat Chunni Lal, Mayor Rakesh Rathour and Deputy Mayor Parvesh Tangri.
	Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Chairman’s advice to people Save water or else Punjab will become Rajasthan Our Correspondent Phagwara, February 25 Cautioning the people about the decreasing water level, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board chairman Dr Baldev Chawla said if people didn’t start saving one to five litres of water per person daily, Punjab will have to face a Rajasthan-like situation in next 20-30 years. Talking to newsmen here today, he advised the people to adopt rainwater harvesting. Dr Chawla said the state government had made rainwater harvesting compulsory at new constructions. The maps would be sanctioned only after these instructions were adhered to. He said though the government was actively working to provide drinking water and sewerage facility to every resident of the state in next few years, the urban population would first be facilitated by next year by spending Rs 5,222 crore. He said drinking water was being supplied to 86 per cent population of the urban localities while sewerage facility is being provided to 60 per cent population of the 135 towns of the state. He said all municipal committees, corporations and improvement trusts should take proper advantage of water tanks to save water, which are lying dry for the last several years. He said 95 per cent population of Phagwara town has been provided drinking water facility, while 70 per cent has been provided sewerage facility. He said cent-per cent population of Phagwara would be facilitated with both water and sewerage facilities by spending Rs 47.85 crore soon.
	Bajwa decries Majithia’s statement Tribune News Service Jalandhar, February 25 PPCC spokesperson Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa has decried the derogatory language used by Youth Akali Dal patron Bikramjit Majithia against party chief and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at a rally yesterday. He said the statement reflects the mental bankruptcy of Majithia since it is very important for all, especially politicians, to be civilised and respectful towards their electorate, seniors and elders. Stooping to such levels doesn't really help in the long run, he pointed out.
	Seminar on teaching of English begins Tribune News Service Jalandhar, February 25 A two-day-long UGC-sponsored national seminar on “Teaching of English in India - Problems and strategies” started at Lyallpur Khalsa College here today. Top-level linguists, academicians, language teachers and scholars from across the country discussed the topic. The seminar focused on the failure of teaching of English in India and highlighted various aspects of its implementation in academic and daily life. As many as 55 papers were presented during the seminar. Over 120 delegates from India and abroad are participating in the seminar. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, the chief guest, Prof Mool Chand Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of Central University, Haryana, said, “It is a matter of concern that even after 150 years of the formal beginning of English teaching in India, we are still struggling with the problem of effective teaching of this language.”
	Rs 45,000 snatched Our Correspondent Hoshiarpur, February 25 Three motorcycle-borne masked youths snatched Rs 45,000 from a shopkeeper, Amrik Singh, resident of Kaintha, at his shop near Garna Sahib last night. According to police sources, three masked youths came to the shop of Amrik Singh at about 7.45 pm yesterday and snatched Rs 45,000 from him. After snatching they fled on their vehicle. Teacher found absent Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dharam Dutt Tarnach today made a surprise check of Government Middle School, Jian, and found social studies teacher Joginder Kaur absent from duty. Later, the DC also made a surprise check of the Primary Health Centre, Paldi, Block Development and Panchayat Office and sub-tehsil Mahilpur. He also checked sale registers of stamp vendors and met a number of persons to know their difficulties.