J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

AI strike leaves 2 flights cancelled
Amritsar, April 28
Air India’s passengers were a harried lot as its two flights were cancelled and an equal number were delayed at Sri Guru Ramdas International Airport (SGRIA) during the past 24 hours.

Government agencies continue boycott of wheat procurement
Tarn Taran, April 28
The state procurement agencies, who were boycotting wheat procurement against the FCI’s refusal to take the discoloured wheat, have decided to continue their agitation.

Mehr Chand Institute to start free vocational courses
Jalandhar, April 28
Aimed at equipping financially weak youths and dropouts with skilled jobs, Mehr Chand Technical Institute is all set to start short-term government-sponsored free vocational courses. Admission to these courses have already started.

PTU signs pacts with institutes of Nepal, Bangladesh
Jalandhar, April 28
Punjab Technical University today signed bipartite agreements with IT institutions of Nepal and Bangladesh for IT and applied technology courses.

Two women cover their faces with dupattas to protect themselves from sun rays in Amritsar. Photo: Vishal Kumar

Man pushed out of running train, injured
Jalandhar, April 28
A resident of Machhiwara, near Samrala, was alleged ly robbed and then pushed off a running train by some miscreants near Kartarpur, near here, early this morning. The man got his both legs fractured in the incident. Sukh Dev Singh, son of Sajjan Singh, was found unconscious on the Jalandhar-Amritsar railway line near Kartarpur.

Man found murdered in canal
Batala, April 28
Balkar Singh, resident of Jhangla village, was found murdered under mysterious circumstances. The wife of the victim said her husband returned home at 10 pm after taking lessons in music. She said at midnight when she woke up to drink water, she found her husband missing from the bed.

AI strike leaves 2 flights cancelled
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service

AI 014 and 116 were cancelled. Air India (AI) 188 Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi did not land at the airport till 7.40 pm, while its schedule arrival was at 5.45 pm Air India Express 192 arrived five hours behind schedule

Amritsar, April 28
Air India’s passengers were a harried lot as its two flights were cancelled and an equal number were delayed at Sri Guru Ramdas International Airport (SGRIA) during the past 24 hours.

Operations of the national carrier and its low-cost arm Air India Express were severely hit following the strike called by a section of Air India employees.

Air India (AI) 188 Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi did not land at the airport till 7.40 pm, while its schedule arrival was at 5.45 pm. Air India officials when contacted said the flight could land anytime.

Air India Express 192 arrived five hours behind schedule. Its schedule arrival was at 1.40 am, but it landed at 6.35 am and departed at 7.45 am. Otherwise its schedule departure is at 2.40 am.

AI 014 and 116 were cancelled. AI 014 Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi was to arrive at 2.20 am and then its schedule departure was at 3.10 am. AI 116 Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi was to arrive at 5.50 am and was to depart at 8.50 am.

Passengers of these airlines had come from various parts of the state in advance to catch the flight at night. This aggravated their troubles. Majority of them had to catch the connecting flights and seats were reserved in advance. The fear of losing their next flights loomed large before them.

Government agencies continue boycott of wheat procurement
Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, April 28
The state procurement agencies, who were boycotting wheat procurement against the FCI’s refusal to take the discoloured wheat, have decided to continue their agitation.

According to the information, about 200 MT of wheat were lying un-procured in the grain markets in Tarn Taran and Amritsar districts since the last two days due to the ongoing agitation by the state procurement agencies.

The state agencies were boycotting the procurement process as their department concerned held them responsible for the negligence.

SR Ladhar, Commissioner, Jalandhar division, held a meeting with the Managing Director of the FCI and other district authorities of procurement agencies and assured the agitators that state government will cooperate with them.

The commissioner from his camp office here today issued a letter regarding this but the agencies denied to accept it.

The commissioner in his letter said the employees /officials will not be held personally responsible for the discolouration.

The Commissioner called the agencies to extend their cooperation in procuring work.

Ladhar, while talking to this correspondent, claimed that the agencies have started procurement work.

On the other hand, Kawaljit Singh, inspector Pungrain agency, representing procurement agencies said they have not re-started procurement work as yet as the letter issued didn’t serve their interests.

Mehr Chand Institute to start free vocational courses
Kusum Arora/TNS

Jalandhar, April 28
Aimed at equipping financially weak youths and dropouts with skilled jobs, Mehr Chand Technical Institute is all set to start short-term government-sponsored free vocational courses. Admission to these courses have already started.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment through the Directorate of Technical Education and Industrial Training, Punjab, had approved 16 vocational courses for the institute.

The minimum age limit for these courses is 14 years and there is no upper age limit. While for a few courses, the eligibility will be Class V.

The courses would be conducted under the Skill Development Initiative Programme of the ministry. The courses are affiliated with the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT).

Talking to The Tribune, Vijay Sharma, Principal of the institute, said the Ministry of Labour and Employment had provided accreditation to the institute to start 16 vocational courses.

“Under the initiative, dropouts, financially weak children and part-time workers can pursue courses in automobile, banking, accounting, beauty culture, hair dressing, electrical, fabrication (wielding), information technology, refrigeration and air conditioning and much more,” he said.

The principal said the certificates would be given by the Ministry of Labour.

Sharma said the free courses would be conducted keeping in mind the availability of such students. “We will conduct classes in the evening hours or on Saturdays and Sundays as a majority of the financially weak youths work during the daytime. Owing to poverty a majority of youths leave their studies midway and start working as labourers to make both ends meet. However, these courses will equip them with professional skills to find suitable jobs.”

The institute is already running many other job-oriented courses. The Labour Ministry had introduced as many as 900 different courses under the Skill Development Initiative Programme, the authorities said.

PTU signs pacts with institutes of Nepal, Bangladesh
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 28
Punjab Technical University today signed bipartite agreements with IT institutions of Nepal and Bangladesh for IT and applied technology courses.

PTU signed the agreement with Padamshree International College, Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunway International Business School, Kathmandu, and BGIFT Institute of Information and Technology, Gazipur, Bangladesh.

University Vice-Chancellor Dr Rajneesh Arora, Adviser to VC Dr Nachhatar Singh and Dean, Distance Education, Dr N.P. Singh attended the event. Dr Arora told mediapersons that the university was planning an education fair at Colombo, Sri Lanka, from May 13 to 15.

Man pushed out of running train, injured

Jalandhar, April 28
A resident of Machhiwara, near Samrala, was alleged ly robbed and then pushed off a running train by some miscreants near Kartarpur, near here, early this morning. The man got his both legs fractured in the incident.

Sukh Dev Singh, son of Sajjan Singh, was found unconscious on the Jalandhar-Amritsar railway line near Kartarpur.

Sources informed that the victim along with certain other persons had boarded the Jammu-Ahmedabad train near Beas in the morning. After a tiff with them, he was pushed off from the train near Kartarpur, following which his both legs got fractured.

Head constable, GRP, Gurinder Singh, who is investigating the matter, informed that the victim had been admitted to the Civil Hospital Jalandhar. He added that the man might have jumped from the moving train following a scuffle with his fellow men, which led to the accident.

Presently the injured was not in a position to record his statement. The exact cause of the incident could be ascertained only after his statement was recorded, Gurinder Singh said. — TNS

Man found murdered in canal
Our Correspondents

Batala, April 28
Balkar Singh, resident of Jhangla village, was found murdered under mysterious circumstances. The wife of the victim said her husband returned home at 10 pm after taking lessons in music. She said at midnight when she woke up to drink water, she found her husband missing from the bed.

She informed her father-in-law and they started a search for Balkar Singh.

Following a trail of his foot marks, they reached a canal and found a body floating on the water. When they took out the body from the water, they found it to be of Balkar Singh. The body bore some wounds.

Talking to mediapersons here today, SSP Gurdeep Singh said a case under Section 302 of the IPC was filed against unknown persons.

Girl foils rape bid

Hoshiarpur: A young girl, studying in Class XII, has lodged a complaint against her mother and a youth after the youth attempted to rape her at her house at Boothgarh village on April 23.

According to the police sources, the girl alleged her mother Harbhajan Kaur kept one Rakesh Kumar of Nangal Shahidan at her house.

On April 23, when her mother had gone to a dairy, Rakesh Kumar forcibly took the girl and attempted to rape her.

But she raised hue and cry which made Rakesh Kumar flee from the scene. But before leaving, Rakesh threatened to kill her.

The Sadar police has registered a case under Sections 376, 511, 526 and 120 of the IPC against Rakesh Kumar and Harbhajan Kaur.

2 held with narcotic

Pathankot: The Sujanpur police arrested two drug peddlers here today.

The SHO, Rajinder Minhas, said the police laid a naka on the Pathankot-Jammu highway and two persons, who were coming from the Lakhanpur side, were stopped. When they were searched the police recovered 400 gram of narcotic powder from them.

They were identified as Zafar Ali, resident of Basholi, and Suleman of Surjan village of Jammu and Kashmir. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against them.

2 proclaimed offenders held

Batala: The police arrested proclaimed offenders Ashok Kumar and Major Singh on Thursday.

Fresh cases have been registered against them under section 174-A of the IPC.

Narcotic powder seized

Batala: The police seized 210 g of narcotic powder from Jiwan Singh of Bhagtpura village here on Wednesday. A case under Section 21 of the NDPS Act has been registered.