J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

RTS panel chief takes up staff shortage issue with Deputy CM
Hoshiarpur, July 17
SC Aggarwal, Chief Commissioner, Right to Service Commission, Punjab, has informed Deputy Chief Minister Sukhvir Badal about the shortage of 1,000 clerical employees and 150 PCS officers in various government offices in the state.

Power tariff hike shocks industrialists
Hoshiarpur, July 17
The power tariff hike has come as a shock for industrialists. Consumers of powers have to pay 12.8 per cent more with the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) affecting a 57 paisa per unit increase in domestic supply and 62 paisa per unit increase for industrial supply. The power tariff order is due since April 1.

Two labourers die of asphyxiation
Hoshiarpur, July 17
Bodies of two migrant labourers, identified as Raj Kishore and Naripat Pran, were fished out from a 25-feet-deep well located in the fields of Sangat Singh at Duggal Duakhari village today. They were both from Jharkhand.

RTS panel chief takes up staff shortage issue with Deputy CM
Our Correspondent

Power tariff hike shocks industrialists
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, July 17
The power tariff hike has come as a shock for industrialists. Consumers of powers have to pay 12.8 per cent more with the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) affecting a 57 paisa per unit increase in domestic supply and 62 paisa per unit increase for industrial supply. The power tariff order is due since April 1.

Chander Mohan Puri, president, Factory Owners Association; Nasralal, Vikash Puri, manufacturers of cycle tyres and tubes industry; Darshan Kumar, senior manager, Kakar Steel Complex Private Limited; and Kuldip Kumar, manufacturer of electrical switches, said they would face huge losses as their customers would not pay them extra for products ordered made before the decision on tariff was announced.

They said industrialists of neighbouring states get regular power supply on cheaper rates. The aforesaid decision of the PSPCL would compel the industrialists either to shift their units to the neighbouring states or to shut these down. They demanded a hike rollback.Meanwhile in a joint meeting, the CPM and Social Democratic Party of India demanded a rollback of power tariff hike to save the dying industry and people of Punjab.

Two labourers die of asphyxiation
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, July 17
Bodies of two migrant labourers, identified as Raj Kishore and Naripat Pran, were fished out from a 25-feet-deep well located in the fields of Sangat Singh at Duggal Duakhari village today. They were both from Jharkhand.

Harbhajan Singh Cheema, SHO, Garhdiwala police station, said both the migrant labourers were working in the fields of Sangat Singh when Raj Kishore’s wrist watch fell into the well.

He went inside the well to collect his watch. He reportedly fell unconscious due to some poisonous gas emanating from the well. When Naripat Pram saw his friend lying unconscious in the well, he also went down to rescue Raj Kishore. He also fell unconscious in the well.

Later, Sangat Singh noticed both of them lying unconscious in the well.

He informed the police which reached the spot and fished out their bodies.

Harbhajan Singh Cheema suspected that there was some poisonous gas in the well due to which both were asphyxiated to death. Their bodies had been sent to the Civil Hospital, Dasuya, for the postmortem examination.