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Work on Batalvi auditorium stalled
Batala, July 24
Renovation work on the auditorium in memory of the iconic Punjabi writer Shiv Kumar Batalvi has hit a roadblock. The district administration has reportedly stalled work on the memorial at the behest of the halqa (area) in charge.

Schoolgirl abducted, 3 booked
Tarn Taran, July 24
A 17-year-old girl was abducted from Sarhalitown, 22 kilometres from here, on Monday when she was on her way to school. She, however, managed to flee from the captivity of the abductors the next day. Three members of a family have been booked under Section 363, 366A, 366 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Sarhali police station.

Man booked for trying to kill wife
Tarn Taran, July 24
Gurbhal Singh (35), a resident of Sohawa village, 25 kilometres from here, has been booked for trying to kill his wife Ranjit Kaur.

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	Four booked for molesting girls July 22, 2013
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	2 sewage treatment plants being set up in Nawanshahr, Banga July 19, 2013
	Surprise checking at Civil Hospital July 18, 2013
	Narrow escape for passengers as bus catches fire July 17, 2013
	759 hectares under drip irrigation in district July 16, 2013
	Abducted girl’s relatives attack kin of accused July 15, 2013

Work on Batalvi auditorium stalled
Ravi Dhaliwal/TNS

Batala, July 24
Renovation work on the auditorium in memory of the iconic Punjabi writer Shiv Kumar Batalvi has hit a roadblock. The district administration has reportedly stalled work on the memorial at the behest of the halqa (area) in charge.

Dr SS Nijjar, president of Shiv Kumar Batalvi Arts and Cultural Society, claimed they had received a letter from the Gurdaspur district administration asking that some government officials, including the Batala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and the Additional DC (General), be made its members.

The state government, after much dilly-dallying, had last year released a grant of Rs 1.80 crore for renovating the auditorium. Last week, officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) engaged by the society for reconstruction work suddenly decided to halt work, leaving the society members flummoxed.

Former Cabinet Minister and Qadian halqa in charge SS Sekhwan is the chief patron of the society while the auditorium is in Batala, which is controlled by Sekhwan’s bête noire and Batala halqa in charge LS Lodhinangal.

Sources claim that political rivalry between the two is taking a toll on Batalvi Arts and Cultural Society.

Dr Nijjar claimed that the administration was impeding the completion of the project. “I don’t understand the need to change the society’s members at this stage,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha said that work on the auditorium had been halted because of the rainy season. "We want to make certain changes in the society to ensure its functioning is transparent ,” he claimed.

Sources said Lodhinangal was adamant on having his men in the society which now has members owing allegiance to his rival. The decrepit condition of the auditorium, constructed in 1980, was noticed three years ago when the government decided to hold the writer’s 75th birth anniversary celebrations. The government gave Rs 1.80 crore to the society to renovate the auditorium.

Schoolgirl abducted, 3 booked
Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, July 24
A 17-year-old girl was abducted from Sarhalitown, 22 kilometres from here, on Monday when she was on her way to school. She, however, managed to flee from the captivity of the abductors the next day.

Three members of a family have been booked under Section 363, 366A, 366 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Sarhali police station.

The accused have been identified as Jagbir Singh, his father Angrej Singh and Jagbir's mother, all residents of Thatha village under the jurisdiction of the Harike police station.

The victim is a student of Class XI. The girl in her statement to the police alleged that she was going to her school when the accused tried to lure her to marry Jagbir Singh, one of the accused.

Man booked for trying to kill wife
Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, July 24
Gurbhal Singh (35), a resident of Sohawa village, 25 kilometres from here, has been booked for trying to kill his wife Ranjit Kaur.

The complainant in her statement to the police alleged that her husband made an attempt to kill her by putting some insecticide in her food after she refused to give him money to buy 'drugs’.