|
|
|
|
|
Delay in constructing bridge much to blame
Rs 1 lakh for kin of deceased
|
|
|
Expressway firm had ignored plea on mishap-prone sites
‘Dispossessed’ by Modi Govt, farmers camping in
Custodial deaths: HC increases relief
‘Afghan Sikhs, Hindus face bias’
8 hurt as PPP, SAD workers clash in Moga
Common man not on SAD’s agenda, says PCC chief Bajwa
Faculty members of teacher training centres shifted
Composition package for plywood, yarn manufacturers underway
Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar dead
This gritty ‘princess’ refused to give up
Faridkot
Maharaja's property case
Compoundable fee to be cut
‘False’ case: Road blocked in Malerkotla
Udham Singh memorial in Sunam soon
English overshadowing Indian languages, rue writers Traders seek dismissal of state Industry Minister
Two get life term for murder
|
Delay in constructing bridge much to blame
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 31 The bridge railing near the floating restaurant was badly damaged owing to the construction work being carried out by a private company. The iron railing is covered with iron sheets. There are no berms and reflectors on the bridge to caution the drivers. Expressing sympathies with the families of those killed, Fatehgarh Sahib legislator Kuljeet Singh Nagra said he had taken up the issue of the damaged railing on the Bhakra canal at several grievances committee meetings. But nothing had been done by the authorities to repair these or construct berms to prevent accidents. 'Hero' diver does it again
Rs 1 lakh for kin of deceased
He also directed officials of the civil and police administration of Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts to monitor the search operation launched to trace the victims. Badal said tracing the bodies was a priority and the government would extend all help to the vitims’ families. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Revenue and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia also expressed grief over this tragic accident and shared their condolences with the bereaved families.
|
|
Expressway firm had ignored plea on mishap-prone sites
Ludhiana, July 31 The complainant alleged that the company's general manager, Parmod Kumar, had taken the matter lightly by stating that the project was under litigation and any action in the matter would be possible after the case was disposed of by the Supreme Court. The next hearing is scheduled for August 6. Parmod had claimed that daily patrolling was being conducted and vulnerable points had been barricaded. Joginder Singh said the company's claim was a mere eyewash. Joginder had highlighted the dilapidated condition of the Sutlej Bridge. He had stated that there were deep patches on the bridge and at some places slabs on the footpath were also missing. On May 20, 13-year-old Maan Singh of Phagwara had allegedly drowned after slipping from one such gap on the footpath of the bridge. Mohan Singh, the victim's father, said: "It has been three months since the incident took place. I have written several letters to the authorities seeking action against the company. However, no case has been registered so far." Sarabjit Singh Kahlon, an RTI activist, said if the construction company had stopped work due to litigation, it also had no right to collect toll tax worth lakhs of rupees every day from toll plazas. Playing with lives
|
||
|
‘Dispossessed’ by Modi Govt, farmers camping in
New Delhi, July 31 Worried, the families are camping in the national Capital hoping to get justice. The District Collector of Kutch in 2010 issued an order to "freeze the land of outsiders". This despite the fact that the farmers had in their possession registration papers and also the girdawari that indicate the tiller. The farmers had been resettled in Gujarat following the 1965 war with Pakistan. After the first settlements, several other families migrated to Gujarat and purchased land at the market rate. The farmers are in Delhi to seek help of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The party has tasked Balwant Singh Ramoowalia to meet the Gujarat Chief Minister on the matter. “I have sought time to meet Narendra Modi. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has written a letter to him. We will resolve the issue soon," claimed Ramoowalia, who is in charge of the SAD's Delhi unit. Surinder Singh Bhullar of the Gujarat Bhuj-Kutch Kisan Vadi Vistar said: “The land purchased by us from local farmers is registered on our names. We paid the stamp duty for the same. We have also been issued kisan cards”. Another farmer Lakshman Singh Brar pointed out that revenue official in the past three years had been mentioning in their records that the land was ‘mehtinaati’, meaning that the land tillers were not known. The Gujarat Government used the Gujarat Agricultural Land Ceiling and the Bombay Tenancy Act to "freeze the agricultural accounts" of these farmers.The Gujarat High Court, upholding the plea of the farmers, set aside the decision of the District Collector, ‘freezing’ their land, in July 2012. But the authorities concerned refused to include their names in the landowners' list. The farmers, who are camping at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi, say none of them own land more than 18 acres.
Hence, their is no violation of the land ceiling law. The farmers said they
suspect the hand of the land mafia in getting their names deleted from the landowners' list. PPCC asks PM, Sonia to intervene Chandigarh: The Punjab Congress today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to intervene and prevent the "forcible eviction" of Sikh families by the Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat. It alleged the Modi regime was coercing the families to part with their agricultural land in the Kutch area. Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira said the SAD and its alliance partner (BJP) was maintaining a studied silence on the victimisation of the Sikh families in Gujarat. "Had a similar step been taken by a Congress-ruled state, the Badals would have termed the Congress as anti-Sikh," he claimed.
— TNS
|
||
|
Custodial deaths: HC increases relief
Chandigarh, July 31 The ruling by the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul came in case of a convicted school teacher Surinder Mohan’s death in Ferozepur Central Jail. He was attacked by a fellow prisoner, while he was sleeping. Surinder Mohan was a life convict in FIR number 115 dated August 13, 1990, at Guruharsahai police station. He was murdered on the intervening night of September 25 and 26, 1993, due to injuries on his head and other body parts. His son Amandeep Singh was just 12, when he filed a petition in 1994. Taking up the petition, the Single Judge granted Rs 2 lakh compensation. Seeking enhancement of compensation, advocate PPS Duggall told the Division Bench that the main point for consideration was whether an under-trial or a convict had the right to life guaranteed to the other citizens; and whether it was not the duty of the authorities to protect the life even of the convicts? Going into the background of the matter, Duggall asserted Surinder Mohan of Guruharsahai in Ferozepur district was undergoing sentence in Ferozepur Central Jail. B-class facility was granted to him, as he was an educated person and was serving as a teacher in a government school. While he was sleeping, an under-trial attacked Surinder Mohan. The jail authorities did not inform his relatives, but took him to Ferozepur Civil Hospital, from where he was referred to Faridkot Medical College. After his relatives came to know about the incident, they rushed to Faridkot, from where the victim was taken to Ludhiana. But instead of taking him directly to CMC, he was first taken to Ludhiana jail, resulting in loss of precious time. Surinder Mohan succumbed to the injuries on reaching CMC. Duggall argued the jail authorities were duty bound to protect the life of under-trials and convicts; and a clear-cut case of lapse to protect life was made out. He said that after the completion of sentence, Surinder Mohan would have earned for his family as he was working as a teacher before his conviction. Taking into consideration the submission, the Bench agreed that convicts and under-trial too have equal fundamental rights; and it was the duty of the jail authorities to protect the life of prisoners. The Bench also made it clear that there was a lapse on the part of authorities in protecting his life and enhanced the compensation from Rs 2 lakh awarded by the Single Bench to Rs 5 lakh. Before parting, the Bench directed the payment of amount within two months.
|
||
|
‘Afghan Sikhs, Hindus face bias’
Patiala, July 31
A dentist by profession, Dr Anarkali is a well-known human rights activist, who was awarded the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence. She was also chosen by Radio Free Europe’s Afghan chapter as the ‘Person of the year’ in May 2009. She said Sikhs and Hindus were now marrying their daughters, who were as young as 13 years of age. She said Hindus and Sikhs were being discriminated against in Afghanistan and were considered as foreigners by many. She, however, said the present government was determined to safeguard their interests through various means. The MP said the government of Hamid Karzai had established two schools meant for Sikhs. She said the government was planning to build a “mini-city” for Punjabis which would have many facilities such as houses, markets, schools and cremation ground. The two-day South Asian Punjabi Conference concluded today with writers discussing problems faced by the community throughout the world and concerns over decrease in the usage of the language. Begum Sarwat Mohiuddin, a writer and poet from Pakistan, said people were laying a lot of stress on the need to save scripts such as Gurmukhi in order to save the Punjabi language when the more important issue was the decreasing use of the language in day-to-day interaction. "With more and more people using English these days — as it has become the language of the corporate people — Indian languages, including Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, are at a risk of loosing their identity." “Also, it is important that writers keep coming up with Punjabi literature because once we have literature, it can be translated into various languages for people to understand. Punjabi literature will help people living in other countries in learning more about our culture.” she said.
|
||
8 hurt as PPP, SAD workers clash in Moga
Moga, July 31 Vice-president of the PPP youth wing Davinderjit Singh alias Ladi Dhose, whose father Kuldip Singh is senior vice-president of the PPP, was taken to the district hospital. He has suffered injuries on the head but is out of danger, said hospital sources. Talking to The Tribune, Ladi alleged that the newly elected Akali sarpanch, Sukhwinder Singh and his two brothers had snapped water supply to the house of PPP supporter Jaspal Singh alias Maahna. Jaspal Singh had lost the panchayat election to Sukhwinder. “When another PPP supporter Jagtar Singh took up the matter with the sarpanch, the latter forcibly took away his son to his house and beat him up,” Ladi alleged. “Jagtar’s family members and some PPP supporters rushed to the sarpanch’s house, which was locked. When we knocked at the door, his supporters pounced on us with sticks and stones,” Ladi alleged. At least five PPP supporters and three Akali workers, including the sarpanch, were injured. Expressing concern over the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Grewal said that legal action would be initiated as per the law. “We will register a criminal case against all those involved in the clash, irrespective of their political affiliations,” he said.
|
||
|
Common man not on SAD’s agenda, says PCC chief Bajwa
Chabbewal, July 31 He received a considerable response from his party workers during his Doaba tour. Bajwa also listened to the problems of slum-dwellers on the outskirts of Phuglana village. Addressing the gathering at Chabbewal, Bajwa alleged that the SAD-led Punjab government had won the poll by making false promises. “A report today which has highlighted that SAD MPs are the wealthiest parliamentarians has exposed the Akali Dal. The SAD has become a party of capitalists and now they are planning to field two businessmen in the forthcoming parliamentary poll. Common people are not on its agenda. They are not getting any grants under the ‘Shagun’ scheme. Youngsters are not getting their unemployment allowance,” alleged Bajwa. Accompanied by senior Congress leader Tejinder Bittu, Bajwa also visited and consoled the family of Jalandhar-based Congress Councillor Sharawan Grover who, had passed away on Tuesday after a brief illness. He was accompanied by a number of senior Congress leaders, including Union Minister of State for Health Santosh Chaudhary, Sangat Singh Giljian, Sham Sunder Arora, Tarlochan Soondh, Rajanbir Singh, Varinder Sharma and Pal Singh Pal.
|
|
Faculty members of teacher training centres shifted
Chandigarh, July 31 Now, all GISTCs, except the ones in Faridkot and Ferozepur, have no teaching staff. A number of affected teachers have questioned the move saying how could the government relate elementary school teaching with upper primary school training. The GISTCs had come
up in 1986 with the implementation of the National Policy of Education.
Interestingly, a retired teacher has also been transferred. The Education Department claims that the place of posting of these teachers has been changed as part of the rationalisation process. A principal said: "The staff members usually have a trouble moving out of a particular place after serving there for years". Anjali Bhawra, Principal Secretary, Schools, said: "The department has attempted optimum utilisation of the teacher training staff. The wings of the GISTC and DIET are being made to work complimentary to each other for better results. The existing infrastructure of the GISTC will be taken care of and complaints, if any, will be duly attended". A senior faculty member of a GISTC said: "The GISTCs had played
an important role in running various teacher training programmes. Thousands of government schoolteachers had undergone in-service education and teacher training in these centres".
|
||
|
Composition package for plywood, yarn manufacturers underway
Chandigarh, July 31 Plywood and yarn manufacturers enjoy a considerable clout in the BJP. The SAD’s coalition partner reportedly coerced the Deputy CM to go soft on them. The government itself admits that tax evasion in these two sectors is massive and there is a need to plug various loopholes. It has now been decided that rather than these traders notifying every transaction of over Rs 50,000, they will now give a lumpsum VAT to the government. Officials in Excise and Taxation Department said while a composition package for the plywood manufacturers had been almost finalised, a similar one was being worked out for the yarn manufacturers. “It has been decided that the plywood manufacturers will pay Rs 9 lakh per press (machine) as VAT. For any additional press, they will pay a VAT of Rs 4.50 lakh (50 per cent of VAT payable on the first press). For smaller presses (which have a lower production capacity), the VAT payable on the first press is Rs 2.25 lakh. It will be 50 per cent less for any additional press. "With this composition package, we are likely to increase VAT collections by over 400 per cent from plywood manufacturers,” said a senior excise official. He said 200 big yarn manufacturers in the state had been asked to work out a similar composition scheme. Till this was done, the e-trip initiative would be put on hold. Interestingly, this shows that the capacity of plywood manufacturers and yarn manufacturers to pay VAT is much more.Though the government has said that it will be optional for the trader to either go for e-trip or for the composition scheme, most traders will be opting for the latter. Under-invoicing and fake billing is believed to be rampant across the state and this was e-trip was envisaged. Ashok Juneja, chairman of the Punjab Plywood Manufacturers Association, said that plywood manufacturers were already heavily taxed. " We pay 14.30 per cent tax, much higher than in any other state. Since plywood is a raw material used for furniture, the VAT Act says that the tax payable should not be more than 6.05 per cent," he maintained.
|
||
|
Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar dead
Anandpur Sahib, July 31 Hardev Singh Happy, the only son of the Jathedar, said he complained of uneasiness at around 12.30 am and was taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Multispeciality Hospital. The doctors at the hospital declared him brought dead. He is survived by his wife, a son and three daughters. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal visited Diwan Hall of Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, where the body of Giani Tarlochan Singh was kept for the ‘darshan’ of sangat, and laid a wreath on his body. —
TNS
|
||
|
This gritty ‘princess’ refused to give up
Chandigarh, July 31 Four decades later, she knocked at the doors of the judiciary to stake claim to her share of ancestral property. After a 21-year-long battle, she finally emerged a winner and become the owner of a royal estate worth crores. This is the story of Amrit Kaur, the erstwhile princess of Faridkot, who is now 74. "These have been two long decades. But for the support of my three children and my husband (Harpal Singh, a retired Haryana-cadre IPS officer), I would not have emerged a winner," said Amrit Kaur, in an interview with The Tribune at her Sector 11 residence here today. Her legal battle started in 1992, three years after her father's death on Oct 16, 1989. "At his bhog ceremony, I was told that he had left his property to the Maharwal Khewaji Trust and that I had been kept out of it. "The disclosure came as a shock to me. I could not believe that my father, a jovial man and a loving father and grandfather, could do this to me. It was not about money. I could not live with the feeling that my father hated me so much as not to leave a penny for me," she said. Amrit said her father, at first upset with her marriage, forgave her a year later. " He loved my children. For two months prior to his death, he would not have me out of sight while in Batra Hospital, Delhi," she said. After keeping a low profile for two years, she decided to stand up for herself and fight back and finally won. The septuagenarian is looking forward to going back to the palace in Faridkot, where she spent most of her childhood, and relive old memories. Amrit Kaur and her sister Deepinder Kaur will now inherit ancestral property worth Rs 20,000
crore.
|
||
|
Faridkot Maharaja's property case
Faridkot, July 31 This was one of the five major points that created suspicion about the credibility of the will allegedly executed by the erstwhile Maharaja of Faridkot Harinder Singh Brar in favour of a trust on June 1, 1982. While terming the will as forged and illegal and granting inheritance of properties and assets to the two living daughters of the Maharaja, the Court of CJM, Chandigarh, in its decision last week, said a well-educated Raja is not supposed to commit such a mistake. In this dubious will, executed about seven years before Maharaja's death, the control of all his movable and immovable properties, worth over Rs 20,000, was given to a trust. All three daughters of the Maharaja were almost disinherited from the entire property. To support its decision of nullifying the will, the court also relied upon the use of different ink pens by the attesting witnesses at the time of attestation of the will and at the time of its registration. In a normal situation, the witnesses are supposed to use the same ink pen that are being used by them to attest the will, but this was not so in this case. It thus raises more doubts about its credibility, said the judge in his 129-page judgment. In its decision, the court also raised doubts about the disclosure and production of the will over seven years after its execution. While the will was executed on June 1, 1982, it was produced after the death of the Raja on October 16, 1989. The court order revealed that Amrit Kaur, the eldest daughter of the Maharaja, paid the court fee of Rs 15,43,550 to claim her right in the property of her father.
The loopholes
|
||
|
Compoundable fee to be cut
Chandigarh, July 31 Colonisers across the state had been protesting against the "exorbitant rates" for regularising the colonies following which the Punjab BJP had approached Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to resolve the issue. Today, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal chaired a meeting which included ministers Sharanjit Dhillon and Anil Joshi besides BJP legislator Som Prakash. The meeting decided to reduce the compounding fee for both colonisers as well as the general public. The issue will be finalised by the Cabinet. According to the broad framework on which the SAD and BJP leadership agreed today, the per acre rate for regularising the colonies will now be 2 per cent of the collectorate rate. Earlier, the colonisers were to pay Rs 15 lakh per acre as compounding fee for regularing colonies in municipal corporations, Rs 12 lakh for "A" class municipal towns and Rs 5 lakh for other councils. Colonisers will now have to pay between Rs 6 lakh to Rs 7 lakh per acre for illegal colonies in corporation cities and much less in towns. Plot owners, who earlier were to pay Rs 500 per square yards for their houses in illegal colonies in "A" class cities, will now have to pay much less as in their case too compoundable fee will be linked to the collector rate of that area. The average reduction in the fee could be between 40 per cent to 50 per cent. Som Prakash, BJP MLA, said the meeting decided in principle to mitigate the apprehensions of the colonisers as well as the general public. He said it was a win-win situation for all concerned as the money collected would be spent to develop the illegal colonies. There are around 5,300 illegal colonies over 20,000 acres in the state. The government expected to collect Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 1,800 crore by regularising the same. This figure may now be cut by more than half. Sources said the SAD had acceded to its alliance partner's demand as it was feared that the e-trip initiative as well as the fee on illegal colonies could have a negative impact on the urban voters.
|
||
|
‘False’ case: Road blocked in Malerkotla Sangrur: A group of people blocked a road in Malerkotla yesterday. The protesters alleged the Malerkotla police had registered a "false" case against Sarfraz, a local resident, claiming they had seized intoxicating pills from his possession. Naib Tehsildar, Malerkotla, Darshan Singh, asked them to submit a written application . — TNS
|
||
|
Udham Singh memorial in Sunam soon
Sunam (Sangrur), July 31 He lashed out at his nephew and PPP president Manpreet Singh Badal. "I made him Finance Minister. Despite this, he left the party and is now asking the Congress to field him in the elections. Such persons cannot rise in life," he said. Badal criticised the Congress-led UPA Government for "ignoring" the martyrdom days of Bhagat
Singh, Udham Singh and Lala Lajpat Rai. He said a martyrs' memorial would be raised in Sunam once land for the same was identified. Badal accused the Punjab Congress of lying to the people that all development works in the state were being undertaken by funds provided by the Centre. The fact was the state government got only 30 per cent of the total taxes levied (in the form of central grants). Badal claimed that Punjab would become power surplus after a year with Unit I of the under-construction thermal plants becoming operative in four months. To a question, Badal said he would talk to Gujarat Chief Minister Narinder Modi on the alleged discrimination against the 500-odd Sikhs in Kutch by the Gujarat Government who had been reportedly told to sell land and return to Punjab because they were not Gujaratis. Backing the decision on a separate Telangana state, he said the Centre should consider demands of people from other states in this regard as well. Among others who paid tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh were Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Parkash Chand Garg, Farzana Alam and Balbir Singh Ghunas, Amargarh MLA Iqbal Singh Jhundan and state BJP secretary Jatinder Kalra. Ferozepur: Sher Singh Ghubaya, MP, paying tributes to Udham Singh at a function here, said it was imperative to make the younger generation aware of the supreme sacrifices made for the country's freedom. Joginder Singh, MLA, announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for Shaheed Udham Singh Memorial. —
OC
|
|
English overshadowing Indian languages, rue writers Patiala, July 31 Begum Sarwat Mohiuddin, a writer and poet from Pakistan, said people were laying a lot of stress on the need to save scripts such as Gurmukhi in order to save the Punjabi language when the more important issue was the decreasing use of the language in day-to-day interaction. "With more and more people using English these days — as it has become the language of the corporate people — Indian languages, including Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, are at a risk of loosing their identity." She said it was important that stress be laid on interacting in Punjabi. “Also, it is important that writers keep coming up with Punjabi literature because once we have literature, it can be translated into various languages for people to understand. Punjabi literature will help people living in other countries in learning more about our culture.” she said. Meanwhile, the International South Asian Short Film Festival and Competition (ISASFESTAC), organised by the university’s Centre for Advanced Media Studies (CAMS), opened to a full house in Kala Bhawan at the campus. The event witnessed participation from countries such as Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, Bhutan, Burma, Bangladesh, Dubai, Mauritius, United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Singapore. CAMS director Dr Gurmeet Maan said a total of 23 entries from India and other Asian countries were received in the fiction and non-fiction categories, out of which 13 were shortlisted by the preview committee to be screened for the jury awards. Punjabi University Vice Chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh honoured university student Navneet Dhillon, who is Miss India-2013, on the occasion. Navneet, who is a student of CAMS, donated Rs 50,000 to the centre to work towards women empowerment. 'Punjabi Folk Games-Shtapoo and Geete', directed by Dr Gurmeet Maan and Dr Yogesh Gambhir, won the special jury award, while an Iranian entry, 'Impressions', directed by Tiyam Yabandeh, won the best film award. Gavi Singh, a student of CAMS, won the best director’s award for the film 'Choice'. Iqatar Singh won the best actor (male) award for the film 'Anonymous', while the best actor (female) award was clinched by Navneet Dhillon.
|
||
|
Traders
seek dismissal of state Industry Minister Sunam (Sangrur), July 31 They said he had used "un- parliamentary" language against the community by calling them “thieves and brokers”. Their other demands were scrapping of the e-trip system, immediate refund of VAT, exemption of 150-yard property from the property tax, regular supply
of power to industrial units and regularisation of illegal colonies with nominal fee. Rajesh Aggarwal, the state resident of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (Madan Lal Kapoor), said they would intensify their agitation if their demands were not fulfilled.
|
||
|
|
Two get life term for murder
Patiala, July 31 The accused had murdered a student of his college, Jaspreet Singh with a dagger on October 19, 2011. In another case, Additional Sessions Judge Jatinder Kaur awarded life imprisonment to Gurpreet Singh of Batta village near Sanaour for killing complainant Ajaib Singh's son Hardeep Singh. The accused had called Hardeep on his mobile phone and had asked him to meet him. Hardeep's body was found soon thereafter. —
TNS
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
A complaint regarding poor condition of the National Highway 1 made by city-based businessman Joginder Singh in March was "ignored" by SOMA
Isolux, the company executing the expressway project.
At least 1,000 families who had migrated from Punjab and Haryana to the Kutch region of Gujarat face an uncertain future.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa today addressed a rally at Chabbewal in Hoshiarpur district as part of his mass contact
programme.
As a 19-year-old, she chose love over riches and married the man of her dreams against the wishes of her father, Maharaja Harinder Singh Brar Bans Bahadur of the erstwhile state of
Faridkot.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought votes for his party secretary
eneral Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency.
Paying tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh on his 74th martyrdom day at a function here today, Badal appealed to the people to vote for the
SAD-BJP alliance in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections to help the BJP-led NDA to capture power at the
Centre.
Fatehgarh Sahib: Diver Ashu Malik (in pic left), who has saved hundreds of drowning persons in the past, and his team were instrumental in bringing out the ill-fated bus from the canal waters. Talking to mediapersons, Ashu said he had formed a team of 41 divers to rescue drowning persons. He said in the past 26 years. he had saved at least 500 lives in Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir. He had extricated 2,600 bodies. He said his team-mates could dive up to a depth of 42 ft. He said his phone number was available with the Punjab Police to lend assistance during an eventuality. — OC
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 31