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Open Fazilka border for
trade: Sukhbir to Centre
BJP a divided house over new taxes
Rain to hit basmati harvesting, delay wheat sowing
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Trouble for Muktsar farmers
Golden Temple entrance plaza partially opens for devotees
The Golden Temple entrance plaza in Amritsar. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Tomatoes being exported to Pak despite soaring prices
Amid high dengue count, Patiala MC yet to step up counter efforts
ADTO’s appointment sparks row
Farmers to get weather forecast through SMS
Anti-Sikh riot victims yet to get justice, says Oz MP
Maur mandi brawl forces
police to revamp security
SGPC steps in to ensure safe langar
Gurdaspur doctor helps Uzbek boy walk
Amritsar karate player lied about gangrape: Police
UK racist attack victim dead
New policy for shifting poles on highways
3,311 students to be given scholarships
Now on, security guards of VVIPs will be treated with respect
Maximum challans against public smoking issued in Sangrur district
Nambardars sulk as govt fails to pay honorarium regularly
Punjab not to hold PMT next year
Meeting put off
A correction
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Open Fazilka border for
trade: Sukhbir to Centre
Fazilka, November 7 Concluding his two-day tour of the Jalalabad assembly constituency, he said Punjab was the traditional trade route between India and Arabic countries, which should be reopened keeping in view the economic aspects of the region. He said Punjab could export basmati and vegetables to Central Asian countries. "At present, only 137 items are allowed for trade with Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah Border. The list should be extended up to 1,400 items," the Deputy Chief Minister said. During his sangat darshan at Ghattianwali Jattan village, Sukhbir said to facilitate farmers and encourage crop diversification, the government had decided to provide them uninterrupted canal water supply. "Officials of the Irrigation Department have been asked to complete formalities like increasing capacity of canals in this context," he said. He said the government was all set to release 1.5 lakh tubewell connections from December onwards. On the inauguration of thermal plants at Goindwal Sahib, Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo, Sukhbir said Punjab was all set to become the first power surplus state by the year-end. Sukhbir today held sangat darshan at Ghattianwali, Hauj Khas and Roaranwali villages. He distributed grants worth Rs 4.11 crore.
Dy CM to meet business heads Chandigarh: After visiting Bangalore and Mumbai to woo industrialists, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal will meet business heads of top industries in Delhi over the next two days to showcase investment opportunities in Punjab. Sukhbir will meet representatives of ITC, Ranbaxy chairman Tsutomu Une and Cargill India chairman Siraj Chaudhry. He will hold meetings with captains of the industry to make them aware of steps taken by the Punjab Government to facilitate setting up of industry in the state.
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BJP a divided house over new taxes
Chandigarh, November 7 Even as the SAD-BJP Government is all set to announce its policy for traders later this month, there is a growing dissent in the BJP rank and file over certain policies seenas “anti- trader”. Senior party leaders are unhappy at not having been consulted by the party’s state leadership before it accorded approval to policies like property tax and advance tax. There was no discussion within the party to ascertain if there was a consensus on the issues, especially when these could impact the party’s electoral performance, the leaders say. A faction of party leaders fear that they may have annoyed their voters (mainly traders) by being a party to the imposition of new taxes in the state. “The BJP leaders who were consulted by the SAD did not even study the government proposals. Over Rs 400 crore is due as VAT refund to businessmen in Punjab, yet the government is imposing fresh taxes. This has alienated the urban voter and trading community from the BJP,” said a senior BJP leader. Those in the party privy to discussions within the SAD-BJP Government contend that if the advance tax and property tax have alienated their voters, the new policy for traders, that aims to bring VAT at the first stage, is sure to bring the supporters back into the party fold. “We have told the SAD that if the advance tax is used to create a separate fund and VAT refunds are expedited from this corpus, it will greatly benefit businessmen. Also, with the first-stage taxation regime, traders will not have to maintain records and suffer harassment from tax inspectors. “This simplification of tax collection will nullify the negative impact,” argued a BJP leader from Amritsar. When contacted, senior BJP leader Balramji Das Tandon said the party’s concerns were being well-addressed by the coalition government. “The new policy will do away with Inspector Raj. Once the policy is announced, and if there is any difference of opinion within the party, we will ensure that the policy is amended to everybody’s satisfaction,” he said.
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Rain to hit basmati harvesting, delay wheat sowing
Amritsar, November 7
Amritsar Chief Agriculture Officer Dilbagh Singh Dhanju said rain would delay the sowing of wheat. He also apprehended that germination might not take place in the wheat crop already sown in case there was waterlogging in the field. He said there were certain pockets in the district where 386 variety of basmati was yet to be harvested. The rainfall would take a toll on it. He said preliminary reports suggested that it had rained heavily in Amritsar and Ajnala. The sudden spell of shower had also caused losses to the farmers who had brought their produce to the grain markets. Tarn Taran Chief Agriculture Officer Sukhdev Singh Sandhu said the rain had hit the recently sown wheat crop as also the harvesting of basmati. As per an estimate, almost 35 per cent of wheat sowing had been done in the district. The farmers fear that they may not get the seed of their choice if they had to sow again. Besides, they feel it may lead to the shortage of seed and DAP. cotton produce damaged
Trouble for Muktsar farmers
Muktsar, November 7 The rain has caused damage to the standing cotton and the basmati crop. It has also damaged the paddy and cotton produce lying in the grain markets of Muktsar, Gidderbaha and Malout towns. “We have been sitting here in the Gidderbaha grain market for the last four days to sell our paddy produce. But, now that it has rained again, it seems we will have to wait longer still,” said Parkash Chand of Gurusar village. Rajveer Singh of Kuttianwali village said, “We have suffered huge losses due to the untimely rains. Our hopes of fetching a good crop price and repaying our debts have been dashed.” Muktsar Chief Agriculture Officer Beant Singh said, “One more spell of rain could lead to the farmers’ ruin”.
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Golden Temple entrance plaza partially opens for devotees
Amritsar, November 7 The space which has been thrown open to the pilgrims is almost 30 to 40 per cent of the entire project area. The opened area has provided additional seating facility for pilgrims in the form of benches built beautifully around trees. Besides, the new "jora ghar" (shoe-keeping facility) and "gathri ghar" (baggage room) have also been opened. Sources said now the temporary "jora ghar", which was raised to facilitate the plaza construction, would be demolished to make way for more open space. They said though the area opened to the public is yet to be given finishing touches, the work will be taken care of at a later stage. The sources said the remaining portion of the plaza was likely to be opened in six months or so. The facilities that are to come up in the basement of the plaza will have to wait a little longer. Among the underground facilities are a state-of-the-art interpretation and information centre for tourists, VIP lounge, bank, ATM, airlines and railway inquiry, a multipurpose hall, security and services area, toilets and other public conveniences. As there is a lot of VVIP movement at the Golden Temple, the plaza will have a separate lounge to accommodate dignitaries and their entourage. An auditorium with a seating capacity of 100-150 persons would be built so that the visiting dignitary could address the media. At present, there is no proper place in the Golden Temple complex where mediapersons can interact with the VIPs. The plaza has been designed in view of the fact that there are points of high congregation of people around the shrine and they have to be provided with facilities.
no more chaos
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Tomatoes being exported to Pak despite soaring prices
Amritsar, November 7 According to sources at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, 44 trucks loaded with tomatoes crossed over to Pakistan today. Unofficial sources put this figure at 60. Talking to The Tribune, exporter Rajdeep Uppal claimed tomato exports this year down by almost 50 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year. “Last year, we exported 100 to 150 trucks of tomatoes daily to Pakistan for almost a month. There were long queues of trucks outside the ICP at Attari. But this year the exports have been slashed by 50 per cent in the wake of high tomato prices in the domestic market,” he explained. He attributed the price rise to a poor tomato crop owing to unseasonal rains. “Since the past five or six years, tomato is the only commodity exported to Pakistan every year between September and February. There is nothing unusual in it,” Uppal said. He said the new tomato crop from Gujarat was expected in a week or so and the prices could come down if the crop was good. Clearing house agent Manav Taneja said the export of tomatoes had picked up only in the past one week. He said Pakistan too was facing a shortfall of tomatoes and was largely dependent on imports from India. Another trader Jaspal Singh said tomato exports to Pakistan may increase in days to come. Member of CII's national council on public policy Gunbir Singh said the traders should honour their commitment on exports unless the government imposed curbs. He said the government should ensure proper supply instead of resorting to “knee-jerk measures”. However, the common man continues to reel under the rising tomato prices. “First, it was onions and now tomatoes. I fail to understand why we are exporting tomatoes to Pak. This must stop,” said Kiranjeet Kaur, a housewife.
What traders say "Traders should honour their export commitments unless the government imposes curbs. The government should not resort to knee-jerk measures."— Gunbir Singh, CII panel member
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Amid high dengue count, Patiala MC yet to step up counter efforts
Patiala, November 7 The Health Department and Government Medical College, Patiala, are relying on the Mac-Elisa test for confirming if a patient is down with dengue. However, if we go by the NS1 Elisa Test, which many experts say if the patient tests positive for means his probability of having dengue is 99%, the number of dengue cases runs into thousands. Even as the first case of dengue in the city was reported more than two months back, till date, around 60 to 70 suspected cases of dengue are being admitted in city hospitals on a daily basis but the Municipal Corporation (MC) is yet to step up efforts to control the disease. They conducted fogging in some areas in the initial days but many parts of the city are yet to be covered under the drive. Sources in Government Rajindra Hospital claimed that in the past two decades, this was possibly the worst season as far as the number of dengue patients was concerned. "On an average, almost 50 patients are coming to the hospital but since their blood count is not that low, they are not being admitted. They are just visiting the OPDs and taking treatment," he added. Paramjeet Singh, a resident of the New Mehar Singh Colony, said despite the fact that the Municipal Corporation authorities were informed almost a month back that few cases of dengue were detected in their neighbourhood, they did not conduct fogging in the area. "Though the health authorities visited the area and got internal fogging done in some houses near those of dengue patients, no one from the MC turned up," he rued. Malwinder Kaur of the Narula Colony said the MC authorities did not bother to cover their area, which is only around 500 m away from their office. However, Patiala MC Parminder Singh Gill said they were doing their job. "There are some problems like lanes in certain areas are very tight. Moreover, there is stagnant water at many places despite the fact that there have been no rains of late. Sill, we are continuously covering various areas, mainly the ones where more cases are reported, in phases. We have recently purchased some fogging machines and we will ensure that all the areas are covered at the earliest." Meanwhile, Patiala District Health Officer Dr Harish Malhotra said health teams were continuously monitoring all the dengue cases and houses in the neighbourhood to control the disease.
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ADTO’s appointment sparks row
Chandigarh, November 7 Earlier, its selection was with the Punjab State Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSSB). SS Channi, Principal Secretary (Transport) claimed that the department could promote or appoint ADTO on its own. But, he failed to comment on the issue at hand. “I took over this office recently and the appointment in question was made before I joined. So I am not aware of it,” said Channi. The sources claimed that several rules were flouted in Simran’s direct appointment as ADTO, which otherwise has to be made through the PPSC. The sources claimed that Simran Sran, who had joined as junior engineer in Public Works Department just five months ago, was selected for the post from among a handful of candidates. The advertisement inviting applications for the post was given in two vernaculars having low circulation. A senior officer said, “The post should have been advertised in national dailies to invite maximum number of applications.” “ADTOs were last recruited in 1998 for which the PSSSSB conducted the exams in 1996. Now, it is mandatory for a candidate to sit for the PPSC exam to be selected for the post,” said another official. The sources said eligibility criteria for the post were ‘compromised’. Simran is a qualified civil engineer and this degree has reportedly been added as an additional qualification for the post. The sources said an Excise Inspector had applied for the post thrice but was rejected every time. Channi said he would look into the matter. Circumventing rules *
The PPSC appointed Simran Sran, son of Punjab Additional Transport Commissioner Harmel Singh Sran, without conducting a test or an interview *
Sran had joined as junior engineer in PWD five months ago. He was selected from among a handful of candidates *
The advertisement inviting applications for the post was given in two vernaculars with a very low circulation
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Farmers to get weather forecast through SMS
Chandigarh, November 7 Meteorological Department Director Surinder Pal Singh revealed that the department had approached the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana, on the matter. He said everyday the forecast of the Met Department would be sent to experts at the university, who would draft the data that is relevant to the agriculturist. This draft would then be sent to farmers through an SMS. Singh said initially the department was planning to cover 50 farmers of each district under the scheme but now the scheme would be implemented in Haryana too. The department has already collected data from the state Agriculture Department and the Panjab University that will initially utilise this service. The Met Department is also going to launch an SMS forecast service for the residents of Chandigarh in December.
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Anti-Sikh riot victims yet to get justice, says Oz MP
Chandigarh, November 7 The petition has urged the Government of India to take all reasonable measures to bring all persons responsible for this "organised campaign" of violence to justice. This includes criminal prosecutions against the responsible persons following due process of law. The Australian MP has also noted in the petition: "I am aware that the Prime Minister of India has asked the victims to 'forgive and forget'. But it seems clear to me that the events of 1984 onwards and the lack of justice has left lasting wounds on the Sikh psyche. The old saying 'a crime unpunished is a crime encouraged' is illustrated by the fact that those responsible for this violence, the police, the 'death squads' and those who authorised their actions, have never faced criminal prosecution. In many cases they have actually been promoted". Harkirat Singh, general secretary, Supreme Sikh Council of Australia, said: "The genocide petition before Australian Parliament will highlight the 'systematic killing' of Sikhs". The petition has got the support from Labour Party Member Parliament Michelle Rowland who also demanded prosecution of those involved in the torture, extrajudicial killings and disappearances of Sikhs during counter-insurgency operations in Punjab.
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Maur mandi brawl forces
police to revamp security
Bathinda, November 7 Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravcharan Brar today admitted a lapse in security and said measures had been taken in Maur Mandi to avoid such incidents. The brawl took place when several rowdy youths drove through the narrow market place on their tractors and trampled on the goods of shopkeepers on Diwali night. Brar said, “The fight would not have taken place had the SHO enforced the law. But, he seems to have a soft spot for the youths.” Demanding justice and action against the youths, several people from Maur Khurd today met DIG Amar Chahal. Brar said that a probationary officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rupinder Sra, had been deputed to look into the matter. Four CCTV cameras have been installed at Boharwala Chowk while the police has announced to form Sadbhawna Committees to sort out the issue.
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SGPC steps in to ensure safe langar
Amritsar, November 6 The SGPC has issued special badges to "sewadars" (employees) working in the langar facilities of various SGPC-run gurdwaras. Badges have also been issued to the devotees who perform langar "sewa" on a regular basis. The names and the addresses of all such devotees are also being registered. Besides, gurdwara managers have been told to monitor langars served by private organisations near their gurdwaras. They will also keep a watch on the location where langar is cooked. At the Golden Temple, an additional manager has been entrusted the responsibility of keeping an eye on all such langars put up around the shrine. The SGPC has also issued guidelines to its langar staff to only accept ration items from the devotees instead of any cooked meal. The SGPC has also initiated measures to ensure proper hygiene at the langar facility. For instance, it has decided to issue two sets of uniforms to the employees instead of one. It is also considering use of gloves by langar facility employees. The SGPC is also mulling setting up a langar committee where representatives of various Sikh organisations will also be included. The panel will formulate guidelines for monitoring the langars to be set up around the Golden Temple.
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Gurdaspur doctor helps Uzbek boy walk
Gurdaspur, November 7 Things began to look up when the boy's grandfather turned to the Internet and got in touch with Gurdaspur ortho specialist Dr Ajay Abrol. They family approached the Uzbekistan Embassy in New Delhi whose officials got in touch with Dr Abrol. The boy was just three when the bone of his left leg was dislocated and congenital pseudathrosis of the tibia set in. "This is a rare disease in children. My team had successfully operated upon 15 children and Abrarjennith became the 16th," Dr Abrol said. Abrarjennith was admitted to hospital on October 31 and after the mandatory checkup, was operated upon on November 1. "The operation lasted four hours. Abrarjennith can now walk without the crutches. He is recovering well and his parents back home in Tashkent are being regularly apprised of his condition.The boy and his grandfather will be returning home in a couple of days," Dr Abrol said. Dr Abrol speaks fluent Russian. He did MBBS from a medical institute in Russia. "I spent lakhs of soms (Uzbekistani's currency) on the treatment of my grandson. But I am happy that after so many years of despair and agony, my grandson has finally discarded the crutches," said an elated
Abrardjan.
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Amritsar karate player lied about gangrape: Police
Amritsar, November 7 She named one Goldy and his two friends to save her skin and that of her boyfriend Milandeep Singh, said Parampal Singh, Additional DCP (City-I). The teenager had alleged that Goldy and his accomplices had kidnapped her in the wee hours of October 21 while she was on her way to school. She had alleged that she was bundled up into a car, taken to an unknown building and raped. She had claimed that the accused wanted to teach her family a lesson for registering a complaint against them. The police officer said the girl's elder sister had lodged a complaint against Goldy in 2009. However, he had been acquitted. He said Goldy was at his home when the “crime” took place as confirmed by the location of his mobile phone and call details. He said a medical examination of the girl had confirmed sexual intercourse and DNA tests would be conducted on Milandeep who had confessed he had physical ties with the girl.
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London, November 7 He was discharged and later re-admitted for a illness for which he was undergoing treatment until his death on Sunday, the West Midlands police said in a statement. The incident, captured on a mobile phone, had sparked outrage online. It showed 19-year-old Coral Millerchip kicking Joginder Singh and knocking him to the ground. The clip also showed the girl spitting at him as he lay dazed on the ground. A post-mortem examination was conducted on Monday to establish the cause of the death. But the results were inconclusive. Further tests will now be conducted over the coming weeks. Millerchip, who has pleaded guilty to assaulting the pensioner, is to appear in court later this month for sentencing. — PTI
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New policy for shifting poles on highways
Jalandhar, November 7 The Power Corporation has come out with a new policy in this regard while imposing certain tough pre-conditions for the applicant authority, allowing them to get the work done at their own level. Citing shortage of manpower in all sub-divisions as the reason for delay in such works, the PSPCL has decided that both material and labour would be arranged by the highway authorities but the work would be executed under the supervision of PSPCL staff. It has also specified that the highway authorities would have to bear additional supervision charges which would be 27 per cent of the total cost of estimate, including the cost of material and labour, and that the estimate, too, would be prepared by the the power corporation itself. It has mentioned that the supervision charges would include those for material inspection on the premises of firms, material accountability and clearance at site, supervision at the time of installation of new lines and dismantling of old line, quality assurance of work and day-to-day monitoring by the field staff. The policy comes with a bigger rider that the highway authorities would even have to take the onus of any accident during the erection of the new line or dismantling of the old line. The applicant authorities will also have to submit a bank guarantee of the amount equivalent to the cost of material to be dismantled, which will be released to the applicant on the receipt of the dismantled material, including poles and transformers, in proper condition. Vipnesh Sharma, Project Director, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Jalandhar, said the new policy was yet to be notified to him. “The PSPCL had already allowed us to get work done through our concessionaire by levying 15-16 per cent supervision charges,” he added. Surinder Pal, Director (Commercial), PSPCL, said, “We had given special permission to the NHAI in one or two cases, but now we have come out with a standard policy for which no special approvals would have to be sought and an easy procedure has been laid out so that development works do not suffer.” new rules *
Both material and labour will be arranged by the highway authorities but the work will be executed under the supervision of power corporation staff *
The highway authorities will have to bear additional supervision charges which would be 27 per cent of the total cost of estimate, including the cost of material and labour, and the estimate will be prepared by the power corporation itself *
The highway authorities will have to take the onus of any accident during the erection of the new line or dismantling of the old line.
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3,311 students to be given scholarships
Mohali, November 7 The state government will organise a function at PAP Ground in Jalandhar, where these students would be honoured in the presence of their parents by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Sources said each student would be given a monthly scholarship of Rs 2,500 for his studies for the next two years. The authorities said the scholarships were being granted under Dr Hargobind Khurana Scholarship Scheme for brilliant students. The scholarship amount would be transferred in the bank accounts of students or their parents. According to the PSEB list of meritorious students, Hoshiarpur district has the maximum number of (386) such students, followed by Ludhiana with 305 meritorious students and Bathinda with 239 students. The Kapurthala district is at the bottom of the list with 35 meritorious students. Mohali district stands 15th with 97 such students.
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Now on, security guards of VVIPs will be treated with respect
Ludhiana, November 7 The Additional Secretary has directed the authorities to ensure that basic facilities are provided to the security personnel when they were on duty with their designated officials to these offices. An ADCP, wishing not to be quoted, said security personnel accompanying VIPs were treated badly in government offices or in the Secretariat. "Though they are given TA/DA by the government but in most of the offices, they are not allowed to carry their weapons etc. At times, in many offices they are not allowed to enter the premises and are told to wait outside. In many cases, security men are asked by the VIPs themselves to sit in their vehicle itself. Though on duty with VIPs, they are never offered chairs or water by the authorities and they feel bad about it. However, with these latest directions, they will not face humiliation at the hands of higher officials or their staff," said the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police.
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Maximum challans against public smoking issued in Sangrur district
Sangrur, November 7 These challans were issued for violating provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA). As per data compiled by the State Tobacco Control Society, Punjab, 2,605 persons were fined for smoking in public places from January to September in Sangrur district. A sum of Rs 1,55,095 was collected as fine from the violators. Amritsar district is on the second position in the list, with as many as 2,301 persons fined for smoking in public places, followed by Hoshiarpur district with 2,027 challans, Gurdaspur with 1,641 challans and Ludhiana with 1,193 challans. In the remaining districts, less than 1,000 challans were issued during this period. While a sum of Rs 1,55,095 was collected as fine from the violators in Sangrur district, Rs 1,29,990 was collected in Amritsar district, Rs 91,920 in Patiala district, Rs 83,495 in Mohali district, Rs 77,913 in Ludhiana district, Rs 67,390 in Hoshiarpur district, Rs 56,720 in Fatehgarh Sahib district, Rs 53,137 in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district and Rs 50,875 was collected as fine in Gurdaspur district. District Health Officer-cum-Nodal Officer, Tobacco Control Programme, Sangrur, Dr Surinder Singla said in Malerkotla health block of the Sangrur district, maximum number of persons (318) had been challaned, followed by Fatehgarh Panj Grianyan health block (292), Sherpur (204) and Kohrian (203). Besides, 330 challans had been issued by officials of the Civil Surgeon Office, Sangrur. Dr Singla said the health department had issued 2,206 challans (out of 2,605) while the remaining challans had been issued by 17 other departments. The District Health Officer-cum-Nodal Officer, Tobacco Control
Programme, Sangrur, said on August 15, Sangrur district had been accorded the status of "smoke-free district" and so, they would continue with their campaign against smoking in public places to maintain
the status.
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Nambardars sulk as govt fails to pay honorarium regularly
Sangrur, November 7 Talking to TNS today, Punjab Nambardar Union secretary general Mohinder Singh Jahangir said the state government had not been releasing their monthly honorarium on a regular basis. He said thousands of nambardars in the state had not received their honorarium for the past several months so far. Besides, the government had not been fulfilling some demands which had "already been accepted", he added. Jahangir said only in Mansa and Bathinda districts, the nambardars were being paid their monthly honorarium to the tune of Rs 1,000. In other districts, thousands of nambardars were awaiting their honorarium for the past four to eight months. He said the nambardars had been hopeful that they would get full arrears of their honorarium for the past months by Diwali but their hopes were dashed to the ground. Jahangir said even the nambardars were confused about which month(s) they had been paid for as the authorities deposited money in instalments in their accounts online. He said they were in the dark about the arrear amount. He said there were 34,000 nambardars in the state, out of which more than 60 per cent had not received their monthly honorarium for many months, he added. He said they would hold a big rally in Bathinda if their demands were not met by the state government at the earliest. Their demands include payment of monthly honorarium in the first week of every month on a regular basis, provision of a
separate room for nambardars at the district headquarters, representation of nambardars in district public grievances redressal committees and advisory committees of revenue departments, and the post of nambardar to nabardar's son on a priority basis.
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Punjab not to hold PMT next year Chandigarh, November 7 Even this year, Punjab did not conduct its own PMT since admissions to MBBS and BDS courses in all the medical colleges in India were done through National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). After the Supreme Court scrapped NEET in July this year, the CBSE reverted to its old system of conducting All-India PMT for 15 per cent national quota in government medical/dental colleges all over India. Along with this, the CBSE gave an option to all the states to voluntarily accept the merit of All-India PMT for admissions to their respective colleges. NRI students are also required to appear in AIPMT. The Punjab Government has decided that admission to its 85 per cent state quota in medical colleges in the state will be based on AIPMT merit. A notice to this regard has also been uploaded on
www.punjabmedicaleducation.org.
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The state government may have failed to meet the Diwali deadline for the Golden Temple entrance plaza project, but it has partially opened the plaza for the devotees, which has eased congestion at the main gate of the shrine.
The space which has been thrown open to the pilgrims is almost 30 to 40 per cent of the entire project area.
Even as tomato prices hover around Rs 70-Rs 80 per kg in the domestic retail market, at least 30 truckload of tomatoes are being daily exported to Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah border.
According to sources at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, 44 trucks loaded with tomatoes crossed over to Pakistan today. Unofficial sources put this figure at 60.
A letter dated October 26 by the Additional Secretary, Home, Government of Punjab, has been sent to the officials concerned (including district heads) in this regard. The letter states that while on duty with VIPs and VVIPS at the Civil Secretariat and District Administrative Complexes, security personnel were not being provided basic facilities such as proper seats or drinking water by the authorities.