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Badal uses Martyrdom Day function to seek votes for SAD-BJP nominees
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Rich heritage decaying amid red tape
Anna calls for another ‘freedom struggle’, now to cleanse politics
Special tribute by differently abled cop
In Abohar, people brave showers to pay tribute to martyrs
Betting on for likely BJP nominee from Gurdaspur
crossing swords
Not many traders attend SAD rally at Bathinda
Cong’s Jaitu MLA may contest Faridkot seat
Top Congress leaders to campaign in state
Poll result will prove our
presence: SAD (Longowal)
Thousands take PPSC prelims
Ex-member flays PPSC for setting tough paper
Akali MLA’s sons allotted several liquor vends in Faridkot
Complainant in Sukhbir’s
case medically examined
Locality neglected, Sirhind residents to boycott poll
Patiala orthopaedist enters Limca Book of Records
Yaum-e-Masih Maud celebrated
Antiques displayed in Abohar
Education Dept flayed for changing result date
Contempt notice to Chief Secy
Will fill vacancies in forensic lab soon, state to HC
Man murders parents, brother, sister-in-law
Three booked for gangrape in Moga
Man kills wife for alcohol
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Badal uses Martyrdom Day function to seek votes for SAD-BJP nominees
Khatkar Kalan (Nawanshahr), March 23 Addressing the gathering in an enclosure set up on the backside of the memorial dedicated to the martyr, Badal said, “You need not give up your life for this cause. You need not go to jails for this struggle. All you need to do is vote in favour of your SAD-BJP candidate. Bhagat Singh’s dreams will be realised only if Narendra Modi comes to power at the Centre.” Badal claimed once Modi took over the country’s reins, the Akali government would ensure that the issued of poverty, inflation and corruption were resolved in Punjab. While heaping praises on Prem Singh Chandumajra, the ruling coalition’s candidate from Anandpur Sahib, Badal said, “Have you ever seen a commander changing his horses during a battle? That is the treatment the Congress has meted out to sitting MP Ravneet Singh Bittu after once announcing him as the candidate. He is now pleading his case before the party. I have heard that Ambika Soni whom they have lined up as the candidate is also unwilling to contest.” Badal alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had been forcing all reluctant candidates into the poll arena. “Ludhiana MP Manish Tewari has also fled citing ill health,” he said. In a lighter vein, he said, “If you press the Congress button on an EVM, it will beep. If you listen to it carefully, you will hear the shrieks of the losing Congress candidates.” On the sidelines…
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Rich heritage decaying amid red tape
Khatkar Kalan (Nawanshahr), March 23 Sources say it was seven years ago that the house was renovated in a major way. But this year, not even the annual white wash could be done, courtesy the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections. The monument is protected under the Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Site and Remains Act 1964. Still, one of its walls is in a bad shape, awaiting restoration for long. A room in the house is being used to store tar sheets even as paint on its lower walls has worn away owing to dampness. Seven years ago, the then Deputy Commissioner had ordered the closure of a drain passing nearby to check dampness in the house. But that doesn’t seem to have helped as water is still seeping in. Bhagat Singh’s nephew Prof Jagmohan Singh says, “The Department of Archives/Culture is mostly out of funds whenever we approach it for restoration. We have to beg the government for grants even though the house’s upkeep should have been its job.” Constructed in 1858, it was here that the foundation of pro-people ideology was laid in Bhagat Singh’s family. When most of the feudal lords sided with the British to save their properties, the martyr’s great grandfather, Fateh Singh, chose to leave the house. As Bhagat Singh was brought up in Faisalabad (now in Pakistan), he used to visit the house regularly along with his grandfather Arjan Singh. Bhagat Singh’s sister Amar Kaur (Prof Jagmohan’s mother) had handed over the mortal remains of the martyrs (Sukhdev and Rajguru being the other two) to the museum. “But nothing much has been done to preserve the remains. A copy of The Tribune mentioning the trio’s martyrdom has also degenerated over the period. We have requested the government to hand over the house to us if it can’t take care of the martyr’s heritage. On the other hand, the Pakistan Government is spending Rs 80 million to give a facelift to the house where Bhagat Singh lived and the school where he studied in Faisalabad,” he said. Prof Jagmohan now pins hopes on a new museum coming up near the old one, for which the Union Government has earmarked Rs 17.5 crore. NPS Randhawa, Director, Department of Culture, says, “The government is taking good care of the house. The restoration is being carried out regularly. It is in a good condition but we will get the dampened wall and the room being used as a store checked.” He says the first phase of the new museum building is complete while work on the second phase would start within 10 days. The new building will have a museum, food court, audio-visual interactive system and a landscaped garden, he says.
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Anna calls for another ‘freedom struggle’, now to cleanse politics
(Hussainiwala) Ferozepur, March 23 Anna was here to pay obeisance at the memorial of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on the occasion of their Martyrdom Day. He said he was not in favour of any political party as all were the “birds of the same feather”. “It does not matter whether Modi comes or Rahul or somebody else as it will make no difference to our system. It needs to be changed, not the government,” he said. Anna said the dreams visualised by Bhagat Singh and other martyrs remained far from fulfilled today due to the “vested interests” of politicians. Stringent security measures were in place in the wake of Anna's visit. In wake of the model code of conduct, the district administration officials turned up at the memorial only after senior SAD-BJP leaders had left. Divisional Commissioner VK Sharma, Deputy Inspector General Amar Singh Chahal, Deputy Commissioner Manjit Singh Narang and Senior Superintendent of Police Manminder Singh, besides other officials, also paid floral tribute at the memorial. Sharma also inaugurated a blood donation camp organised by Shaheed Bhagat Singh Rajguru and Sukhdev Society. Thousands of people from all over the state, besides neighbouring Rajasthan, Haryana and other far off places, thronged the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala to pay their respects to the martyrs, who had embraced the gallows for the sake of the country's freedom. Throughout the day, the visitors kept raising patriotic slogans.
‘Won’t speak about Arvind on sacred soil’ Vowing to continue his movement against the corrupt politicians, the social activist minced no words in criticising his former aide Arvind Kejriwal. Anna went to an extent of saying that he did not want to talk about him on this sacred soil. CM skips function at Hussainiwala CM Parkash Singh Badal preferred to skip the occasion to pay tribute to the martyrs at Hussainiwala. In Badal's place, Cabinet Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon paid floral tribute at the memorial. BJP state president Kamal Sharma was also present.
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In Abohar, people brave showers to pay tribute to martyrs
Abohar, March 23 Despite light showers, people gathered at the Shaheed Chowk where the statue of Bhagat Singh was installed by the Labour Council and inaugurated by veteran parliamentarian Prakash Veer Shastri on March 23, 1969. Manch president GS Gill and state award recipient-teacher Rajinder Singh Brar said that "the real tribute to the martyrs would be paid only if every citizen participated in the country's social and economic progress". Health Department deputy directors Rakesh Arora and Ramesh Verma said the sacrifice by the three martyrs played the most important role in strengthening and providing a momentum to the Independence struggle. Revolutionary Hemu Kalani was also remembered as his birth anniversary too falls on the day. As many as 101 units of blood were collected at a function held at Aggarwal Bhawan at Padampur in Sriganganagar.
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Betting on for likely BJP nominee from Gurdaspur
Gurdaspur, March 23 The main contenders seem to be former MP and Union minister Vinod Khanna and industrialist Swaran Salaria. The BJP was to announce its candidate on March 15 and then postponed the decision to March 19. Senior Superintendent of Police Sukhwant Singh Gill said he had no information about wagers being placed but added that they would take strict action against any person found indulging in the illegal activity. Sources said money was being exchanged underhand by traders and shopkeepers, who form the traditional BJP vote bank. “Wagers are being placed on both Khanna and Salaria, but most of the bets are being placed on Khanna to be the nominee,” said a senior BJP leader. Sources said yoga guru Baba Ramdev was gunning for the candidature of Salaria while Khanna was being backed by a powerful lobby of senior leaders, including party patriarch LK Advani. During the 2009 parliamentary elections, Khanna’s name figured in the first list of candidates announced by the party, following which he started his campaign well in time. Sitting Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa’s name was announced at a very late stage by the AICC but he still managed to beat Khanna, a three-time MP, by a margin of nearly 8,000 votes. The PPCC chief’s candidature has already been announced by the Congress high command. The AAP has also announced former minister SS Chottepur as its candidate. A BJP leader said the more the delay in announcing the candidate, the more difficult it would be for the nominee to transverse
the length and breadth of the constituency. 'Money being exchanged'
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Brinda bats for third front, says CPM won’t support Manpreet
Ludhiana, March 23 Replying to a query, she said the CPM could not support Manpreet as he was contesting with the Congress’s support. Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a rally on the occasion of Martyrdom Day here, the CPM leader also had a word of caution for those taking the prospects of third front lightly in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. She said “nobody ought to make the mistake of writing off the third front”. “Do not underestimate the strength of regional parties who can always spring a surprise and give both the UPA and NDA run for their money,” she said. Karat said the possibility of the third front forming a government with the help of other like-minded non-Congress and non-BJP parties could not be ruled out. Disagreeing with the BJP that there was a pro-Modi wave in the country, she said the so called “Modi wave” was only a media hype. “The rumbling and voices of dissent from within the BJP as well as other constituents of the NDA is ample proof that the ground reality is entirely different from what is being projected,” she said. Launching an attack on the Shiromani Akali Dal, the NDA’s coalition partner in Punjab, Karat said “the party seemed to have forgotten its own rich heritage and past anti-Sikh history of the BJP”. “The Akali Dal has joined hands with the BJP only to remain in power and make its existence felt in national politics,” she said. Calls SAD ‘opportunist’ The Akali Dal seems to have forgotten its own rich heritage and the past anti-Sikh history of the BJP. The Akalis have joined hands with the BJP only to remain in power and make its existence felt in national politics. Brinda Karat, cpm Politburo member
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crossing swords
Amritsar, March 23 Reacting to Amarinder's comments on his Facebook page, Jaitley said: “The Congress candidate from Amritsar, Captain Sahib, has still not come to the constituency. Regrettably, he is resorting to his old USP- lower the level of debate through personalised and discourteous language. I have to resist the temptation of reciprocating in the same manner. However, a polite response is necessary. "Despite my ancestral roots in Punjab, Captain Sahib called me an “outsider” and a “pseudo” Punjabi. Will he be kind enough to tell me which state in India does Mrs Sonia Gandhi belong to. Captain Sahib further wants to know if after winning from Amritsar, will I shift to Amritsar. Surely, I will have both an office and residential base in Amritsar, but will he ever be available to the people of Amritsar at all. "Experience shows that he has been inaccessible not only to the people but also to his party leaders, including ministers. His availability is only for a few hours...” Later, talking to mediapersons, Jaitley reiterated that "Punjabi blood runs in my veins." Amarinder responded to Jaitley’s attack, describing his “new found love for his Punjabi-roots as sheer opportunism”. In a strongly worded statement, he said: “It was unbecoming of a leader like Jaitley to drag Ms Gandhi into an argument where he (Jaitley) finds himself defenceless. I always thought Jaitley was a gentleman, but I am sorry to read about his shameless attempts to question Ms Gandhi's statehood when she had nothing to do about what I had said in a newspaper interview about Jaitley.” The former Chief Minister said it was obvious as to who was lowering the level of debate. “But let me remind Jaitley of our great Indian culture and tradition which accepts daughters-in-law as the real inheritors of the house and not the daughters, irrespective of which place they come from,” he said. Amarinder asked Jaitley as to why he had contested an election from Madhya Pradesh if he was so attached to his Punjabi roots. “And let Jaitley tell me when did he last visit Punjab, leave aside contesting an election from here,” he said. On Sonia's origins, Amarinder pointed out: “Every time you (BJP) have tried to rake up this issue, you have badly lost as the people of the country have repeatedly rejected your chauvinistic and xenophobic rabble-rousing.” To Jaitley’s charges of accessibility, he said: "My accessibility and the people's affection for me must be already known to you by now after the announcement of my candidature from here (Amritsar),” referring to the celebrations in and around Amritsar over his nomination. “I don’t want to say as to whose accessibility should be questioned; the one who has been in electoral politics for the last four and a half decades or the one who has always chosen a backdoor entry to the legislature.” On Jaswant row On senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh voicing dissent on being denied the ticket from the Barmer constituency, Jaitley said everyone should accept the party decision. “It is for the party to take a call as to who should contest," he said. He claimed the party respected all its veteran leaders. On Jaswant planning to contest as an Independent, he said he would comment on it only when the senior leader filed his nominations. Airing his views on the social media in this regard, he said: “At times, the party may flood leaders with privileges and positions. On other occasions, the leader may have to take “no” as an answer. How does a politician or a leader react to such “no”? He must accept the decision with a smile. This becomes a test of his loyalty and discipline. Silence is always dignified and more gracious.” Continuing his attack on Amarinder, Jaitley said the former Chief Minister was not a ‘majboot’ but a ‘majboor’ candidate. Addressing a public meeting, he said: “Till four days ago, he was running away from Amritsar, saying he didn't know much about the constituency. I don’t know how ‘majboot’ (strong) he is, but he is definitely a ‘majboor candidate.” "Those targeting me should tell the people where from does Sonia Gandhi hail," he added. Is Sonia’s name sacred, asks SAD Chandigarh: Ridiculing Capt Amarinder Singh's statement, claiming that Sonia Gandhi's name could not be brought into a political debate, the SAD asked Congress leaders as to why they felt "guilty" whenever the fact of Sonia Gandhi originally being an Italian was pointed out." Party general secretary Harcharan Bains said it was truly amusing that Amarinder should consider Sonia's name as "too holy to be brought into a political dialogue." If he did not want Sonia's name to be brought into any political debate, "he must request her to withdraw from the political arena," he added. — TNS Congress leaders fighting at gunpoint, says Deputy Chief Minister Chandigarh: The SAD president, Sukhbir Singh Badal, today said that reluctant Congress leaders had been made to contest the elections by their party high command at gunpoint. "These leaders need counselling to fight nervousness and anxiety symptoms," he mocked. He said the Congress itself was panicky and had betrayed its desperation by "virtually dragging its unwilling old leaders in chains to fight an inspired SAD-BJP alliance. He went on to say that for the first time in electoral history two former Chief Ministers (Amarinder Singh and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal), a central minister, (Manish Tewari) the PPCC president and CLP Leader Sunil Jakhar had in public expressed their unwillingness to fight the elections. "They know they are facing a rout. Congress candidature, this time, is akin to punishment posting." he added.
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SAD fires fresh salvo at Capt
Amritsar, March 23 In a statement issued here, State Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Animal Husbandry Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Inderbir Singh Bolaria said the Congress had eight Members of Parliament and four ministers from Punjab in the UPA Cabinet, but they did nothing for their state. Except one FM channel, no development project was brought to Punjab, they said. The Akali leaders alleged Congress MPs remained mute spectators in Parliament and did not raise their voice to protect interests of the state. They thus had no moral ground for seeking votes from the people of the state, the leaders added. The SAD leaders asked the voters not to vote for Capt Amarinder Singh since his party at the Centre had done nothing for the border area and industry in Punjab. In contrast, Akali MPs, including Harsimrat Kaur Badal, had been raising issues concerning Punjab in Parliament, they said.
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Not many traders attend SAD rally at Bathinda
Bathinda, March 23 The rally was supposed to be a show of strength of the party's youth force and of its following in the Bathinda Urban seat, represented by Akali legislator Sarup Chand Singla. Harsimrat faces a daunting task of taking a lead over rival candidate Manpreet Badal from the city. Manpreet, backed by the Congress, is looking for support from city traders who have traditionally sided with the Congress. Not many from the trading community were seen at the rally. Buses belonging to several city schools were seen ferrying people. Addressing the rally, Majithia predicted a thumping victory for Harsimrat. He accused Manpreet of being an opportunist who had "ditched" Chief Minister Pakash Singh Badal, besides his supporters and friends by siding with the Congress. He said he did not see much fight between BJP's Arun Jaitley and Congress candidate Capt Amarinder Singh for the Amritsar seat as "the scales are tilted in favour of the former". He said a BJP-led government at the Centre would ensure all-round development of Punjab. On his alleged links with the drugs mafia, Majithia said his name did not figure anywhere in the investigation. "Three petitions have been filed against me, but none was found good," he said.
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Cong’s Jaitu MLA may contest Faridkot seat
Faridkot, March 23 In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, son of former Punjab minister Sardool Singh was selected by Rahul Gandhi for the Faridkot constituency. He lost to Gulshan by 42,042 votes. He was seen as an "outsider". The Congress does not want to repeat this mistake and wants to field a local leader, the sources said. Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon, PPCC general secretary, said the name of the Congress candidate was almost final. Sources in the Congress said though Joginder Singh's name had been doing the rounds for the past several months, the Congress high command was not in a mood to field a sitting MLA. But with former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh being fielded from Amritsar and Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jakhar likely to get the ticket from the Ferozepur parliamentary seat, there is every possibility of Joginder Singh contesting the Faridkot seat. The Faridkot parliamentary constituency comprises four districts — Faridkot Muktsar, Bathinda and Moga.
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Top Congress leaders to campaign in state
Chandigarh, March 23
The top three leaders of the party will make two visits each covering at least 12 constituencies. Confirming the visit of the top leaders, PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa said: "The schedule will be announced soon after the finalisation of candidates for all constituencies". Haryana leaders, who will be available after polling in their state on April 10, have been especially selected for campaigning here. These include Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Member of Parliament Deepinder Hooda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Surjewala. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is also expected to campaign in Punjab, said sources. The list also includes names of Union Ministers Oscar Fernandes, Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh and Sachin Pilot, besides president of the All-India Youth Congress Rajiv Satav and president of the All-India Mahila Congress Shobha Ojha.
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Preneet ignored her constituency: Dhillon
Patiala, March 23 He said the three-time MP from Patiala had not fulfilled the promises she made to the residents of flood-hit areas in the constituency. Dhillon said he was in touch with people at the grassroots level and was well aware of their problems. He said if elected he would do his best to address the problems of the residents. Dhillon further said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was not informed of the issues the people here were facing and claimed the AAP was not a threat to the ruling party. He then read a list of development initiatives taken by the SAD-BJP government in the constituency.
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Poll result will prove our
presence: SAD (Longowal)
Sangrur, March 23 SAD (Longowal) general secretary Baldev Mann said Dhindsa would find out if his party was relevant after the poll were declared on May 16.
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CM launches Sampla's campaign
Hoshiarpur, March 23 Addressing Akali and BJP workers he said, "We want to see Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister. There is a lot of enthusiasm for Modi across the country." Commenting on Captain Amarinder Singh's candidature from
Amritsar, he said, "Most of the Congress leaders were trying to escape contesting the elections. They have made a scapegoat of Amarinder as Jaitely is going to have a record
win from Amritsar." MP Avinash Rai Khanna and Chief Minister's Political Advisor Tikshan Sud and state BJP president Kamal Sharma were also present on the occasion.
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Thousands take PPSC prelims
Patiala, March 23 Of the 33,000 applicants who had applied for the 120 posts, including 23 of Executive Magistrate, 10 of Deputy Superintendent of Police, 16 of Deputy Superintendent of Jail, 52 of Excise and Taxation Officer, six of Tehsildar, 11 of Block Development and Panchayat Officers and two of Labour and Conciliation Officers, only around 25,000 candidates had submitted the fee. However, the application forms of 851 candidates were rejected due to various reasons. The PPSC has now introduced changes in the examination system in line with the UPSC for the convenience of the students. It has done away with the optional subjects and now the candidates will have to appear in four general studies papers. Moreover, the mains examination will comprise of seven papers, including languages. The commission has also increased the aggregate marks from 1,000 to 1,500. Earlier, any candidate could sit in the interview if he had scored 33 per cent marks in Punjabi. However, now the PPSC has made it mandatory for a candidate to score
33 per cent marks in all the subjects. The total qualifying marks for the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe candidates have been reduced to 40 per cent, while these are 45 per cent for the students of the general category.
Tough contest
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Ex-member flays PPSC for setting tough paper
Chandigarh, March 23 Jakhar said though graduates were eligible to take the test, most postgraduates would not have been able to clear it. He demanded that the state government seek a report from an independent body of academicians on the matter. He said several questions in the paper were on international issues and not on matters of the state or the country. Jakhar demanded that the PPSC explain the reasons for rejecting the forms of over 800 candidates. He further asked why the authorities had not developed a system that would not accept forms of candidates who were ineligible. Jakhar demanded to know if the PPSC would now refund the fee of the rejected candidates.
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Akali MLA’s sons allotted several liquor vends in Faridkot
Faridkot, March 23
The allotment of 55 English wine shops (Indian made foreign liquor) and 202 countrymade liquor vends in Faridkot district fetched the state government Rs 92.23 crore through excise duty today. The allotment of these liquor shops was made through an open draw of lots. Out of the total 13 circles of liquor vends in the district, Faridkot MLA Deep Malthora’s sons got five. The department also earned Rs 2.06 crore as fee from 383 applicants.
In Moga, during the allotment of liquor vends, as much as 80 per cent of the business went to four seasoned businessmen in the liquor business in the city. Of the 1,261 applications received by the Excise and Taxation Department, 293 liquor vends were allotted through a draw. Most of these were directly or indirectly allotted to Balwinder Singh, Inderpal Singh Babbi, Jaspal Singh and Rajinder Singh. Babbi also got a few liquor vends in Baghapurana town, while brothers Jaspal Singh and Rajinder Singh managed to hold on to their liquor vends in the Ajitwal area. Sources revealed the four businessmen filed multiple applications through their employees, friends and family members to bag 80 per cent of the allotments. District Magistrate Arshdip Singh Thind and Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner Tejbir Singh Sidhu claimed the draws were held in a transparent manner and no objections were raised. However, local officials of the department are in high spirits as revenue rose by around 28 per cent as compared to last year. The state government would earn a total of Rs 120.76 crore through the allotment of 293 liquor vends in the district. The revenue would jump Rs 25.87 crore compared to last year, a spokesman of the district administration said. Meanwhile, a liquor contractor claimed that the price of liquor would come down. However, he said, with 50 liquor vends being shifted from the national and state highways, the profits would come down. Local resident Jaswinder Singh feels that the government has reduced the prices due to the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. —
With inputs from Kulwinder
Sandhu
Ropar: The Excise and Taxation Department will earn nearly 18 lakh more compared to last year as liquor vends were allotted here today. The district administration allotted a total of 223 liquor vends through a draw. Deputy Commissioner PK Agrawal said last year the district administration earned Rs 72.24 lakh through the allotment of liquor vends. —TNS Fatehgarh Sahib gets over Rs 100 cr Fatehgarh Sahib: The Excise and Taxation Department earned Rs 106.20 crore from the allotment of liquor vend licences for the fiscal 2014-15 in the district today. As many as 136 countrymade liquor vends and 88 English liquor vends were allotted in five sub-divisions. The department saw a 24.6 per cent jump in revenue as compared to last year . —TNS
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Complainant in Sukhbir’s
case medically examined
Faridkot, March 23 Accusing the jail authorities of not taking any action against the accused, Sehgal had moved an application in the court of the Additional District Judge. The victim also alleged the doctors at the civil hospital of not treating him. He demanded that necessary action be taken against the accused and that he be treated. Sehgal alleged that in a conspiracy to kill him, five persons attacked him on March 15 and injured him badly. Sukhbir is facing a criminal case in a Faridkot Court after Seghal had filed a writ petition in the High Court against the Deputy CM in the year 2001. The case against Sukhbir was registered on June 21, 2002, on the directions of the High Court.
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Locality neglected, Sirhind residents to boycott poll
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 23 Renu Bither, social worker-cum-resident of the area, alleged the occupants of 300 houses in Hamayunpur had neither been included in the municipal area nor in the village panchyat. She said they paid stamp duty as per urban rates and there were two ration depots in the area. But she said Hamayunpur was neither included in Sirhind town nor in any village panchyat as per the demarcation of wards in 1997. There locality does not have street lights, a drainage system, sewerage and access to drinking water as council officials say the area is not included in the municipal limits. Renu said their repeated pleas to the authorities had fallen on deaf ears.
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Patiala orthopaedist enters Limca Book of Records
Chandigarh, March 23 Dr Wadhwa performed 331 surgeries in 31 days (March 2013). He is an alumnus of the Orthopaedics Department of Government Medical College, Amritsar. He has also performed some rare surgeries such as the first CT-based Trumatch bilateral TKR in North India; first Oxinium Bilateral TKR on a 16-year-old girl suffering from complex rheumatoid arthritis; and complex ankylosed hip replacement on a patient bedridden for 21 years.
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Yaum-e-Masih Maud celebrated
Hoshiarpur, March 23 Shaikh Mannan addressed the gathering and said on March 23, 1889, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad took an oath of allegiance from forty members at the house of Sufi Ahmad Jaan in Ludhiana and laying the foundation of the Ahmadia Muslim community. The advent of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was according to the prophecies of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa for the revival of true Islam. — OC
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Antiques displayed in Abohar
Abohar, March 23 The exhibition titled “Aryavratiya Continuities” was inaugurated by Chandigarh circle Income Tax Commissioner Ravi Sarangal. Senior Batala educationist BK Sharma said they were delighted to find that villagers had preserved remains left by their great grandparents instead of disposing them of to junk dealers. College principal SK Arora, a member of the Panjab University senate, accompanied dignitaries to about 60 stalls to share views on the collections.
These included bronze and brass utensils belonging to the 1725-1800 period, a century-old hand-woven phulkari and bagh, hukkas and silver trays that were used in 1801, coins and notes used during pre-Partition days.
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LPG demand-supply gap widens with suspension of cash transfer scheme
Faridkot, March 23 There is a sudden increase of refilling demand as people want to avail the maximum benefit of refilling before the end of the financial year. Earlier, there was a cap on nine annual subsidised cylinders for every connection. With the suspension of the scheme, an LPG cylinder is now available for Rs 437.50. Earlier, a customer has had to pay Rs 1,132 for a cylinder and the subsidy was transferable to his/her bank account under the DBTL scheme. Due to the high rate, many poor families were not so interested in buying the cylinders and so, the demand was low. However, after the recent move, a lot of people want to avail their entitled quota of 11 cylinders, said Rajeev Sharma, chief area manager, LPG sales, Indian Oil Corporation, Chandigarh. “With shortage of supply and increase in demand, the pendency is increasing,” said Sunil Kumar Jain, president, LPG agency dealers’ association, Faridkot. Rajeev Sharma, however, claimed that the LPG supply was normal.
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Education Dept flayed for changing result date
Abohar, March 23 The NGO members said heads of schools had been directed to declare the results on March 26. They said it had posed inconvenience to teachers across the region. They said many of them had to cancel outdoor engagements to speed up evaluation. Anjali Bhawra, Principal Secretary, School Education, had on March 21 directed the schools to organise a parents-teacher meeting on March 26. The examinations of non-board classes ended on March 21. However, practical examination of classes IX and XI will conclude on March 25. Now, teachers will have to prepare results in a day. — OC
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Contempt notice to Chief Secy
Chandigarh, March 23 Taking up the matter, Justice Mahesh Grover also issued notice to state Home Secretary SS Channy and UT Home Secretary Anil Kumar for July 28. The notice came on the petition filed by advocate HC Arora. He claimed that a Division Bench had on July 11, 2013, taken note of the fact that the state of Haryana had enhanced financial assistance for advocates, on cessation of practice after 40 years, to Rs 4.60 lakh. The Bench had, therefore, directed the state, that “looking into the inflation, which has caused a steep increase in the cost of living, in the absence of social security system, we consider it appropriate to direct that the state would look into this aspect and endeavour to at least bring it on parity with the state of Haryana. The decision may be taken within a maximum period of one month from today.” Referring to Chandigarh, the Bench had observed, “We expect the Union Territory of Chandigarh to act on parity with the aforesaid and take necessary steps within the same period of time.” Arora said in response to an application submitted by him under the Right to Information Act (RTI), the Chandigarh administration maintained that it was yet to constitute a “Trustee Committee” for the Advocates Welfare Fund. He was told that the matter would be considered after the constitution of the Trustee Committee. The petitioner alleged that same stand was taken by UT Administration in its affidavit filed before the High Court in the public interest litigation (PIL) on October 10, 2012. As such, the administration had not moved even an inch in the matter in the last eight months, he alleged. He added the state government, in reply to the RTI application, stated that the matter was under its consideration, and requisite notification would be issued soon after taking a decision on the matter. He alleged the respondents were deliberately delaying the implementation of the High Court orders. Case file
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Will fill vacancies in forensic lab soon, state to HC
Chandigarh, March 23 The assertion came when Rakesh Singh, Home Secretary SS Channi and Health Secretary Vini Mahajan were present in the court in connection with shortage of 28 posts at the FSL and long delay in analysis of
drug samples. Taking a note of the assertion, Justice Paramjeet Singh directed the state to submit its affidavit within three weeks on its plan to fill up the vacancies. The development is significant as narcotic substances seized in the state is among the highest in the country.
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Man murders parents, brother, sister-in-law
Tarn Taran, March 23 He has been arrested. The 32 bore revolver used in the crime has been recovered. A case under Sections 302, 314, 148, 149 of the IPC and Sections 25 , 54, 59 of the Arms Act has been registered, said Rajjit Singh Hundal, SSP. Daljit, in a bid to mislead the police, lodged an FIR, claiming that unidentified persons had shot four members of his family. A four-member special investigating team (SIT), headed by Harwinder Singh Sandhu, SP (Detective), got suspicious and questioned Daljit, who confessed to have committed the crime. He also handed over the revolver used in the killings that he had hid under his bed . Daljit said he suspected his father had illicit ties with his sister-in-law and had "bad intensions" towards his wife too.
Gruesome killings
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Three booked for gangrape in Moga
Moga, March 23 The girl, a student of class IX, was going to her school on Saturday when three car-borne youths allegedly pulled her inside their vehicle, took her to an unknown location on the Lopo road and gangraped her. She was later released by the youths. Two of the accused are Sukhjivan Singh and Jagsir Singh, both residents of Badhni Kalan village. The third accused is yet to be identified by the police. A medical examination of the victim was conduted, which confirmed that she was sexually abused. A case under Sections 376, 506 and 120B of the IPC has been registered against the accused. — TNS
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Muktsar, March 23 Sources said the couple's two sons were not at home at the time of the incident. Neighbours found Jaita lying in a pool of blood and informed the police. The body of the victim had injury marks. Some villagers claimed the accused had turned alcoholic.
— TNS
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Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here today tried to build an emotional connection with the youth and other participants who had gathered to pay obeisance to Bhagat Singh on the occasion of the freedom fighter’s Martyrdom Day anniversary.
Politicians cutting across party lines make a beeline to Bhagat Singh’s ancestral Khatkar Kalan village whenever an election approaches. But not many of them remember the martyr once the electoral process gets over. A visit to the village found that the legendary freedom fighter’s house was relatively ignored, which has irked his family members.
Exhorting the people to gear up for another freedom struggle, social activist Anna Hazare here today said the fight now was not against the oppressive British rule but against the political set up where “corruption, dishonesty and nepotism” were ruling the roost.
Brinda Karat, CPM Politburo member, today said her party would not support Manpreet Singh Badal, the Congress- People’s Party of Punjab joint candidate, in Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency.
Replying to a query, she said the CPM could not support Manpreet as he was contesting with the Congress’s support.
Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a rally on the occasion of Martyrdom Day here, the CPM leader also had a word of caution for those taking the prospects of third front lightly in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
run Jaitley, BJP candidate from Amritsar, today hit out at Congress nominee Capt Amarinder Singh for calling him an “outsider in Amritsar” and a “pseudo-Punjabi”.
Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia's rally in support of his sister and sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal at Gandhi Market this afternoon was attended by a number of labourers and minors.
The rally was supposed to be a show of strength of the party's youth force and of its following in the Bathinda Urban seat, represented by Akali legislator Sarup Chand
Singla.
Hundreds of residents of Ward number 17 (Hamayunpur area) in Sirhind town today decided to boycott the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. They held a rally in protest against the non-inclusion of their locality in the
Sirhind-Fatehgarh Sahib municipal area.
