Congress to field new faces, says Dullo
Patiala, July 10
Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee chief Shamsher Singh Dullo today said that new faces would be recommended to the party high command for ticket for the coming Assembly elections.

• Raninder not to contest poll

Boy enacts kidnapping drama
Patiala, July 10
For a while it seemed that the Chief Minister’s home- town was rocked with the sensational kidnapping of 14-year-old boy Vipan from his house located in Gurbax Colony, here this afternoon, but the kidnapping turned out to be a farce that kept the police on its toes for about four hours.

COMMUNITY

Punjab may impose Goonda Act to curb music piracy
Chandigarh, July 10 Underlining Punjab Government's concern for growing audio-video piracy in the state, the vice-president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and chairman of the Punjab Arts Council, Mr Kewal Dhillon, said here today that the Goonda Act to curb piracy would be brought in the forthcoming session of the State Assembly.
Gurdas Mann addresses an artistes' rally organised in support of the implementation of the Goonda Act in Chandigarh on Monday. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Police clueless to malkhana theft
Amritsar, July 10
The Patiala police is still clueless about the looting of the malkhana of Sadar Police Rajpura Station, on December 29 last year in which huge amount of ransom money, contraband, recovered from the kidnapers of Prabir, son of Amritsar’s rice miller were kept.

Distillery being set up without approval
Fazilka, July 10
A distillery is under construction in Ghallu village of Fazilka sub-division, 18 km from here, without the approval of appropriate authorities. According to reports Bhankerpur Distilleries Ltd started construction on 17 acres in Ghallu village in violation of rules.

SGPC withdraws kar seva from deras
Amritsar, July 10
In a surprise move, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has withdrawn kar seva from Baba Jagtar Singh and Baba Lakha Singh for alleged anti-SGPC activities.

Badal sees Cong hand in attack on Akali, BJP leaders
Chandigarh, July 10
President of the SAD Parkash Singh Badal today alleged that the armed assault on a peaceful meeting of Akali and BJP leaders in Ludhiana yesterday was the handiwork of the Congress and criminal elements acting at the behest of Simranjit Singh Mann’s SAD (Amritsar).

Sikh institute deplores July 2 incident
Chandigarh, July 10
The Institute of Sikh Studies has condemned the events that took place in Golden Temple complex on July 2.

Terrorists regrouping, says Bitta
Amritsar, July 10
The All India Anti-Terrorist Front chief, Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, today apprehended that militants of various outfits had started re-grouping with inflow of foreign funds .

8-hour continuous power to rural areas: Bhattal
Chandigarh, July 10
Reviewing the position of power supply in Punjab, Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today directed all programme implementation committees to ensure eight-hour supply of uninterrupted power in the rural areas so that farmers are able to irrigate the paddy crop.

AGRICULTURE

Farmers offer arrest
Amritsar, July 10
Activists of farmer organisations offered their arrest against the Punjab Government’s decision to give 376 acres in Sangrur district to private concerns. Earlier, they gathered at Ram Bagh and held a protest march, raising slogans against the government and its policies.

Farmers protest acquisition of land
Sangrur, July 10
A large number of farmers, belonging to some farmer organisations, held a rally in the SDM office complex at Sunam, 13 km from here, today against acquisition of land in the state, especially in three villages of Barnala, by the state government.

CRIME

Doctor held on graft charge
Bathinda, July 10
The Vigilance Bureau today arrested Dr Kulwant Singh Brar posted at the local Civil Hospital while he was allegedly accepting bribe from a Mehraj resident. Sources said the complainant, Darshan Singh, had approached the doctor seeking a medico-legal report of his brother-in-law for getting a case registered against the latter’s rivals under Section 326 of the IPC.

SHO held for firing at youths
Hoshiarpur, July 10
Mr R. N. Dhoke, SSP, Hoshiarpur, said here today that on the basis of the preliminary inquiry report submitted by the DSP (D), Mr Himmat Singh, in the case No. 133 relating to the exchange of firing between the occupants of a Qualis van and Sub-Inspector Paramjit Singh, SHO, Mahilpur police station of this district, at Dadian village on June 8, 2006, the latter was arrested today.

EDUCATION

SDMs told to conduct checks of schools
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 10
Mrs Jaspreet Talwar, Deputy Commissioner, while presiding over the monthly meeting of the district officials here today directed the SDMs to conduct regular checks of schools. They should check the presence of teachers, students, condition of buildings, infrastructure as well as the implementation of various children and student's welfare schemes of the government.

Principal invited to present paper
Ropar, July 10
The Principal of the College of Architect-IET, Bhaddal, has been invited by the Architectural Society of China to present a paper on “Search for sustainable cities in Asia — suggestive approach for evolving energy efficient designs of urban settlement” in the Asian Congress of Architects being held at Beijing, China from September 17 to 22.

BUSINESS

Pact between govt, Reliance by Monday
Chandigarh, July 10
The Punjab Government is ready with the draft of an MoU to be signed with Reliance Industries Limited with regard to its farm-to-form project in the state. Official sources today said the MoU would be signed by next Monday.