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TOP STORIES

Kanwaljit smells a rat in PM’s visit
Zirakpur, December 16
The SAD today smelt rat in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s proposed two-day official visit to the state, starting December 19, terming it as gross misuse of the PM’s Office for “political purposes”.

SAD general secretary Capt Kanwaljit Singh with his supporters at a rally at Mubarikpur village, Banur, on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Pathankot man’s link with Hizb to be probed
Gurdaspur, December 16
Decks have been cleared for the local police to probe into the alleged links of Prabhakar, a resident of Pathankot, with the arrested Hizbul terrorists and for the arrest of Javed Ahmed Kanwari, the main accused in the case.

Pak paper: Sarbjit may get clemency
Amritsar, December 16
News about the probable release of Sarbjit Singh awaiting execution in Pakistan in connection with a series of bomb blasts there, was received with distribution of sweets in his native village Bhikhiwind in Amritsar district today. There was an atmosphere of festivity in the border town.

Centre to set up panel for children
Amritsar, December 16
Ms Rajni Patil, Chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board, said yesterday that the Central Government had taken a decision to set up a national child commission on the lines of the National Women Commission for the integrated development of children in the country.

Protesters block rail traffic
Bathinda, December 16
Activists of the Khooni Phatak Hatao Sangharsh Committee today blocked the rail traffic for about 45 minutes thus causing inconvenience to the commuters. They were protesting against the alleged delay in the construction of a railway under-bridge.

Suicide by Naik
Ferozepore, December 16
Indian Air Force identified as Naik Shankar Lal allegedly committed suicide after he shot himself with his service rifle while on duty yesterday. He was posted here with an Army formation. Sources told Naik Shankar Lal, aged 50, hailed from Agra.

Abhi murder
Hoshiarpur, December 16
After listening the arguments of the prosecution and defence counsels today, Mr G. K. Rai, District and Sessions Judge, has reserved his judgement till December 20, in the much-publicised Abhi Verma, alias Harry murder case.

Two get 10-year jail
Moga, December 16
The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr B. S. Sandhu, today sentenced two drug peddlers to 10 years’ imprisonment and fined them Rs 1 lakh each.

AGRICULTURE

Fall in the water table
Cut area under paddy in central Punjab, says panel
Chandigarh, December 16
Alarmed over a significant fall in the water table in central Punjab comprising Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Moga, Ludhiana, Nawanshahr, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, Patiala and Mansa districts, the Punjab State Farmers Commission has urged the authorities to cut the area under paddy by 5 lakh hectares in this region.

Cooperative farming catching up
Abohar, December16
Madhya Pradesh Governor Bal Ram Jakhar yesterday handed over keys of 55 tractors to representatives of the Khuyiannsarwar and Panj Kosi cooperative multipurpose society societies to promote cooperative farming, which he said was the only way to make farming economically viable.

CRIME

Doctor accuses bank of fraud
Sangrur, December 16
Dr Parmod Kumar, an orthopaedist, has accused authorities of the local HDFC Bank of preparing fixed deposit receipts worth Rs 1 lakh from his account by forging his signatures on the form. He lodged a complaint against three persons of the bank, including a branch manager, in the court of a Chief Judicial Magistrate in this regard on December 14. The complaint was filed under sections 420, 465, 471, 472, 473 and 120-B of the IPC.