Govt wants bridge ready by tomorrow

Gurdaspur: In view of the volatile situation along the Indo-Pak border, the state government has ordered the Public Works Department (PWD) to get the 750-ft-long pontoon bridge ready by October 3. The bridge at Makkoran Pattan village, the confluence point of Ujh and Ravi rivers, is dismantled in June every year and reconstructed in the first week of November. However, local residents said they had been demanding a permanent bridge for the past few decades, but to no avail. tns

Punjabi Suba events put off  

Faridkot: The School Education Department has postponed the month-long programme in all government schools to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Punjabi Suba.  Scheduled to start on Saturday, these events were to conclude on November 1 (Punjab Day). Director, Public Instructions (DPI), Schools, Balbir Singh Dhol said the programme had been postponed till further orders. TNS

SAD (A) seeks relief for evacuees  

Jalandhar: While urging people to oppose war, the SAD (Amritsar) on Saturday sought compensation for families living near the border that have been displaced. The party said the arrangements for these families should be made by the United Nations. Addressing mediapersons here on Saturday, SAD (A) president Simranjit Singh Mann said, “The government must pay Rs 1 lakh per acre compensation to farmers and Rs 50,000 per family compensation to farm labourers.” TNS

Brakes on Amritsar-Lahore bus  

Amritsar: Uncertainty  prevails over the plying of ‘Punj-Aab’ bus between Amritsar and Lahore and Amritsar and Nankana Sahib. A senior officer said the bus service had been suspended for now. The bus that runs every Tuesday and Friday didn’t leave Amritsar on Tuesday.  From the other side, not a single occupant was there in the Pakistan’s bus ‘Dosti’ that reached Wagah from Lahore as per its schedule on Friday. The bus left with no passenger on Saturday. TNS