tribuneindia...Spotlight

			Tuesday, October 19, 1999
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Diesel price hike
NEW DELHI, Oct 18 (UNI) — Several farmers’ organisations and labour unions from various states have decided to block roads on October 29 in different parts of the country in protest against the 35 to 40 per cent hike in diesel prices. Leaders of as many as 15 kisan unions from Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and tribal and labour organisations met at Kurukshetra (Haryana) on October 15 and 16 and chalked out their protest programmes against the ‘anti-farmer’, ‘anti-people’ policies of the government, "meant to serve the IMF and World Bank bosses."

Bank official held
NEW DELHI, Oct 18 (UNI) — The CBI has arrested an assistant manager of the Punjab National Bank, Narora branch, in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district for accepting a bribe. A CBI release said the accused abused his official position while functioning as an assistant manager as well as field officer. He demanded Rs 3,000 for recommending a loan of Rs 40,000.

Consular fees
NEW DELHI, Oct 18 (PTI) — The British High Commission here has revised its consular fees because of fluctuations in the exchange rate of the rupee against the pound sterling. The fee for passports (32 pages) has been revised to Rs 3250, for passports of children under 16 years to Rs 1850, jumbo passports (48 pages) to Rs 3750, cross-linking passport fee to Rs 900, amending/extending passports to Rs 2250 and emergency passport and document of identity has been made Rs 1500, a British High Commission release said here today.

5 die in train mishap
BANGALORE, Oct 18 (PTI) — Five persons, including three women and a child, were killed and 12 injured when a passenger train rammed into a private bus at an unmanned level crossing at Medahalli in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district today. The train was proceeding from Chikkajapur to Guntkal when the mishap happened, the police said. The injured have been admitted to a government hospital in Chitradurga.