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SGPC to set up global advisory council
Ludhiana, January 7
The SGPC today cleared the decks for the setting up of an international advisory council and at least five advisory committees in a bid to tone up the working of the highest temporal body of the Sikhs and to deal more effectively with the Panthic matters.

Balian to contest as Independent?
Sangrur, January 7
Mr Ranjit Singh Balian, MLA from Sangrur and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Punjab, today remained tight-lipped over the question whether he would contest as an independent candidate, even though he gave an indication that he might do so if the party ticket was not given to him by SAD.

BSP, Panthic Morcha toughen postures
Jalandhar, January 7
Even as Bahujan Samaj Party chief Kanshi Ram has toughened his stand by saying that no more seats would be extended to its alliance partner, the Panthic Morcha, the morcha leadership has asserted that it will not play the role of a junior partner in the alliance. The toughening of stances by both the parties has virtually brought the alliance to non-functional state.

Border belt: exams may be put off
Chandigarh, January 7
Life on the border is like living on the razor’s edge. Yet, even in the face of mounting tension, the morale of the people is high in Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Ferozepore districts that have a 531 km fenced border with Pakistan.

Leaders quit BSP, join BSM
Hoshiarpur, January 7
The Punjab unit of the BSP got a big jolt today when a majority of its leaders, including Mr Onkar Singh Jhamat, former district president, Mr Sohan Lal, former party president, Mr Charan Singh, general secretary, and Mr Paramjit Singh, former vice-president of the Hoshiarpur tehsil, among several other leaders along with their hundreds of supporters resigned from the primary membership of the party.

Punjab BJP to contest 26 seats
Gurdaspur, January 7
Mr Brij Mohan Rinwa, President, Punjab BJP, while talking to newspersons said here today that it had been decided that the Punjab BJP would contest 26 seats in the coming Assembly elections in the state, including the 23 seats that the party had contested during the previous Assembly elections.

CPM rules out alliance with Congress
Moga, January 7
The Punjab CPM has decided against any truck with the Congress in the ensuing Vidhan Sabha elections. Party’s state secretary Rashpal Singh and executive member Shubeg Singh at the district party meeting here last evening decided to field Mr Ved Prakash Mittal from the Moga constituency.

Cong infighting will benefit SAD: Kanwaljit
Lalru, January 7
Disputes over distribution of party tickets among the candidates and ticket aspirants of the Congress will benefit the SAD-BJP alliance in the forthcoming assembly elections in Punjab, claimed general secretary of SAD and a candidate of SAD-BJP from Banur assembly constituency, Capt Kanwaljit Singh at a rally at Lalru Grain Market today.

• JD (Secular) to contest 13 seats

• Pasla’s denial

• 2 parties merge

Uprooted, they spend nights under sheds
Muktsar, January 7
Jimmy, who is hardly seven, cooks food for the entire family comprising 10-persons under a shed of the local grain market while her parents go out daily to seek help from the administration and residents of this town.

• Who cares for migrants

Foul play suspected in power failure
Abohar, January 7
The Council of Engineers of the Punjab State Electricity Board smell a foul play in the major breakdown in the supply of electricity due to the collapse of seven towers on Sunday. Six localities in the urban areas besides 40 villages of Khuiyansarwer block, some of them located near the international border, were deprived of power supply for 12 hours yesterday.

Jacob visits troops in forward areas
Somewhere in the western sector, January 7
The Punjab Governor, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, today visited troops in the forward area of the Amritsar sector and interacted with the jawans. The morale of the troops in the forward areas was high. The jawans appreciated the cooperation extended by the local village population.

HIGH COURT
Reservation for wards set aside
Chandigarh, January 7
Holding that preferential reservation within reservation for students belonging to the minority community was impermissible in law, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered the setting aside of the same.

Punjab EC gets 200 complaints
Chandigarh, January 7
Transfers and postings, promotions, fresh appointments, misuse of official machinery and bungling in the preparation of the electoral rolls are among the common complaints received by the Punjab Election Commission since the December 26 announcement of the assembly elections in the state.

• Copies of daily burnt

• Councillor released on bail

PCS officers’ body to meet on Jan 12
Chandigarh, January 7
The Punjab Civil Service (Executive Branch) Officers Association will hold its annual general meeting here on January 12 at Punjab Bhavan to reiterate some of its long-standing demands, says its general secretary, Mr Vinod Kumar Bhalla. The general house will also elect a new team of office-bearers.

1640 voting machines reaching today
Patiala, January 7
The Deputy Commissioner of Patiala and District Electoral Officer today called a meeting of nominees of different political parties at the Red Cross building here and informed them that 1640 voting machines, to be used for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, would reach here tomorrow and would be stored in the Central Library here.

CRIME

18 arrested for smuggling narcotics
Bathinda, January 7
The police claims to have arrested 18 persons involved in smuggling poppy husk and possessing illicit liquor. Mithu Singh of Manwala was arrested for possessing 10 kg of poppy husk. A case under Sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against him, at Rahan police station, according to an official press note.

Held for screening film illegally
Bathinda, January 7
The police has booked Parveen Kumar of the city for showing a Hindi movie, “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gam”, on video without having a valid licence for showing it. Dr Jatinder Kumar Jain, SSP, in a press note issued here today said Parveen Kumar, owner of an electronics goods shop in the local Parasram Nagar, claimed that he had obtained the necessary licence for screening latest Hindi movies.

Man wanted in 13 cases held
Bathinda, January 7
The police has arrested Darshan Singh who was wanted in 13 criminal cases registered against him at various police stations in Punjab and Haryana. A .315 pistol and six cartridges, have been seized from his possession.