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Tohra is Cong protege: Badal
Chandigarh, July 7
The SAD Political Affairs Committee (PAC) has decided to file a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the government decision to remove the present members and re-constitute the Sikh Gurdawara Judicial Commission.

Educationists release ‘white paper’
Aim to remove flaws in education system
Bathinda, July 7
In an effort to make people aware about flaws in the Indian education system and to find remedies, educationists of the city released a “white paper” today in which eminent persons, including Dr Romila Thapar, Dr K.N. Panikar, Dr Amrik Singh and Dr S.S. Johl, have given suggestions for finding a solution to the problem.

Pritpal in police custody
Patiala, July 7
A local court today remanded PPSC former Secretary Pritpal Singh to police custody till July 10 following a statement by the State Vigilance Department that he used to take answersheets from his Superintendent and approach examiners to increase marks of selective candidates on one pretext or the other.

Freed foreigners still in deportation centres
Bathinda, July 7
Many citizens of neighbouring countries are lodged in deportation centres in Punjab as the countries of their origin have refused to take them back after their release from jails in the state after serving terms for committing various crimes.

Badungar writes to PM on Bluestar
Amritsar, July 7
The SGPC chief, Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar, in a letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, has expressed anguish over the failure of the Central Government to condemn the massacre of Sikhs in 1984 in Parliament.

COMMUNITY

PSSF to intensify agitation
Jalandhar, July 7
The Punjab Subordinate Services Federation has decided to intensify its stir against the alleged “dictatorial” policies being pursued by the Congress government by imposing huge cuts on employee benefits.

‘Take closer look before sacking docs’
Amritsar, July 7
The PCMS Association has urged the government to undertake proper inquiries into each of the cases of appointments of doctors during the tenure of the tainted PPSC chief, Mr Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu, before deciding to terminate the services of all 872 doctors without giving them the benefit of doubt.

Girls ‘want to’ know more about self
Phagwara, July 7
Ms Annie Romanos, Indian coordinator of the Sydney-based NGO Global Village Group, today observed that girls in rural Punjab were hungry for knowledge regarding themselves but lacked opportunities.

Help check female foeticide, doctors urged
Jalandhar, July 7
Urging the medical fraternity not to use ultrasound machines for sex determination to help contain the decline in sex ratio in the state, Punjab Health Minister R.C. Dogra has said that the state government has geared up its machinery to launch a statewide crusade against the menace of female foeticide.

Rly Union opposes new zones
Amritsar, July 7
The Northern Railway Mazdoor Union condemned the move by the Union ministry of Railway’s to form new zones. In a statement today, Mr G.Sanjeeva Reddy, president of he union, said policy makers were crippling the financial health of the Indian Railways.

NRI Sabha working to be overhauled
Nawanshahr, July 7
Mr, Balbir Singh, MP and vice-patron of the NRI Sabha, talking to mediapersons here today, said the functioning of the Sabha was being overhauled so that it could act as a facilitator NRIs to invest their money in their motherland.

An NCC cadet controls the traffic at Bathinda on Sunday. — Photo by Kulbir Beera

Jail inmates write to ADGP, seek better life
Bathinda, July 7
The inmates of the local Central Jail, in a memorandum submitted to the Additional Director General of Police (Jails), Mr Mohammad Izhar Alam, who was here yesterday on a routine inspection, urged him to take necessary action to improve the quality of life of jail inmates.

NCC cadets help cops man traffic
Bathinda, July 7
The first ever move to train and deploy NCC cadets on traffic duty on an experimental basis in the district is getting a mixed response. Some residents say the move will help regulate the flow of traffic while others say that the cadets can not perform the duty with the degree of competence that of a police personnel.

WB team to visit Punjab in Aug
Ferozepore, July 7
A World Bank team led by Edward Lin, Project Director, will visit Punjab early next month for further discussions on providing loan to the state so that its flaccid economy could be put back on rails and developmental works could be initiated. This was stated by Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Political Secretary of the Chief Minister, who was here to inaugurate a hospital.

Magician’s plea to Punjab Govt
Ropar July 7
Noted magician Samrat Mangal Tara has urged the Punjab Government to set up an academy in the state to save the art of magic, which was slowly disappearing from the country.

Harassment of woman denied
Muktsar, July 7
The local police authorities on Friday said that a woman of Gidderbaha, who was called to the police station for questioning into an incident of chain-snatching, was not harassed. This was stated in a press note issued by the district police.

AIFB unfolds political agenda
Ropar, July 7
The Punjab unit of the All-India Forward Bloc (AIFB) has drawn up a comprehensive plan to create a socialist, secular and exploitation-free state, in letter and spirit.

Martyr cremated
Hoshiarpur, July 7
The mortal remains of sepoy Harmesh Singh of the 9th Dogra Regiment, who sacrificed his life while protecting the border at the Dras sector in Jammu and Kashmir on June 2, were consigned to the flames with full Army honours at his native village of Dagan in Dasuya subdivision in the district yesterday.

ADMINISTRATION

Dogra: need for more drug inspectors
Amritsar, July 7
Admitting the shortage of Drug Inspectors in Punjab, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mr R.C. Dogra, said this was, responsible for the free availability of intoxicants in the border areas of the state.

ADC checks MC works
Gurdaspur, July 7
Mr B.K. Sabharwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner, ADC, has held an inquiry into works undertaken by the Dhariwal Municipal Committee against a grant of Rs 60 lakh given to the committee by the previous government.

CRIME

Six arrested for cheating banks
Jalandhar, July 7
The district police has busted a gang of tricksters with the arrest of its six members, who in connivance with revenue and bank officials, cheated about a dozen local banks by getting sanctioned loans to the tune of about Rs 44 lakh on fake documents.

Former SHO booked in kidnapping case
Tarn Taran, July 7
After constant efforts for nine years by Mrs Simarjit Kaur, a resident of Nagoke village, a case was registered against Suba Singh, a retired police Inspector, following the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Suba Singh allegedly kidnapped her husband Gurcharan Singh with the intention to kill him.

EDUCATION

PCCTU to hold dharnas
Phagwara, July 7
After observing protest days on June 25 and July 1, the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) has announced its next phase of agitation against “distortion of the Pension-cum-Gratuity Scheme and downsizing of the 95 per cent Grant-in-Aid Scheme”.

Primary education for all in Muktsar: DEO
Muktsar, July 7
Mr Sohan Lal Goyal, District Education Officer, has said that primary education would be provided to all children in the age group of 6 to 14 and the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (education for all drive), launched by the Ministry of Himan Resource Development, would be implemented with the help of NGOs, parents, teachers and education development committees constituted at village level.