Punjab Beat

DEMAND
PATIALA:
The Cooperative Bank Employees8217; Federation, Punjab, has urged additional registrar M. P. Pandove, Cooperative Societies, Punjab, to release the revised pay scales of Cooperative Bank employees as approved by the RCS, Punjab.

FLAYED
AMRITSAR:
Bajrang Dal has condemned the killing of 25 Hindus by militants in Doda Jammu on June 19. Amritsar zone convener Rakesh Madan said the militants8217; action of gunning down innocent persons of a marriage party was a heinous crime. He said even in a democratic country of like India people belonging to Hindu community were not safe. He accused Pakistan of playing a proxy war in India.

LUDHIANA:
Punjab Youth Congress has strongly condemned the killings of the people of a particular community in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir and has demanded that the state should be handed over to the Army. In a telegram sent to the President, the PYC vice-president Parminder Mehta has expressed his party8217;s concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

DHARAMSHALA:
Himachal Pradesh Kashmiri Migrants Welfare Association yesterday condemned the brutal killing of 27 innocent people belonging to a marriage party at Chapnari village near Doda town in Jammu region by militants the previous day. Association spokesman M. L. Koul described the incident as unfortunate, barbaric and inhuman. He said this indicated that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir was fast spreading in the Jammu region.

SHIMLA:
The State Power Board Employees Union has accused the management of the Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation of awaiting a sponsored programme to sabotage and humiliate the seconded staff publicly. General secretary of the Association Chander Singh Mandyal said borrowing department was always bound to provide equal facilities of its own to the manpower deployed from other departments irrespective of their pay structures. Mandyal cautioned that if the NJPC management failed to sort out issues amicably the Union would be bound to intensify the struggle.

ACCUSED
AMRITSAR:
Shiromani Youth Akali Dal Kahlon has accused Home Minister L. K. Advani for letting down the people of Punjab by giving a statement that Chandigarh was to remain a Union territory. In a press release on Sunday Dal leader Kuldeep Singh Kahlon said Central government had turned a blind eye towards Punjab and was playing with the sentiments of different communities by raising religious issues.

PILGRIMAGE

AMRITSAR:
A group of Hindu and Sikh congregation today left for Pakistan in a special train to observe the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The jatha will come back on June 30 after visiting historical Nankana Sahib, Shree Panja Sahib and Gurudawara Sacha Sauda gurudawaras.

CLARIFICATION
AMRITSAR:
BJP MLA Lakshmi Kanta Chawla has sought clarification on Municipal Corporation expenditure of Rs 4 crore approximately on development of central localities and on installation of tubewells as claimed by few councillors. Mayor Subhash Sharma has said the results of development works, as affirmed by the councillors were not evident as the city still has the same sanitation and other civic problems.

CAMP
SANGRUR:
A 10-day de-addiction camp concluded at the police lines, Barnala, on Sunday. Ninteen addicts were treated by a team of expert doctors during the camp.

NJPC management flayed
SHIMLA:
The State Power Board Employees Union has accused the management of the Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation of awaiting a sponsored programme to sabotage and humiliate the seconded staff publicly. General secretary of the Association Chander Singh Mandyal said borrowing department was always bound to provide equal facilities of its own to the manpower deployed from other departments irrespective of their pay structures.

Mandyal cautioned that the period of notice served on the NJPC would expire on June 22 and in the event the NJPC management failed to sort out issues amicably the Union would be bound to intensify the struggle. He said massive protest rallies would be held at Shimla, Jhakri and Nathpa on June 23 to take stock of entire situation and further course of action would be announced.

Herbs and Environment book soon
KULLU:
A book on Himalayan Herbs and Environment8217; is being written by a local author Brij Lal Gupta. Gupta, in an informal meeting with ENS said that Dr S.M. Sharma, a retired Ayurvedic expert was the patron and C.L. Gupta who would publish the book. He said that the book would focus on the Chaneeli Sation of herbs and promotion of herbs cultivation in Himachal Pradesh.

Bungling probe
KAPURTHALA:
Deputy Commissioner Usha Sharma on Sunday constituted a four-member fact-finding committee headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner S. S. Bains conducting probe into the alleged bungling of Rs three crore by the officials of Punjab Drainage Department in the construction of advance bundh in the Mand area of Sultanpur Lodhi. She directed the committee to submit its report within seven days.

Rajpura begged 1/last
PATIALA:
Rajpura block has bagged first position in the state by presiding a total of 30 unanimous village panchayats in the Patiala district. This was claimed here by sources closed to Balramji Dass Tandon Minister for local bodies employment and labour. The sources said that Tandon has extended his heartiest congratulations to the S Rural people of Rajpura block for this act and assured all help in future to all these types of panchayats too. He has said that the state government is committed for all out development of the state.

Meanwhile talking to ens block development officer cumassistant returning officer for panchayat elections in rajpura block Ajaib Singh such said that all arrangements has been made to conduct free and fair elections tomorrow and special precautions has been taken to maintain peace during the polling he said for this purpose the policemen had been depuated in full strength.