SAD suspends stir against black law8217;

CHANDIGARH, Aug 5: Members of the local unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal SAD today suspended the ongoing agitation against the High Cour...

CHANDIGARH, Aug 5: Members of the local unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal SAD today suspended the ongoing agitation against the High Court8217;s decision to make helmets compulsory for women in the city. This was stated today by N.S. Minhas, the general secretary of the city unit of the party.

Various Sikh institutions have been protesting the court directives by taking out processions and raising slogans against the quot;black lawquot;. This evening Sikh Nari Manch members, led by their president Harjinder Kaur, sat in dharna at the Chandigarh Housing Board roundabout to show their contempt for the High Court decision. They held a long pole with a worn out helmet attached at one end. The helmet had shoes fastened to it.

Harjinder Kaur declared that they would continue the protest.

Punjab draughts men stage dharna in Sec 18
Members of the Punjab Draughtsmen Association and Irrigation Department staged a dharna outside the Irrigation Bhawan, Sector 18, today.

They were demanding that provision be made in the department rules for the promotion of draughtsmen to the post of SDO as per the provided quota. The other demands of the employees included the withdrawal of decision to revert as many as 36 SDOs to the post of junior engineers and draught cadre, time bound agreement for the grant of General Provident Fund, clearance of the pending seniority list for the post of junior draughtsmen and promotions among others. Association chairman Tarlochan Singh said that Chief engineer J.S. Kalra, later signed a written agreement with them agreeing to most of their demands.

Footpath workers protest excesses8217;
The Footpath Workers8217; Rozgar Bachao Samiti sat in dharna outside the Municipal Corporation office here today to protest alleged excesses of the Estate Office Enforcement Wing.

The protesters 8212; barbers, cobblers, cycle mechanics, dhobis and other roadside vendors 8212; raised slogans against quot;the oppression of the police beat staffquot;.

Samiti general secretary Lalit Parshad Verma described the fines imposed by the MC Enforcement Wing as quot;unjustifiedquot; and asserted quot;we are working at proper places with identity cardsquot;. Samiti president Ramesh Kumar Chandoliya alleged that the workers continue to be harassed despite the assurance given by the UT Advisory Council. The workers later held a demonstration outside the Deputy Commissioner8217;s office.