BKU leader Rakesh Tikait
BATHINDA: The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) is ready for dialogue with the central government, the farm outfit’s senior leader and BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said on Monday while reacting to the offer by Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Let the Union government send some proposal and morcha leaders will decide on it as the matter concerns the farmers of the country, he said.
“The SKM will never shy away from talks. We know that talks are the only way to find a solution and the central government must decide on when to hold them. They cannot be held with any pre-conditions, these (talks) should be unconditional,” he said while speaking during a live session of the SKM’s IT cell forum.
A Pakistani smuggler with links to Sikh hardline groups has been named in the FIR
AMRITSAR: Police recovered arms and ammunition from near the international border on Sunday and named a Pakistani smuggler with links to Sikh hardline groups for a bid to revive militancy in Punjab.
Amritsar (rural) senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dhruv Dahiya said the police recovered 1 FAL 222 rifle with one magazine and nine live rounds, 1 AK-47 rifle with one magazine and five live rounds, one .303 bore gun with one magazine and seven live rounds and one .30 bore China-made pistol with one magazine.
Acting on specific input, the police made the recovery from near the border pillar number 99/3 near Border Security Force (BSF) Pul Moran Border outpost, about 10 metres inside the Indian territory from the border with Pakistan.
AMRITSAR: There is hope with canal water set to replace the underground water, bringing relief to many.
It will not only meet the ever-increasing demand for potable water of the growing population of the holy city but will also check the overexploitation of subsoil water.
The subsoil water is depleting at an astounding rate of three metres per year and adding contaminants including arsenic due to water exploitation.
While talking to TOI on Saturday, mayor of Amritsar Karamjit Singh Rintu said that the underground water level was depleting at the rate of three metres per year.
The administration had to use extra high power motors for drawing the water and yet it was unable to supply potable water round the clock to nearly 14 lakh population of Amritsar.
AMRITSAR: A policeman of Pakistan’s Sindh province is reported to have abducted a minor Hindu girl and converted her to Islam before marrying her.
Intelligence sources here have said that Neena Kumari, daughter of Ramesh Lal of Halani Darbar in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district, was abducted by policeman Ghulam Maroof Qadri, who was deployed at a picket for the security of the area’s minority residents. A Hindu leader of Sindh, who didn’t wish to give his name, told TOI on Tuesday: “Neena went missing about five days ago. When she failed to return from school, the family searched for her and came to know about the kidnapping.”
Polling officials check EVMs in Amritsar on Saturday
BATHINDA: All is set for the elections at eight municipal corporations and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state on Sunday. The polling parties left for the polling booths. The polling will be held from 8am till 4pm.
Going by a number of violent incidents in the run up to the elections during campaigning, including killing of two supporters of a candidate at Moga and an attack on the vehicle of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal at Jalalabad SDM office, elaborate security has been made to avoid or timely action in case of any untoward incident during polling.