Two fall prey to contagion

Amritsar: With two more deaths reported in the district due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the toll reached 464 on Sunday. The deceased have been identified as Chait Singh Bhandari, a 75-year-old resident of Jawahar Nagar on Batala road, and Yashpal Mahajan, an 81-year-old from Katra Khazana area. The health authorities reported 21 new cases today. The new cases include 13 influenza like illness cases and eight contacts of positive patients. The district has reported a total of 12,085 infections to date. The district Health Department has also reported recovery of 21 patients with which the recovery count has reached 11,316. At present, the district has a total of 305 active cases. TNS

Anti-employee policies flayed

Tarn Taran: The district unit of the Punjab Subordinate Services Federation (PSSF) at its district-level convention organised here on Sunday condemned the Union and state governments’ anti-employee policies. The convention was attended by employees, including women, of different departments of the state government. Baljinder Singh Doblian, district president of the PSSF, and Pargat Singh Jamarai of mass organisations were among others who addressed the convention. Policies like the privatisation of public sector organisations and retiring employees compulsorily were condemned. The speakers demanded the restoration of the old pension policy, implementation of the 7th Pay Commission recommendations and the dearness allowance instalments, ending the contractual system to fill vacant posts, etc. OC

Unite to oust SAD, says brahampura

Tarn Taran: Akali Dal (Taksali) president Ranjit Singh Brahampura and his son Ravinder Singh Brahampura on Sunday expressed shock over Major Singh Uboke’s demise and met bereaved family members. Brahampura on the occasion also criticised the Badal family. He said the very sensitive issues like sacrilege, pardon to Dera head, missing ‘saroops’, were still unsolved and the Badal family was taking dreams to win 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections. He called upon all anti-Badal groups to come together and oust the Akali Dal in the coming SGPC elections. “The resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal was nothing more than a drama”, he said. OC

Three booked for illicit liquor trade

Tarn Taran: The district police on Saturday booked three persons in different cases for indulging in illicit liquor trade. The police seized a working still and 15 kg of ‘lahan’ from the house of Jodha Singh of Jhamke Khurd, while 110 kg of ‘lahan’ was seized from the house of Sukhwinder Singh of Naushehra Pannuan. Similarly, the Sadar police seized 5,250 ml of Illicit liquor from the house of Paramjit Singh of Bhaini Sidhwan village. All three have been booked under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act. OC