AMLOH
DHARNA: The Revenue Patwari Union of subdivision Amloh to press for has decided to stage a dharna at subdivision headquarters, Amloh on January 17, their demands. In a press statement, Mr Balkar Singh president, Revenue Patwari Union, Amloh, criticised the victimisation of the patwaris by the government. He demanded withdrawal of the cases which were registered against the leaders of the union during the agitation period. He also demanded to withdraw the dismissal orders of the union leaders immediately. 

FIR: The police has failed to trace three unidentified persons, against whom an FIR was registered by ASI Pritam Singh of Amloh police station, on January 4. According to information, three persons in Gypsy (No. UMO-912) were coming from Amloh towards Mandi Gobindgarh and a Naka party signalled them to stop at Dholewala Chowk, Amloh. But they evaded the police party, and fled away. 

BATHINDA
ELECTED: Mr Ranjit Singh Dhillon has been elected president of the Association of Gazetted Officers of the Punjab School Education Board. He has been given powers to nominate the general secretary and the executive committee of the association.

MINIBUS OPERATORS: A meeting of the Minibus Operators Union was held here on Sunday where various problems faced by them were discussed. Mr Harmeet Singh, president of the union, said they had urged the state government to give some relief to the minibus operators on the pattern of other state governments.

FARIDKOT
ARRESTED: The police has arrested seven persons — Hansa Singh, Atma Singh, Ninder Singh, Chaggar Singh, Wirsa Singh, Resham Singh and Ramji Shah for allegedly throwing crude bombs on the vehicle in which Mr Joginder Singh, president, local Baba Farid Truck Union, and his brother had been travelling on December 21.

GURDASPUR
THIEVES HELD: The police arrested Mohan Batra, Vikas and Sukhbir Singh, all residents of Pathankot, on the charge of committing thefts in cars on Sunday. Mr Varinder Singh, SSP, said they were held for taking away a bag containing Rs 23,170 from the car of Darshan Mahajan parked in front of Hindu Cooperative Bank, Pathankot on December 30.

JALANDHAR
ANNUAL FUNCTION: The annual prize distribution function of Social Day Boarding Public School, Tagore Nagar locality, was held here on Sunday. Mr Maninderjit Singh Bitta, president, All-India Anti-Terrorist Front addressed the audience.

JAGRAON
ASSOCIATION: The Alumni Association of LR DAV College held its meeting on the premises of the college. The meeting was attended by about 150 old students of this institution. Mr P.S. Bajaj, a former principal, was the guest of honour at the meeting. Speaking on the occasion, Dr R.P. Dhand, Principal, sought the help of the association to bring radical changes in the pattern of education as no institution would survive if it did not opt for job-oriented courses. On this occasion, the new team was also nominated for 2001 with Mr Manmohan Katyal as its President. 

KHANNA
CONDOLENCE: A condolence meeting of Local Electronic Dealers Association was organised at Nanchahal Electronic here on Monday to condole the death of Mr Sudarshan Billu, who died in a road accident near Karnal on Sunday. The association decided to close all electronics shops. A.S. Modern Senior Secondary School was also closed in its memory. He was cremated at the local cremation ground. The cremation ceremony was attended by hundreds of people from all walks of society. 

LUDHIANA
LOHRI CELEBRATED: Members of the Roopika Ladies Club celebrated Lohri at Hotel Mariate on Monday. The members and guests were specially dressed for the occasion. A cultural programme was organised by the club members in which almost all the ladies performed giddha. The importance of Lohri was explained to the members by the President of the club, Ms Anju Kapoor. Various surprise gifts were given to the members like the lady with beautiful paranda and the member wearing the maximum glass bangles. Several sponsored tombola games were arranged for the ladies. 

HEPATITIS-B: To intensify the fight against Hepatitis-B, the Health Education Cell of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, organised a Hepatitis-B vaccination camp at the Dumra auditorium. More than 1,000 people were vaccinated during the third phase of vaccination. The camp was the fourth in the series of Hepatitis-B camps started by DMCH in August. According to a press release, not only outsiders, but hospital employees were also vaccinated because of their constant interaction with patients, they were at a high risk of catching the infection. Vaccination charges for adults were Rs 100 and for children were Rs 50. Dr Rajoo Singh Chinna, convenor of the Health Education Cell said that more than 30 people , including expert vaccinators were deployed by the hospital for the purpose. Dr Chinna added that disposable syringes were used to ensure protection. 

WORKSHOP: Mr Sarabjeet Singh, Assistant Professor of Journalism, PAU, attended a three-day workshop on drug demand reduction in rural areas at Jodhpur. It was sponsored by United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). As many as 30 social workers active in the field of de-addiction participated. 

AISSF: All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) has deplored the increasing tendency of consumption of intoxicating drugs and narcotics among youth and has decided to launch a campaign against the sale of such drugs by chemists all over the state. A meeting of the AISSF, presided over by Mr Kulwant Singh Ranike, was held at Model Town Extension here. Speaking at the occasion, Mr Ranike lamented that the Sikh youth had digressed from the path of religious traditions. Increasing use of intoxicating drugs and narcotic substances was playing havoc with the younger generation, which called for effective steps against the social evil. He warned chemists and druggists to desist from sale of the habit-forming and intoxicating medicines to youth, otherwise the AISSF activists would gherao the defaulting chemists and would force them to close their shops. 

SUSPENDED: The Commissioner of Municipal Corporation, Dr S.S.Sandhu has placed under suspension Mr Paramjit Singh, who was deployed as clerk in the civic body, for remaining willfully absent from duty, without informing his seniors. Dr Sandhu has warned MC employees to perform their duty diligently and regularly, failing which they would render themselves liable for strict disciplinary action. He has also directed the MC officers to conduct surprise checks on the punctuality and regularity of their subordinates. 

PWD: Punjab PWD Mulazam Dal and its Rural Water Supply Wing have hailed the state government decision to regularise all adhoc employees, who had completed three years of service on December 31, 1999. Presiding over the meeting, the state president of the body, Mr Inderjit Sharma, observed that the government had conceded a long pending demand of the employees, which would benefit thousands of workers and their family members. 

MACHHIWARA
TRIBUTES PAID: Representatives of various social, political and government organisations paid tributes to Ram Rakhi, mother of the Block Congress President, Mr Surinder Kund. The ceremony of rasam pagri was held in the grain market. Mr Gurcharan Singh Ghalib and Mr Shamsher Singh Dulo (both MPs), a former minister, Mr Ishar Singh Meharban, the District Congress President, Mr Harmohinder Singh, MLA, Raikot, and Mr Anil Sood, President, Nagar Panchayat, Machhiwara, also paid tributes.

WRITER HONOURED: Mr Om Parkash Bargujar, a Haryanvi writer, was honoured by Mr Sampat Singh, Finance Minister, Haryana, at the All-India seminar of disabled persons, here on Sunday. The function was organised by the National Handicapped Welfare Council, Haryana, in collaboration with the Lions Club, Panchkula. 

OFFICE-BEARERS: Mr Vinod Kumar Walia and Mr S P Chauhan were elected as president and general secretary of the Shri Durga Mandir, Sector 41, here on Sunday. They have been authorised to elect other office-bearers of the committee. This was announced by Mr H.L. Chhabra, convener, in a press note issued here on Monday. 

MEDICAL CAMP: The Citizens Association for Relief Education and Service (CARES) will hold a two-day dental and eye check-up camps at Kali Bari, here on Saturday. The camp is organised in collaboration with the Innerwheel Club of Midtown, Chandigarh, and the Sanjivani Medical and Educational Trust. This was announced by Wg Cdr D.S. Ahluwalia, secretary of the association in a press note here on Monday. 

PCO: The STD\PCO Owners Association has urged the Union Communication Minister to allow them to take charge service charge of Rs 2 on all ‘group dialing and SDCA calls’. They fear that they would lose business with increase in radius of the local areas.

PATIENTS' MEETING: As many as 150 hemophiliac patients participated at a meeting organised by the Hemophiliac Welfare Society, Chandigarh, at the PGI, here on Sunday. The meeting was chaired by Mr Ashok Sood, Regional Director of the North Zone Hemophiliac Federation of India, New Delhi. Various speakers highlighted the problems faced by the hemophiliac patients. It was also decided at the meeting that all such patients would be given free vaccination against hepatitis-B at the residence of Warden of New Hostel, Government College, Sector 11, on February 11. 

MATHEMATICIAN HONOURED: Mr Ravinder Keskar, a national awardee for popularising mathematics among school students, was honoured by the Ruchi Ram Sahni Memorial Trust for his work. Mr Keskar popularised the subject through improvisation of Origami, a Japanese art of paper folding. According to him the art is very useful in the Indian context. 

NOMINATION: Dr Anwar Ali, president of the Minority Morcha of the local unit of the BJP, has been nominated as special invitee of the national executive of the BJP Minority Morcha, according to a press note. Dr Ali thanked Dr MS Usmani, national president of morcha, Mr Satya Pal Jain, a former MP, and Mr Ram Dass Aggarwal, in charge of the local unit of the BJP. 

AMBALA
ROTARY CLUB: The Rotary Club of Ambala honoured senior citizens for their achievements in various fields on Sunday. Those who were honoured include Mr Pawan Prakash, Dr Ram Prakash Sharma, Pandit Nand Lal Sharma, Dr Banarsi Dass, Mr Om Prakash Malik, Mr D.S. Sarhadi, Mr C.L. Puri, Ms Pushpa Devi, Pandit Ganesh Prasad Sharma, Mr R L Verma, Ms Bimla Devi, Mr Keshav Chand Jain, Mr K.B. Sharma and Mr M P Aggarwal, according to the president of the club, Capt Baldev Singh (retd). 

ONE DEAD: A resident of Ambala City was killed in a road accident on the Ambala-Naraingarh road, near Banoundi village, on Sunday. According to information, Jagdish Lal was killed when his car collided with a truck. The police has registered a case. 

RALLY: A large number of students participated in an environment rally organised by the Lions Club in Ambala Cantonment on Sunday. The students carried placards to generate awareness about ecology. The stress was on stopping the use of polythene bags. The rally passed through Ambala Sadar. 

JIND
DEMONSTRATION: Activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, Haryana, led by Mr Ramphal Kandela, general secretary of the state unit, held a demonstration at Nagura village in the district on Saturday in protest against the hike in the power rates and the alleged forcible recovery of pending electricity bills from farmers. They submitted a memorandum to the district authorities.

KAITHAL
FOUNDATION STONE: The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, listened and resolved the problems of residents of Guhla subdivision at a ‘Sarkar Aap ke Dwar’ programme on Sunday. He laid the foundation stone of 220 kv-substation at Sega plot near Cheeka.

VETERINARY CAMP: A veterinary camp was organised by the Lions Club Grace at Siwan on Sunday. Mr Amar Singh Dhandhe, MLA, Guhla, urged people to stop cruelty towards animals.

PANIPAT
KILLED: One person was killed and 10, including a woman, were injured in different accidents in the district on Sunday. In an accident between a tractor and a scooter, the scooter driver Rajinder Singh was killed and the pillion rider Sultan Singh injured seriously. In another accident, an autorickshaw going from Samalkita to Hathwala overturned injuring Sanjay, Sukhbir, Harun, Ishwar, Pappu, Savitri and another person. Mamchand was injured seriously when his scooter was hit by another vehicle on the Gohana road. A Nepali, Kuldev, was injured when an autorickshaw he was travelling in collided with a motor cycle.

SONEPAT
CLASH: Three persons, including two brothers, were injured in a clash at Nahra village, about 25 km from here, on Sunday. A dispute over a liquor vend is stated to be the main cause of the clash.

POWER THEFT: Officials of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam conducted a raid on two saw mills at Kharkhauda town, 19 km from here, on Sunday and imposed a penalty of Rs 89,000 on them for stealing power by tampering with the electricity meters.

KUMARHATTI
POWER CUTS: Residents of the town and nearby villages, under the Chewa, Dharampur, Barog and Aanji Maatla panchayats, have been facing a lot of inconvenience due to the unannounced power cuts and low voltage, especially in the morning and the evening. An official of Dharampur subdivision electricity office said due to a snag at Giri Nagar from where the electricity was supplied, they had been forced to cut electricity for one hour daily for the past 10 days.

NAHAN
YOUTH FESTIVAL: A three-day state-level youth festival concluded here at the Zila Parishad Bhawan on Friday. As many as 300 youths from all over the state participated.