Bathinda
Postal strike: Activists of the All India Grameen Dak Sewak Union, Bathinda under the banner of the All India Postal Extra Departmental Employees Union observed one-day work suspension, here on Wednesday. Speaking about the demands, protesters said that the union government in all matters had been showing its anti-employees attitude, which they could not tolerate.

Yoga camp: The Bathinda Vikas Manch organised a yoga camp in the Central Jail, Bathinda. Radhey Shyam Bansal, yoga expert, made the prisoners practise yoga to get rid of disease such as diabetes, mental stress, to increase memory and many others. Bansal organises yoga classes everyday in the Central Jail to keep the prisoners mentally and physically fit. He said practising yoga would take away negativity and create a positive attitude towards life. Capt. L.S. Jakhar appreciated the effort of the Vikas Manch and exhorted the prisoners to make most of this opportunity. 

Hoshiarpur
Welcomed: Chairperson of the National Safai Karamcharis Commission Santosh Chaudhary welcomed the election of Amarvir Singh Lali as president of the District Youth Congress. Santosh Chaudhary said she and her family members were true Congressmen and loyal to the party. she had neither indulged herself in factionalism within the party nor promoted any single person for her selfish motive.

Staff booked: The Dasuya police on Tuesday night registered an FIR against all employees of the bank branch of Hoshiarpur Central Cooperative Bank, Baja Chack, under sections 409, 420, 467, 469, 477 and 120 B of the IPC for embezzling more than Rs 1 crore of the bank. Managing director of the bank Gurdev Singh had lodged a complaint with the Dasuya police alleging that branch manager Jaswinder Singh, clerks Gurdip Singh, Raghubir Singh and Amarjit Singh of the bank branch Baja Chack embezzled  Rs 1,19,72,061.

Life imprisonment: Additional sessions judge S.S. Sahni convicted Paramjit Singh, Balbir Singh, Jatinder Singh, all of Dalla village in Jalandhar district, and Sunil Kumar of main bazar, Tanda Urmur, under sections 364 A and 342 of the IPC and sentenced them to life imprisonment on Wednesday. He also fined them Rs 3,000 each. The convicts had kidnapped Sudha Rani of Ahaiyapur on November 7, 2005, and on the complaint of her son, the Tanda police had registered a case. 

Life sentence: Additional sessions judge S.K. Arora on Wednesday sentenced Nirmal Sintgh of Bhuno village to life imprisonment under section 302 of the IPC and fined him Rs 3,000. Nirmal Singh had killed his father Gurmail Singh by strangulating him on November 27, 2007. 

Jalandhar
Christmas congregation: Scores of the Christians from across Punjab would gather at St. Joseph’s Boys High School, Defence Colony, on December 18, in connection with Christmas. The congregation would be addressed by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and other leaders. Later, the function would be followed by a procession in the city. 

Kapurthala
Cop killed: Punjab Police head constable Rajinder Singh (36) was killed in a road accident on the Nadala-Begowal road on Tuesday night. Rajinder Singh was going to his house in Ibrahimwal village on his scooter when a vehicle hit his scooter. His body was found on the road this morning. He was posted at police control room (PCR), Phagwara. 

Kartarpur
Credit camp: The Oriental Bank of Commerce organised a credit camp here on Wednesday sanctioning loans of Rs 32 crore. General manager of the Delhi head office A.K. Tangri attended the camp. Later, the GM held a meeting with the representatives of the Potato Seed Growers Association and informed them that the bank had formulated finance schemes at convenient terms. 

Ludhiana
Suspense over briefcase: A briefcase abandoned in a toilet under Dholewal chowk here late Wednesday evening led to much running about. The bomb disposal squad being away, the police covered the breifcase with sand bags and hurriedly pressed a dog squad into service. When reports last came in, it was waiting for the squad to arrive, SSP RK Jaiswal said. 

Phagwara
Bittu is Kapurthala YC chief: Jagjit Singh Bittu Haidabadi has been elected president of the Kapurthala district Youth Congress (YC). Bittu defeated his rival Jagjit Singh with a margin of 16 votes. While Bittu secured 48 votes, Jagjit Singh got just 32 votes. However, Jagjit Singh became general secretary by default.

Sangrur
Panel to hold march: 21-member Balwinder Singh milkman katal kand virodhi action committee, at its meeting held here on Tuesday, decided to organise a protest march from the local Mata Kali Devi Mandir to the office of the deputy commissioner on December 23 to press the administration to get the ‘killers’ of Balwinder arrested. Balwinder’s body was reportedly found hanging from a tree. 

Scheme for BPL families: Managing director of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation Mandip Singh Sandhu launched the National Health Insurance Scheme for the district at the district administrative complex here on Tuesday. Sandhu, who was here to attend a workshop on the scheme, said every BPL family would have to deposit Rs 30 annually for getting benefits of the scheme. 

Farmers stage dharna: A large number of farmers, led by district president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) Janak Singh Bhutal, on Wednesday staged a dharna in front of the office of the deputy commissioner here against the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) as it has been demanding a copy of the “fard” of the land from those farmers, who come to sell their cotton produce in grain markets. District general secretary of the union Darbara Singh Chhajla asked the corporation to immediately remove the condition. 

BILASPUR
Govt decision hailed: The HP State Education Department Class Four Employees Association has hailed the government decision to raise monthly emoluments of all rural water carriers to Rs 1,000. Addressing mediapersons here on Wednesday, association president Amar Singh Chandel, senior vice-president Nand Kishore Thakur, vice president Tara Sharma, general secretary Labh Singh and Sadar president Bhuri Singh Thakur thanked Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal saying that with this order Dhumal had fulfilled his promise which he gave to the deputation of the state association a few weeks ago. 

NURPUR
Telephone exchange upgraded: The C-Dot MBM telephone exchange at Jassur (Nurpur) has become the first upgraded telephone exchange in Dharamsala telecom district on Wednesday with centrax facility in which landline numbers can form a group like private exchange. Tilak Thakur, subdivisional engineer, Nurpur telecom subdivision, said the upgraded telephone exchange would have also facilities of providing print out of local billing and centralised billing with call detail report to the subscribers.