Visited: Mr Daya Singh Sodhi, a BJP MP, and Mr Dev Raj Chachowalia, general secretary, Gurdaspur district unit of the BJP, on Saturday visited villages falling in the Batala Vidhan Sabha constituency. Mr Sodhi announced an ex-gratia grant of Rs 1 lakh from his discretionary fund for the development of Achal Sahib.

BATHINDA

Appointed: Mr Baljit Singh Birbehman has been appointed Managing Director of Bathinda Central Co-operative Bank Limited by the Punjab Government for five years.

FARIDKOT

Concluded: A week-long free eye operation camp organised by the local Lions Club concluded here on Saturday. As many as 54 patients were operated upon and more than 500 examined. Medicines and spectacles free of cost were provided to the needy.

GURDASPUR

Suspended: The SSP, Mr Gaurav Yadav, has placed under suspension Tilak Raj and Dilbagh Singh, SHOs of Gurdaspur and Kanuvwan police stations, respectively, and constables Rajesh Kakkar, Kuldip Singh and Kashmir Singh for allegedly accepting illegal gratifications for helping residents of Maurpur to undertake illicit distillation. A case under Sections 7, 12, of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered.

JALANDHAR

Passports sent: Passport applications received in the passport office here up to serial number 402/69223/98 till August 8, have been processed. The passports have been despatched to those whose applications were complete in all respects during the week ending October 23.

LUDHIANA

Celebrated: The State Bank of India, Ladhowal branch, and the Lal Bahadur Shastri Social Forum celebrated World Savings Day. Mr NK Gosain, branch manager, presided over the function. Mr Gosain appraised about the savings schemes of the bank and also highlighted the achievements of the bank.

PATIALA

Appeal: Residents of Theatre lane and other connected areas, including Sewak Delite and Lehal colonies have appealed to the Deputy Commissioner to shift a gas godown from its present site. In an appeal to the Deputy Commissioner and the sales officer Bharat Petroleum Corporation, the residents protested that the gas centre was the only agency having its LPG storage godown in a residential area and it posed threat to human life and property.
Installed: Col GB Singh (retd) has been installed president of the Lions Club (Patiala Citizen).

SAMRALA

Prize won: Budhewal Co-operative Sugar Mills, has won the first prize during a competition of National Federation of Co-operative Sugar mills at Delhi, organised by the Agricultural Ministry recently. This was stated by Mr MP Singh, Managing Director of the mills, here on Saturday.

Van recovered: A Maruti van which was forcibly taken away from Mr Ramakant, a resident of Pune in Maharashtra has been recovered by the police. According to reports, Mr Ramakant was on his way to Co-operative Sugar Mills at Bhuna in the van which he had hired from Delhi. When the vehicle reached Mochi Chaubara village, four armed youths riding a motor cycle stopped the vehicle and took it away at gunpoint. The police set up nakas which scared the miscreants and they, abandoned the van on the road and escaped.

KAITHAL

Arrested: Three persons who allegedly robbed Rs 18,500 from a soldier near Rohera village on Friday, have been arrested by the police. They have been identified as Gulaba Singh, Dhoop Singh and Krishan, according to S.P. Sudhir Choudhry.
Opium seized: The police seized 200 grams of opium from Badan Singh of Birbangra village on Friday. The accused has been arrested and booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Pyschotropic Substances Act.

KARNAL

Lok Adalat: As many as 758 cases were settled at the Lok Adalat held here on the premises of the Sessions Court on Saturday. Mr Justice Swatantar Kumar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court inaugurated the adalat while Mr Justice V.K. Bali presided. According to an official release Rs 6.98 lakh were awarded as compensation by the accident claim tribunal with the cooperation of the insurance companies. Six cases of the Hindu Marriage Act and 227 criminal cases were also decided.

KURUKSHETRA

Seminar: Krishi Gyan Kendra in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited, organised a goshthi on integrated nutrient management in rice-wheat cropping system on the premises of Krishi Gyan Kendra, Kurukshetra, for field functionaries and farmers of the district on Friday. More than 150 persons attended the programme.

PANIPAT

Phones dead: More than 40 per cent telephones in the city have been lying dead for the past one week. Interestingly the SDO (T) and other officials concerned are not available in their respective offices and the faults cannot be removed in due time.
Dharna: Members of the "berozgaari hatao, territory bachao" organisation staged a dharna before Panipat Oil Refinery here on Saturday in support of their demands. Mr Surinder Singh Hooda, chief coordinator and a senior Youth Congress leader, told mediapersons that the aim of the dharna was to press the government to provide jobs to the educated unemployed and take steps to check the increasing pollution by certain industrial units in the state.
Gang busted: The police on Saturday arrested two members of a gang involved in cases of robbery, chain snatching and vehicle thefts.

SIRSA

Leader dead: Hari Singh Nain, a senior leader of the Indian National Lok Dal and a former sarpanch of Kharia village, died here on Saturday. A large number of Lok Dal activists from all over district attended the funeral.
Suicide: Inder Jit Singh, a fruit seller of the Begu road area, committed suicide by hanging himself on Friday. According to sources Inder Jeet had shifted to Sirsa from Fatehabad about two years ago. A domestic dispute is stated to be the cause of suicide.
Bail granted: Shyam Lal Chamria and Dilbag Singh against whom a case of power theft was registered here, were released on bail by court on Friday. The Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam has imposed a penalty of Rs 15.15 lakh against the two. A junior engineer of the nigam has also been placed under suspension for alleged dereliction of duty.

SONEPAT

Stabbed: Sandeep, a college student, was allegedly stabbed to death and another received stab wounds when they were attacked by a group of armed youths outside a cinema house on Friday. According to the police, the victim was a resident of Vikas Nagar. Sandeep, who was injured was rushed to a local hospital. The city police has registered a case of murder and murderous assault against the alleged assailants and launched a hunt to apprehend them.

Condemned: Jagmohan Gramaul, general secretary, HP Freedom Fighters Parishad, in a press statement here on Saturday, condemned the alleged rude and insulting behaviour meted out to Ravi Datt, a veteran freedom fighter, of Bilaspur on October 22 by a conductor of the HRTC. He asked the H.P Transport Minister to ensure that employees of the HRTC pay due respect to senior citizens.
Settled: As many as 56 out of 118 cases were settled during the "administration at your doorstep programme" held at Bankala village, 10 km from here, on Thursday . The remaining cases were sent to the departments concerned.

SHIMLA

Book released: The Governor, Ms VS Rama Devi, on Saturday released a book on Swami Vivekananda authored by Mr Som Ranchan. Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said the teachings of Swami Vivekananda was more relevant today when the society was facing a crisis of morality and character.