Passports issued: Passport applications received at the local passport office up to June 1 have been processed. Passports have been dispatched to the persons concerned whose applications were complete in all respects during the week ending August 28.

PATHANKOT

Fair: The annual fair of Mata Ashapurni Mandir will be organised at the local Ramlila Ground on Saturday. This has been stated by Mr Hari Chand Bajaj, president of the mandir committee.
Honoured: Several teachers of the town were honoured at a function organised by the local Lions Club (Pathankot Greater) here on Thursday. Those honoured included Mr Darshan Singh, Mr Rakesh Sharma, Mr M.S Kohli, Mr K.G Sharma and Mr Darshan Tripathi.
Lions Club: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Lions Club: president — Mr Rakesh Aggarwal; vice-president — Mr J.S Shingari; general secretary — Mr Madan Lal Verma; and treasurers — Mr B.S. Bawa and Mr Surjeet Singh.
Blood donated: As many as 100 Army officers donated blood at a camp organised by 46 Air Defence Regiment here on Wednesday. More than 500 patients were examined and medicines distributed fee of cost. The camp was inaugurated by Col J. Matta.

SANGRUR

Financial aid: An amount worth Rs 31.54 lakh was distributed among 751 ex-soldiers and widows by the District Sainik Welfare Board during the last financial year, according to Mr Anirudh Tewari, Deputy Commissioner. An amount of Rs 4.23 lakh was disbursed among 43 families for the marriage of their daughters and Rs 6.72 lakh among 227 persons for educational scholarships, Mr Tewari, added.

AMRITSAR

Resolution: The general house of the Labour Law Practitioners' Association which met here on Thursday unanimously resolved to boycott the Industrial Tribunal till the presiding officer was transferred , because of his alleged remarks.
Condolence meeting: Guru Nanak Dev University Officers' and Non-Teaching Employees' Associations mourned the sudden death of Mr Raj Narain ‘a keyman’ in the construction department of the university at a condolence meeting held here on Thursday. A two-minute silence was observed in his memory.

FAZILKA

Road accident: Labhoo Ram Kataria (62), a resident of Adarsh Nagar was hit by a truck on Wednesday evening near the local grain market. He was taken to the local civil hospital where he died after a short while.
Disconnected: Telephones of the city and Sadar police stations here have been disconnected for non-payment of bills. The police stations had not paid the bills for January, 98, and the outgoing facility of these telephones was disconnected on January 27, 1998. But the incoming facility was allowed in view of the urgency of police services. When the bills were not paid in spite of verbal and written reminders the telephone connection were disconnected completely.

FATEHGARH SAHIB

AISSF: The following were elected office-bearers of district unit of the All-India Sikh Students Federation at a meeting held here on Thursday: president — Mr Dilraj Singh Raja; senior vice-president — Mr Manjit Singh; vice- president — Mr Rupinder Singh Dhaliwal; general secretary— Mr Amautaswar Singh Chadha; and secretary general — Mr Amandeep Singh Maan.

HOSHIARPUR

Ban: Mr Iqbal Singh, District Magistrate, has by an order under Section 144 Cr PC banned the assembly of 5 persons or more, taking out of processions, use of loudspeakers in public places, shouting slogans and carrying of weapons in public places. He has banned the exhibition of films through videos in private buses. House owners have also been instructed to inform the police about their tenants.

KHANNA

Criticised: The Bar Association here has criticised the decision of the Punjab Government to increase stamp duty. The association resolved to observe a strike on Friday to protest against the hike. It also demanded immediate withdrawal of the notification.

KHARAR

Sapling plantation: A sapling plantation function was organised at the Government High School, Grangan (Ropar), near here on Wednesday, by the Local Innerwheel Club. Mrs Veena Gupta, president of the club, and Mrs Baljeet Kaur, Headmistress of the school, planted saplings in the school. About 50 saplings of various trees were planted by the members of the club, staff members and students of the school.
Municipal office: The Municipal Committee here has decided to shift its office from its present location to its new premises near the bus stand. A resolution in this regard was passed at a meeting of the committee held here on Wednesday. According to Mr Lachman Singh, Executive Officer of the committee, estimates of about Rs 25 lakh for various development works were passed at the meeting.

LUDHIANA

Literacy society: All officers and employees contributing to the spread of literacy under the Ludhiana Literacy Society will be honoured on Republic Day, 1999. This was announced by Mr Arun Goel, Deputy Commissioner and Chairman of the Society, while addressing a meeting of district heads here on Thursday.

PATIALA

Restrictions: The PSEB has announced that the timings of peak load hour restrictions will continue to be from 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. in the state.
Vanamahotsava: The Lions Club (Central ) and the State Bank of India, New Officers' Colony branch, celebrated vanamahotsava here by planting saplings at Bhupindra Road and New Officers' Colony. Mr D.P. Sharma, president of the club, said the club members would plant more saplings in the city.
Kennel Club: The local Kennel Club has decided to launch a special drive to educate people about dogs and dog care. A press note issued here on Thursday said that under the proposed programme the club members would start a drive in which stray dogs would be castrated in the city.

Award: Dr Narendra Singh, Dean, College of Animal Sciences of Haryana Agricultural University here, has been selected by the Indian Veterinary Association for Alarsin Award. A communique of the association said the award would be presented to Dr Singh and his colleagues, Dr Ramesh Kumari and Dr M.A Akbar for their research paper published in the Indian Veterinary Journal, 1997.

SONEPAT

Training camp: A three-day mushroom production training camp, organised by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the district Horticulture Department, concluded at Jagdishpur village, 7 km from here, on Thursday. Dr R.S Waldia, Chief Scientist-cum-Head of the kendra, emphasised the need to incorporate new technology to increase mushroom production.
Arrested: The Ganaur police has arrested two persons, including a woman, of Shapur Tagga village, in connection with the alleged rape of a woman of the same village on August 24. According to the police, the arrested persons have been identified as Satpal and Shanti. Satpal reportedly took the woman to his fields where she was raped with the connivance of Shanti.
Convention: The Council of Trade Union of Haryana will organise a one-day state-level convention on September 6 here to chalk out a programme to launch a campaign against the government for its alleged failure to provide civic amenities to the people of the state.

FATEHABAD

Symposium: The local DAV Centenary School will hold a symposium on "Deterioration in Teacher-Pupil Relations — Causes and Remedies" on September 5 on the occasion of Teachers Day. According to Ms I.P.K. Bhatia, Principal of the school, the teachers and students will participate in the symposium and express their views on the subject.

KURUKSHETRA

Two arrested: Shashi, son of Mr Prakash, a resident of Ratgal village has been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl of Sector 7 of the Urban Estate here. Ms Usha Rani, a resident of Layalpur Basti here, has been arrested for allegedly conniving with the rapist. According to the SP, Mr Y.P. Singhal, the 14-year-old victim has been handed over to her parents after a medical examination.

Relay fast: Technical staff of the Labour Bureau here started a relay fast on Wednesday in support of their demands, according to Mr R.S. Pundir, general secretary of the Technical Staff Association.

HAMIRPUR

Sites inspected: A two-member team of the Sulabh International, led by Mr A.K. Singh, visited various parts of the district on Thursday and Friday and inspected various sites where "Sulabh shauchalayas" could be constructed. The team was accompanied by Mr Manoj Kumar, Deputy Commissioner. Mr Manoj Kumar said Sulabh shauchalayas would be built at Hamirpur, Nadaun, Barsar, Bijheri and Sujanpurtira. The administration would provide land free of cost for this purpose, he added.
Stressed: Mr Manoj Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, has stressed the need to educate the Panchayati Raj functionaries to work in an honest manner to provide justice to the people. Addressing a two-day workshop here on Friday, he said such institutions had a major role to play in a democratic set-up and should educate people about their rights and duties.

BILASPUR

Murdered: Kuldip Kumar (24), a driver with a private bus service, was found murdered near the office of the District Animal Husbandry Officer here on Thursday. The body was sent by the police to the District Hospital for postmortem. According to reports the body bore several injury marks and an attempt seems to have been made to crush his head under a heavy vehicle. The police has registered a case.

KASAULI

Ban demanded: The Animal Welfare Society of Himachal Pradesh has demanded a ban on the open sale of poison and poisoning of dogs. Convener of the society S.K Jhunu Dass Gupta said on Friday that the sale of red poison on pavements of Solan threatens both animals and human beings. She alleged that the Solan Municipal Committee was poisoning dogs, thus violating the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

NURPUR

Celebrated: The Himachal Pradesh Child Development Project, Nagrota Surian, in Jawali subdivision celebrated National Nutritious Week on Thursday in which local anganbari assistant workers, gram panchayat pradhans and mahila mandals participated. Ms Jeevanlata, project officer, presided over the function. She said, under the child development project, 474 women and 2553 children in the age group of six months to six years had benefitted in the Nagrota Surian area.