GURDASPUR
Road safety week : Nearly 589 tractor-trailers were affixed with fluorescent tape in the district during the road safety week which started on January 4, according to Mr Rajiv Prashar, District Transport Officer. Besides this, pressure horns were removed from 267 heavy vehicles and 261 drivers of various types of vehicles were examined for various eye ailments on the spot.

HOSHIARPUR
Van stolen: Three persons drugged Mr Kuldip Singh, a resident of Jalandhar, and took away his Tata Sumo (HR-01 F-6043). According to the police, the suspects threw the unconscious Mr Kuldip Singh out of the vehicle near Sati Smadh on Chgran-Naru Nangal link road on Saturday night. The victim was admitted to the local civil hospital by villagers and was still unconscious. The police has registered a case.

PU youth festival: The Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, will inaugurate the Panjab University Youth Festival at SPN College in Mukerian on January 15. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Iqbal Singh, said here on Monday that noted film star and Gurdaspur MP Vinod Khanna would also participate in the festival. The Chief Minister would also inaugurate a Charitable hospital at Mukerian.

Anti-polio drops: All arrangements have been completed for administering drops to 1.75 lakh children in the district on January 17. Nearly 860 camps in rural and urban areas have been set up in the district for the purpose. Mobile teams would cover railway stations, bus stands, brick-kilns and jhuggis.

MALERKOTLA
Nominated: Mr A.R Sharma, a noted industrialist of Dhuri, has been nominated Executive Member of the Beopar Cell of the PPCC by its Chairman, Mr Madan Lal Kapoor. Mr Sharma has also been nominated member of the Economic and Planning Cell of the PPCC.

MOGA
High prices: In view of the high prices of wheat and wheat flour in the town, residents urged the authorities on Monday to make immediate arrangements for the supply of both commodities through government fair price shops. Wheat flour is available in the market at Rs 84 per 10 kg and wheat at Rs 600 per quintal.

Criticised: A former president of the BKU's Punjab unit, Mr Kuldip Singh Sandhu, criticised the Union Food Ministry on Sunday for the famine-like situation prevailing in the Chhattisgarh region of Madhya Pradesh, forcing farmers to migrate to other places. He claimed that the shortage of foodgrain was man-made.

Urged: Members of various parties urged the Railway Ministry in a letter on Monday to make arrangements to introduce a new fast passenger train from Ferozepore to New Delhi via Moga to facilitate businessmen of the region who had to go to Delhi for business purposes.

Move opposed: Residents here told mediapersons on Sunday that they would prefer to buy their monthly requirement of sugar from the open market instead of drawing their quota from the local government fair price shops if the Civil Supplies Department did not withdraw its directive issued a few days ago, making it mandatory that the consumers submit forms for obtaining sugar along with a photograph of all family members.

NAWANSHAHR
Demanded: Mr Surjit Singh Johal, General Secretary of the district unit of the Bakery Union, Punjab, in a press note issued here on Sunday has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the 5 per cent sales tax imposed on sweets and bakery products. Besides being a burden on the public, this tax would open new ways of corruption by the department, he alleged.

Stadiums: The Badal government has decided to construct sport stadiums in each block to encourage rural sports. This was stated by the Technical Education and Industrial Development Minister, Dr Upinderjit Kaur, while presiding over the prize distribution function of the recently concluded sports mela organised by the Sports Club of nearby Pharala village on Saturday. Earlier, Dr Upinderjit Kaur and Mr Swarna Ram laid the foundation stones of Sant Gurbachan Singh Marg and primary school building at the village respectively. The Minister announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh each for the construction of the road and school building. She also announced a grant of Rs 25,000 and 30,000 for Dalit Dharamshala and sports club respectively on the occasion.

PATIALA
Burnt: Gurinder Singh, a resident of Khera Jattan village, was brought to Rajindra hospital here with serious burns and declared dead by the doctors. In another incident, Uttam Kaur, a resident of Jattan Wala Chontra, suffered 35 per cent burns when her clothes caught fire when she was preparing food. She was admitted to hospital on Sunday.

Case registered: The police has registered a case against the husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law of Jasbir Kaur of Mundkhera village in the district for allegedly poisoning her to death. All suspects have been arrested under Section 304 of the IPC.

Poisoning: Gurdip Singh, a Home Guard of Haryana posted at Karnal and a resident of Hamayoupur village near Sirhind, died of poisoning at a government hospital here.

Financial aid: The local Lions Club and the district police provided financial and material help to the families of police personnel killed during the Punjab turmoil, at a function organised here. Mr P.S. Sidhu, district police chief, said that 69 police officers and jawans of the district had laid down their lives while fighting terrorism in the state. He assured all help to these jawans' families.

Inaugurated: Mr R.P.S. Pawar, Commissioner Patiala Division, inaugurated the new canteen building at the district administrative complex. This building has been constructed at a cost of Rs 4.86 lakh and provided with modern facilities. A waiting room for the clients of advocates practising in the district courts has also been constructed at a cost of Rs 4.31 lakh.

PHAGWARA
Strike: Nearly 5,000 non-teaching employees would observe a strike on January 15 and hold gate rallies outside 160 privately managed affiliated colleges in protest against the non-acceptance of their demands. Mr R.K. Parmar, General Secretary of the Private Colleges Non-Teaching Employees Union, Punjab and Chandigarh warned that non-teaching staff would boycott the annual exams of boards and universities if their demands were not accepted.

TARN TARAN
Technical Services Union: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local PSEB circle of the Technical Services Union: President — Mr Jagtar Singh Uppal; Vice-President — Mr Sarabjit Singh; Secretary — Mr Deepak Kumar; Assistant Secretary — Mr Nirbhai Singh; and Treasurer — Mr Sarwan Dhillon.

Accident: Anokh Singh (35), a peon of the local Cooperative Sugar Mills, was killed in a road accident on Saturday near Chutala village. He was going for work from his native village, Kaironwal, when a car hit him, killing on the spot. The police has registered a case and the driver of the car, Mahesh Kumar, has been arrested.

NSS camp: A 10-day camp organised by the NSS unit of the College of Nursing, PGI here presently underway at Dhanas village. During the camp volunteers helped to deworm 233 children of the village and pregnant women were made aware about antenatal care. Besides this, health education was being imparted on child health, population control, drug abuse, alcoholism, AIDS, hepatitis and environmental sanitation.

PANCHKULA
Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local S S Jain Sabha: President — Mr Satya Narain Jain; Vice-President — Mr Kapoor Chand Jain; General Secretary — Mr J.P. Jain; Joint Secretary — Mr Jagat Ram; Secretary — Mr Pawan Kumar; and Treasurer — Mr Mohal Lal.

GURGAON
Two dead: Two brothers died and their father and sister fell ill after eating some poisonous food at their residence in a farmhouse near Sadhrana village. According to the FIR the manager of the farmhouse, Rameshwar, and his daughter Sarita started vomiting after eating food prepared by his wife, while Roshan (8) and Rajkumar (7) died on the spot. The bodies were sent for postmortem and a sample of the food stuff was sent to the laboratory.

Local call service: Rao Inderjeet Singh, MP from Mohindergarh, said local call service would start very soon between Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad. He said he had met Mr Jagmohan, Union Communication Minister, in this regard and had been assured that the facility would become functional soon.

Municipal area: The Haryana Government has extended the municipal limit of Pataudi Municipal Committee by a notification of the Haryana Municipal Act. Agricultural area has been included in the municipal limits. The unauthorised colonies will gain from the decision.

Arrested: A minor girl, who was allegedly abducted from Delhi, was arrested along with a youth at Nuh. According to the police the girl had allegedly gone with Juber, a resident of Khairtal Mandi in Rajasthan. The girl's father had lodged an FIR against Juber at Delhi. An STD operator informed the police about the girl and the youth when they were talking on the telephone in Delhi.

HISAR
HAUTA elections: The annual election of Haryana Agriculture University Teachers Association (HAUTA) will be held on January 29. According to a notification issued here on Sunday, Mr Rakesh Yamadagni, Director Extension Education HAU, will be the Returning Officer. The last date for filing of nomination papers is January 19 and the candidates can withdraw their nominations by January 21.

NARNAUL
Lok Adalat : A lok adalat was held here in which as many as 148 cases were solved. The District and Sessions Judge, Mr R S Madan, urged the litigants to make use of lok adalats. He said by this way the backlog of the courts would be cleared and speedy relief could be obtained. During the adalat as many as 19 cases of motor accident were settled and a compensation of Rs 9.27 lakh was awarded.

SIRSA
Seized: The Sirsa police has seized a huge quantity of liquor being smuggled in the district. According to Mr B.S. Sandhu, SSP, Sirsa the police has arrested five persons under the Excise Act and seized 144 bottles of IMF liquor, 120 kg of lahan, and 45 liquor pouches from them. Harjeet Singh of Vaidwala village in the district was arrested under the NDPS Act and the police seized 1 kg poppy husk from him.

Contaminated water: Residents of local Hisar road and its adjoining areas are being forced to consume contaminated water being supplied by the Public Health department of the town for the past several days. A senior Janata Dal leader, Mr Jiwan Ram Chaperwal, alleged here on Sunday that the water was contaminated as the sewerage had collapsed in the city.

Mechanics' strike: Mechanics employed with steel furniture manufacturers in the town have gone on an indefinite strike in support of their demands. Mr Pawan Kumar, President of the Mechanic Association, said here on Sunday that the employees wanted increase in wages but the owners had been ignoring their demands for the past two years. The agitating mechanics also urged officials of Labour Departments in the state to intervene in the matter.

Sewing centre: Prof Ganeshi Lal, Minister for Food and Supplies, Haryana, inaugurated a sewing centre at local Grewal basti here on Saturday. The centre has been started by Dukhi Mandal Sirsa. The Minister urged members of the mandal to work hard for the uplift of poor and needy women. He also announced a grant of Rs 25,000 for the centre. Mrs Raj Rani Jindal, President of the mandal, said women would be given training in cutting and tailoring at the centre free of cost.

SONEPAT

Office-bearers: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Haryana state branch of Youth Hostels Association of India : Chairman — Mr Jagdish Kapur (Sonepat); President — Mr KK Mohta (Bhiwani); General Secretary — Mr T C Alakh (Sonepat); Vice-President — Dr R C Hasija (Hisar), Dr P M Gaur (Sonepat) and Mr Sushil Garg (Kurukshetra).

Winter carnival: Mr Sher Singh Thakur, organiser of the Manali Winter Carnival has said the festival will start on January 13 and conclude on January 17. He said about 1,000 artistes from various parts of the country would perform on the occasion. The Winter Queen contest would be a special attraction.