Book released: A book on Bawa Balwant (in English) by Dr K.S. Kang was released recently at a function organised by the Cultural Council of Berlin. Mr Malay, minister-director of the council, released the first copy to Rajwinder, a national poet of German language. The book has been published by the Sahitya Akademy of India, New Delhi.

MALERKOTLA
Office-bearers: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Press Club: patron — Mr Chander Shekhar; president — Mr Ashok Joshi; vice-president — Mr Afshan Sheikh; general secretary — Mr Aschar Parihar; joint secretary — Mr Shahabudin; and treasurer — Mr Rajinder Kathuria.

Arrested: The local police has arrested Parminder Singh of Krishna Nagar in Shimla (HP) allegedly involved in preparing forged registration and driving licences. A case has been registered against him. The SSP, Sangrur, in press note said the Malerkotla police had recovered forged stamps of DTO and RTO, a driving licence and blank registration copies from him. The accused confessed that he had been working with Raju of Delhi, the kingpin of the gang.

MOGA
Resentment: Resentment prevails among villagers in Ferozepore district over the failure of the Irrigation Department to construct a new bridge over a canal passing through Mahalsinghwala village in Ferozepore district which has been lying in a dilapidated condition for the past one year. They told newspersons here on Friday that the bridge had already been declared unsafe. A sign board had been put up there by the department concerned declaring the bridge unsafe but repair work was yet to start, they lamented.

NAWANSHAHR
Prize distribution function: The local Red Rose Public School organised its 20th annual prize distribution function here on Saturday. Dr Kehar Singh, Chairman Punjab School Education Board, Mohali, presided over the function and gave away the prizes. Students presented a cultural programme on the occasion.

LUDHIANA
Health education cell: A health education cell has been established in Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, here. The objective of the cell is to educate people on preventing further spread of diseases.

National workshop: The Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, Dr G.S. Kalkat, has called for greater participation and consultation of farmers in planning and implementing the agricultural extension programme. Dr Kalkat was speaking at the inaugural function of the "National workshop on farmer led participatory extension" organised by the International Extension Forum in collaboration with the PAU, here on Saturday.

PHILLAUR
Boy rescued: The local police rescued four-year-old Talwinder Singh, alias Suraj, from Dumri village in Motihari district of Bihar on November 24, the DSP, Mr Upinderjit Singh Ghuman, said here on Saturday. He said the boy was kidnapped from Tarkhan Majara village in Phillaur subdivision by two Bihari migrant labourers who were working in a factory owned by the child's father.

SAMRALA
Lawyers' strike: Members of the local Bar Association observed a strike on Saturday demanding a 5-day week work schedule, according to Mr H.S. Diwa, president of the association. He said they would continue to strike work on every Saturday till there demand was met.

Open discussion: A social organisation, Yuvsatta, and the ABVP are organising an open discussion on ''should beauty contests be encouraged'' on November 30 at Gandhi Bhavan, Panjab University. Those who will participate include Ms Pam Rajput, Chairperson, Centre for Women Studies, PU, Dr Satinder Dhillon, Principal, Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36, and Mr Anuj Saxena, News Editor, Divya Himachal. Mr D.N. Radhakrishnan, Director, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Smriti, New Delhi, will preside.

Relief fund: Members of the local unit of the Reserve Bank Employees Association have collected Rs 13,186 for contribution to the Orissa Cyclone Relief Fund. The association has sent this money to its Bhubaneshwar branch for onward transmission to the Orissa Relief Fund account.

SAS NAGAR
Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Punjab Anand Lamp Employees Union: President — Mr Kuldeep Chand Dogra; Vice-Presidents — Mr Kuldeep Rana and Mr Harbans Dogra; General Secretary — Mr Mam Chand Misra; Joint Secretaries — Mr S. Balodi and Mr Siya Ram Rai; and Cashier — Mr Gagan Guleria.

FARIDABAD
Arrested: The police on Saturday arrested Hukum Chand, a foreman of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 500 from a farmer of Hathin. A Police spokesman said here that Hukum Chand had demanded money from Alisher for replacing the burnt-out transformer of his tubewell.

Cop dies of burns: Mr Umed Singh (38), a constable of Ballabhgarh, died of burns in a Delhi hospital on Sunday morning, reports said. It is stated that the constable received serious burns on Saturday night when his blanket caught fire while he was smoking beedi.

PANIPAT
Dismissed employees: Resentment prevails among nearly 160 dismissed employees of Panipat Cooperative Distillery against the indifferent attitude of the state government towards their re-induction in the distillery services. According to a former president of the Panipat Distillery Kamghaar Sangathan, Mr Pyare Lal, the services of 203 workers were terminated following the closure of the distillery after prohibition came into force in the state during the Bansi Lal regime in July, 1996. Later, 33 of them were reinstated after the prohibition was lifted.

SIRSA
Two held: Two persons have been arrested in connection with the death of a widow in the district. According to information received here, Santosh, whose husband, Balwant of Nudawali village, died about five years back, was tortured by her in-laws after she became a widow. On November 2, when her father visited her, he found her lying on the floor. He admitted her to a hospital where she died on November 9. The police registered a case and arrested her father-in-law, Sahi Ram, and his son, Lal Chand.

Health mela: A declamation and painting contest and a health mela will be organised in the district from December 1 to 9 on AIDS awareness. Deputy Commissioner Amit Jha said lady doctors were being deputed specifically for the awareness campaign. The team would go door to door to educate people about the disease.

SONEPAT
Youth kills girl: A girl of class VIII, Mukesh, was allegedly stabbed to death by a youth, Naresh, at Mahmoodpur village, about 40 km from here, on Saturday. According to reports, Naresh also committed suicide by consuming poison. The youth was reportedly annoyed at the "false charge" of molestation levelled against him by the parents of the girl.

Killed: Satbir (15) was killed on the spot when a truck collided with a tractor at Garhi Ujale Khan near Gohana town, 40 km from here, on Saturday. A case has been registered against the truck driver.

Seminar: The Commerce Association of the local Hindu Girls College organised a seminar on "Employees provident fund and allied schemes" on the college campus here on Saturday. Mr K.L. Goyal, Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, who inaugurated the seminar, gave details of various schemes for social security and claimed that the country ranked foremost in this regard.

UDHAMPUR
Kargil volunteers: Kargil volunteers (porters) on Saturday disrupted the interview process in MES for class IV recruitments. About 150 volunteers organised a protest dharna outside the CWE office here. They were demanding the postponement of interviews since these posts were advertised when about 167 youth of the district were in Kargil during Operation Vijay and could not submit their application forms. They also demanded that Kargil volunteers should be given first preference while making recruitments.