BATALA
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Rotary Club: president — Mr Anjan Bansal; vice-president — Mr Balwinder Singh Shah; general secretary — Mr Ramesh Chopra; and joint-secretary — Mr Bhupinder Singh.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Inner-Wheels Club: president — Mrs Aruna Chopra; vice-president —Mrs Sonia Kwatra; secretary — Mrs Tunnu Bhagowalia; and financial secretary — Mrs Sushma Aggarwal.

BATHINDA
ELECTED: Mr Darshan Singh Romana has been elected president of a Gurdwara located at Guru Nanak Pura locality here on Sunday. This was stated by Mr Tarlochan Singh, Municipal Councillor.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
SAPLINGS PLANTED: The Bassi Pathana unit of the Bharat Vikas Parishad organised a “van-mahotsav” by planting saplings in the cremation ground and other areas of the town. Prof C.B. Sharma, Director, Institute of Management, Mata Gujri College, inaugurated the mahotsav by planting a tree.

GARHSHANKAR
ACCIDENT: One person was killed and four others were injured in a head-on collision between a truck and a tempo on the Garhshankar-Nawanshahr road near Denowal village. Those injured have been identified as Rita, Sandeep, Dara Singh and Subash Chander. They were admitted to a local Civil Hospital. The truck driver has absconded. A case has been registered.

ARRESTED: The local police has arrested a woman, Ambica, for allegedly accepting Rs 2.5 lakh from a person on the pretext of sending him abroad. Karam Singh of Simbli village had given Rs 2.5 lakh to Ambica and her husband for sending his son abroad.

RALLY: The local unit of the Youth Congress organised a rally in the Grain Market, against the stoppage of old-age, widow and disabled pensions in Punjab. The rally was addressed by a former Finance Minister, Dr Kewal Kishan.

MOGA
RESENTMENT: Stoppage of monthly quota of sugar supplied by the Civil Supplies Department to the income tax payers has caused resentment among the consumers as there was a vast difference in price of commodities supplied by the department and those available in the market. Consumers said here on Sunday that whereas the monthly quota of sugar was supplied to them at Rs 12 a kg the price of it in the open market was Rs 17 a kg. They urged the government to withdraw the order.

NAWANSHAHR
PLANTATION DRIVE: The local Lions Club organised a tree plantation drive here on Sunday, which was inaugurated by Mr Iqbal Singh, president of the Club. The Club members planted 101 saplings at Shivalaya Atma Devi Ralla Mall Bhucher cremation ground near Pandora mohalla, the Banga road and at various places on the Jalandhar-Chandigarh road.

POEM RECITED: The local Punjab Sahit Sabha organised a “kavi darbar” at JSFH Khalsa High School here on Sunday. Mr Hardev Singh Kahma, SAD leader, inaugurated it. Dr B.M. Barthwal read out poems written by Gurcharan Badhan. A collection of Punjabi gazals written by Baby Ram Diwana was also released on the occasion.

PATIALA
GOVT DECISION FLAYED: The Punjab Rice Millers Association has condemned the Union Government’s decision of not allowing the FCI to procure paddy during the kharif season. In a press note Mr Tarsem Lal Saini, president, and Mr Gian Chand Sofat, organising secretary of the association, urged the Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and the Food and Civil Supplied Minister, Mr M.M. Mittal to reconsider the decision as the state and its agencies had suffered heavy losses over the past five years.

PRTC WORKERS WARN: The Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) Workers Action Committee has warned the state government against privatising transport. Mr Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, member of the committee, said by allowing private operators to operate the 8-km scheme initiated by the government, it was clear that the government had its eyes set on privatising the transport. He added that the government had not even compensated the transport for its free travelling schemes. By banning recruitment to the roadways, nearly 200 buses were being taken off the road. The committee would hold a rally in Chandigarh on August 3. 

MINORITIES: The minorities in India need to adjust themselves to the democratic set-up and at the same time safeguard their religious identity, said the Vice-Chairman, Central Minority Commission, Mr Tarlochan Singh, while delivering the annual lecture on “Religious Minorities in India”, organised by the Academy of Sikh Religion and Culture here on Saturday. Through an Act in 1992, the Central Government provided minority status to Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis and Buddhists which constituted 20 per cent of the total population, he informed. The President of the academy also distributed scholarships to 51 Amritdhari students from schools all over Patiala.

PRESIDENT ELECTED: Mr Mohan Lal Tohra has been elected President of the District Aarhtia Association at a meeting held here on Sunday. He has been authorised to nominate the other office-bearers of the association. The general house meeting was attended by 120 members. His name was proposed by Mr Harjit Singh Sheru. 

PHILLAUR
TRAINING INSTITUTE: The Punjab unit of the BJP has set up a workers’ training institute which will be headed by Mr Tarun Chaugh, press secretary of the Punjab unit of the BJP. He said training camps would be organised at tehsil and district headquarters. The BJP unit will observe “Kargil shaheed samman diwas” on August 9, he added.

OFFICE-BEARERS: Mr Gurmit Singh has been elected president of the Parents Teachers association of Government Model Middle School, Sector 42. The other members are General Secretary — Mr P.S. Rana; Senior Vice-President — Mr Sukhwinder Singh; Vice-President — Mr Harmesh Lal Rayat; Press Secretary — Mr Harvinder Singh; Joint Secretary — Mr Roshan Lal Sharma; Cashier — Ms Nirmal Kumari; and Auditor — Mr Sudhir Bhakri. The executive members are Mr Kulwant Raj Sharma, Mr D.C. Sharma, Mr Madan Singh, Ms Promila Rani, Ms Santosh Rani, Ms Harbans Kaur, Ms R. Sidhu, Ms R. Justine, Ms Malkiat Kaur, Ms Aruna Madan, Ms S. Kohli and Ms Saroj Bala. 

‘OPEN DARBAR’: Mr Sudhir Rajpal, Deputy Commissioner, held an “open darbar” at Panchayat Bhawan here, on Saturday. According to a press note, 75 complaints were heard on the occasion. Mr Rajpal handed over these complaints to Mr Ashok Yadav, Additional Deputy Commissioner, and Ms Sumedha Kataria, City Magistrate.

HAMIRPUR
KHARIF TARGET: Dr Hans Raj Sharma, Deputy Director of Agriculture, said the department would achieve the target of producing 75,000 metric ton of maize and 5,070 metric ton of paddy. Adequate quantity of fertilisers had been sent to various retail outlets, he added. Talking to mediapersons here on Saturday he said that as against the demand of 1,940 metric ton the department had supplied 2,103 metric ton of fertilisers to the fair price shops and agriculture stores in the district.