BATALA
PULSE POLIO CAMPS:  Fortyone plus polio camps were organised in various parts of the subdivision here on Sunday. Three camps were organised by the Lions Club, Rotary Club and Lions Smile Club ‘respectively’ with the help of local doctors.

BATHINDA
BODY FOUND: The body of Ajeet Singh, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Punjab Police who was dismissed some time ago, was found near Giddar village of this district on Sunday. According to police sources, Ajeet Singh was resident of Chular Kalan village of Sangrur district. A case has been registered.

CULTURAL PROGRAMME: The Sarab Sanjhi Naujawan Sabha, Guru Nanakpura, organised a cultural programme and athletic meet of students of different schools to create awareness of sports and cultural activities among them. Mr Chiranji Lal Garg, Science and Technology, Minister of Punjab, and Mr Bhupinder Singh Bhullar, President of the Nagar Council, were the chief guests.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
CAMP ORGANISED: The Sirhind unit of the Bharat Vikas Parishad, on Sunday, organised a blood donation camp at Ashoka Senior Secondary School. According to Mr Sanjeev Sharma, project chairman, more than 100 units of blood was donated to the PGI team.

HOSHIARPUR
TB CONTROL PROGRAMME: According to a survey by the State Health Department, there are more than 3 lakh TB patients in the state and the number is increasing at a rate of 40,000 annually. This was disclosed by Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Punjab, talking to mediapersons here on Sunday. He said keeping in view the seriousness of the disease, the Punjab Government, with the help of non-government organisations, had chalked out a TB control programme.

KHARAR
BYPASS SOUGHT: About 50 residents of Mundi Kharar village on Monday urged the Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Prakash Singh Badal, to order the construction of a Kharar-SAS Nagar bypass which he had announced earlier. They wrote that this portion of the national highway had virtually become a death trap. 

LUDHIANA
DHARAM SANSAD FLAYED: Marxist Communist Party of India has condemned the Dharam Sansad organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and another akhara in the ongoing Kumbh mela for declaring the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhaya. According to a press note, a meeting of the MCPI was held here on Monday under the chairmanship of Mr Gyan Singh. It was, attended by Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, besides others, the all India general secretary of the MCPI. The party alleged that the VHP leaders, in connivance with the Bhartiya Janta Party leaders were trying to sabotage peace and incite communal passions in the name of religion. The party described it as a grave threat to the secular and democratic fabric of the country and asked the NDA government at the centre to spell out its stand. The party also expressed grave concern over the state of affairs in Punjab and condemned the murder of Avtar Singh allegedly at the hands of a former police cat. It demanded that the police department bring out the list of all the cats working in the police department who had been awarded out-of-turn promotions. 

AWARDED: BhartiTeletech Limited, Ludhiana Unit, has been adjudged runners-up for the Golden Peacock National Quality Award (GPNQA) - 2000, for outstanding achievements in pursuit of total quality. The GPNQA had been instituted by Institute of Directors, New Delhi. The award was received by Mr Ashok L. Keswani, GM, (works), along with Mr Y. G. P. Raikar, vice president (manufacturing), from Mr Shanta Kumar, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution in the 11th World Congress on total Quality held at New Delhi on Saturday last. It may be mentioned that the GPNQA is given every year to recognise Indian companies for excellence in manufacturing and service sectors. The award criteria is based on three evaluation dimensions — Approach, Development and Results, using the GPNQA model for total quality management. 

RIN MUKTI FORTNIGHT: UCO bank is determined to recover Rs 32 crore in Punjab including Rs 6 crore in Ludhiana, that were pending as non performing assets with its customers. Under the guidelines of the RBI, the bank had introduced a rin mukti fortnight to encourage defaulters to return the money. This was stated here today by Mr S.S. Bedi, AGM, UCO bank. He explained that the RBI had modified its earlier scheme and provided a simplified, non-discriminatory mechanism for the recovery of stocks of NPAs. This scheme is applicable to all categories of borrowers, irrespective of the sector i.e. priority or non-priority and was applicable to all NPA borrowers big or small. 

MANSA
RESENTMENT: Resentment prevails among rice millers, depot holders and general public of Mansa, Budhlada, Bareta, Sardulgarh and Bhikhi towns of the district as there is no District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC) since the transfer of Mr Daljit Singh Bhatia, DFSC, to Chandigarh on January 9.

MEDICAL CAMP: As many as 353 persons were vaccinated against hepatitis-B on Sunday at a medical camp organised at Phaphre Bhaike village by the Bhai Behlo Youth Sports Club with the cooperation of gram panchayat in the district. Mrs Raji. P. Srivastava, Deputy Commissioner, inaugurated the camp.

DISMISSED: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum here has dismissed a complaint filed by Jarnail Singh of Mansa against an electronic dealer and a company observing that the complainant has filed the complaint with ulterior motive of getting handsome compensation from the opposite parties.

MOGA
SUICIDE: A middle-aged man, Rama, resident of Baghapurana town in this district, allegedly committed suicide on Saturday by consuming a poisonous substance. The cause of his suicide is not yet known.

SIX KILLED: As many as six persons have so far died of cold wave in different villages under Baghapurana police station in this district during the past 15 days, according to reports available here on Sunday.

NAWANSHAHR
PULSE POLIO CAMPS: More than 74,000 children were administered polio drops at 520 centres set up for the purpose in the district on Sunday. The local Rotary Club organised a camp at a slum behind Dana Mandi which was inaugurated by Dr Roshan Sunkaria, Deputy Commissioner.

PATHANKOT
CELEBRATED: The local Lions Club organised republic day celebrations on Sunday at Municipal Temperance hall on the Mission road. Ms Vibhu Raj, SP, inaugurated the competition and distributed prizes to the winners. Lion Madan Lal Verma, president of the club, presided over the function.

ORGANISED: The local unit of the Rotary Club organised a pulse polio camp on Sunday. According to president of the club, more than 5,000 children were administered polio drops.

PATIALA
BETTER PAY SOUGHT: The newly constituted executive body of the Punjab State Electricity Board Officers Accounts Association, in its meeting held here on Monday, expressed concern over the discrimination towards the accountants’ cadre in the revision of pay scales with effect from January 1, 1996. The committee took serious notice of the resentment among its cadres due to the pay scales. Members of the committee regretted that vested interests were influencing the decision of the board. They urged the management to arrest the growing frustration regarding the financial crisis through which the board was passing. 

RALLY: The Punjab Home Guards Association held a rally on Monday to express concern over the delay by the government regarding its demand for permanent jobs for all its volunteers. Members of the association requested the Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Prakash Singh Badal, and the Finance Minister of Punjab, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, to look into the problem.

SAMRALA
KILLED: Former executive officer of the municipal council, Lachhman Dass, and Ajay Modi, a contractor, were killed in a road accident on Saturday near Bardhalan village, 7 km from here, when their car hit into a tree due to fog. A case has been registered and the bodies delivered to family members after a post-mortem examination.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the ad hoc committee of the Northern India Film and TV Artistes Association, Chandigarh: president — Mr Shivendra Mahal; senior vice- president — Mr Vijay Tandon; vice-president — Mr Gurkiratan; general secretary — Mr Gick Grewal; press secretary — Vinod Sharma; treasurer — Dr Ranjit; and legal adviser — Mr Rajinder Sharma. 

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the BSP unit of Janata Colony, Sector 25: president — Mr Brij Nath; senior vice-president — Mr Pramod Kumar; vice-presidents — Mr Ram Lal and Mr Babu Ram; general secretary — Mr Panna Lall; and treasurer — Mr Lanan Singh. This was announced by Mr Ajit Singh Saini, secretary of the local unit. 

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME: An executive development programme on “Enhancing personal effectiveness” was organised by the Institute for Secretarial Practices and Development (INSPIRE) at the Dr Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management, Sector 42, here on Sunday. A large number of members from industrial, academic, scientific, research bodies, banks and corporations participated in the programme. Mr D.M.S. Bedi, Chairman of the INSPIRE, spoke on the occasion.

SCHOOL HOLDS FETE: Eating stalls and tambola marked the annual fete of CL Aggarwal D AV High School, Sector 7, here on Sunday. The fete was inaugurated by Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, MP. An on the spot painting competition on the theme “Petroleum conservation” was held. Over 2,000 children and parents participated in the fete. 

CONDEMNED: The local unit of the Samajwadi Party have condemned the Dharam Sansad at Allahabad for announcing the dates of temple construction at Ayodhya. At a meeting of the unit it was alleged that the deliberations at the sansad were politically motivated. It was also felt that the BJP's graph was declining in Uttar Pradesh and it is using sansad to regain its lost ground. In a press note, Mr Shivi Jaiswal, president of the unit, said people in UP were unaffected by such deliberations. 

DECLAMATION CONTEST: Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, bagged the running trophy in the declamation contest organised by Lions Club Chandigarh Vishal at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, on Monday. Kanchan of GMSSS-35 bagged the first prize, Chetna of GMSSS-19 won the second prize and Kirti Rana of GMSSS-18 bagged the third prize. Mohit of GMSSS-35 won the consolation prize. 

NIGHT SCHOOL: Mr Ranjit Bhatia, district governor of Rotary district 3080, will inaugurate a night school for working children at Government High School, Sarangpur, on Tuesday. According to an official release, the school will serve 30 girls and 15 boys who work in brick kilns in the area. He will also perform tak ceremony for the construction work of a block of community toilets for the Harijan basti in the village. An electrician training course will also be started by the club. 

NSS CAMP: A ten-day NSS camp organised by Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 20-D, concluded at Government Middle School, Colony number 4, Industrial Area, here on Monday. Almost 50 volunteers made the people aware of personal hygiene, clean surroundings and adult literacy. They also made the residents aware of the danger of HIV/AIDS and drug addiction. The volunteers also gave polio drops to the children of the colony. 

SAS NAGAR
ALLEGED: Mr Amar Singh, a resident of Kurdi and an entrepreneur in Industrial Area Focal Point in Phase IX here, on Sunday lamented that an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Punjab police, Mr H.S. Bal, earlier posted at the Phase XI police post, had not registered an FIR against the persons involved in an assault on him in December last despite repeated requests. In a complaint to the DSP, SAS Nagar, the victim alleged that he was assaulted by his brothers — Manjit Singh, Chajha Singh, Amrik Singh and Ram Singh — and two others on December 5. He claimed that he got admitted to the GMCH, Sector 32, on the advice of the ASI, Chandigarh. When he came back, the ASI started dilly-dallying. The DSP marked the application to the in charge of the Phase XI police post. 

JIND
BLOOD DONATED: As many as 205 persons donated blood at a camp organised by the District Red Cross Society at the local Government Post-graduate College on Saturday. Mrs Kamlesh Dhankhar, chairperson of the hospital welfare section, inaugurated the camp.

INJURED: Dharambir, a teacher, was injured in an attack by five youths on the local Gohana road on Saturday evening. He was admitted to the local general hospital. According to Dharambir, the youths had demanded money from him a few days back. On his refusal, he was beaten up.

NSS CAMP: The NSS camp of the local Government Post-graduate College concluded here on Saturday. Various competitions were organised during the camp. Dr S.S. Bhatti, Civil Surgeon, here, presided over the concluding function of the camp and distributed prizes to the volunteers

25 INJURED: Nearly 25 persons were injured in three separate accidents in different parts of the district on Sunday. According to reports received here on Monday, 20 persons were injured when a bus overturned on the Pillu-Khera-Julana road near Nandgarh village. In another accident on the Jind-Rohtak road, four persons were injured in a Canter-bus collision. In a third accident on the Jind-Narwana road near Uchana bus stand, a boy was seriously injured after being knocked down by a jeep.

SIRSA
STRANGLED: A youth lost his life while working in a flour mill at Ellenabad sub-division in the district. According to information received here on Sunday, Raj Kumar was strangled to death while working in a flour mill here. His blanket was caught in the belt of a grinding machine strangling him.

ARRESTED: The district police has arrested a person suspectedly involved in a firing incident in October. According to information received here on Saturday, Harmeet Singh, one of the four suspects in a case registered for firing at a patrolling police party at Chormar village in the district on October 1 last year, was arrested and taken to police remand.

SONEPAT
ACCIDENT: One person was killed and two others seriously injured when the tractor on which they were travelling was hit by a truck on the GT Road, near Pio Munyari village, about 15 km from here, on Monday. According to a report, the injured were referred to medical college hospital at Rohtak.

BID FOILED: An attempt made by thieves to loot the branch of the Syndicate Bank in Sector 14 here on Sunday was foiled when the neighbours woke up and raised the alarm. According to a report, the thieves, however, managed to escape.

FIRE BREAKS: A woman and two children sustained burn injuries and two buffaloes were killed when a fire broke out in a house at Ratdhanna village, about 5 km from here, on Sunday. All the injured were hospitalised.

COLD WAVE DEATH: A beggar reportedly died due to the cold wave in Sikka Colony here on Saturday. The number of such deaths in the city has now risen to three.

BLANKETS DISTRIBUTED: As many as 50 blankets worth thousands of rupees were distributed among poor persons, including students, at a function organised by the Samaj Kalyan Shikhsha Samiti at Garhi Brahmanan village, 2 km from here, on Sunday.