BATHINDA
BEGGAR CREMATED: An old beggar, Ram Lal, who had been ailing for quite some time, died on the Mall Road here on Friday. A migratory labourer, who was a patient of TB, too died in the waiting room of the local railway station on Friday. A local NGO, Sahara Jan Seva, after getting the post-mortem of the bodies done and necessary police formalities, cremated the bodies as no claimant was there.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
EVMs SEALED: The sealing of the electronic voting machines to be used for polling on February 13 in Sirhind constituency was done here on Saturday in the record room of the tehsil complex in presence of Mr Vikas Partap, District Election Officer, Mr R. Venkatraman, expenditure observer, and agents of contesting candidates. Mr Vikas Partap informed that the machines, to be used in Amloh constituency are also being sealed in Indoor Stadium at Mandi Gobindgarh. He said that there are 173 polling booths in Sirhind constituency and 189 polling booths in Amloh constituency. Mr Vikas Partap said 20 per cent machines in addition to the required machines would be kept reserve in case any fault occurs in any of the EVM. Mr R. Venkatraman, said all candidates are getting their expenditure checked from time to time and the process of election in the district was going on peacefully. 

FEROZEPORE
BAN ON WEAPONS: The District Magistrate has ordered that all licensed weapons should be deposited with the nearest police stations. The step has been taken following some incidents of violence reported from different parts of the district. The order, however, will not be applicable to Army, paramilitary and police personnel in uniform. Carrying of weapons to the office of the Deputy Commissioner for renewal and other purposes has also been prohibited.

LUDHIANA
PARENTS CELEBRATE: Some screamed, few started dancing and still others had tears of joy in their eyes as they could not believe that their child had got admission to school. This was the scene at Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, where the lists of the selected students had been put by the authorities this morning. Hundreds of enthusiastic parents started queuing up outside the school from 6 am onwards, waiting for the school gates to be opened. As the gates opened, the parents were seen rushing towards the five boards on which the lists of the selected kids had been pasted. 

FAREWELL FUNCTION: Class X students of Gupta Model High School, Club road, were given warm farewell here on Saturday. According to a press statement, a ‘havan yagya’ was also organised on the occasion. Various cultural items were presented by the students. 

INVITED: Dr N.K.Aggarwal, Professor of Arthoplasty and Traumatology at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, has been invited to join the international faculty including Professor Holz, Professor Oestern, Dr Platz and Professor Kossmann from Germany and Switzerland, to conduct the advanced course on fracture treatment being organised by the AO International. Dr Aggarwal has had his advanced training in orthopaedics in the UK. He was also trained in Switzerland and the US on various fellowships. He has been responsible for introducing many new and innovative techniques in the management of fractures and also designed Ludhiana-Liverpool external fixation system, based on his experience in Afghanistan, India and UK. 

MANSA
BAIL DISMISSED: Ms Baljinder Kaur Bhatia, Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Mansa, today dismissed the bail application of Mr Naginder Singh Harika, Managing Director, Khalsa Rural Dental College and Hospital, Nangal Kalan. This was the second bail application filed by Mr Harika following the directions of the Supreme Court. Mr Harika, who has been in judicial custody since May 1, 2001 was booked under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC.

MOGA
MURDERED: Rakesh, a resident of UP, was murdered with sharp-edged weapons while he was sleeping at a farm house in Nathewala village in the district. A case has been registered and the body sent for a postmortem examination.

LOOTED: Two unidentified scooter-borne youths looted a liquor vend at Gholiakhurd village in the district on Wednesday and took away Rs 4,200 at gunpoint. The police has registered a case.

NAWANSHAHR
GANG BUSTED: The police here on Friday claimed to have busted a gang of robbers which had committed several robberies in the area. The gang members who have been arrested are Kulwinder Singh, alias Balli, Jasbir Lal, alias Jassa, Diwan Chand, alias Bhinda, Balbir Singh, Raj Kumar, alias Raju, Amandip, Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukha, Raj Kumar, Chhinder Pal, alias Toni, Jaswant Singh. Buta Ram and Chander Parkash.

SEMINAR: The Kirpal Sagar Academy organised a seminar and group discussion on euro, the European currency, on the academy premises here on Friday. An exhibition was also organised to display all denominations of the euro currency and coins, said Mr M. Ramchandran, principal of the academy.

PATIALA
APPOINTED: Mr Mahesh Malhotra has been appointed vice-president of the District Congress Committee (Urban). This was stated in a press note released by the president of the District Congress Committee, Mr Ved Parkash Gupta. OC

SUPPORT: At a meeting of the Indian Ex-Services League Punjab and Haryana held on Saturday, the members of the league decided to support and vote in favour of Mr Surjit Singh Rakhra, SAD candidate from Samana. 

TARN TARAN
FIVE BOOKED: Five members of the in-laws family of Ms Amardeep Kaur, residing in mohalla Guru-Ka-Khuh of the town have been booked under Sections 498A, 406, 506, 504 of the IPC for torturing her and demanding more dowry. Besides the husband, Gurinder Beer Singh, the other accused have been identified as Mohinder Singh (father-in-law), Manjinder Kaur (mother-in-law) Sonu and Daljit Kaur (both sisters-in-laws).

BODY FOUND: The Chabal police recovered the decomposed body of an unidentified woman, aged about 32 years, from the UBDC near Chheena Bidhi Chand village on Thursday night. The police has registered a case under Section 174 of the Cr PC.

2-DAY HEALTH CAMP: The Department of Endocrinology, Medicine and allied specialities, Ophthalmology and Dietetics, PGI, will jointly organise a two-day health check-up camp from February 23 at Bhargava Auditorium, PGI. Besides a patient-doctor interactive programme with multi-discipline specialists, a diet and drug exhibition will also be organised. Mr Suraj Bhan, Governor, HP, will inaugurate the Diabetic Mela. 

WOMAN INJURED: A 60-year-old woman was seriously injured after she fell down from the third floor of the New Building Block of District Courts here on Friday. While searching for a toilet on the third floor, the victim mistook a room without a floor for a toilet and fell down on the ground floor. Later, the victim was admitted to a local hospital. The President, the District Bar Association, Mr H.S. Hundal, informed that the Bar had extended Rs 2,000 as help to the victim. 

PANCHKULA
KAVI SAMMELAN: A kavi sammelan was organised at the New India Senior Secondary School here on Saturday. Mr Mahesh Sharma, a poet, enthralled the audience. He also recited various poems that had the audience in splits. 

SEARCH OPERATION: As part of Operation Alert launched by the Haryana Police last week, the local police carried out a search operation in Azad Colony here on Friday. The combing operation was carried out by the Sector 5 police along with CIA staff. The operation began from 5 am and continued till 7 a.m. Those under suspicion were rounded up, taken to the police station and released after their verification. An official note stated that the purpose of the operation was to identify notorious elements and that similar drives would be carried out in other places. 

BABY SHOW: JPA Toddlers Preparatory School, Sector 10, would organise a baby show and drawing and colour competition on Sunday. The show will be open for children within the age group of 0-4 years, while the drawing and colour competition will be for the children under age group of 3-9 years. 

ELECTED: A local scribe Purshottam Sailani, has been elected district president of the Freelance Journalist Association of India. 

KALKA
KALYAN SABHA: Following have been elected office-bearers of the Himachal Kalyan Sabha Kalka: president — Mr Chamel Singh Rana; senior vice-president — Mr Gian Chand Brar; vice presidents — Mr Subhadra and Mr Raj Mal Thakur; general secretary — Mr Navjiwan Dhiman; assistant secretary — Mr Lalit Sharma; joint secretary — Mr Hari Singh Negi; treasurers — Mr Shyam Lal and Mr Shonki Ram Thakur; organising secretary — Mr Kishori Lal. 

SHAHABAD
BLOOD DONATION CAMP: As many as 51 NCC and NSS volunteers of Markanda National College donated blood at a camp organised on the college campus here on Friday. The Executive Magistrate of Shahabad, Mr Ashok Garg, was the chief guest at the camp which was sponsored by the local branch of the State Bank of India.