The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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PUNJAB

Abohar
Social worker dead: Mr Kharaiti Lal Thathai social worker and progressive farmer died on Saturday after a brief illness. An associate of Dr Bal Ram Jakhar, Governor, Madhya Pradesh, Mr Thathai (84) was born at Pakpattan in Sahiwal district and migrated to Abohar in August 1947. His son Vimal Thathai is senior member of the Municipal Council here. Mr Sajjan Kumar Jakhar, vice-president, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and members of educational organisations attended his cremation.

Barnala
Kids’ pageant: Mr Surjit Singh Dhillon, Deputy Commissioner of Barnala district inaugurated Kids’ Pageant-2006 hosted by students of Sacred Heart Convent School, Barnala on Saturday. Mr Harcharan Singh Sandhu, SDM Barnala graced the Kids’ Pageant-2006 as the guest of honour. “Living With History” and “The Harmony Of Religions” reflecting patroticfervour and communal harmony presented by students were a treat to watch.

Probe ordered: The Deputy Commissioner has ordered a probe into the encroachments on government girls school land here. A delegation led by school headmistress Ms Kiran Bala met the Deputy Commissioner on Saturday and demanded a boudary wall to school. The authorities were also apprised of unhygienic conditions in which the students and staff has to suffer.

Bathinda
Ultrasound centres sealed: Civil Surgeon Dr Maninderjit Singh on Saturday inspected ultrasound centres in Bhucho Mandi and sealed two of these after irregularities were found in the maintenance of record as per the PNDT Act. The centres sealed are Kler Hospital and Dr Mahavir Memorial Hospital.

Curb foeticide: Artistes from Punjabi University, Patiala, on Saturday staged a play at Raike Kalan village to motivate people against female foeticide. The play was written by Ajmer Singh Aulakh and directed by Dr Gurcharan Singh.

Batala
College programme: R.R. Bawa DAV College for Girls is the first government aided college in the state to be enrolled for the P-Toss programme with the Punjab Information and communication Technology Corporation. Col Rajesh Dua GM (IT) Punjab Infotech, said the programmed was a Punjab Government venture train youth for greater job opportunity in the BPO sector. Col Dua was in town for a two-day national conference on knowledge outsourcing.

Mass marriage: The Samajik Chetna Manch, Batala, organised fifth annual function at Shahabpura village on the Batala-Amritsar Road for marriages of 31 poor girls. It was held under the chairmanship of Mr P. C. Pyassa, Joint Director, Excise and Taxation, Punjab, today (Sunday) Each couple was gifted a sewing machine, 31 utensils, besides household items.

Ferozepore
Held for smuggling: The police on Friday arrested a person and recovered 80 gm smack from his possession. SSP Arpit Shukla said accused Naval Kishore was arrested near Saner village under the Zira subdivision.

Ludhiana
Students honoured: The Bharat Vikas Parishad (Shivaji) honoured meritorious students and needy girl students at a function held in Khalsa Secondary School, College road here, on Sunday. The students presented a shabad and gidha on the occasion. The students who had scored more than 75 per cent marks were given prizes.

Seminar: The Nishkam Sewa Ashram organised a seminar on female foeticide and AIDS. Women of nearby villages attended the seminar. Dr Archana Prashar and Dr Santokh Singh talked about the social evil. Later, ashram chairman Sarwan Kumar said the killing of the girl child amounted to murder.

Meeting: A meeting of aided school teachers was held at Guru Singh Sabha High School, Model Town, on Saturday. Ranjit Singh, O.P. Arora, K.K. Joshi, Kirpal Singh, Chamkor Singh and Gianchand issued a statement and said the CM and Education Minister had issued notifications on restarting the pension of aided school teachers who had retired in 2003, but nothing had been done.

Patiala
Lok adalat held: As many as 137 out of the 173 cases were sorted out and the compensation amount to the tune of Rs 1.24 crore was given to the litigants at a quarterly lok adalat, which was held at the judicial courts complex, Nabha, yesterday, under the chairmanship of Mr H. S. Grewal, additional civil Judge-cum-chairman, Sub-divisional Legal Service Committee, Nabha.

SBOP function: The State Bank of Patiala (SBOP) organised a cultural programme at the bank's auditorium on the concluding day of the Communal Harmony Week here today. The programme was inaugurated by Mr Diwakar Gupta, chief general manager of the bank. It was attended by students of the deaf and dumb school and the SOS village. Mr Diwakar Gupta emphasised that the message of communal harmony should be inculcated among all countrymen. Prominent among those present were Mr M.K. Singh, general manager (vigilance), Mr S.K. Lal, general manager (operations), Mr Sudhir Garg, general manager (commercial banking) and Mr N.K. Gaur, general secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association.

Alumni meet: The third alumni meet of the Punjabi University Alumni Association was organised at the senate hall of the university today. The meet was presided over by Dr Parm Bakhshish Singh, Registrar, Punjabi University. Dr D.S.Guru, principal secretary, Punjab Government, was the chief guest on the occasion. Mr Gurcharan Singh Virk, who has retired from the Excise and Taxation Department and is an alumnus of Punjab University, presented a cheque of Rs 55000.

Ropar
Forward Block: The All-India Forward Block will contest elections from the three Assembly seats Anandpur Sahib, Amritsar (central and south seats) of the state, said All-India Forward Block secretary, Mr V.P. Saini, on Saturday.

TARN TARAN
Red Cross aid: Financial help and tricycles were distributed among needy persons by the District Red Cross Society at a function on Friday. Mr Jaspal Singh Deputy Commissioner (DC) presided over the function and gave tricycles to Vijay Kumar and Narinder Singh. Rs. 5000 were given to Ms Kulwinder Kaur, whose husband was killed in an accident, while financial help of Rs 2000 each was given to Balbir Singh of Sheron village for the treatment of his mother and to Lakhwinder Singh of the town, who had lost a leg.

HARYANA

FATEHABAD
Watershed plants: A meeting of the Zila Parishad was held here on Friday. Mr Yudhvir Singh Khayalia, Additional Deputy Commissioner, presided over the meeting. Mr Khayalia said the panchayats of the villages, which were identified for setting up water shed plants, would be given training.

HISAR
Two held for youth’s murder: The police has arrested Dushyant Kumar and Raju in connection with the murder of Rohtash, son of Prem Singh of Dhani Khan Bahadur village in the district. Rohtash was killed in an armed attack at his house on the night of November 20. Meanwhile, Ram Niwas and Vinod, from the same village on Friday surrendered in a local court in connection with the murder.

Workshop concludes: A five-day workshop on planning and management of university administration concluded here on Saturday. It was organised by the Department of Higher Education, National University of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi. Registrar of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology R.S. Jaglan presented a paper on "Vision for reforms in the university system in India".

JHAJJAR
Jhajjar plant to generate 1500 MW: The Jhajjar Thermal Power plant will generate 1500 MW electricity to overcome power shortage in Haryana and Delhi. This was stated by Union Power Secretary Ram Vijay Sahi, who was here to inaugurate the office of the Aravali Power Company in Jharli village on Saturday.

PANIPAT
2,400 pirated CDs seized: The police arrested two persons and seized 2400 pirated CDs here on Friday. On a complaint from Super Cassette Industries, the police seized 1550 CDs from a shop near railway station and, 850 CDs from Mahavir colony. Ravinder and Naveen have been arrested under Sections 63, 68A, 51,52A of the Copy Right Act 1957.

Raid at travel agency: The anti-fraud cell of Northern Railway on Saturday raided a travel agency situated on Idgah Road here and seized 10 reserved tickets for different destinations. Sixtyfour application forms filled in the names of different persons and as many blank forms for reservation were also seized.

REWARI
Tributes paid to Urdu poet: Ms Santosh Rastogi, a native of the Bawal town of this district and wife of late Radhey Shyam Rastogi, “Arif,” a noted Urdu poet, was honoured at a function held at Government College, Bawal, on Friday. Tributes were also paid to Arif, who was a native of Rewari city and lived in London from 1966 till his demise in 2004.

Life term for daughter’s rape: Additional Sessions Judge Ritu Tagore has sentenced Ajit Yadav (37) of Pali village, under the Khol police station in this district, to imprisonment for life for raping his daughter (12) at Pali village for months together.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

MANDI
Man ends life: The police recovered the body of Nutam Ram, 21, hanging from a tree in a jungle near his house at Mobi Seri village in the district on Saturday. According to the police, Nutam has left behind a suicide note in which he stated that he was committing suicide as he fed up with his life. A case has been registered.

KULU
Youth dies: The body of a youth from Jalandhar was found floating in a hot water spring in Manikaran in the Parbati Valley of the district on Friday. The deceased has been identified as Kuldeep Kumar, resident of Birbansinha village, Jalandhar. The body was handed over to the relatives of the youth on Saturday after post-mortem. A case has been registered.