Abohar
Dead: Vivek Sethi, his wife Monika and their four-month child Shambhu died when their car was hit by a truck near village Matwani on the Ludhiana-Moga G.T. road on Sunday night. They were on their way to Abohar to celebrate the New Year with their parents. One Kuldeep Singh Bath (43), a senior lecturer in the Government Girls Senior Secondary School here was cremated on Monday evening. He had undergone a kidney transplantation few days back in a hospital at Mohali. However, the family received the information of his demise on Monday morning. One Hardeep Singh of village Sammewali in the neighbouring Muktsar district was electrocuted here on the Abohar-Sriganganagar road on Monday evening while he was laying metallic wires which accidentally touched a high-power electric wire. 

Organised: Sardar Patel Medical Institute for Multipurpose Health Workers organised a religious education test on Tuesday. Puneet Bajaj, in charge of the examination, said the test aimed at inculcating moral values among the students besides acquainting them with the  rich cultural heritage of the nation. Narinder, Sunil, Sandeep and Inderjit won the top positions. Principal Jagsir Singh honoured the meritorious students. 

BARNALA
Distributed: The deputy commissioner celebrated the New Year by distributing blankets and rice among the poor. He spent his time on Monday night by roaming freely at the railway station, bus stand, Phowara Chowk and other localities and wherever he found the poor and needy, he distributed blankets. In this way, he distributed about 70 blankets and 140 kg of rice. His wife and SDM Kehlay accompanied him. 

Stolen: Thieves decamped after stealing from a mobile shop at Tapa on Monday night. As per the information, the thieves broke the locks and shutters of the main gate of the Sivam Mobile Care Centre situated near the Tapa bus stand. The shop owner found the locks of the shop broken in the morning. After the checking, he found his 15 sets of mobiles, a watch and some cash missing. A case has been registered in this  regard. 

Bathinda
New year gifts for police: The Panjab National Bank honoured the police personnel who were performing their duties in the chill of the night in a novel way by distributing gifts amongst them on the eve of New Year, a press note from the bank informed. Speaking on the occasion, Ajit Jaitly lauded the role of the police and said that the bank wanted to recognise the yeomen services provided by them and salutes them for their act. The bank claimed that the police personnel were quite impressed by the gesture. The police commented that this was for the first time that any organisation had acknowledged their services and thanked the bank for the same. 

Protest march: Ruldu Singh Mansa, state convener of the Punjab Kisan Union, in a press note issued on Tuesday, informed that protest marches would be held in the state from January 15-22 and on January 31 against the unbundling of the PSEB. 

Appeal: A Mansa citizen, Jaspal Singh, has appealed for donating books and magazines for prisoners languishing in jails. He said that these people were also entitled to human rights. He asked for donating books at Park road, ward number 18, Mansa. Reading would help in transforming them, he remarked. 

Hoshiarpur
SGPC information officer summoned: The Punjab Information Commission has summoned the SGPC public information officer (PIO), Amritsar, on January 16, for replying to the complaint of chairman of the Malta Boat Tragedy Probe Mission Balwant Singh Khera. Khera had filed a complaint against the SGPC public information officer for not providing information on trusts constituted by the SGPC since its inception under the Right To Information (RTI) Act. 

MALERKOTLA
Petrol station owner booked for firing: The local police on Tuesday booked seven persons, including owner of a petrol station Gurmuk Singh, for firing on members of another group. According to information, a minor dispute occurred at the Ranwan petrol station on the Khanna road here over the collision of a cargo and an oil tanker. During the ensuing quarrel, the incident took place. 

NAWANSHAHR
400 patients examined: The administration, in collaboration with the district-level NGOs coordination society -UPKAR, Blood Donors Council, DCM and Ranbaxy organised a medical check-up camp at nearby Tonsa village to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Kukka movement on Tuesday. DC Gurpal Singh Bhatti inaugurated the camp. Dr H.S. Gill, Dr Manoj Sood, Dr Ravinder, Dr Mukesh and Dr Rakesh Bhasin examined more than 400 patients suffering from various ailments. 

Diabetes camp: Social worker Baldev Nayyar organised the 11th diabetes detection-cum-awareness camp at Banga on Tuesday. He examined about 125 patients at the camp and gave them tips for adopting healthy lifestyle, exercise and dietary habits for diabetes management. 

New ATM: An ATM of State Bank of India was inaugurated by the deputy commissioner Gurpal Singh Bhatti here on Monday. In his address, the bank’s assistant general manager Indu Kanwar explained people about various schemes of 
the SBI.

SANGRUR
SPO, home guard ‘manhandled’, 1 held: Jaspal Singh, SPO, and home guard Jagdev Singh were allegedly manhandled by three persons, Golli, Varinder and Sunil, near the old vegetable market, outside Sunami Gate here on Monday evening. In charge of local police station Bharpur Singh said t the SPO and the home guard were on duty to streamline traffic there. When they asked the driver of a tractor-trailer to move his vehicle in a proper manner, the three “manhandled” them. They were under the influence of liquor. Sunil had been arrested. 

‘Mulazam milni’ held: The district unit of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union on Tuesday organised a “mulazam milni” (get-together of employees) and a cultural programme at the district administrative complex here. 

TARN TARAN
Bishop New Year message: Rt Rev Pardeep Kumar Samanta Rai, bishop, Diocese of Amritsar, in his message on New Year, has taken a serious note of the brutal use of natural sources by people. The bishop was addressing a gathering at the local Saint Thomas Church on Tuesday. 

CHANDIGARH
Community colleges: Haryana Government is making provision to set up new community colleges in the State so as to run 60 different community courses, which will enable the less educated youth to get employment. Haryana technical education and urban local bodies minister A. C. Chaudhary on Monday said those who would get through in community courses, would get an opportunity to improve their skills. 

Irrigation census: The Haryana Land Records Department is conducting a minor irrigation census in all districts, which began on Tuesday and will continue till March 31, with reference year 2006-07. The officers of revenue and agriculture departments will conduct this census.