Abohar
Farmers’ protest: The Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan today strongly criticised the SAD (B) legislator from Balluana Assembly segment for alleged adamancy over the issue of thermal plant. Scores of farmers from Kundal, Bhangala and Chanankhera villages continued dharna opposite the office of the sub-divisional magistrate here on day seven. While announcing a do-or-die battle against the proposed thermal plant in the private sector, the BKU block president Sukhminder Singh, Bazidpura Bhoma, Harpal Singh Kundal, Mani Ram, Om Parkash, Mohar Singh, Nachhatar Singh, Mehal Singh, Satnam Singh and Wasava Singh cautioned the legislator against falsely claiming that farmers were willing to give land for the project. They said that village level action committees had been formed to resist survey.

Campaign: SDM N. S. Brar flagged off eight jeeps fitted with sound system to inaugurate the Mealy Bug Eradication Campaign organised by the agriculture department during a function at Alamgarh village on outskirts of the town on Tuesday. APPO Sukhdev Singh Brar and Hardyal Singh, in-charge of the campaign, advised farmers to remove stacks of cotton waste wood from road side and fields as the deadly pest could find a comfortable home there. The SDM said contribution by the farmers and educational institutions would play a vital role in making the campaign a success. He said that literature would be  distributed in all villages besides making announcements for bringing about awareness.

Bathinda
Case: The Railway Protection Force (RPF), Bathinda, has registered a case against a Punjab police Inspector H.P. Singh for allegedly creating ruckus at Bathinda railway station and stopping a train by pulling chain on Monday night. According to sources in the RPF, Singh created ruckus at the station on Monday night in inebriated condition. He also stopped the Kalka Mail by pulling chain. The RPF has registered the case under RPF Act 137. 

Strike: On a call given by the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union, teachers of privately managed aided colleges of district Bathinda and Mansa observed stay-in-strike after the first period in their respective colleges. They burnt the copies of the Punjab Affiliated Colleges (security of service) Amendment Bill-2007. Addressing the college teachers, district president N.K.Gosain criticised the government for amending Security Act. 

Luxury tax: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Bathinda flayed the luxury tax imposed on them. Satish Arora, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association, said the occupancy rate was less than 40 per cent and they were already paying 12.5 per cent VAT. 

Honoured: The management of Malwa College of Physical Education today honoured its athletes, Om Parkash and Mandeep Kaur, for winning gold medals at All India Inter-Varsity Athletic meet and Atinder Bikram Singh for winning a silver at the same event. 

Controversy: Naib Tehsildar Karnail Singh was on Tuesday involved in a row for alleged absence from his seat and for not paying attention to problems of the people, here. Singh, when contacted, said there was some snag in computers. The DC sent him for VIP duty at Circuit House, he said. The complainant was informed and the matter was resolved later, Singh said. 

CHANDIGARH
Act draft on police website: The state government has put the draft of the Punjab Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, 2008, on the Punjab Police website www.punjabpolice.org to invite people’s comments. At present there is no proper legislation under which legal action can be taken against the unauthorised and illegal travel agents and safeguard legitimate interests of persons cheated. Punjab is keen on enacting a legislation to curb human trafficking, says the website. 

DGP briefs probationers: An eight-member team of IPS probationers on Monday called on Punjab DGP N.P.S. Aulakh at his office. The DGP gave them a brief outline of the Punjab Police Bill, the proposed new Punjab Police Rules and initiatives undertaken for the efficient functioning of the force . 

Ferozepur
Held: The Ferozepur police arrested four persons on the alleged charges of gambling from village Sekhwan under Zira police station and recovered about Rs 30,000 from their possession. SSP Dinesh Pratap said that the arrested persons had been identified as Amritlal, Dilawar, Avtar Singh and Mohinder Pal. 

Hoshiarpur
Wild threat: The investigation made by a team of local wildlife department reveals the existence of leopards in the forest area around Lasara village located in the foothills of the Shivalik range in Garhshankar subdivision of the district.This was disclosed by divisional forest officer of the department Paramvir Singh while talking to The Tribune here on Tuesday. Paramvir said the preliminary investigations of the footprints of the animals around the village had confirmed the presence of a pair of leopards. 

Jalandhar
Cops to search Bawa’s lockers: In its ongoing investigation into the high-profile murder of KMV College principal Rita Bawa and three others, the district police now has decided to open her two bank lockers in an effort to get any lead in solving the murders. Sources said Bawa’s lockers were found at two branches of Punjab National Bank in Jalandhar and Phagwara. 

Moga
Stir: The Class Fourth Employees Union, INTUC, welcomed the move of the state government in releasing 34 Anganwadi helpers at Malout here today. Its state president Karamchand Chandaliya said that though the step was laudable but they would continue the agitation in support of the demands of Anganwadi workers. He said that they were released after being held up at Ferozepur jail for 22 days. They were arrested for staging a protest at the native village of the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. 

Elected: Nasib Bawa was elected president of district bar association for the tenth term. He cornered 116 votes against the 85 of Harjinder Singh Sidhu. Ajay Gulati was elected general secretary while Govind Rai, vice president and Baljinder Singh, finance secretary.

SANGRUR
‘Book murderers of girlchild’: Celebrating “Dhian di Lohri” here on Sunday evening, a local NGO, Scientific Awareness and Social Welfare Forum, urged the union government to amend Section 302, IPC, to book and punish the murderers of unborn girls in the womb. The function was jointly organised by the forum and residents of the local Preet Nagar. Sangrur DC V.K. Ohri was the chief guest. 

BJP block chiefs appointed: At a meeting of the district unit of the BJP, district president Jatinder Kalra here on Monday, Vijay Kumar Harbilas and Vinod Jain were appointed presidents of Ahmedgarh and Malerkotla blocks, respectively, of the party. Kalra added the district unit had also appointed election in charge of various blocks.