AMRITSAR
‘Sikhi Sidq march a success’: SAD (A) president Simranjit Singh Mann has claimed that the Sikhi Sidq march, which reached the Golden Temple here on Thursday night from Lambi, had been successful. Mann said while BJP in charge of the Punjab Affairs Balbir Punj had been demanding the removal of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s portrait from the Central Sikh Museum, he had distributed over 60,000 pocket calendars carrying his picture during his march. Mann was interacting with mediapersons here on Friday.

Bathinda
Govt order: To avoid any untoward incident, ADC, Bathinda, Upjeet Singh Brar, issued an order restraining chit fund schemes and weekly and monthly money drawing schemes from February 26 to April 25, 2008. The order has been passed under section 144 of the CrPC which vests the power to issue such orders in cases of nuisance or if danger is apprehended.

Arrested: The Kotwali police arrested one Lovedeep Singh of Chormaar village (Haryana), allegedly for possessing 2 kg of opium, from Badal crossing near here. A case was registered on Thursday under the NDPS Act.

Farewell party: Wishing them good luck, the students of BA second year, Malwa College here, bid their seniors adieu on Friday and organised for them a farewell party, an annual ritual, at the college campus. Principal Kulwinder Singh Sidhu and the college management blessed the outgoing students for a better life.

Batala
Financial aid: The Punjab government is spending Rs 50 crore on the “Ashirwad” scheme and Rs 25 crore on the construction of pucca houses in the state. This was stated by chief parliamentary secretary Jagdish Sawhney Punjab while distributing 104 cheques amounting to Rs 15.60 lakh among  members of the weaker sections of society here  on Friday.

BASSI PATHANA
Visit: Dr Luxmi Kanta Chawla, Minister for Health, paid a surprise visit to the Civil Hospital on Friday. The minister accompanied by the officials of the state health department and Dr S.M.S. Sidhu, civil surgeon, came to the hospital at 3 pm.

CHANDIGARH
Decision to grant NPA hailed: The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMS) has hailed the decision of the Punjab government to grant non-practicing allowance (NPA) based on the basic pay for the purpose of calculating interim relief. In a press statement, Dr Hardeep Singh, president, PCMS, said, however, the state government had denied them “Pay fixation formula for dearness pay after 50 per cent merger of DA.” 

Hoshiarpur
Smack seized: The Mehtiana police raided the residence of Resham Kaur at Bhungari village on Thursday night and seized 150 gm of smack. According to the police, Resham Kaur was selling the contraband outside her house and tried to flee after seeing the police. A case has been registered. 

Jalandhar
UK mayor visits alma mater: Mayor of Gloucester an alumnus of Government High School, Dakoha, Harjit Singh Gill visited his alma mater here on Friday. He recalled his childhood memories as he went around the campus and interacted with the staff and students. He was welcomed by staff secretary Chaman Das.

Nawanshahr
Youth fest: Satires on various social evils - female foeticide, drug addiction, kidney scam, growing influence of western culture, etc. dominated the themes of the skits, histrionics and choreographies presented by students on the concluding day of the three-day youth festival organised by the Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Education, Khiala, on  Friday.

PATHANKOT
Case against institute: The local police has registered a case of cheating and defrauding against Sarna, administrator, Kartar Medical Institute of Electropathy, under sections 420/417 and 418, IPC. This was stated by Lok Nath Angra, SSP, said here on Friday.He said the degree of Bachelor of Electropathy amd Medical Surgery (BEMS) had not been recognised by the government at the Centre and the state.

SANGRUR
Man, wife killed in mishap: Ashwani Kumar and his wife Savina Goyal were killed when their car rammed into a tree on the Sangrur-Bhawanigarh road near Kalodi village, 7 km from here, on Friday while another occupant of the car, Sunita Rani, sustained serious injuries, due to which she was referred to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala. The local police said the couple wee going to Bathinda from Panchkula in a Skoda car to attend a marriage. 

Dist BJP chief to observe fast: After the announcement of state party president Rajinder Bhandari, with regard to observing fast-unto-death over the issue of non-rollback of electricity tariff for domestic power consumers by the Badal government, district president of the BJP Jatinder Kalra on Friday expressed solidarity with Bhandari. He stated that he too would also observe fast-unto-death at the district headquarters here. 

TARN TARAN
Old couple booked: An old couple of Bodewal village under Verowal police station has been booked under Section 420, IPC, for allegedly furnishing wrong information regarding their age to get old-aged pension. The police said here on Friday here that the couple was Manjit Kaur and her husband Roor Singh. 

MOHALI
Demanded: Amrik Singh, municipal councillor, has demanded that the Punjab government should allot two acres of land in Phase XI to set up a government senior secondary school for the children of 1984 riot-affected families. Six acres of land in Phase XI had been allotted to three schools. Residents of the area had opposed this step.

AMBALA
One killed: One person was killed and several injured when a taxi collided with a car at the Markanada Bridge, here on Friday. While the driver of the Maruti 800 (HR-51J-08014) died on the spot, passengers of the taxi (HR-68D-8844) were rushed to the MM Medical College, Mulana.

Arrested : The police arrested Ratan, accused of giving 'supari', to murder a doctor couple in Ambala City. Later he was produced in a local court which remanded him to judicial custody till March 2. The local branch of Indian Medical Association had alleged that the police was not taking the matter seriously.

CHANDIGARH
Implementation of HVDS: The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam has identified four villages, Jharli, Mohanbari, Goria and Khanpur Khurd, in the periphery of Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project, Jhajjar, for immediate implementation of high voltage distribution system (HVDS). Field officers have been directed to prepare the estimate, start work and complete it within six months. A spokesman on Thursday said the nigam had also decided to supply electricity on urban mode to 74 villages surrounding Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Project, Yamunanagar through high/low voltage distribution system.

FATEHABAD
National Science Day: Various competitions were organised on the occasion of the National Science Day, which was celebrated at the local Manohar Memorial College on Thursday. Over 60 teams participated in the competitions. J.K. Sharma, dean, academic affairs, Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar, was the chief guest. The host, MM College, bagged the first prize in the quiz competition while Guru Teg Bahadur International School and Bal Bharti School won first positions in poster-making and science model contest, respectively. 

SIRSA
MM College gets first prize: Manohar Memorial College, Fatehabad, won the first prize in the state-level inter-college quiz competition held at Government National College here on Friday. Government National College, Sirsa, and the College of Education, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, bagged the second and third positions, respectively. Thirteen teams had participated in the competition. 

YAMUNANAGAR
Conference held: Women from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh took part in “Badhte kadam”, a conference organised by Inner Wheel, district - 308, here on Thursday. After inaugurating the conference, Gomathi Viswanathan, chairperson of all Inner Wheel clubs of the country, appreciated the social works being done by the club. Samira Saluja, chairperson of district - 308, said a four-month in-house intensive training programme in beauty culture was given to 26 girls. 

BILASPUR
Rail project hailed: Congress MLA from Ghumarwin constituency Rajesh Dharmani here has hailed announcement of the implementation of Bhanupalu-Bilaspur- Berry Railway line in this Railway Budget and has said this project would usher in a new era of faster economic development of not only Bilaspur district, but also adjoining areas of the state. Addressing a series of public meetings in his constituency on Friday, Dharmani said, this would multiply industrial growth of the area, help give boost to tourism