BANUR
Shops raided: Banur police raided seven shops being run by various quacks on Thursday. The raids were conducted after SMOs from Kalarmajra and Rajura brought the matter into the notice of the police three days back. A team of SMOs and other doctors scrutinised the city wherein they found quacks running their shops without valid  certificates. 

Bathinda
Govt flayed: The Punjab Yuva Beopar Mandal in a press release said that the members of the mandal are peeved as the real traders had not been represented in the traders’ board. Moreover the decisions arrived at the meeting between chief secretary and traders had not been implemented. 

Bhog: The bhog ceremony of Gursevak Singh, nephew of Managing Director of the Punjab State Central Cooperative Bank Parmeshwar Singh Sidhu, will be held on Sunday. 

DERA BASSI
Book released: Director of Centre for Punjab Youth Training and Employment Brig G.J. Singh released a book ‘Tuteya Dil’ written by Neeraj Chhabra in Hi-Tech Media Centre at Dera Bassi on Wednesday. He said the fact that the young generation was thinking about Punjabi language was a  good sign. 

Ferozepur
Scribe attacked: Dinesh Sharma, a correspondent with a national daily, was attacked by some unidentified miscreants with sharp-edged weapons on Thursday while he was opening the shutter of his shop near Multani Gate in the city. Sharma tried to evade the attack but in the process sustained injuries in hand and chest and was admitted to the civil hospital from where he was later discharged. Meanwhile, the police registered a case under section 307 based on the statement of Sharma. However, the alleged attackers are yet to be arrested. Sharma apprehended that the attack could be an outcome of professional rivalry only, as otherwise he had no differences with anyone. Mediapersons, who met SSP D.P. Singh in the afternoon on Thursday, demanded a probe into the incident and strict action against the culprits. 

Hoshiarpur
Two booked in gang-rape case: A 32-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by two youths at Chasnu Jattan village on May 17. According to police sources, the woman alleged that Jaswinder Singh, along with his accomplice, scaled the boundary wall of her house at about 9 pm and forcibly dragged her into a room and repeatedly raped her. The Mahilpur police has registered a case. The accused have been absconding. 

Harassed man dies of cardiac arrest: The Mahilpur police booked five persons on Wednesday for allegedly harassing 75-year-old Ram Parkash of Maruli which led to his death due to heart attack. The accused Joginder Pal, Manjit Singh, Paramjit Singh, Charan Dass and Gian Kaur  allegedly harassed and abused Ram Parkash when he was on his way to the police station to enquire about a land dispute. 

Beggar found dead: The body of a 45-year-old beggar was found near the old bus stand in Talwara on Thursday morning. After taking the body in its custody, the police sent it to the civil hospital, Mukerian, for a post-mortem examination and identification. 

Jalandhar
NRI Sabha launches website: On the demand of NRIs living abroad, the NRI Sabha launched its website www.nrisabhapunjab.in here on Thursday. Sabha president Kamaljeet Singh Hayer said special cells like grievances, disposal and liaison, media and publicity/publication, youth/cultural and heritage and women wing had been formed to solve various NRI problems. Besides, office-bearers were also nominated for these wings. 

MANSA
Mansa admn gears up: The district administration has been making serious efforts to control the situation arising out of water-logging. In this connection, a meeting of district officials was held under the presidentship of DC Surjit Singh Dhillon. It was decided that control rooms would be set up at the sub-divisional level. From July 1, the duties of employees would also be assigned in this connection. In the Budhlada sub-division, around 11 and in Sardoolgarh, nine rehabilitation centres would be set up. The DC directed the civil surgeon, Mansa, to form mobile teams for controlling diseases, which generally break out due to contaminated water. The arrangements for the security of Chandpura bridge will also be made. The DC also directed the executive officer of Mansa to ensure the disposal of dirty water. 

Fear of Mealy bug: The farmers of the Malwa region have been avoiding sowing cotton crop due to various reasons; prominent among them are mealy bug, hope of getting better rate for paddy and lack of water in canals. Although, the agriculture department has fixed a target of growing cotton in 650 lakh hectares, but it seems that this target would not be achieved easily. Last year, an area of 604 lakh hectare was covered under the cotton crop. State director of agriculture department, Balwinder Singh Sidhu, recently visited the cotton belt and found that the area under the cotton crop had decreased. He also admitted that the fear of mealy bug and hopes for a better rate for paddy were the main reasons. Farmers Darshan Singh Keeva and Jagmeet Singh Maan of Tibbi Hari Singh, and Ram Singh Bhainibagha said last year, the mealy bug affected the cotton crop and to some extent, duplicate seeds had contributed to the decrease of the average production of cotton. 

PATHANKOT
Judge Tiwana dead: Senior sub-division judicial magistrate H.J.S Tiwana died following a massive cardiac arrest in the wee hours on Thursday morning. He was 42 and is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son. His body was taken to his native place at Mansa where the cremation took place. A PPS officer of the 1996 batch, Tiwana served as a sub-judge in Ferozepur and Ludhiana before before his present posting at Pathankot. 

PATIALA
Pbi varsity postpones exams: All examinations of Punjabi University, Patiala, slated for May 26 have been postponed. These will now be held on June 5. The BEd Paper-I of “Teacher in Emerging Indian Society” scheduled to be held on May 27 will be held on June 23. The place and timing of the examinations will remain the same. 

Observed: The National Theatre Arts Society (NTAS), Patiala, observed the death anniversary of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi as ‘theatre commitment day’. All members of NTAS assembled at NTAS mandir and appealed to NZCC director R.T. Jindal and Central and state governments to install a monument of Rajiv Gandhi at the newly constructed art complex Virsa Vihar at Bhasha Bhawan or Baradari Gardens and that new Virsa Vihar be named after Rajiv Gandhi. 

Foundation laid: Managing director of State Bank of Patiala A.C. Varma laid the foundation stone of library building in Bir Dasondhi Ram Senior Citizen Home at Model Town on Thursday. SBoP has contributed a sum of Rs 5 lakh for the construction of the library for the welfare of senior citizens., Patiala division commissioner S.K. Ahluwalia was also present. 

Phagwara
Two inter-state gang members arrested: Two alleged members of an inter-state gang involved in contract killing and kidnapping were arrested and sent to judicial custody. Vishal Arya, alias Nepali, alias Sonu, and Ravinderpal Singh, alias Ravi, were arrested on Monday at a police checkpoint, the police said. They were sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court. However, three other members of the gang escaped, the police said. The police claimed the two confessed to contract killings. 

SANGRUR
Man ‘driven’ to suicide: A large number of persons on Thursday staged a demonstration in front of the city police station at Sunam with the body of Sunam resident Krishan Kumar by their side. He had died on Wednesday at the PGI, Chandigarh. The protesters were demanding registration of a case against two financiers, who allegedly harassed Krishan to death. Krishan had allegedly consumed acid.