Abohar
Nirjala Ekadashi observed: The sincere efforts made by the residents to beat the heat on the Nirjala Ekadashi on Saturday by arranging scores of stalls on all teh main roads in the old city area bore fruit as the Sun relented in the afternoon. The mild showers also provided relief from the scorching summer. Interestingly, not only stalls of sweet water were run till the afternoon but some enthusiastic residents served watermelons and halwa also to hundreds of the visitors. 

AMRITSAR
Appointment flayed: Criticising the appointment of Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia as the vice-chancellor of Sri Guru Granth Sahib University, the SAD (A) has threatened to gherao him during his appearance in court in alleged molestation cases pending against him. Ram Singh, general secretary, SAD (A), said here on Friday that the appointment of Ahluwalia as VC by Avtar Singh Makkar was against Sikh tenets, as allegations of molestation were levelled by students of Punjabi University, Patiala, during his tenure. He said they would also write to the Women’s Commission as to how the Punjab government was appointing persons facing charges of moral turpitude in public positions. 

Fake currency seized: The rural police arrested two persons and seized fake currency amounting Rs 60,000 from them. The arrested have been identified as Sohan Singh and Chamkaur Singh. SSP Iqbal Singh said the CIA staff had information that Sohan and Chamkaur, along with Rakesh Kumar, were running a fake currency racket. He said efforts were on to arrest Rakesh. 

Barnala
Computer teachers’ meet: The District Computer Teachers Union held its meeting at the local Chintu park to discuss the deployment of computer faculty on general duties. District president Mahinder Pal said district education officer (secondary), Nikka Singh, had deployed the duties of computer faculty at tehsil office of Dhnaula and Barnala. Mahinder Pal said these duties had been against the directions issued by director, general school education, Krishan Kumar. The computer teachers had not got their salaries for the past three months. Now, they had to spend money on bus fare which amounted to minimum of Rs 50 per day. The union decided to take up the matter with the director, general school education board, to get relief in the matter. 

BASSI PATHANA
31 filed nominations: On the third day of filing nominations 19 candidates filed their nominations on Saturday. Poonam Deep Kaur, SDM-cum-returning officer, said 31 nominations for 13 wards of the council were received so far. She said June 15 and 16 would be holidays and the nominations would be filed on June 17, the last day for filling nominations. 

Bathinda
Taekwondo summer camp: Suman Preet and Arti bagged the first and second place respectively in the below class IX and open girls category in the fourth Taekwondo Summer Camp that concluded at the Government Girls Senior Secondary School, here today. While Vijay Kumar and Jaswinder were the winner and runners-up in the below class IX and open boys category organised by the Bathinda Taekwondo Sangh (BTS). Around 400 students were trained during the summer camp, said Shiv Prakash Shukla, secretary general of the sangh. 

GURDASPUR
Inspection room: Gurdaspur became the first district in Punjab and Haryana to have an inspection room for advocates and litigants in the premises of the District Court complex here on Saturday. While the room was inaugurated by District and Session Judge M. S. Chauhan, Gurmit Singh Janday, president, Bar Association, along with other members, were present on the occasion. Harjinderpal Singh, Chief Judicial Magistrate, said in the inspection room unattested copies of judicial record would be available for the litigants and advocates on the payment of nominal fee. 

KHARAR
Labourer killed: A migrant labourer was killed in a road accident near village Desu Majra on Friday night. Ramesh Kumar and his cousin Pawan Kumar were riding from Kharar towards village Ballo Majra on their cycle, when a vehicle hit them. Ramesh died on the spot. The police has booked a case against the unknown driver. 

MALERKOTLA
Hony coordinator: Saghir Hussain Zaidi has been nominated honorary coordinator of the National Commission for Minority Education for Sangrur district. Zaidi said here Saturday that the function of the commission was to protect the educational rights of minorities guaranteed under the Constitution. 

Nawanshahr
Protest rally: Activists of the district unit of Berojgar Adhiyapak Front held a protest rally from Baradari Garden to the deputy commissioner’s office here on Saturday. The agitators were protesting against the alleged dilly-dallying in issuing appointment letters to the 14,000 teachers selected two months ago. 

PATHANKOT
Gang of thieves busted: The police on Saturday busted a gang of thieves, which was active and operating in the Pathankot and Himachal Pradesh areas, and recovered nine engines of water pump, one car, one TV set and golden ear-rings.They have been identified as Harbhajan Singh of Badal, Rajinder Kumar, Victor Masih, Ali Husain, Murid and Nura of Vanknu. A case under Sections 379, 411 and 420, IPC, has been registered against them. 

SANGRUR
369 groups get bank loans: A meeting of the district advisory committee was organised under the presidentship of ADC (Development) Harnek Singh by the State Bank of Patiala here on Friday. District lead bank manager T.K. Gupta said 475 self-help groups had been formed by the District Rural Development Agency in the district, of which 369 groups had already been given loans by the banks. Under the Prime Minister Rozgar Yojna, loans had been given to 560 unemployed youths to start business. 

MOHALI
Blood donation: On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, a blood donation camp was organised at Fortis Hospital on Saturday. Over 140 persons, including a number of Fortis employees, donated blood. Dr Ashok Chordiya, medical director, said it was very important that eligible donors donated blood regularly to meet national requirements for specific blood groups and blood components and thus ensure access to safe blood transfusion. The blood bank functioned 24 hours and ensured the availability of safe blood and its components to patients in Fortis as well as outside the hospital.

JAMMU
Army defuses shell at Samba: A major mishap was averted when a shell lying in a field in Samba district was defused by Army personnel on Saturday. Official sources said the shell was spotted lying in the fields at Charka village by villagers who informed the officials. A team comprising experts rushed to the site and defused the shell. 

Hideout busted at Rajouri: The Army recovered 5 kg RDX explosive and 30 detonators from a militant hideout in Rajouri district on Saturday. A search party of the 48 Rashtriya Rifles unearthed the hideout, concealing a haul of explosives, including the RDX in Thanamandi forest area in Rajouri, defence spokesperson Lt-Col S.D. Goswami said.