Abohar
Cricket tournament: In an attempt to keep the youth away from drugs, local municipal council president Shiv Raj Goyal batted while councillor Ravi Makkar bowled in the Nehru Stadium here on Sunday as part of the opening ceremony of the ward-wise cricket tournament. He earlier released white pigeons in the sky. The tournament is being organised by the Shiv Shanker Cricket Club. Ankur Garg, vice-president of the Yuva Morcha, was among those present. So far, five clubs have organised similar matches in which teams representing 31 wards of the town had participated.

Barnala
3.5 kg opium recovered: The local police seized 3.5 kg of opium here on Sunday. As per information available, a team from CIA staff here, led by DSP Balraj Singh, set up a naka (check-post) near Thikriwal drain on Thikriwal–Barnala road. One Mohammad Ali was signalled to stop at the check-post. On search, the banned drug was recovered from his possession. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered.

Bathinda
Red Cross training: The District Red Cross Society and St. John Ambulance Association of Bathinda organised an eight-day first aid training programme from August 25 to September 2 at the local Red Cross Bhawan. About 40 candidates from Muktsar, Ferozepur, Malout, Abohar, Fazilka and Dabwali attended the seminar. Lectures on various topics were delivered by Naresh Pathania, district training supervisor, of the St. John Ambulance Association. He appealed to the trainees to spread awareness about first aid in their respective areas. Proficiency certificates would be given by the Secretary, Red Cross, to candidates who are declared successful. 

Hoshiarpur
One jailed under NDPS Act: Additional sessions judge Manju Rana convicted Balwinder Kumar, a son of Lamber Singh of Balrian village under various sections of the NDPS Act on Tuesday. She sentenced him to six-month imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000. In the case of non-payment of the fine he would have to further undergo imprisonment for one month more. 

Development grant: BJP workers should go to the people, especially poor classes, for listening and redressing their grievances so that they could also realise the correct meaning of Independence, Hoshiarpur MP Avinash Rai Khanna told party representatives and workers at Garhshankar, 40 km from here, onj Tuesday. He gave Rs 40 lakh for the development of villages under Garhshankar block samiti on this occasion. 

Jalandhar
Arthritis awareness: World Arthritis Day is falling on October 12, and the theme for the day is to “think positive”. Celebrating the upcoming event, Satyam Hospital will organise a series of events for raising awareness on the disease. 

PATHANKOT
Cheques distributed: Punjab transport minister Master Mohan Lal distributed cheques worth Rs 66 lakh to beneficiaries and gram panchayats of Dhar block under public welfare schemes of the government at a sangat darshan programme held at Forest Rest House, Dhar Kalan, 30 km from here, on Monday. In the programme 48 complaints were sorted out of total 63 complaints.

Phagwara
Rotary Club chief: Jaswinder Singh has been nominated president of the newly constituted Rotary Club Phagwara (North). The governor of the Rotary Club District 3070 Dr Vinod Sharma was also present on the occasion. 

SANGRUR
PepsiCo workers hold rally: Worker and farmer organisations, including PepsiCo Workers Union, All-India Trade Union Congress and Bharatiya Kisan Union, on Monday held a protest rally at Channo village against the suspension of some employees of PepsiCo Limited, Channo. They demanded the reinstatement of the suspended employees without any further delay. 

BILASPUR
Truck cleaner held: The police has made a breakthrough in a case where a truck driver sold the iron rods loaded in his truck and vanished without delivering them at its destination. SP K.K. Indoria said here on Tuesday that driver of the truck Amrik Singh had not delivered the consignment of iron rods at Ambala. The truck was found in Ludhiana and the cleaner of the truck, Dimple alias Dimpa, was nabbed by the police. While the driver was not arrested till now. The SP said the police was searching for the owner of the truck.

CHAMBA
1 falls into gorge, dies: One villager died on the spot as he fell into a gorge on Sunday, according to a report received here on Tuesday. He was crossing the damaged portion of the Bonderi-Mangli road and his foot slipped. The deceased was identified as Narain Singh of Bharwas village. A portion of the road was washed off by rains, but the PWD did not carry out the restoration work. Enraged over the death of the villager, the residents of the Bonderi-Mangli area have urged the Chief Minister to direct the authorities to register a case against the negligence of the officials of the PWD, who were responsible for not repairing the road. 

1 held with illicit liquor: The police has seized illicit liquor from the house of a person at Dhar Kulian village, about 15 km from Dalhousie, sources said here on Tuesday. The police has registered a case in this connection and arrested Bishan, the accused, the sources said.