The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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PUNJAB

Abohar
Workers hold rally: Alleging stepmotherly treatment by the state government, the Berozgar Multipurpose Health Workers Union (male) on Friday burnt the copies of their degrees during a rally held in the Nehru Park here. Union president Duli Chand regretted that qualified male workers were facing discrimination while the government keeps advertising vacancies for female workers.

Plea for double rail track: Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Shakti Dal chief Swami Virendra Nand has urged the railway minister Mamta Banerjee to sanction double rail track between Jakhal and Ferozepur.While releasing a copy of the memorandum faxed by him to the minister and chairman of the railway board, Virendra Nand regretted today that neither the Punjab Chief Minister nor members of the Lok Sabha from Bathinda, Faridkot and Ferozepur had ever taken up this with the Central government.

Amritsar
Sidhu distributes cheques: Member Parliament, Navjot Singh Sidhu distributed cheques worth Rs 70 lakh from his MPLAD fund in the Rajasansi segment for various development works. Earlier, Sidhu had distributed Rs 1 crore in Attari for various development works.

BATHINDA
Pen-down strike: In protest against the non-acceptance of demands, members of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union on Friday observed a pen-down strike at their respective offices. However, some employees were seen working at several places. The employees also raised slogans against the government. State president of the union Darshan Singh Bajaj claimed that he had received reports from various districts, including Mansa, Faridkot, Bathinda, Sangrur, Ferozepur, Ropar, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Mohali and Barnala, that the strike was a big success there.

Meat shops to remain closed on March 28: On the occasion of "Mahavir Jayanti" on March 28, district magistrate Gurkirat Kirpal Singh has ordered the closure of meat shops in the district. He has also banned the sale of meat on the day.

Patwari held on graft charge: Sleuths of the Vigilance Bureau (Bathinda range) on Friday caught red-handed a Patwari of Talwandi Sabo while he was accepting a graft of Rs 2,000 for preparing a mutation at his office. Sources said on the complaint of one Dharam Pal Aggarwal of Talwandi Sabo, a trap was laid to nab the Patwari, Rajinder Singh. SSP VB (Bathinda Range) Chaman Lal said the accused had been arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Chandigarh
Driving licence facility to go online:The Transport Department will start providing registration certificates and driving licences facility online with effect from July 1, this year.“Computerisation of these two areas would bring transparency and efficiency in functioning of the department,” said Principal Secretary, Transport, Punjab, DS Jaspal.

Dera Bassi
58 boxes of liquor seized, 1 held: The Dera Bassi police arrested Vidya Sagar, a resident of Ram Kishan Colony, and seized 58 boxes of country-made liquor from his possession during a naka on Thursday. Informing this, SHO Dera Bassi Ranjodh Singh told the police had arrested Vidya with 58 boxes of liquor and a Maruti car in which he had brought liquor. The police had registered a case against the accused under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act.

Ex-soldier killed: A former soldier was killed in a road accident near here, while he was on his way home to Zirakpur. According to information, former soldier Karnail Singh, resident of Zirakpur, was posted as a security supervisor in MK Overseas Factory, here, was going home after doing his duty on Thursday night when an unidentified vehicle hit him. He later succumbed to injuries at the local civil hospital. The police has registered a case against the unidentified person and vehicle.

Ferozepur
Opium seized, one held: Manjeet Singh, a resident of village Khaira Ke Uttar of this district, was arrested and three and a half kilogram opium was recovered from his possession by a police party at a check point laid down on Talwandi Bhai crossing here ton Friday. Harjit Singh Pannu, SP (D), said Manjeet Singh had brought the opium from Rajasthan and had been going towards Amritsar by a Maruti car to dispose of the same. A case had been registered in this regard in the Ghall Khurd police station.

Ludhiana
Medical honour:Dr Birinder Kaur Ahuja of Ludhiana has become the first Indian menopause practitioner in Punjab.Dr Birinder has passed the IMS menopause practitioner competency examination conducted by Indian Menopause Society (IMS) held in Chennai.She is heading the 40 plus clinic to discuss and treat all problems of menopausal women.

MOGA
Plantation drive: The Alumni Students’ Association of the Indo-Soviet Friendship College of Pharmacy has launched a plantation drive in the memory of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev by providing medicinal plants to nearby villages of Moga. The drive was launched by District Magistrate Satwant Singh Johal by planting a sapling in Ghal Kalan village, 6 km from here. He appreciated alumni students for their efforts in raising the green cover of their respective villages.

Plantation drive launched: Alumni students’ association of the Indo-Soviet Friendship College of Pharmacy has launched a plantation drive in the memory of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev by providing medicinal plants to the nearby villages of Moga. This drive was launched by the district magistrate Satwant Singh Johal by planting one sapling of a tree at Ghal Kalan village. The chairman of the District Planning Board, Tarsem Singh Rattian, was also present on the occasion. Both Johal and Rattian planted three saplings on the college campus as well.

Free eye check-up camp: Eye check-up camp was organised in the North West Institute of Engineering and Technology at Dhudike, the native village of Lala Lajpat Rai on Friday. As many as 453 patients were examined and provided with medicines and spectacles. The chairman of the college said they would facilitate 87 patients for their eye surgery free of cost.

Tarn Taran
Kulbir Singh resumes charge of ADC: Kulbir Singh resumed the charge of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) here today. The post of the ADC had been lying vacant for the last more than four months. Kulbir, a retired PCS officer, has been made ADC by the state government under its policy of recruiting the retired PCS officers. Kublir Singh and his wife paid obeisance at the local Darbar Sahib, where he was presented a robe of honour (siropa) and a model of the Darbar Sahib by Arjun Singh, manager of the Darbar Sahib.

Seminars for consumers: The District Consumer Welfare Forum has decided to organise seminars to make consumers aware of their rights. It was decided at a meeting of the forum held here on Friday under the leadership of Dr Sukhdev Singh Lauhka, president of the forum.

Honoured: Dr Hira Lal Garg, general secretary of the National Integrated Medicine Association (NIMA), was honoured by the civil surgeon, Barnala, for his services towards eradication of tuberculosis.

HARYANA

Kalka
Man hit by train: An unidentified pedestrian was hit by Himalayan Queen Train on Thursday. The incident took place at 4.55 pm near the railway over bridge behind the Kalka Police Station, when the man was on his way along with the railway line and was hit by Kalka-New Delhi (4096 down) Himalayan Queen Train. He was seriously injured and was rushed to the Chandimandir Railway Station by the same train from where he was rushed to the PGI, Chandigarh, where his condition was said to be critical.

KAITHAL
Venod Sharma honoured: Hundreds of people on Friday honoured former Union Minister Venod Sharma for getting their long-pending demand for ownership rights of the land given to them on perpetual lease but not mutated in their names. The land was allotted several years ago but the beneficiaries were not given the ownership rights and the land was not entered in their names in revenue records. Venod Sharma came to the aid of these families and finally the government passed a legislation in the Vidhan Sabha on March 16 and for conferring ownership rights on the people to whom the land was allotted.

KURUKSHETRA
Degree approved: The Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree offered by the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kurukshetra University, has been approved by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), New Delhi, for the period 2003 to 2012. Stating this to mediapersons here on Friday, Prof Raghuvendra Tanwar, Registrar, Kurukshetra University, said a communication in this regard had been received here on March 22 from the Registrar-cum-Secretary of the PCI.

Seminar on Dr Ambedkar: Inaugurating a two-day national seminar on “Relevance of Socio-Economic Ideas of Baba Saheb Dr Ambedkar” organised by the Centre for Dr BR Ambedkar Studies, Kurukshetra University, in the University Senate Hall here on Friday, Dr Surender Kumar Brahmachari, former Vice-Chancellor, Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Bihar, said the caste system had spoiled the society which had taken political dimensions. He said Dr Ambedkar was a great social reformer.

Drama competition: Deputy Director (field), Information and Public Relations Department, Haryana, Raj Pannu inaugurated a state-level competition of drama and bhajan parties of the department on the premises of multi-art cultural centre here on Thursday.

REWARI
In-laws booked: The police has booked Nisha Yadav’s husband Jitender Yadav, father-in-law Dharam Singh Yadav and mother-in-law Indrawati for the death of Nisha Yadav, who reportedly set herself on fire in Natheda village, near Kosli, on March 24. Simultaneously, in a fit of desperation, her husband Jitender too had attempted to end his life by consuming poison, who was now getting treatment at a private hospital here. A case of dowry death has been registered against them following a complaint lodged by Ranbir Singh Yadav, father of the deceased. He alleged that his daughter was burnt to death by her in-laws.

Woman commits suicide: A young woman, Asha Devi, wife of Jitender, reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself in Kishangarh village, 8 km from here, on Thursday. Following a complaint lodged by Ram Kumar, father of the deceased, the police has registered a case of abetment to suicide against her husband Jitender and mother-in-law Prem Devi. Ram Kumar alleged that his daughter had to take the extreme step following torturous treatment frequently meted out by her husband Jitender in a state of inebriation.

SONEPAT
Driver, conductor looted: Driver Raj Kumar and conductor Mahesh of the Faridabad bus depot of the Haryana Roadways were allegedly looted and beaten up by four armed gangsters near Appolo International School on Thursday. The incident took place when the duo was returning from Yamunanagar. When they reached near Panipat, some technical fault developed in the bus and the passengers were urged to get down at Panipat. However, they continued the journey at a very slow speed, but the bus stopped near Appolo School. Four armed youths entered the bus and looted Rs 9,000, journey tickets valued Rs 12,000 and ATM card of the conductor.