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Abohar
INSPECTION: Lt-Col K.P.S. Rana inspected the NCC units at G D Senior Secondary School here on Thursday and exhorted students to make the NCC an integral part of their education. Principal Praveen Bhardwaj, Mr Aman Sharma, administrator, and Mrs Sonia Sharma, NCC in charge of the girls wing, apprised the visiting officials of activities undertaken so far. Col Rana decorated Mr Lal Chand, a senior teacher, on getting direct commission in the NCC.

DEATHS: Kesari Devi (35), wife of Mohar Singh, a resident of Thakur Abadi, here died at the Civil Hospital here. She had consumed some poison due to frustration over long period of illness, family sources said. Veeru (65) died at Khuikhera, village near here, as he consumed poison by mistake, sources said. Ramesh Kumar, son of Sardara Ram of Dharampura, village died on the spot as a bullock-cart hit him after getting out of control.

ELECTED: Mr Faquir Chand Goyal, formerly vice-president of the Municipal Council, was elected president of the Aggarwal Sabha in a keenly contested election on Wednesday evening. He defeated Mr Subhash Gupta, son of Mrs Rukmani Devi Gupta, a Congress Councillor, in a straight contest held at the Sanatan Dharam Mandir.

BOOKED: The police has booked four persons, including Anil Kumar, Sonu and Pappu, under Sections 452, 323, 34 IPC, for allegedly entering the house of Krishan Kant, son of Ram Swarup, in Dhani Bisheshar Nath and assaulting him to settle some old score.

DEMONSTRATION: A large number of angan-wadi workers held a rally at Nehru Park here and burnt the effigy of the Punjab Chief Minister to express resentment over the non-acceptance of their demands pending for a long period. Later they took out a protest march also.

Amritsar
PEACE MARCH: A peace march of 30 youths will arrive for the candle light vigil programme to be held on Saturday. Organisers of the programme in a press release said about 40 children from Pakistan will also take part in the programme.

APPOINTED: Dr H.S. Chopra, deputy librarian, has been appointed in charge of the Bhai Gurdas Library of Guru Nanak Dev University. Dr Chopra has six books to his credit with a number of articles in national and international journals, including Encyclopedi of library and information science (USA).

Bathinda
ASSURANCE: Punjab Finance Minister Surinder Singla has assured delegation of the Punjab State Ministerial Service Union, that the state government employees posted in Bathinda town would be given 15 per cent house rent allowance. Mr Baldev Singh Mahal, state press secretary of the union, in a press release issued here on Friday said Mr Singla had also assured to delegation that all promises which he had made with the employees during the Assembly elections would be fulfilled.

VANAMAHOTSAVA: Lt Gen Nandarajog, General Officer Commanding, 10 Corps, inaugurated a function organised in connection with the vanamahotsava at a local military station by planting a sapling on Friday. In a press release issued here, the Army authorities said about 50,000 saplings of different varieties, including fruit and medicinal trees, would be planted during a week-long ceremony of vanamahotsava. The function was attended by all officers, JCOs and other ranks.

DECIDED: Members of the Unemployed ETT Teachers Union have decided to observe Independence Day as “black day” throughout the state to protest against the lathi charge on them while holding a peaceful demonstration against the state government policy of recruiting teachers on contract basis. Mr Jagsir Sahota, vice-president of the union, in a press release issued here on Friday, said on Independence Day, the members of the union would wear black gowns with fetters.

STRIKE: The students of Guru Kashi College, Talwandi Sabo, on Friday observed a strike to protest against the atrocities being committed on them by the bus operators. Mr Roop Singh, leader Punjab Student Union (Shaheed Randhawa college unit), in a press release issued here said the students had also submitted a memorandum to the SDM, Talwandi Sabo.

Gurdaspur
DHARNA: About 100 daily wage earners of the Punjab Health Department staged a dharna in front of the office of the Executive Engineer here on Thursday. They were demanding the regularisation of their services. They alleged the government was not regularising their services despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court order. Later they moved to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Gurdaspur, and submitted a memorandum of their demands.

Hoshiarpur
MEDICAL CAMP: Under the School Health Programme, a health education and medical examination-cum-treatment camp was organised at Government Senior Secondary School (Girls), Railway Mandi, by the Health Department in association with the Punjab National Bank, here on Thursday.

APPOINTED: Mr Harmesh Azad, a lawyer has been appointed district president of the Lok Jan Shakti Party, Hoshiarpur, according to Mr Dhani Ram, general secretary of its Punjab unit here on Thursday.

Jalandhar
DEMANDED: The Punjab Bus Operators Association has demanded a hike in bus fares in view of increase in the prices of diesel. The association has also urged the state government to lower the special road tax.

Sangrur
DEDICATED: Major-Gen Pradeep Khanna General-Officer Commanding Airawat Division dedicated the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) to the ex-servicemen here on Thursday. Under the scheme, the ex-servicemen and their dependents can seek medical treatment at any of the ECHS sponsored civil/private hospitals.

PLANTATION CAMP : A tree plantation camp was organised by the Moonak branch of Punjab National Bank (PNB) at the Government Senior Secondary School for Boys at Moonak village here on Thursday. Mr H.L. Garg, manager of the PNB branch, told the students about the importance of trees. About 100 saplings were planted in the school complex.

Tarn Taran
DHARNA: The Kharla Mission Committee and other radical Sikh organisations staged a dharna at Harike barrage here on Thursday. They called the “Termination of agreements - 2004 Act” insuffecient to protect the interests of Punjab state. They demanded that Haryana and Rajasthan should be asked to pay for water as these states are not the riparian states.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Gandiwind block unit of the Punjab Subordinate Services Federation, Panjab: president — Mr Virsa Singh, senior vice president — Ms Narinder Kaur, vice president — Mr Upkar Singh and Mr Mangat Singh, secretary — Mr Onkar Singh, assistant secretary — Mr Bhupinder Singh, finance secretary — Mr Bhagwant Singh and press secretary — Mr Nirwair Singh.