The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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Bathinda
Road mishap: A speeding canter (HR-62-4497) crushed to death 40-year-old Rani Kaur while her father sustained severe injuries at the bus stand in Kartar Singh Wala village, in the district, this morning. Police sources said the driver swerved while trying to avoid a car coming from the opposite side and lost control over the vehicle. The woman was killed on the spot. The driver of the canter, identified as Munna Singh of Beant Nagar, managed to speed away. Police took the vehicle in custody. The body was taken to the civil hospital in Bathinda for postmortem. Police has registered the case under sections 279, 337, 338 and 304-A of the IPC.

Awareness talk on AIDS: An AIDS awareness talk was organized by the Punjab National Bank on the AIDS Awareness Day at the bank’s regional office in Kikar Bazar, Bathinda. Speaking on the occasion, Narinder Bassi, coordinator, WHO AIDS Programme, apprised the audience on the need to know AIDS and to keep the deadly disease at bay. Janak Raj Dhawan, chief manager, PNB, while addressing the gathering, emphasised on the preventive measures to be adopted in order to fight the disease. He said that prevention is the ultimate target as there is no cure to AIDS. He informed that eight persons are affected every minute in the world by AIDS and its pace requires a check. Later, banners, placards and AIDS lapel buttons were distributed among the gathering and a pledge was taken to say ‘no’ to the disease.

Essay competition: DPS Bathinda organised an essay competition to observe the World Aids Day. The topic of the essay was Know AIDS, No AIDS. In the morning assembly, students were informed about the AIDS. They also organised a cricket match between the staff and students, which was won by the students.

HOSHIARPUR
MP for action against fake travel agents: Avinash Rai Khanna, MP, has urged the union government to constitute a regulatory authority to save unemployed youths of the country from being duped by so-called travel agents in the name of settling them abroad.Stating this here on Saturday, Khanna said the government of India should act against such fake travel agents who lured the innocent youths in the name of settling them abroad, looting hard-earned money of their parents.He said thousands of such youths were languishing in jails of various countries. He wanted strict action against these travel agents.

Body found: Body of a 25-year-old youth was found wrapped in a bed-sheet in the periphery of Ahrana Kalan village, here on Saturday.It bore marks of sharp-edged weapons. Police have registered case and sent the body for postmortem.

Two injured: Nirmal Singh and Hardev Singh were injured when a tractor-trailer coming from opposite side hit their bike near Chagra. The duo were admitted to the civil hospital from where they were referred to DMC, Ludhiana.

Mansa
Remembered: Death anniversary of Dharm Singh Fakkar was organised in his village, Dalel Singh Wala, yesterday. Dharm Singh Fakkar had given a valuable contribution for the rights of the poor people. He was the main leader of the Muzara Movement and Kisangarh Morcha. The Muzara movement was started in favour of landless people. Paying tributes to Fakkar, state secretary of the CPI, Jagroop Singh, recalled his great contributions.

De-addiction camp: A camp was organized to make people aware of drug addiction at Bhaini Bagha village on Saturday. This camp was organised by the Red Cross drug de-addiction center, Mansa, the Astha Sewa Club Mansa and the Gram Panchayt Bhaini Bagha. Children of the Government Senior Secondary School were also present on the occasion. Project Director of the drug de-addiction centre, Ajay Kumar, tried to awaken people against the ill of drug addiction.

PATHANKOT
Power cuts irritate residents: Frequent unscheduled power cuts for five to six hours a day have virtually thrown life out of gear here for the past couple of months, courtesy the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) authorities that have turned a blind eye towards this problem. Owing to this, residents have to change their routine. Traders and businessmen are forced to use power generator, thus causing huge noise and air pollution. Executive engineer, PSEB, R.N. Sharma said the power cuts were due to less power generation in winter.

PATIALA
Exhibition: Teja Singh Kandhari Public School organised an exhibition based on different subjects. Labs were set up for projects based on the curriculum. In the social sciences lab, the scene depicting Bhagat Singh’s execution was worth seeing and the most attractive part of the exhibition were the students dressed as Lord Buddha, King Ashoka and Shah Jahan depicting the primitive and medieval age.

Sangrur
Ram Setu Shila Yatra reaches: The Shree Ram Setu Shila Yatra reached here on Saturday. The yatra, which started from Dhuri in the morning, passed through a number of villages via the Bhawanigarh route. It covered the main bazars of the town before culminating at Mandir Shree Mangla Devi. People paid obeisance to the floating shila.

CHANDIGARH

The mangled remains of a car that collided with a truck in Dera Bassi on Thursday. —
A Tribune photograph

DERA BASSI
Car, truck collide: A car and a truck met with an accident near Jawaharpur village on Thursday night. The car, bearing a temporary number of Karnal (Haryana), was going from Chandigarh to Ambala. The speeding car first bumped into a truck and then rolled over under the second truck. The impact of the collision was so great that all four wheels of the truck got dislodged. However, no casualty was reported in the accident. Police officials said truck driver Avtar Singh reached a compromise over the issue. No police case had been registered.

PANCHKULA
Blood donation camp: A blood donation camp was organised by the local Rotary Club on the occasion of world AIDS Day on Saturday. The camp was inaugurated by chairman of the ICL Kapil Dev. As many as 40 persons donated blood at the camp organised in collaboration with the blood bank of the general hospital. R.K.Kataria, DC, Parveen Goel and Pardeep Aggarwal, president and secretary of the club, were prominent among those present on the occasion.

HARYANA

FATEHABAD
Rice millers: The Haryana Pardesh Rice Millers and Dealers Association has rued the double standards adopted by the Central government while accepting custom milled rice (CMR) from the millers of Punjab and Haryana. The rice millers of Haryana have threatened to stop delivery of CMR to central pool in case the discrimination against them was not addressed forthwith. In a letter faxed to the Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a copy of which has been supplied to The Tribune, Azad Singh Rathee, president of the association alleged that while in case of paddy milled by Punjab millers, the Central government was allowing them 4 per cent damage and discolouration in the resultant rice, only 3 per cent damage and discolouration was being allowed to Haryana millers.

KAITHAL
Private vehicles: The local district unit of Haryana Rajya Chalak Sangh has taken a decision of not driving private vehicles of officers . In a signed press statement Jagdish Sharma, secretary, district unit Kaithal, said at a meeting here presided over by Ram Kesh Malik. It had been decided that no driver would drive private vehicles of the government officers. Any one found violating this decision would have to pay Rs 1,000 as fine, which will be sent to the Chief Minister’s relief fund. The association has also expressed concern over the misuse of government vehicles by some officers.

REWARI
Cash, jewellery looted: Rs 60,000 as well as jewellery worth Rs 35,000 were reportedly stolen by some unidentified persons from the suitcase of a young woman Vinay Yadav, who was going in a tempo from here to Majra Sheoraj village, 8 km from here, yesterday afternoon. Vinay came to know of the theft only after she examined her suitcase at her parental home in Majra Sheoraj. The incident reportedly occurred after Vinay, boarded a tempo at the Dharuhera Chowk here for Majra Sheoraj village last afternoon. On her complaint, the Model Town police has registered a case of theft under Section 379.

Poor kids get jerseys: HPCC spokesman Ved Prakash Vidrohi and Arti Prakash, wife of deputy commissioner Chander Prakash, distributed woollen jerseys to 54 poor children of a school at Vijay Nagar here today. While the school is being run for children of slum dwellers by a voluntary organisation, Humana People to People India, the Rotary Club, Rewari, provided the jerseys.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
Man drowns in river: Brij Bihari, resident of Beripur in Bihar, was drowned in the Ravi near Dharwala on Friday evening. The body has been recovered. Brij Bihari worked as a mechanic for a private company involved in work on a hydroelectric project here.

Forest fires in Bharmour: At least 10 electricity poles and 3-km transmission lines were destroyed by forest fires during the past one week in the Bharmour tribal region of Chamba district. The loss is being assessed by the officials concerned. The power supply to distant Kugti village was hampered. It would take some days to restore power supply to the village, officials said.

Hamirpur
Death anniversary: A programme was organised here recently to observe the second death anniversary of noted poet B.R. Mussafir. A poetic symposium was also organised on this occasion in which several poets recited their poems. Several prominent citizens attended this programme.