ABOHAR
Accident: A youth, who got married just five months ago, was crushed to death by an unidentified vehicle last night in the Sriganganagar region. Sources said the victim Darshan Singh, of village 15BLD, was returning after dropping his wife at her parental house in village 22 PTD in the Raisinghnagar area. A vehicle crushed him to death as he was waiting for a bus on Bajuwala crossing near a farmhouse. 

Mourned: The Chandigarh-Punjab Union of Journalists, at a meeting here, had mourned the untimely death of Purushottam Goyal (54), a senior journalist with some vernacular in Gidderbaha. At the meeting, the members of the union expressed their heartfelt sympathies to the deceased’s family. Purushottam Goyal had died on Thursday after brief illness. 

Batala
Martyrdom Day: An enormous martyrdom day procession was taken out on Thursday to commemorate the martyrdom day of Baba Jeewan Singh. The procession was taken out from Gurdwara Baba Jeewan Singh, Luharan Wali Gali, and passed through the G.T. Road to Gandhi Chowk, Guru Nanak Nagar, Lallian Wali Gali, Kahnuwan Road and culminated at Gurdwara Baba Jeewan Singh. 

CHANDIGARH
Toll exemption sought: Ex-servicemen have appealed to the state government for exemption from toll tax on highways. The general secretary of the ex-servicemen wing of the SAD, Col Partap Inder Singh Phulka (retd), has cited a recent letter issued by the NHAI, which states that defence personnel/ex-servicemen and their families are exempt from paying toll on production of identity card. 

Cong rally today: The Congress has planned a series of public meetings and rallies to invigorate the party after recent district-level dharnas across the state. Spokesman for the party Jagmohan Singh Kang said PPCC president Rajinder Kaur Bhattal would address a district-level rally at Tarn Taran on December 22. 

TB control programme: Health and family welfare minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla stressed that medical colleges should take the maximum advantage of Revised National TB Control Programme and that the laboratories meant for TB control should be fully equipped. She was presiding over a meeting to review the progress of the implementation of the programme in government and private medical colleges.

FAZILKA
Id celebrations: On the occasion of Id-ul-Zuha, Sunil Kapoor, commandant of the 99 Battalion of the BSF in Fazilka sector offered sweets to his counterparts rangers at the Sadiqqi border check post. Both the officers exchanged best wishes on this occasion. Pakistan rangers’ Wing Commander and other rangers too offered sweets to children present on this occasion. Hundreds of people including the BSF, Army jawans and civilians in Fazilka and nearby areas also celebrated Id with fervour and gaiety. 

Traffic camp: The Lions Club of Fazilka with cooperation of the administration organised a day’s Traffic Rules Awareness Camp near local grain market. DSP Rachhpal Singh was the chief guest at the programme. Baljit Singh and Sukhvinder Singh, traffic in-charges of the city police, Fazilka, informed the drivers about traffic rules to be followed while driving vehicles. SHO Baljit Singh called upon the drivers to abide by traffic rules to prevent accidents. Reflectors were also fixed on the vehicles. 

GURDASPUR
Department promotions: Up in arms against alleged promotions of certain engineers ignoring the seniors, the Diploma Engineers Association, Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, has given a strike call on December 24. Association president Satnam Singh Dhanoa alleged that the promotions had been done by the authorities to serve their vested interests. 

HOSHIARPUR
‘Fill posts of safai karamchari’: Chairperson of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Santosh Chowdhary, in a letter to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, has urged the Chief Minister to issue directions to the departments for filling the posts relating to Scheduled Castes, especially those of safai karamchari, on apriority. 

Travel agent booked: A fake travel agent duped Sukhdev Singh of Mallian Nangal of Rs 95,000. The Garhdiwala police booked Jagtar Singh of Chanota (Dasuya) under sections 406 and 420 of the IPC in this connection. According to police sources, Sukhdev Singh alleged that Jagtar Singh took Rs 95,000 for sending him to Dubai, but did not fulfil his promise. 

Jalandhar
Raising Day: The Royal Maratha battalion celebrated its 208th Raising Day somewhere in the western sector today. The battalion was raised on December 21, 1800, by Capt Greene at Mumbai. It has a rich tradition of valour and glory. During World War I the battalion earned the sobriquet “Royal” for its gallantry displayed in Mesopotamia. 

Passport adalat: The Jalandhar passport office will hold a special adalat for speedy disposal of the pending cases on December 24. Passport officer A K Mahajan said all those persons, who have filed applications before March 31, 2007, could visit personally between 10 am and 1 pm. Mahajan said no request for out of turn or tatkal passports would be entertained on December 24, except under extreme emergency cases.

Muktsar
Medical camp: A medical camp for pregnant women and children was organised at Mai Bhago Ayurvedic College Hospital for Women here on Friday. More than 200 patients were examined at the camp. The aim was to cure and prevent certain diseases during pregnancy.

PATIALA
Congratulated: The local arts and theatre lovers, including members of the National Theatre Arts Society, congratulated Avtar Singh Makkar, president of the SGPC for appointing education director Dr Gurmohan Singh Walia, a great connoisseur of theatre, arts and literature. Pran Sabharwal and artists expressed joy and congratulated Gurmohan Singh on his new coveted assignment to improve the education standards and promote Punjabi theatre movement through 50 institutions of the SGPC in the region.

SANGRUR
NGO: Review freebies: President of the local Asha Di Kiran Foundation, an NGO, A. S. Mann has urged the government to review the policy of giving various things free of cost or at subsidised rates to different sections of society. He was addressing a meeting here on Thursday.