JALANDHAR
Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Shivratri Utsav Committee.Patron- Mr Irvin Khanna; president- Mr Prikshit Kaushal; acting president- Mr Naval Kishore Kamboz; vice- presidents- Mr Sukhdev Saini; Mr Om Parkash, Mr Sita Ram Pathak and Mr Laxmi Narayan Mehandiratta; general secretary- Mr R.D.Kansal; secretaries- Mr Ravinder Khurana , Mr Hemraj Kumar, Mr Kaviraj Malik and Mr Makhan Lal Sharma; and treasurer- Mr Surinder Sachdeva.

LUDHIANA
Insurance association: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Ludhiana United India Insurance Officers Association: president- Mr D.K.Soni; vice- presidents- Mr J.S.Khera and Mr Anil Sekhri; general secretary- Mr R.P. Sharma; joint secretaries - Mr V.K. Jain and Mr Sanjay Bajaj; and treasurer- Mr S.S. Randhawa.

MOGA
Currency notes:There is reportedly a flourishing black market of currency notes in denomination of Rs 500.According to some businessmen, they had to pay Rs 1000 extra for a wad of 100 currency notes of Rs 500 denomination. People in this trade were doing it without any fear of the administration. Similarly new currency notes in the denominations of Re1 and Rs 10, too, were available only at a premium, they added.

PATIALA
Blood donation camp: A blood donation camp was organised by the Organisation of Punjabi University Students (OPUS) at the students home in the university campus here on Tuesday. The camp was organised to provide blood to the Orissa cyclone-affected people. According to Chief adviser Gurjinder Singh Mann, and OPUS vice-president Sukhpreet Malhotra , 35 students donated blood in the camp.

Complaint: Residents of a couple of colonies in the city on Tuesday complained of living virtually in ‘hell’ like conditions in absence of basic amenities and widespread uncleanliness. In separate press statements the Mohalla Sudhar Sabha Tafazalpura and the Citizens Welfare Society Deep Nagar urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to intervene and direct the Municipal Corporation and the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to redress their grievances. The residents also complained of approaching the corporation for the past two years to get basic amenities but to no avail.

Sangat darshan: A large number of villagers attending a sangat darshan programme held at Maggar Sahib village on Tuesday in this district demanded restoration of government bus service, drinking water supply and appointment of teachers in schools of their blocks. The sangat darshan also revealed a practice going on in rural schools in which government teachers had ‘hired’ certain youths to teach in their absence against payment of Rs 500 per month. The District Education Officers present at the function said they had already suspended two such teachers and also cited media reports in this regard.

Award:Dr Manjula Sahadev, Professor and Chairman of Maharishi Valmiki Chair, Punjabi University, has been awarded Maharishi Valmiki National Award for 1999 in recognition of her literary, social and cultural services through her prolific work providing guidance to the downtrodden masses of India, according to Dr S.P. Sumanakshar, national president of the Bharatiya Dalit Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.

Appointed: The Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, has appointed Dr Narinder Singh Kapoor, Professor and Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, as Professor-in-charge, Public Relations, a university release said here on Tuesday.

Appointment: Mr Nawab Singh Manes has been appointed general secretary of the Punjab Youth Congress with the approval of Indian Youth Congress President Manish Tiwari, a Punjab Pradesh Youth Congress release said here on Tuesday.

TARN TARAN
Gang busted: Five members of a dacoit gang have been arrested by the Chabbal police and a case has been registered against them under Sections 399, 402, IPC. Police sources said here on Tuesday that Mr Hardev Singh, SHO, heading a police party, on a special tip-off, nabbed them during a naka at Bhucher village. The arrested are Baldev Singh of Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar, Banta Singh of Gurdaspur district, Bikramjit Singh of Toot (Valtoha), Amritpal Singh and Jodha Singh. A van and two revolvers of .455 and .303 bore were seized from them.

Migratory birds: The Environment Society will organise 'Welcome to Birds' programme at Sukhna Lake on December 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the regulator end to welcome migratory birds.

SAS NAGAR
Blood donation: The House Owners Welfare Society of Phase V, in coordination with the local Lions Club Daffodil, organised the third blood donation camp at the Phase V government dispensary here on Tuesday. In all, 102 units of blood was donated at the camp. The camp was inaugurated by the Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM), Mr O.P. Popli.

Murder: The police claims to have arrested Daulat Ram, alias Daulti, in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Dr Ravindra Dhingra on January 25, 1998. Earlier, three other persons-Ramu, Tara and Atri- involved in the murder had been arrested.The doctor was kidnapped while he was returning to his Sector 14 residence from his clinic in NH-5. His body was thrown in the Agra canal. His car, gold ring and wrist watch had also been recovered from the possession of the arrested persons. During interrogation Daulat Ram also admitted killing Kali Charan, an Escorts Company employee on March 10, 1998 with the help of Rajendra , Chandrapal and Tejpal and threw his body in the Agra canal.

HISAR
Legal aid forum: Free Legal Aid Forum has been constituted for the help of poor women and children. The forum has been constituted by 15 women advocates of the Hisar Bar Association. According to a press note , a meeting of these advocates was held in the court complex here on Tuesday. The forum said growing atrocities against women went unpunished as most of the women could not approach the courts for the want of proper assistance and economic compulsions. The forum will plead the cases of all such women. The forum will also provide free legal aid to the children facing trial in the delinquent courts. Ms Shalini Atri has been elected president of the forum.

SHAHABAD
Medical camp: A free medical camp will be organised by the local Lions Club at the Bhasker Hospital on the main Ladwa Road here on December 12. A former president, Dr Bhasker Gupta, said here on Wednesday that the patients suffering from diabetes, hypertension and other related diseases, would be examined in the camp and provided medicines,free of cost. All tests of the patients would also be conducted, free of cost, he said.

SIRSA
Financial aid to SCs and BCs: The Haryana Government will provide financial assistance for availing coaching in private reputed institutions for higher competitive entrance examinations to the candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes of the state. Stating this here on Wednesday, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Amit Jha, said the candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes could avail free coaching through private institutions and financial assistance of Rs 4000 and Rs 3000 would be provided for the examinations conducted by Union Public Service Commission and Haryana Public Service Commission.

SONEPAT
Campaign:The city police, in a special campaign launched against the anti-social elements , has arrested three persons and seized 527 gm of contraband charas from them. S.S.P. K.P. Singh told mediapersons here on Wednesday that the arrested were Om Parkash of Madina village and Jagdish and Bhup Singh of the city. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against them.

Dead: Rikki sustained serious burn injuries when a kerosene stove burst while she was cooking food in her house in Mohalla Kalan here on Tuesday. She was rushed to the local Civil Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. Her husband Suridner who made an attempt to rescue her, too sustained burn injuries. He is stated to be out of danger.

Suicide: Mamta reportedly committed suicide by setting herself on fire in her house at Rajpur village about 10 km from here on Tuesday.

Purchase centres: The state government has started purchase centres for citrus fruits under an intervention scheme in Bilaspur and Mandi districts. The Mandi district's Acting Agriculture Deputy Director, Dr K.N. Bhardwaj, said here on Tuesday that in Bilaspur, the purchase centres would be at Nihal, Bharocha, Nifari, Kalol, Suharghar and Barmana while in Mandi district the purchase centres have been opened at Joginder Nagar, Dharampur, Rewalsar, Nalhaas, Jadole and Chailchor

PALAMPUR
Demanded:The Palampur Citizen Forum has demanded the shifting of sabzi mandi from here to outskirts of the town. In a press statement issued here on Wednesday, the forum said, keeping in view the overcrowding of the town, the sabzi mandi had become a major traffic hazard and there was always traffic jam causing inconvenience to the general public, particularly the school- going children. Besides, the sabzi mandi had also become the most polluted place in the town. The forum urged the state government and the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs , Mr Shanta Kumar , to take effective steps in this regard.

SHIMLA
Confederation:The Himachal Employees Confederation has charged the government with protecting corrupt persons. It said in a statement on Tuesday that it was surprising that the BJP legislators who raised several scandals while in Opposition, had not taken any action about them after becoming ministers. It specifically mentioned the tyre purchase scandal in the state road transport corporation which was raised by none other than Mr J.P. Nadda, Health Minister.