HOSHIARPUR
Homage: Freedom fighters of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana will hold a prayer meeting to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Seva Ashram, about 28 km from here, on January 30. Mr Mahasha Tirath Ram, vice chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Board, said here on Wednesday that the Governor, Mrs V.S. Rama Devi, would also participate in the prayer meeting.

Visit: Mrs Harinder Sidhu, chairperson of the Hospital Welfare Section, along with others members visited the District Jail, Old Age Home, Civil Hospital and Leprosy colony on Wednesday and distributed fruits among the inmates. She also visited the women's cell in the jail and listened to the difficulties being faced by the inmates.

MALERKOTLA
School principals: The Gazetted School Officers Association, Punjab, demanded on Tuesday that the vacant posts of school principals in the state should be filled. Mr Joginder Singh Aulakh, president of the association, said it was after a long time that the Punjab Public Service Commission had released a selection list of 57 principals for appointment and urged the state government to issue appointment letters to those selected.

Annual conference: The annual conference of the National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA), Punjab branch, would be held at Government College, Hoshiarpur, on January 31, according to Dr Kamal Bharti, general secretary of the Sangrur branch of the NIMA. Mr Manmohan Kalia, Health Minister, Punjab will be the chief guest.

MOGA
Road mishap: Three persons were killed and 24 others were injured in a bus-truck collision near Muktsar on Wednesday, according to the police. Three of the five seriously injured were admitted to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College at Faridkot and the other two were shifted to Dayanand Medical College at Ludhiana. The mishap occurred when a Ferozepore-bound Punjab Roadways bus collided head-on with a truck.

PATIALA
Appointed: Mr Gurmeet Kaur, has been appointed district secretary of the State Bank of India Staff Association (Chandigarh circle) to look after organisational affairs, Mr K.K. Bandlish, general secretary of the association, said she was the first woman district secretary in the Chandigarh circle.

Residents association: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Model Town Residents Association: president — Mr Gulzar Singh Khaira; vice-president — Mr Relu Ram; general secretary — Mr Amrit Prit Singh; joint secretary — Mr Rachan Lal; cashier — Mr Ashok Kumar and press secretary — Mr Manvinder Singh Kohli.

Office-bearers: The following have been elected the office-bearers of the Senior Citizens Welfare Society, Urban Estate: president — Dr A.C. Arora; vice-president — Mr Mann Singh Mann; general secretary — Dr N.S. Ruprah, and finance secretary — Dr Mohinder Singh.

Forms available: Mr A.S. Kaleka, Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, said here on Wednesday that sufficient stock of "C" forms was available with the department and all dealers requiring the forms should apply to the authorities concerned of the district.

ROPAR
Eye camps: Under the National Programme for Control of Blindness, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has decided to organise eye camps in the under served and geographically backward areas from February 1 to 10 next. About 2,00,000 additional cataract operations will be performed at the camps during the period. The district has been given a target of 1,000 cataract operations. The District Health Authorities have sent an action plan to the Director, Health, Punjab, for holding these camps in the district. A door-to-door survey to detect cataract patients will be conducted and a list of patients will be prepared village-wise.

Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Railway's Senior Citizens Welfare Society: president — Mr Harbans Singh; working president — Mr M.S. Batra; vice-president — Mr Parkash Chand; honorary secretary — Mr Pritam Singh; and treasurer — Mr K.S. Bhandari.

PANCHKULA
Darbar: The Superintending Engineer (Operations), Ambala circle of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam will hold an open darbar at the 66 kv substation in Industrial Area, Phase-II here on Friday.

Telephone bills: Resentment prevails among several telephone consumers of Ellenabad as they have not been issued telephone bills for the past several months. Their repeated complaints in this regard have failed to evoke any response from the authorities.

Arrested: Ten persons were arrested under the Gambling Act from various places in the district on Wednesday. A spokesman of the police said the police had seized Rs 4,705 from their possession. The police has also arrested seven persons under the Excise Act and seized illicit liquor and lahan from them.

Protest: Shopkeepers of the local Janata Hospital Road closed their shops for half day on Wednesday in protest against the faulty sewerage and handed over a complaint against the Public Health authorities to the Deputy Commissioner here on Wednesday. The shopkeepers threatened to stage an indefinite dharna if steps were not taken to improve the situation.

Kranti yatra: The Women Cell of the District Congress Committee (I) has made arrangements for kranti yatra being organised by the Congress. The yatra will be flagged off by Kumari Selja, former Union Minister and Secretary of the AICC, on January 30 from Chautala village. A public meeting will also be organised at the village. The yatra will culminate at Jind on February 13.

SONEPAT
Rally: The Forest Department Mazdoor Union, Haryana, will organise a rally outside the residence of the Forest Minister, Mr Jagdish Yadav, on February 28 at Jind to register its protest against the anti-employee attitude of the state government and non-acceptance of its demands. Mr Ramesh Kumar Sharma, a spokesman of the union, said here on Wednesday that workers from all over the state will take part in the rally.

Sub-standard material: The state government has reportedly suffered financial loss due to the use of sub-standard material in the construction of watercourses and other allied works in the district by CADA officials of the Irrigation Department.

Honoured: Dr P.M. Gaur, Programme Officer of the NSS unit of the local Hindu College was honoured by Siri Kishan Dass, Country and Town Planning and Urban Estate Minister, at a function organised here on Tuesday.

DHARAMSALA
Journalist bereaved: Sawar Singh Patyal, father of Mr Shishu Patyal, a correspondent of Jansatta died at his native village — Paplan — near Palampur, on Thursday. He was 87 and is survived by a son and two daughters.

HAMIRPUR
Rabid dog: A mad dog that bit at least 18 persons in the town during the past two days was killed near Gaura village on Thursday by people. Mr Raj Krishan Sharma, Executive Officer of the local Nagar Palika Parishad, said a squad had been formed to kill mad dogs in the town.

PALAMPUR
Agricultural technology centre: Mr Vidya Sagar, HP Agricultural Minister, while addressing reporters said the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) had decided to set up an Agricultural Technology Centre on the HPAU campus. The ICAR has sanctioned such centres for 14 agricultural universities and ICAR institutions in the country under the National Agricultural Technology Project.