Pak pilgrims: A jatha of 500 Pakistani Hindu pilgrims will visit India from March 4. The pilgrims will arrive here by the Samjhauta Express on a month-long tour of major Hindu pilgrim centres. The president of the All-India Hindu Shiv Sena, Mr Surinder Kumar Billa, said here on Monday that Pak Hindus would start their tour with a visit to Raipur in Madhya Pradesh. The tour, includes visits to Nagpur, Amravati, Jalgaon, Nasik, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Ujjain, Allahabad, Varanasi, Ayodhaya, Mathura, Hardwar, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Mata Vaishno Devi and Amritsar.

School teachers: The Punjab State Aided School Teachers and Employees Union held a rally on Monday in protest against the non-acceptance of their demands. The president of the union, Mr Kuldip Singh, criticised the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister for going back on their promise. He added that they would continue to hold protest rallies till their demands were accepted.

Pension: The mayor, Mr Subhash Chander Sharma, distributed monthly pension of Rs 250 to 50 widows here on Monday. Mr Sharma said although the amount was small but it would give some relief to the needy women.

BATALA
Pensioners' demands: The executive committee of the Pensioners Welfare Association, Punjab, held a meeting here on Monday under the presidentship of Mr Harbans Singh and unanimously passed a resolution and demanded the release of additional dearness allowance due since January 1999 as it has already been given to the Central Government pensioners. They also sought Rs 500 per month as medical allowance, travel allowance once a year and old age allowance of 5 to 10 per cent after the age of 65 years.

Annual function: Annual prize distribution function of R.R. Bawa DAV College for Girls was held here on Monday at college campus. Mr B.K. Srivastava, Commissioner Jalandhar Division, was the chief guest. Mrs Ranjit Aansoo, principal of the college read out the annual academic report of the college on the occasion.

BATHINDA
Protest march: Activists of the local unit of the Lok Morcha, Punjab, took out a march on Monday in protest against the Budget presented by the BJP-led coalition government. Mr Jagmel Singh, president of the unit, alleged that the Budget was anti-people and an attack on the poor economy of the country. The morcha had demanded withdrawal of hike in the prices of LPG, diesel, postal charges and railway fare.

Office-bearers: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Medical Practitioners Association, Punjab: president — Dr Pawan Kumar Sharma; senior vice-president — Dr Harbans Singh Nathpura; vice-presidents — Dr Darshan Singh Bhandal, Dr Darshan Singh Sukhlawi, Dr Ranjit Singh Mehta and Dr Darshan Kumar Jindal; general secretary — Dr Saradpal Singh; joint secretary — Dr Gurjit Singh Chohan; and treasurer — Dr Raj Kumar.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
New bus stands: The Transport Department has decided to construct three bus stands in the district, the DTO, Mr M.S. Jaggi, said here on Monday. He said the bus stands would be constructed at Sirhind, Basipathana and Khamano by the respective municipal councils and the work would be started on war footing and would start functioning from March 15.

Public darbar: The district administration organised a public darbar here on Monday. The officers led by the Deputy Commissioner listened to the grievances of people. Mr Balwant Singh Shahpur, MLA, Amloh, also attended the darbar and highlighted various problems regarding panchayats, education, medical and of pension departments. The Deputy Commissioner issued necessary instructions to various departments.

FEROZEPORE
Nominated: Mr Amarjit Singh, Bughipur and Mr Manjit Singh , Malla, have been nominated executive members of the Youth Wing of the SAD (A). Mr Narinderpal Singh Sidhu has been appointed president of the Partap district unit (urban) of Moga.

Boycott: Members of the district Bar Association here have decided to boycott the courts till today against Punjab Government's alleged move to attach the Dharamkot area of the district with Moga district. A decision to this effect was taken at the association's meeting held here on Monday.

HOSHIARPUR
Mishap: Two brothers were killed on the spot when their scooter rammed into a parked truck near Jehan Khelan on the Hoshiarpur-Una Road on Sunday. The victims were identified as Balraj Singh and Purshottam Lal. They were going to their native village, Bachoi, from Hoshiarpur when the accident occurred.

Arrested: A man, who had snatched a gold chain from a woman after stabbing and injuring her at her home here in Ranjit Nagar locality a few days back, has been arrested and the chain recovered from him. The SHO of the Sadar police station, Mr Kulwant Singh, said the accused, Devinder Singh, alias Happy of Begampur, was arrested on Sunday evening and confessed to having committed the crime.

JALANDHAR
Robber killed: Inmates of a house and their neighbours beat to death a robber and wounded his accomplice and successfully foiled their bid to commit robbery at the residence of Mr Mahinder Singh at Sabuwal village under Lohian police station before dawn on Tuesday. According to the police, Major Singh was beaten to death, while his accomplice Balwinder Singh was wounded and caught by the residents. The police has registered a case under Section 459, 34 of the IPC against the intruders.

Poisoning: Roop Lal (20) from Himachal Pradesh, died of suspected poisoning in the Civil Hospital here on Monday, according to the police. He was employed at Guru Nanak Clinic of medical practitioner Sarbjit Rattan at Jamsher village. Roop Lal allegedly consumed poison on Sunday and was rushed to the hospital but he died there one-and-a-half hours later.

Blood donation: An NGO Citizens' Welfare and Protection Council organised a blood donation camp here on Monday. People were made aware of the various facts related to blood donation by the Blood Transfusion Officer, Dr Sarita Bajaj. The Chief Guest, Mr Juhri Ram, SP, Training, lauded the NGO for promoting awareness among the public.

Short-term course: The Indian Society for Technical Education, Dr B.R. Ambedkar Regional Engineering College (Jalandhar chapter) organised an ISTE sponsored short-term course on Total Quality Management (TQM) in Technical Education from February 24 to 28. The course has been designed keeping in mind the needs of the industry and technical institutions on national and international level. Nearly 33 participants attended the course.

Conference: The fourth annual conference of the National Neonatology Forum of the state was held at Christian Medical College on February 28. As many as 250 delegates from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Jammu participated in the conference. During the conference, discussions were held on how to reduce the morbidity and mortality amongst neonates in the country. Eminent neonatologists Dr O.N. Bhakoo, Dr A.K. Dutta, Dr Anil Narang and Dr Arvind Saili delivered lectures at the conference.

LUDHIANA
Kisan union: A delegation of the Kirti Kisan Union led by the state president, Mr Hardev Singh Sandhu, met the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Arun Goel, here on Monday. The delegation urged him to inquire into the alleged connivance of purchase officers and commission agents at Chakkar Mandi, which had resulted in losses to farmers.

Flower show: A two-day flower show was held at Punjab Agricultural University on February 26. During the show, competitions in cut-flowers, flowers arrangements, competition of cacti, succulents, foliage and perennial flowering plants were organised for individuals and institutions. The Municipal Corporation, educational institutions and Department of Horticulture displayed their flowers. The show was inaugurated by Prof Saeed Ahmed, an agricultural expert from Pakistan and Dr G.S. Kalkat, Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, presided.

PATHANKOT
Three killed: An army vehicle collided with a private truck near Akhwana village on Sunday. Three Army personnel died on the spot and four others were injured seriously. The injured were admitted to the Military Hospital here.

PATIALA
Distributed: As many as 18 certificates were distributed by the local centre of the ET and T Corporation, to those who successfully completed a specified course of computer training on Monday.

Camp: The Dedicated Brothers Group organised a special free dental care-cum-free medicines camp here at Mahabir Dharamshala, Tripuri. The group also organised 27th free ration distribution camp at Gurdwara Hoti Mardan here.

Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Club Karamchari Union: chairman — Mr Kirti Singh; president — Mr Pana Lal; general secretary — Mr Ashok Kumar; and cashier — Mr Sunil Bhagat.

Association: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local branch of the Rockland Investors Association: president — Mr P.M. Ahuja; secretary — Mr Baljit Singh; and cashier — Mr Pyare Lal Bansal.

Gang busted: The district police has busted an inter-state gang of thieves involved in robberies in various villages in the district. Mr Parampal Singh Sidhu, SSP, said five members of the gang were arrested at a police checkpost on the Patiala-Rajpura Road, here on Monday. A large number of stolen goods were also recovered from them.

Refresher course: A three-week UGC refresher course in criminology and forensic science being conducted by the Department of Forensic Science. Punjabi University, was inaugurated by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Dr R.M. Goel, on Monday.

TARN TARAN
Tributes: Rich tributes were paid to the five babas. Baba Sadhu Singh, Baba Jhanda Singh, Baba Gurmukh Singh, Baba Uttam Singh and Baba Amar Singh, at Khadoor Sahib on Sunday by thousands of their devotees. Bhai Ranjit Singh, the suspended Jathedar of Akal Takht; Mr Ranjit Singh, MLA; Mr Balwant Singh Nagoke, member, SGPC and other heads of different 'deras' addressed the gathering. Baba Sewa Singh, the head of Khadoor Sahib Dera, presented siropas to the representatives. Free medical camps were organised by the BBC Heart Care Centre, Jalandhar, on the occasion.

MANI MAJRA
Alleged: Mr Satpal, President of the Janata Rehri Market of Mani Majra, on Wednesday alleged that the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) was giving a step-motherly treatment to the township. The roads were in a bad shape and garbage disposal continued to be poor, he alleged. Meanwhile, the Assistant Commissioner, Mr S.M. Sharma, visited the market and instructed the civic body staff to clean the area daily.

PANCHKULA
Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Panchkula Citizens Welfare Council: president — Mr S.M.K. Sehgal; senior vice-president — Mr S.P. Bhola; vice-presidents — Mr Rajinder Singh Saini and Mr B.S. Bhatti; general secretary — Mr Radhe Shyam, finance secretary — Mr R.R. Vats; joint secretary — Mr Joginder Ram and secretary — Mr A.K. Uppal.

JIND
Three stabbed: Maha Singh, alias Ramlu allegedly stabbed to death two persons -- Ronak and Ved Pal on Sunday night. He also stabbed and injured his brother Hawa Singh who has been admitted to the local General Hospital. The deceased, Ronak, was a brother of the assailant. Maha Singh escaped after committing the crime. The police has registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC.

KAITHAL
Case registered: Hoshiar Singh of Daban Kheri village under Guhla police station was arrested by the police on Monday after the seizure of 16.250 kg of poppy husk from him. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered.

ROHTAK
Irrigation projects: The HVP-BJP government has spent an amount of Rs 70 crore on various irrigation projects and the construction of drains in the district in the past three years, according to Mr Surender Singh, MP and general secretary of the HVP on Monday.

SONEPAT
Killed: Suman Bhavan, a 30-year-old truck driver, was killed on the spot when a four-wheeler rammed into a stationary truck on the GT Road near here on Monday. The deceased belonged to Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir. A case of rash and negligent driving has been registered against the driver of the four-wheeler. In another incident Salim (16) was killed on the spot when he was hit by a Haryana Roadways bus near Shahzadpur village, about 5 km from here on Monday.

Suicide cases: Amit (15) allegedly committed suicide by consuming insecticide tablets in his house at Bad Khalsa village, about 15 km from here, on Monday. According to another report, a 26-year-old youth, Suresh, also allegedly committed suicide in his house in the Sunder Sanwari area of the city on Monday.

Kavi sammelan: The Kendriya Arya Yuvak/Yuvati Parishad organised a Kavi Sammelan here today on the occasion of Holi. Several noted poets from Delhi and the city took part in the sammelan. A cultural programme was also presented by the school students on this occasion.

Case solved: With the arrest of three youths, the city police claimed on Monday to have solved the murder case of Rajinder, a shopkeeper of Housing Board Colony, here on December 8. The arrested youths have been identified as Narinder, Jatinder, alias Bhura and Jatinder, alias Nitoo. They reportedly told the police that they wanted to snatch the motorcycle of the deceased but when he resisted they stabbed him to death.

Probe urged: Mr Makhan Lal, a resident of Khempur village in Aligarh district of UP on Monday demanded a high-level probe into the killing of his son Khazan allegedly by two persons in Saidpur village. Mr Lal alleged that his son was tied up and burnt to death by the culprits.

Five arrested: The police, has arrested five persons following the recovery of five unlicensed countrymade pistols from them. The arrested persons have been identified as Parveen of Lalehri village; Satbir, alias Sata of Lalehri Khurd village; Vijender of Lalehri Kalan village; Bala Ram of Matnawali village (UP) and Rajbir of Rathdhanna village. Cases under the Indian Arms Act have been registered against the culprits in Ganaur, Baroda and Sadar police stations of the district.

Cylinder theft: The city police arrested Raju Balmiki of Chhara village following the recovery of a stolen LPG cylinder from his possession here on Monday. According to the police, the culprit had stolen the cylinder from the house of Mr Subhash in the West Ram Nagar area.

Mahila protsahan yojna: Himachal Minister for Cooperatives Rikhiram Kondal declared that the state government had launched a new plan "Mahila Uthaan Protsahan Yojna" for encouraging mahila mandals and other such voluntary women organisations for launching various development projects in their areas. He said the government would spend Rs 1.3 lakh in providing financial help to mahila mandals under this plan in the district during the current financial year. He also laid the foundation stone of two rooms of government primary school at Kaseh village, about 30 km from here, on Sunday.

Appointment hailed: Mr Dilaram Dhiman, president of the Bilaspur Zila Parishad, and other members of the Congress have welcomed the appointment of a Zila Parishad member, Mr Hoshiyar Singh Thakur as Youth Congress State Vice-President by the Congress high command.

SHIMLA
Literacy rate: Himachal Pradesh has secured the status of being the second most literate state in the country after Kerala. The state has achieved 77 per cent literacy, according to a report of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Plea: Mr Gopal Das Verma, president of the State Non-Gazetted Services Federation, has urged the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal not to recognise the Ganga Singh faction of the federation as it was not the true representative of the employees. He also announced that election of Shimla district unit of the federation would be held again on April 7. Mr Ranjit Singh has been appointed the returning officer for the State Election to be held on April 21.

Accident: Five persons, including two women, were killed and 35 injured when a truck carrying them skidded off the road and fell into a khud at Lagiana village, near Jawar in Una district on Tuesday. The police identified three of the deceased as Jaspal Singh, Pritam Singh and Dharam Singh, all from Punjab. The injured were admitted to hospital at Una and Amb. The victims were returning from a fair at Mairi in the district.