Painting contest: An on-the spot painting competition was organised by Indian Academy of Fine Arts here to commemorate the Children’s Day on Wednesday. The honorary secretary of the academy, Mr Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, in a press note issued here on Wednesday, said that more than 300 students in the age group of 3 to 18 years participated.

BATHINDA
Two cops booked: Head Constable Charanjit Singh and constable Tarjinder Singh, posted at the CIA staff police station here, have been booked by the Sadar police station for taking a bribe of Rs 12,000 from Bant Singh of Mehta village. Mr Harnek Singh Sran, SSP, in a press note issued here on Wednesday said that on November 12,1999 two persons were stealing kerosene from a tanker and they were not arrested by these two policemen who caught them red-handed in lieu of Rs 12,000. An inquiry has been entrusted to DSP Jaspreet Singh Sidhu, the SSP added.

FEROZEPORE
Strike: Members of the Engineering College Teachers Association of the local Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology observed a day's pen-down strike on Wednesday in protest against non-implementation of the revised pay scales due from January 1, 1996.

Celebrated: The cantonment branch of State Bank of Patiala celebrated bank's 83rd foundation day on Wednesday. According to the Branch Manager, Mr S.S Gupta, sweets were distributed among the staff members.

GURDASPUR
Arrested: On a complaint of the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Zila Parishad, Parkash Chand has been arrested for submitting a false affidavit stating he was unemployed and living below poverty line and obtained a grant of Rs 20,000 from the government for construction of a pucca house under the Indira Awas Yojana launched by the central government. According to Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, Rs 20,000 have been recovered from the accused.

Human chain: More than 5000 students from various schools of the district formed in a human chain on Wednesday. The event was organised by the local Rotary Clubs as part of the pulse polio awareness in the state in its second leg programme due for administration of polio drops on Sunday.

HOSHIARPUR
Expedition: Mr Iqbal Singh Sidhu, Deputy Commissioner, flagged off an expedition team of the 3rd Dogra Regiment comprising 12 jawans, one Junior Commissioned Officer and Lt. Romesh Asani from Sainik Rest House here on Wednesday. The team left for Gagret (Himachal Pradesh). The team started its 17-day-long expedition on foot from Jalandhar on November 15 and would end its journey on November 30 at Jutogh (Shimla).

March: A march by schoolchildren was organised by the District Health Department in connection with the pulse polio programme here on Wednesday. The march was taken out through main bazars to create awareness in the public about polio.

LUDHIANA
Blood camp: The local Lions Club, organised a blood donation and blood grouping camp during this week at Shanti Tara College, Akbarpur village, Ahmedgarh. Lion N.M Datta, president of the club, informed that 95 units of blood were collected and the blood groups of around 200 students of the college were checked. Mr J.S Jassi, SDM, Malerkotla, was the chief guest.

Case registered: The police has registered a case under Sections 406 and 420, IPC against Swaran Singh, alias Makhan and Tarlochan Singh, allegedly for duping Joginder Singh of Rs 3 lakh by assuring to get him a visa to the USA. The two accused failed to get him the visa and did not return money.

Grant released: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has released a grant of Rs 10 crore to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) for payment of arrears to the teachers of the PAU on account of the revision of their pay scales. Dr Hari Singh Brar, president and Dr Madan Lal Gupta of the PAU Teachers Association, at a meeting of the PAUTA Executive, on Wednesday, urged the Punjab Government to also release its share of 20 per cent.

MOGA
Freedom fighter dead: Mr Dalip Singh a veteran freedom fighter and father of Mr Manmohan Singh Brar, a former member of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and Chairman, Gurdwara Judicial Commission, died at Faridkot on Monday after a brief illness, a delayed report said. He was about 80. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal expressed sympathies with the bereaved family.

PATIALA
Tributes: Tributes were paid to Maj Sudershan Singh, grandson of Bhai Kahan Singh of Nabha, at a function held in Nabha town on Wednesday. Jathedar Rattan Singh Alohran paid tributes on behalf of the Shiromoni Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Raja Narinder Singh on behalf of the state government, Ranjit Singh on behalf of the truck union and Prem Chand Goyal on behalf of the Arhatiya Association. Others who attended the function were Raja Malwinder Singh, former minister, Randhir Singh Cheema and former PSEB Chairman Bhupinder Singh Sidhu.

TARN TARAN
Sentenced: Baba Subeg Singh and 13 others were, on Monday, sentenced to six months rigorous imprisonment by the local Sub-judicial Magistrate (Class I), Mr Ravinder Singh, for forcibly taking away nine vehicles which belonged to the local Dera Baba Jeewan Singh, including trucks, jeeps, and cars.

Elected: The following have been elected office bearers of the Progressive Residents Social Welfare Society: President— Mr Mohinder Singh; Secretary — Mr Harbhajan Singh; Joint Secretary — Mr Hari Singh Matharoo; and Cashier — Mr Gurcharan Singh Rangi.

Association: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Punjab District Attorney Services Association: President — Mr Arbinder Singh Rai; Vice-President — Mr Harminder Pal Singh; General Secretary — Mr Pardeep Mehta; and Cashier — Mr Amar Ashok Pathak.

KALKA
Eye camp: A free eye camp was organised here on Wednesday at the Government Civil Hospital, where 64 patients were successfully operated upon out of which 27 patients were provided eyes lenses. During this camp 440 OPD patients were examined. The camp was organised by the Hospital Welfare Society, and sponsored by the local Lions Club. Medicines and spectacles were given free of cost.

PANCHKULA
Health camp: A health check-up camp was organised for the elderly people at Dosarka, Surajpur, near Pinjore, by HelpAge India at which 170 patients suffering from asthma, arthritis, hypertension and eye infection were treated, a press note issued by Ms Sonia Arora, Project Officer of HelpAge India, said here on Thursday. It was found that 60 per cent of the elderly were suffering from hypertension, 30 per cent were malnourished and 20 per cent from asthma.

Cataract operations: The six-day eye camp being conducted by Dr Ashok Gupta at Civil Hospital, Kalka, concluded on Thursday. During the camp, 63 cataract operations, 27 intra-ocular lens implants were conducted, while 400 patients were examined. The camp was organised by the Lions Club in collaboration with the Hospital Welfare Society of Kalka.

Music concert: A music concert in the aid of the blind will be organised at Yavnika, Sector 5, on November 20. Giving details of the concert, Mr Pradeep Bhardwaj, Organising Secretary, said that artistes from the region had been invited to sing popular numbers of Kishore Kumar and Mohd Rafi at the function which would be a charity show.

SIRSA
Resentment: Resentment prevails among residents of Mandi Kalanwali town in this district against senior officers of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, of the district as they were not being supplied kerosene and other edible material in fair price shops. It has been alleged that after recent hike in the diesel, fair price shop owners were indulging in large scale black marketing of kerosene and were not supplying kerosene to ration card holders of this town. They demanded an enquiry into the matter and that guilty persons be punished.

Demand: Mr Sheo Parshad, state president, Haryana Municipal Council Employees Sangh, while addressing a meeting of the district unit, alleged here on Wednesday that they had not been given their salaries for the past three months. He also alleged the state government had not done anything to implement their long-standing demands. He also demanded that all employees of octroi be adjusted in other departments at the earliest and also warned that in case their salaries would not be given in near future they would be forced to launch an agitation.

Two killed: Two persons died and nine were injured in a road accident near Kharian village in this district on Wednesday, the police said here on Thursday. The accident took place when a Haryana Roadways bus collided with a jeep waiting for passengers at Kharian bus stand. Deceased were identified as Balwant Singh of Jodhpuria village who died on spot and Makhan Singh who succumbed to accident injuries near Panjuana village on way to the Civil Hospital, here.

Campaign launched: The police has launched a special campaign to check the increasing satta in this district. A special cell of the police has been constituted for this purpose. The Superintendent of Police, Sirsa, said here on Thursday Krishan Kumar Arora of Grover Street at local Shiv Chowk was arrested on a charge of indulging in satta in an open place and seized Rs 555 from him.

SONEPAT
Arrested: The Rai police on Thursday claimed to have solved the murder of a youth Attar Singh of Jatheri village whose body was found near Kalinga Farm on July 3 last. SSP K.P. Singh told mediapersons here that the police had arrested Narinder, alias Kala, of the same village in this connection. The culprit, had quarrelled with the victim on that day after having liquor and this reportedly resulted in his murder.

Re-arrested: The Ganaur police has re-arrested a criminal Rajinder who had escaped from the custody of U.P. police while he was being taken from Ghaziabad jail to Sonepat district jail on February 14 last. The SSP told mediapersons here on Thursday that the culprit was wanted in the murder cases committed by him in Sonepat district, UP and Delhi.

KANGRA
Loans: Thirty persons were, on Wednesday, disbursed loans to the tune of Rs 35 lakh on the occasion of the 83rd foundation day celebrations of the State Bank of Patiala here. Mr S.C Sharma, Branch Manager, said on the occasion, that the advances were made to thirty persons under the personal and consumer durable scheme.

SOLAN
Body found: The Arki police found a body of a youth identified as Dhan Singh by his brother, from the vicinity of Chibber village, about 70 km from here on Wednesday. Additional S.P Sundar Lal told newspersons that the body was in a mutilated condition. Dhan Singh had been reported missing for the past three or four days. The body has been sent for post-mortem.

SUNDERNAGAR
Sentenced: Anup Singh of Riharu village of Jogindernagar subdivision was convicted and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for seven years and a fine of Rs 5000 was imposed on him for raping a mentally deranged woman on September 16, 1998. The order was passed on November 15 at Jogindernagar.