Invitation: The Malaysian AIDS Council, which is organising the fifth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, have invited the nodal officer in charge of AIDS, Dr Ravi Saini, for presenting his paper on STD and HIV prevention. Dr Saini has conducted a study of AIDS through the healthy highways project with an objective to reducing the incidence of STD and HIV among the truckers operating in Amritsar. He would present his finding at the Congress being held during this week at Kuala Lumpur.

GURDASPUR
Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Diploma Engineers Association, PSEB, on the state-level: president: — Mr Pritam Singh Bhatti; senior vice-president — Mr Sat Parkash Singh Khanna; and general secretary — Mr Harjit Singh.

HOSHIARPUR
Condemned: The District Congress Committee here in its meeting held here on Sunday condemned the SAD-BJP government for increasing sales tax on various items, including petrol and diesel, due to which the rates of almost all commodities increased. The meeting suggested that instead of imposing the load of taxes on the public, the state government should curtail its unnecessary expenditures. Meeting also condemned the state government for the proposed scrapping of seven corporations of Punjab due to which about 21000 employees would become jobless. The meeting was presided over by Mr Romesh Chander Dogra, MLA, and president of the DCC.

Dharna: Representatives of the Brahmin Sabha, Sud Sabha, Saini Sabha, Aggarwal Sabha and the Ravi Dass Sabha led by Principal Hardial Singh, convenor of Sanskriti Raksha Manch, here, Dr Ganesh Dutt Bhardwaj, secretary, VHP, Punjab unit, Mr Kundan Lal and Mr Chamel Chand Sharma staged a dharna in front of Municipal Library here on Monday to press upon the President of India to stop Christians from converting persons of other religions into Christianity. A memorandum was also presented to the President of India through Additional Deputy Commissioner.

KAPURTHALA
Held: A police team of Bholath police station arrested one person during nakabandi near Barioar village following a seizure of a .12 bore pistol and two live cartridges from him. SSP Iqbal Singh identified the arrested person as Kuldeep Singh of Benchan village of Hoshiarpur district. During interrogation he admitted that he, along with another accomplice, had committed a robbery near Jalalpur village.

Function: Mr Raghbir Singh, Transport Minister, on Sunday, inaugurated a scheme to supply 24-hours uninterrupted power supply to Aujula village near the town in a function organised by village panchayat. Aujula village is the native village of late Suchet Singh, a member of Constituent Assembly, which prepared the Constitution of India. Mr Raghbir Singh also named the new link road from Aujula to Dhaliwal Dona and Dhapai in the memory of Suchet Singh which would be constructed at a cost of Rs 24 lakh.

Camp: A district-level farmer training camp will be organised on Thursday in the JJ Club. Mr V.K. Singh, Deputy Commissioner, will inaugurate.

LUDHIANA
Demanded: Five of the Akali Dal MLAs have demanded the roll back in the price of diesel by the central government as it had adversely affected the common man with the prices of the essential commodities increasing manifold. In a joint statement issued to the press here on Monday, Mr Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, Mr Inderjit Singh Zira, Mr Hira Singh Gabria and Mr Bikramjit Singh Khalsa, also urged the state government to reconsider the additional hike in sales tax imposed by the state government on diesel, petrol and cereals.

NAWANSHAHR
Rally: The district unit of the Gazetted and Non-Gazetted Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Employees Welfare Federation, Punjab, organised a chetna rally at Guru Ravidas Mandir here on Sunday. The speakers, which included Mr Jasbir Singh Paul, state president, Mr Chaman Lal, senior vice-president, Mr Shingara Ram Sahungra, MLA, Mr Hargopal Singh, Mr Avtar Singh Karimuri (both former MLAs) and Mr Satnam Kainth, former MP, while addressing the rally, termed the decision of the Supreme Court regarding reservation as against the spirit of the Constitution and criticised Mr Parkash Singh Badal for implementing the decision without taking the SC/BC federation into confidence.

PATHANKOT
Office-bearers: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Market Committee Employee Union, District Gurdaspur: president — Mr Pargat Singh; vice-president — Mr Dilbagh Singh; general secretary — Mr Raj Kumar Punj; and treasurer — Mr Swaran Lal.

PHILLAUR
Course for cops: The Punjab Police Academy here organised a three-day course for GO's on "Office record, office procedure, accounts matters and powers of DOO" which begain on Monday. The focus of the course was on various issues relating to the office procedure and office record accounts matters and powers of DDOs. In this course about 19 Gazetted Police Officers from various districts and units participated.

ROPAR
Book released: A book titled 'Sikhiya Ate Bhagti' authored by Dr Ajmer Singh, District Education Officer , here, was released by Mr Tota Singh, Education Minister, Punjab, at a function here on Monday.

Operation camp: A piles operation camp will be organised on October 31 by the local unit of Bharat Vikas Parishad, on the premises of local New Model High School, according to Mr Harish Chopra, president of the parishad. Medicines will be supplied to the patients free of cost.

SANGRUR
Pulse polio: On the concluding day of the pulse polio campaign on Monday, 37 medical teams went door to door and administered polio drops to the remaining 1500 children below the age of five in the town and the surrounding slum areas, Dr Anup Kad, senior Medical Officer of local Civil Hospital said here. He said that during the three-day campaign over 9500 children were administered polio drops.

Training: A six-day training programme on direct trainer skills and designs of training began at the Dr Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Sector 42, on Tuesday. It aims at imparting basic instructional skills and creating a learning environment for those who wish to review their instructional skills.

Play: A play titled 'Rangliya Rangrej' will be staged at the Open Air Theatre, Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, on October 30 and 31. It is being staged by students of Panjab University, Punjab Engineering College and Chandigarh College of Architecture.

NARNAUL
Assured: Mr Raja Shekhar, Deputy Commissioner, has assured chaukidars of Mahendragarh district that their problems would be taken up seriously and those within his powers would be sorted out within a week. Main demands of chaukidars included — to declare them a government servants and pay from government treasury.

Seminar: A three-day seminar organised by the Public Relations Department ended here on Monday. The theme of the seminar was that one act plays, drama and songs were the best source to publicise government policies.

Darbar: Deputy Commissioner Raja Shekhar heard problems of people at a ‘janata darbar’ on Monday and told subordinate officers to sort out their problems on a priority basis. It was also decided to organise the ‘janata darbar’ at Panchayat Bhavan here on every Wednesday at 11 a.m. instead of Fridays. Most of the complaints were regarding water and land disputes.

ROHTAK
Demonstration: Activists of the state committee of the Student Federation of India (SFI) will hold a state-level demonstration in front of the office of the Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University on Friday to pressurise for acceptance of their demands. In a statement here on Monday, Mr Naresh Kumar, state general secretary, SFI, said several parts of the state had been facing a drought-like situation and the students belonging to these areas were unable to pay their tuition fees. Therefore, the SFI demanded remittance of the tuition fee for the students concerned, restoration of the election to student bodies, a check on commercialisation of education and restoration of autonomy of different universities.

Morcha: The Rashtriya Brashtachar Virodhi Morcha has asked the district administration to take measures to improve the functioning of the government and semi-government offices here. At a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, office-bearers of the morcha appealed to him to take strict action against corrupt and inefficient officials. The main demands put up by them include regulation of fee structure and other facilities in all public and private schools, checking of growing pollution on roads and steps to check the incidents of thefts in the district.

Murder: One person was beaten to death by three others at Achhejpaharipur village in Beri subdivision of the Jhajjar district on Monday. According to police sources, the deceased Krishan, son of Jodharam, had some dispute with the accused — Satywan, Japaan Singh and Dayanand — all brothers, about grazing of animals and sharing of irrigation water. The police has registered a case but no arrest has been made so far.

SHAHBAD
Blood donation: A blood donation camp was organised at Mukand Lal National College Radaur near here on Monday in which 100 units of blood were donated.

SIRSA
Arrested: Kulvinder Kaur of local J.J.Colony was arrested under the Excise Act on Monday. Giving this information, a spokesperson of the Sirsa police said here on Tuesday that the police seized 440 pouches of liquor from her possession.

Child killed: Sanam (7), daughter of Brijlal of local Shiv Chowk, was run over and her brother Rahul and sister Punam received serious injuries when they were hit by a truck while crossing road near Balmiki Chowk here on Monday. According to sources, the injured children were hospitalised. A case under Sections 279/304-A of IPC, has been registered against the truck driver Bhupinder Singh of Moriwala village who has been arrested.

Suspended: Kasturilal, Executive Engineer, Panchayati Raj , was placed under suspension by Mr Om Parkash Chautala, Chief Minister, Haryana , on a charge of not performing his duty honestly. According to sources, on his recent village tour, Mr Chautala received a complaint that Kasturilal was responsible for use of substandard material in construction of a government building . The Chief Minister has also ordered an inquiry into the matter.

Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Divya Parivar, a social organisation of Mandi Elenabad about 40 km from here: president — Mr Sanjay Goyal; vice-president — Mr Rakesh Himani; secretary — Mr Amurti Garg; and treasurer — Mr Vijay Vikas.

SONEPAT
Divali mela: The Friends Manch is organising a three-day Divali mela starting from Friday in the premises of the municipal park near Subhash Chowk here. According to another report, Mr Dev Raj Diwan, an Independent MLA and an associate member of the Congress, will also organise a Divali milan programme in the same park on November 1. Several Congress leaders, including Mr Sajjan Kumar (Delhi), Mrs Deepa Kaul (UP) and Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, HPCC President, will attend. A cultural programme will also be organised on this occasion in connection with the Haryana Day.

Non-payment of salary: More than 600 workers of the Jhalani Tools Engineering Limited, at Kundli village in this district are facing financial crisis on account of non-payment of salary for the past 14 months by the management. Mr Krishan Yadav, president of the workers union, told mediapersons here on Tuesday that neither the Labour Department nor the state government had taken any action against the erring management responsible for the violation of the Minimum Wages Act and other labour laws. He also alleged that the management had failed to deposit the amount given by employers in the G.P. Fund for the past three years and ESI fund. If any worker wanted to leave his job, he was given a bogus cheque of the amount by the management, he alleged.

Dharna: A large number of people, affiliated to the Jan Sangharsh Samiti, began an indefinite dharna and chain fast on the Sonepat-Rohtak Road near a petrol pump here on Monday to press their demands for repair of the road and improving the sewerage system in the area. They also raised anti-government slogans and announced that their dharna and chain fast would continue until their demands are accepted.

No water: Several areas of this city, including Ram Bazar and Kalan Mohalla, remained without water on Monday following the non-supply of drinking water by the Public Health Department. This has led to resentment among the residents of these areas. Earlier, a large number of women staged a protest in front of the office of the SDO, Public Health Department and raised slogans against the department officials.

Arrested: The Ganaur police has arrested a proclaimed offender Virender of Jatuwas village who was wanted in a looting case in Ganuar Mandi on June 15 last year. SP K P Singh told mediapersons here on Tuesday that the police had already arrested six culprits Surinder, Bal Kishan, Santosh, Anil, Hitender and Chand who were allegedly involved in this looting case.

Eviction ordered: The Divisional Forest Officer-cum-Collector, Mr Nagesh Guleria, has ordered the eviction of a farmer Charandass of Behna-Brafamana village, tehsil Jhandutta, near here from four bighas of government forest land which he had been unauthorisedly occupying since last year. A departmental press release said here on Monday that the forest officer ordered the eviction under section 5(1) of the HP Public Premises and Land Eviction act as villagers had complained against this encroachment on government forest land last year.

DALHOUSIE
Contributed: Boarders of Sacred Heart Convent School here have given Rs 27,000 to Mrs Nirmala Devi, widow of martyr L/NK Amar Singh of the 10, Dogra Regiment, who sacrificed his life while in operation area a few days ago. Besides, Rs 3,000 were also added by the jawans of the 10, Dogra Regiment. This amount was presented to Nirmala Devi by Mrs Hema Verma, wife of Col J. Verma, Commanding Officer, 10 Dogra Regiment.