ABOHAR
Rural banks strike: Employees of the Regional Rural Development Banks (RRBs) in the country will observe a two-day strike on June 29 and 30 in support of their demands. A.P.S. Brar, president, All-Punjab Gramin Bank Officers Association, said the employees were demanding the implementation of the Banking Pension Settlement, 1993-94, parity with sponsor banks in the payment of allowances and other benefits, appointments on compassionate grounds, among other things.

BATHINDA
Milkseller assaulted: Gian Chand, a milkseller, was reportedly beaten up with sticks by three or four persons in the wee hours on Wednesday when he was about to open his shop. He was taken by neighbours to the local hospital where he received stitches on his head. A case has been registered.

GURDASPUR
Narcotics cell: The district police chief has constituted a narcotics cell at his office. The police has set up a toll free telephone No. 1090 in the office of the SSP for information about drug peddlers and agents. Senior police officers will be deputed to monitor phone calls 24 hours a day on a rotation basis.

HOSHIARPUR
2 hurt in scuffle: Budh Singh, sarpanch of Kolpur, and Kuldip Singh, former sarpanch of the same village, along with their supporters, entered into a scuffle in front of the office of the district development and panchayat officer (DDPO) at the mini secretariat here on Tuesday. They have been arrested.

Khamano
Meeting: A meeting of Akali workers, who had spent long time in jails during agitations by the Akali Dal, was held at Gurudwara Jhar Sahib under the chairmanship of Mohinder Singh Kakrala. The meeting alleged that although the Badal government had come into power four times, it had failed to provide any facility to the prisoners of the Punjabi Suba Morcha, Emergency Morcha, Kapoori Morcha and Dharm Yuth Morcha. They said they had given a memorandum in this regard to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on April 10,2007 in Sangat Darshan held at Chandigarh, with no effect. They demanded that they should be appointed chairpersons of the market committees and be given medical facility besides compensation.

Cremation: Gurjeet Singh of Khamano, who died at Brampton (Canada) a few days back, was cremated on Wednesday at Khamano. Gurjeet had gone to Canada 11 years back with the aim of improving the state of his family.

MOGA
Protest: ETT students of a private educational institute S.K College for Women located on Ferozepur road staged a protest in front of their college on Tuesday. They were seeking refund of Rs 5,500, the amount they had paid as security.

Patiala
CAMP: Cynosores Educational Management Society, in collaboration with the Red Cross Society, Patiala, organised a special training camp for NTT and computer teachers at Gurbax School, here on Monday.

APPOINTED: Virinder Singh has been appointed principal of Government College, Muktsar. Virinder, who is head of the department of fine arts at Government Mohindra College, will join duty on Wednesday.

PHILLAUR
Waterlogging: Residents of Goraya in Phillaur sub-division are facing great inconvenience due to stagnation of contaminated water on the roads. This is due to a lack of water disposal system in several parts of the town. Residents were seen wading through dirty water at Railway road. They alleged that despite several reminders to the nagar panchayat, no action has been initiated.