Abohar
Stones for development projects laid: Balluana MLA Gurtej Singh Ghuriana laid foundation stones of different projects in six villages, including Muradwala Dal Singh, Burj Hanumangarh, Chanankhera, Bhangala and Ramgarh. The chief minister had recently released funds for these works. The legislator asked heads of the concerned departments to get all the works completed within the prescribed period. He also held a meeting with the senior SAD workers to discuss preparations for the Lok Sabha election.

Admission test: Nearly 276 students from Abohar block-1 are expected to appear here at the Government Senior Secondary School for boys on February 8 at 9 am in the special test for admission in 5th standard in the Navodaya Vidyalaya located in the village Mahianwala of the Zira sub division, block education primary officer, Shyam Sunder Sharma informed on Sunday. While confirming that identity cards had been issued to all students, the block education primary officer said the short-listed students would get free education besides lodging and boarding facilities in the school.

Farmers’ rally on Feb 19: The Bhartiya Kisan Union Krantikari, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, Dehati Majdoor Sabha, Nirman Majdoor Sabha, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Naujwan Sabha and Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan have decided to jointly organise a rally here on February 19 to denounce the privatisation policies of the state government, informed Kulwant Kirti. He was presiding over a meeting of the farmers at the Nehru Park here on Sunday. The meeting criticised the state government for not responding to genuine demands of the employees of various boards and departments.

PO arrested: A Punjab police team led by ASI Surjit Singh of Mamdot police station on Saturday arrested a proclaimed offender, Mohinder Singh, as soon as he came out of the court of the sub-divisional magistrate in border town Anoopgarh where his bail plea in a fresh case was accepted. The Punjab police had listed him as one of the militants. As per information Mohinder Singh along with a group of seven other militants had allegedly attacked the farm house of Gopal Singh, Dalip Singh and Hardyal Singh near Mamdot and looted valuables besides arms which included 12 bore rifle on November 1, 1990. 

Amritsar
CM to open waste plant: The holy city can now hope to get rid of huge garbage dumps with the inauguration of the state’s first solid waste management plant here tomorrow. The plant will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and state BJP in charge Balbir Punj. Announcing this here today, BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu said the job had been entrusted with Antony Waste Handling Cell Private Limited.

Batala
Shahidi Samarak: Jagdish Sawhney, chief parliamentary secretary, Punjab, has given Rs two lakh from his discretionary quota for the construction of ‘Shahidi Samarak’ in the memory of Veer Haqiqat Rai, who was killed by Muslim ruler in the 18th century. Sawhney made the announcement during a religious programme organised by the Dainik Prarthana Sabha on the occasion of Basant Panchmi here on Saturday.

Hoshiarpur
2 booked for cheating: The police has booked Naugrawan residents Rajinder Singh and his brother Dilbagh Singh for duping Balwinder Singh of Rs 2 lakh on the pretext of sending his brother to Greece. Instead of sending Balwinder’s brother to Greece, the duo sent him to Lebanon.

Shop burgled: Miscreants broke open the locks of a garments shop at Fatehgarh Road, opposite DAV College, on Friday night and decamped with goods and cash worth Rs 80,000. The shop belonged to Dalbir Singh of local Aslamabad. Miscreants stole Rs 9,500, garments and a TV set.

FATEHABAD
Hike in freight rates: The CPM lashed out at the central government for the recent hike in the railway freight rates for foodgrains on Saturday and demanded immediate roll back of it. The party also termed the cut in the prices of petroleum products as too little. Talking to mediapersons after a meeting of the district secretariat of the party here, Inderjit Singh, state secretary of the party, alleged that the UPA government had been working for the interests of big companies. He said the CPM would organise a state-level rally in Fatehabad on February 15.

KAITHAL
Gramin lok adalat: As many as 44 cases were settled at a gramin lok adalat held in Khanpur village here on Sunday. ACJM VP Sirohi presided over the adalat. Addressing litigants, the ACJM said lok adalat was a platform where pending cases could be settled through mutual consent and reconciliation among litigants. He said these adalats promoted a feeling of brotherhood. Litigants from Dohar, MalikPur, Himmat Pura, Khurana, Kawartan, Parbhot, Kheri Gulam Ali, Junaispur and Landerkeema villages attended this lok adalat.

REWARI
Free coaching classes: Free-of-cost coaching classes for students of matric and senior secondary classes aspiring to appear in engineering and medical entrance tests were formally inaugurated by educationist RK Maheshwari in Rao Khem Chand Vidya Vihar, a senior secondary school, in Bohatwas Ahir village, near here, on Saturday. School principal Indraj Bhardwaj said the management had purchased requisite books worth Rs 10 lakh for students who would attend these classes. He said the classes would continue for three months.

Tributes paid: A function was organised here on Sunday to mark the birth anniversary of Dr Ben Weider, founder president of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness and the International Napoleonic Society. The function was held under the auspices of the Young Men’s Association of India (YMAI). Tributes were paid to Weider by YMAI president Amit Swami. Veteran educationist Ram Lal Sachdeva, social activist Neelam Sharma, advocate, journalist Tarun Jain, civil surgeon Dr HR Yadav, boxing coach Manoj Sharma and medical writer Dr Seema Mittal were honoured with Dr Ben Weider Award on the occasion.

SONEPAT
Man shot dead: A person identified as Pratap was allegedly shot dead by five armed robbers, who had entered in the house of a farmer, Jaipal, in Pabsara village here on Friday night. The robbers also looted cash and other valuables at gunpoint and allegedly beat up the family members before escaping. Jaipal said the armed gangsters entered in his house around midnight and when the family raised the alarm, some villagers, including Pratap, came for help. A robber standing outside the house opened fire at Pratap, who later succumbed to his bullet injury. The robbers managed to escape. The police has registered a case.

Truck looted: Some car-borne armed gangsters reportedly looted a truck loaded with “gur” between Sisana and Kharkhoda on the Sonepat-Rohtak highway on Friday. The truck was on the way to Nokha city in Rajasthan from Barot in Uttar Pradesh. A case has been registered on the complaint of truck driver Rakesh. He alleged that the gangsters also looted Rs 17,000 from him

BILASPUR
Job plan reviewed: DC Amar Singh Rathore presided over a district-level meeting to review implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act here on Thursday. He said the scheme had been proving beneficial in providing employment to villagers. All eligible villagers were entitled to get 100-day employment in a year within 5 km radius of their homes, he added. He said 1,296 villagers were provided employment in Bilaspur (Sadar) development block, 2,595 in Ghumarwin block and 1,429 in Jandhutta development block.

DHARAMSALA
1 held with charas: The Jawalamukhi police has arrested Neeraj Sharma, a local resident, and seized 250 gram of charas from his possession. Kangra SP Atul Phulzele said here on Friday that the accused was arrested on a tip-off that someone was carrying charas on a scooter. After laying a naka, he was arrested with the charas, he added.

NURPUR
MLA seeks probe: MLA Rakesh Pathania has alleged misuse of Horticulture Technical Mission (HTM) funds, meant for the entire district, for the benefit an individual in the Mand area of Nurpur subdivision during the previous regime. Addressing mediapersons on Sunday, he said the government should order a high-level inquiry into the misuse of funds. “If warranted, I will stage a sit-in in the Mand area,” he said.

SHIMLA
Pay parity sought: The State Police Employees’ Welfare Federation has demanded enhanced pay, ration and house allowance on a par with their Punjab counterparts. In a statement issued here on Friday, president of the federation Ramesh Chauhan said it was in 2002 that the ration allowance was increased to Rs 100, but now with Punjab raising it to Rs 500, the state should follow this suit. “Since Himachal always maintains parity with Punjab in pay matters, our salaries should also be enhanced,” he demanded.

Jammu
375 cement bags seized: The police seized 375 misappropriated bags of cement and arrested one person in connection with the malpractice in Jammu, official sources said here on Sunday. A raid was conducted at a shop on Saturday on specific information that large quantity of departmental cement was being misappropriated by officials of irrigation division in Akhnoor along with a contractor identified as Joginder Singh. During the raid, 375 misappropriated bags of cement were seized from the shop while the shop owner, Sanjay Gupta, failed to produce the bill of the cement, on which he was arrested on the spot.