R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
Blood donation: The Hindu Sabha Senior Secondary School is organising a blood donation-cum-checking camp in the premises of school on February 15. More than 25 students belonging to this organisation have donated blood during last year.

BATHINDA
Family planning camp: Dr S.L. Thukral, Medical Officer, in a press note issued here on Sunday said a family planning camp was organised at the local Civil Hospital and 71 persons were operated upon. Dr Thukral said more people were opting for non-scalpel vasectomy technique. The camp was inaugurated by Dr R.S. Sandhu, Director, Family Welfare, Punjab.

DHURI
Camp: The local Rotary and Rotract Clubs jointly organised a pollution check-up camp here on Sunday. At least 760 vehicles were issued pollution clearance certificates.

Annual function: Vasant Valley Public School on Sunday organised its annual function at Ladda. A large number of parents attended the function. Mrs Amrit Gill, SDM, was the chief guest. She distributed the prizes.

FATEHGARH
Demands: Residents of Sirhind town in this district have urged the government to recarpet the roads dug up by the Telecom Department. Mr R.N. Sharma, president, Citizens Welfare Council, Sirhind, said development projects had failed to take off. The town was adopted by the Central Government under the IDSMT scheme. A sum of Rs 2 crore was sanctioned and the first instalment of Rs 25 lakh was released but the second was not sanctioned as the Municipal Council failed to submit the progress report of the ongoing projects.

CBI inquiry: The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Bassi Pathana, here on Tuesday demanded a CBI inquiry into the cheques issued by the President and the Executive Officer of the Municipal Council, and illegal encroachments done by the influential people on the municipal land.

KHANNA
Examination boycott: Leaders of the Teaching and Non-Teaching Union has warned the Punjab Government that the employees would boycott the forthcoming examination if the state government failed to fulfil their demands. While observing the "Save Education Day" at the local A.S. College Mr Tarsem Bahia, general secretary of the Principal's Association of Punjab Colleges said the government was bent upon to abolish the grant-in-aid scheme that had been there since 1978. He said the decision, if implemented would result in closure of most of the colleges.

NANGAL
Without electricity: The local Government Shivalik College has been without electricity for the past week. The work at the college laboratories and those at Diploma College of Pharmacy has virtually come to a halt. The electricity supply was reportedly disrupted because of a short-circuit in wires.

PATIALA
Election Commission: The Patiala Congress Vice-President, Mr Sant Ram Singla, requested the Election Commission to deploy paramilitary forces in the Nawanshahr Assembly constituency, fearing large-scale rigging by the ruling Akali Dal-Bjp alliance. In a statement issued here, Mr Singla, who is coordinating the Congress byelection campaign in Nawanshahr, also requested the Chief Election Commissioner to send five more observers to check the alleged large-scale irregularities being committed by the Akali Dal government.

PHAGWARA
Education grants: The Punjab Freedom Fighters Family Welfare Committee will provide education grants to wards of Quiet India, freedom fighters. This was stated here on Monday by its state convenor, Mr Balwantrai Uppal. He said the grants would be given on March 23, the martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.

Support extended: The PPCC, President, Capt Amarinder Singh and the Opposition leader of the Vidhan Sabha, Mr Jagjit Singh, on Monday supported the demands of the private college teachers and non-teaching staff who observed "save higher education day" on Monday in protest against the Punjab Government decision to reduce the grants.

CHANDIGARH

Meeting: The fourth annual general body meeting of the Punjab and Chandigarh Medical and Sales Representative Union, Chandigarh, was held on Monday. The house unanimously condemned the attempt of some fundamental elements to stop the shooting of the film Water and "sabotage the right of expression". Meanwhile, following members have been elected the office-bearers of the union: Mr Sanjay Puri — Unit President; Mr A.S. Sawhney — Unit Secretary; Mr Satbir Singh, Unit Treasurer.

Elections: Elections of Class IV Workers' Union of the Education Department will be held on February 28. This was announced by the President of the union, Ms Kamala, while speaking at a union meeting chaired by Mr K. Ram, a press issued here on Monday said.

Bonus: Punjab employees will get a bonus for the years 1997-98 and 1998-99. Also, daily-wage workers and temporary workers will be made permanent. This was said in a press note issued by the Joint Action Committee of Punjab and UT Employees here on Monday. This decision comes as the result of a meeting between a nine-member delegation of the committee and the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, besides other officials, on Sunday. The decision was hailed by the office-bearers of the committee and its Chairman, Mr Sajjan Singh, among others.

Protest: The UT Powermen Union Chandigarh, in a press note issued on Monday, said the Electricity Wing of the UT Engineering Department held a protest rally in front of the office of Subdivision 6 in Sector 20, in continuance of the protest rallies being organised by the UT powermen. The rally was addressed by various trade union leaders, including Mr Bhag Mal Rana, General Secretary of the Federation of the UT Employees and Workers, Chandigarh; Mr Vijay Singh and Mr Ram Swaroop, its Vice-Presidents; and Mr Gopal Joshi, its Joint Secretary. They condemned the move of the Chandigarh Administration to privatise the power sector.

Ashoka trees: A resident of Sector 9, Major Vikram Sharma, alleged that the labour employed to remove encroachments in his sector cut five Ashoka tress planted by him just outside his house. "The labour chopped the trees which were almost three-year-old before beginning the work on removing encroachments. This is despite that they were assigned to remove only the hedges and angle irons on the road berms,'' he said. However, sources in HUDA, which is implementing of the directions it received from the High Court, said the work had been done in accordance with these directions only.

SAS NAGAR
Immunisation camp: An immunisation camp was organised by the Ranbaxy Community Healthcare Society at Mohali village here on Monday. In all, 132 children up to the age of five were vaccinated against different diseases. Free medicines for respiratory-tract infections were also distributed on the occasion.

HARYANA

AMBALA
Meetings: The Ambala City Brahmin Sabha on Monday held corner meetings at Wards number 25, 26 and 31. These meetings were organised by Brahmins of Jaggi Colony. Mr Pradeep Sharma, President of the sabha, said he was pleased to note the good attendance of women at the meeting. He also said women should come forward for social work.

KURUKSHETRA
Cultural fest: Regional Engineering College here will organise a national-level students' cultural festival here next month. The Principal of the college, Mr N.P. Mehta, said dance, drama, music and fine art programmes would be organised during the four-day event "Millennium Conference" beginning March 24. About 30 teams from all over India are expected to take part in it.

Office inaugurated: The District Congress Committee on Sunday opened its office after 10 years. The office was inaugurated by Mr B.B. Mahajan. Mr Balbir Singh, MLA, Billawar, was the chief guest. Mr Manohar Singh, DCC block president, presided over the function. He urged the party workers to work for the ensuing panchayat poll.

FARIDABAD
Charas seized: The police on Sunday arrested Vinay, a resident of Bharat colony, on a charge of possessing 500 gm of charas.

FATEHABAD
Poppy husk seized: The police on Sunday seized 86 bags of poppy husk from a truck near Baropal village in this district. The poppy husk was hidden under onion bags. The police arrested the truck driver Kanwar Sien. Another accomplice of the accused, however, managed to escape.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
Shop gutted: One person was burnt alive in fire that destroyed a three-storeyed shop at Rajera village on the Chamba-Bharmour highway, 10 km from here, on Monday. According to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr K. Sanjay Murthy, the deceased had been identified as Mohar Singh, a care taker of the shop. He said Rs 5,000 each had been given to the family whose shop was burnt and the kin of the deceased.

KANGRA
Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Himachal Pradesh Attorney Association: president — Mr Harminder Singh Rana; senior vice-president — Mr N.K. Sharma; vice-presidents — Mr C.B. Acharya and Mr P.R. Patial; general secretary — Mr Kuldeep Singh Sen; and treasurer — Mr Purinder Sharma.

NAHAN
Renuka lake: Dr Prem Singh, MLA from the Renuka constituency, in a statement issued here on Monday praised the HP Wildlife Department for the upkeep of the Renuka Wildlife Sanctuary. He said the department had already constructed 1,500-metre long wall-around the lake to stop the inflow of mud and rain water into it.

Ropeway bridge: The Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur, Mr Rakesh Kaushal, inaugurated a ropeway bridge across the Giri river at Siun village. The bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 1 lakh and will connect Siun, Paniali Siun and Lana Mashoor villages.

NURPUR
ITI shifting: Residents of this subdivisional town and its surrounding gram panchayats are sore over the state government's move to shift the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) from Jachh to Rehan.