R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

FATEHGARH
STIR:The Punjab College Librarians Association (PCLA) has decided to join the agitation launched by the Federation of College-University Physical Education and Library Associations of India (FEDCUPELA). FEDCUPELA was to stage a dharna in front of the University Grants Commission (UGC) office on Thursday and at Human Resource Development Ministry on Friday to press for the acceptance of its demands. According to Mr Barjinder Pal Dhiman, general secretary of the PCLA and a member of the national executive council of the FEDCUPELA, the main demand of the federation is the pay fixation of college librarians/DPEs at a minimum of Rs 14,940 and Rs 15,360 and university librarians/DPEs at a minimum of Rs 17,300.

FARIDKOT
COMPENSATION AWARDED: The District Consumers Disputes Redressal Forum has ordered the postal authorities in Malout to pay Rs 5,811 along with 12 per cent interest as compensation against a wrongful deduction of TDS from the account of Dr Jiwan Lal Singla, Chief Medical Officer at Civil Hospital, Bathinda. The court has also directed the postal authorities to pay a compensation of Rs 2,000 to the complainant due to inefficient services rendered to him, causing not only financial loss but also mental agony.

FAZILKA
MURDERED: Milakh Raj (45) of Amir Khas village, 35 km from here, was found dead with bullet injuries in his skull when his son Rakesh Kumar and brother Janak Raj went to serve him in his fields on Wednesday morning. Janak Raj has registered an FIR with the Sadar police, Jalalabad. The reason behind the murder could not be ascertained and no clue of the culprit has been found so far.

CRUSHED TO DEATH: Jeet Singh (18) of Kadar Baksh village in the subdivision was crushed to death by the tractor he was driving on Wednesday evening near the local grain market. It is learnt that the tractor developed some technical snag and Jeet Singh lost control of it and fell down. He got crushed beneath the tractor resulting in his death on the spot.

NOMINATIONS FILED: As many as 107 persons have filed their nomination papers for the elections to 15 wards of the Barwala Municipal Committee in the district. An official spokesman said here on Thursday all nomination papers were found correct after scrutiny. He said there were four nominees from ward no 1, eight from ward no 2, five from ward no 3, eight from ward no 4, eight from ward no 5, six from ward no 6, five from ward no 7, five from ward no 8, 17 from ward no 9, five from ward no 10, eight from ward no 11, five from ward no 12, four from ward no 13, 13 from ward no 14 and six from ward no 15.

GURDASPUR
FARMERS' CAMP: A large number of farmers from all over the district participated in the district farmers' training camp and a seminar on oil seeds held here on Thursday under the aegis of the District Agriculture Department. Mr S. K. Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, was the chief guest and Dr R.K. Rampal, Joint Director, Agriculture Department, presided. Various experts from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and Punjab Agriculture Department emphasised on soil testing, use of hybrid seeds, timely sowing and timely watering of crops to get optimum yield. The experts warned against excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides.

HOSHIARPUR
MEETING: To deliberate upon the rampant unemployment and the deteriorating economic conditions among the Rajput community, a meeting of the local Rajput Sabha was held under the chairmanship of Thakur Ranbir Singh at Ali Di Bassi village near Jahan Khelan, about 10 km from here, on Wednesday. Speakers at the meeting criticised the reservation policy of the government. They said the policy should be conceived broadly for the alleviation of poverty in all sections of society. The policy, they added, should be based on the economic condition of a person.

EYE CAMP: As many as 255 patients were examined and 38 were operated upon by a team of eye surgeons at Kang Mai village in a free eye check-up and operation camp organised by the Rotary Club Midtown on Wednesday. Mr B.K. Mehta, President of the club, said medicines were provided free of cost by the club and spectacles were also provided to the poor patients.

LUDHIANA
ELECTED: Ms Mahinder Kaur 'Manu' was elected the state working president of the Punjab Union of Journalists here on Wednesday. She represents the Punjabi Tribune and the Dainik Tribune from Sangrur. She has been elected to the post after the demise of Prem Goyal, who was the president of the union. This was stated by Mr Sunil Rai Comrade, general secretary of the union, in a press note on Wednesday.

MALERKOTLA
ARRESTED: The local police has arrested Buta Singh, son of Mr Gurdev Singh, and Sajjan Singh, son of Mr Bir Singh, of the subdivision and recovered 11 stolen cycles and other items from them, according to SSP Arpit Shukla. A case under Section 379/34, IPC, has been registered against them.

MURDERED: Bhola Singh (30), a resident of Ravidas Nagar in Sangrur district, was murdered with a sharp-edged weapon on Tuesday. No arrest has been made so far in this connection. The police has registered a case under Section 302, IPC. According to ASP Rajesh Kumar Jaiswal the suspect has been identified and will be arrested soon.

DEMANDED: The local Manufacturers and Suppliers Association, at an emergency meeting held at the industrial estate here on Wednesday has demanded a separate collection counter for the electricity bills of more than 1,000 local industries. Mr Tanvir Ahmed Farooqi, president of the association, said local industrialists were facing a lot of problems regarding the payment of their electricity bills.

NANGAL
AWARDED: Six employees of the local unit of National Fertilisers Ltd (NFL) have been given the Krit Vir awards. The awards were given to Mr Bahadur Singh and Mr Nirmal Singh of the Mechanical Department, Mr Kulwant Singh and Mr Ram Lubhaya of the Electrical Department, Mr S.S. Saini of Instrumentation and Mr Harmesh Saini of the Production Department. Mr Balramji Dass Tandon, Minister for Local Government, gave the awards to these employees at a function organised on Safety Day by the Directorate of Factories and Punjab Industrial Council.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local branch of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Association: president — Mr Shivinder Singh Sidhu; secretary — Mr Avtar Singh; and treasurer — Mr Tarlochan Singh.

NAWANSHAHR
FUNCTION: The local Lions Club (city) on Wednesday organised a function here at Welcome Hotel to mark the official visit of Mr L.C. Sharma, District Governor. As many as 51 blankets and a sewing machine were distributed among needy persons. The club donated Rs 5,100 for the rehabilitation of the Orissa cyclone victims, according to Mr Iqbal Singh, President of the club.

SAMRALA
SEMINAR POSTPONED: A seminar by advocates of Punjab, which was scheduled to be held at Patiala on March 11, against a CPC amendment has been postponed due to a strike started by the Punjab High Court lawyers for an indefinite period. This was stated by Mr Parminder Singh Gill, secretary of the Advocates Coordination Forum, here on Wednesday. Mr Gill said the next date for the seminar would be announced shortly.

SAMANA
ANNUAL FUNCTION: Malwa International Public School organised its annual function here on Wednesday. The function was presided over by Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Finance Minister, Punjab. A cultural programme presented by school children on the occasion.

TARN TARAN
DEADDICTION CENTRE: SGPC members Sukhwinder Singh Chabal and Alwinder Pal Singh Pakhoke, in a press statement issued here on Wednesday, said the SGPC had decided to establish a drug deaddiction centre at Bir Baba Budha Sahib Hospital, Thatha. According to them, to provide medicines free of cost and to take care of the poor patients admitted in the hospital, a society named Baba Kharak Singh Sewa Society, headed by Mr Sarwan Singh Baghiari, Sarpanch, Baghiari, has also been formed.

SAMBHAR FOUND: Officials of the Forest and Wildlife Department, Punjab, posted at Birds Sanctuary have found a sambhar, a deer species, from Sabhra village of the area. Mr Rupinder Singh, Inspector at the sanctuary, said here on Wednesday that to provide a conducive environment to the animal, it was released at Takhni Rehmapur in Hoshiarpur district.

CHANDIGARH

POEMS ON WOMEN: Self-composed poems on the theme of women and an interesting skit on the conflict between the different generations of women were the highlights of a function organised by the sociology students of Government College for Girls on the college campus here on Wednesday on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The Principal, Mrs Mohini Sharma, was the chief guest.

OFFICE BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Chairman— Mr SK Bhasin; Vice-Chairman — Mr Avnish Sharma; and Secretary—Mr Baldev Garg.

REVIEW MEETING: Quality has become a buzzword and it is not only an important tool in marketing product but a function of continued success, said Mr DR Kohli, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), while inaugurating the review meeting of IS/ISO 9000 licencees under the northern region here today. He informed that the BIS had so far certified more than 600 organisations, including 100 in the northern region. Many service organisations like hospitals,hotels and educational institutions are coming forward to implement the IS/ISO-9000 standards. In his welcome address, Mr VK Kapoor, Director of the BIS, explained the benefits of the implementation of the quality systems in the organisations.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS: The Chandigarh Yog Sabha will celebrate the birthday of Yograj Swami Devi Dayal on March 11 and 12 at Divya Yog Mandir Shivalik Enclave in Mani Majra. A grand Yog Sammelan will be conducted under the guidance of Pradhan Yogacharaya, Prof M. Lal. This was said here on Thursday by Mr Ravinder Krishan, President of the sabha. He said disciples and yogacharayas of northern states would participate in this meet. Yoga experts, medical scientists and eminent researchers in yoga and naturopathy would deliver lectures on this occasion. Besides, hawan yagya and yoga demonstrations by experts would also be held.

MUSTARD OIL BANNED: The Chandigarh Administration has banned the sale of Hafed Agmark mustard oil after argemone was found in the samples of the oil. Dr Pawan Bansal, local health authority, said the food inspector of Chandigarh seized samples of the oil from a vendor in Sector 41 which were then sent for analysis. In his report, the Haryana analyst said the sample contained argemone. Past year also, some of the popular brand of mustard oil were banned in Delhi and Chandigarh after cases of dropsy caused by the presence of argemone in the oil.

EYE CAMP: The Lions Club Chandigarh Greater, Azad Welfare Society, Mani Majra and DBCS will organise free eye-operation camp from March 11 to 14 at Srimati Ganga Devi Dharamshala in Mani Majra. The Secretary, Mr Arun Uppal, has stated, in a press note that prominent eye surgeons would examine and operate upon the patients free of cost. Free food, accommodation and medicines will also be provided.

MEDICAL COURSE: A nine-month TB health visitor’s course will be organised by the Tuberculosis Association of India at New Delhi TB Centre, from July 1. The minimum qualification required for this course is Class XII with science and/or hygiene as a subject. Relaxation of this condition in the case of working candidates with experience of TB-care work may, however, be permitted by the selection committee. However, a candidate must have studied science upto Class X at least. Decision of the selection committee would be final in this regard. Applications for admissions to this course should reach the Secretary General, Tuberculosis Association of India, 3 Red Cross Road, New Delhi, on or before May 1, on the prescribed application form.

SAS NAGAR
BOOKED: The local police has booked a resident of Phase XI for allegedly collecting money from the public on the name of a gurdwara. According to information available, the suspect, Jaspal Singh had got a receipt book printed in the name of Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Phase XI, here and had collected money. A case under Sections 420, 465, 468, 471 of the IPC has been registered against him on a complaint lodged by Mr Jagmeet Singh, President of the Singh Sabha Gurdwara.

CASE REGISTERED: Four persons have been booked by the police for allegedly injuring Amandeep Singh, a resident of Phase 2 here. According to a statement given by the victim, the suspects led by Dhiraj attacked him near Phase 1 here. A case under Sections 323, 324 and 34 of the IPC has been registered against them.

ACTION AGAINST SHO SOUGHT: The All-Mohali Maharishi Balmiki Sabha has sought action against the Station House Officer of the Phase 1 police station for allegedly beating a domestic maid of Nehru colony and registering a false case of theft against her. The victim, Vimla, claimed that her employer in Phase 4 here had not paid her salary for the last five years and when she sought the payment of her salary her employer got a false case registered against her.

HARYANA

FATEHABAD
POLL CANCELLED: After the denotification of 29 'C' class municipal committees in the state by the Haryana Government, the poll in the Jakhal Municipal Committee in the district has been cancelled. According to Mr Anil Malik, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer, the polling for Fatehabad, Rattia and Tohana and three other municipal committees, however, will be held on April 2, 2000, as per schedule. In his capacity as the District Magistrate, Mr Malik has issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Cr. PC throughout the district in view of the Panchayati Raj institutions and municipal elections. The orders will remain in force till April 5, 2000, according to a press note issued here on Thursday.

YAMUNANAGAR
ANNUAL FUNCTION: Mukand Lal National College held its annual function here on Wednesday. Mr L M Goyal, Financial Commissioner and Secretary, PWD (B&R), urged students to work hard to come up to the international standards in this era of privatisation. Dr Ramesh Kumar, Principal of the college, informed that 3,600 students from seven states of the country were being imparted education at the college. He said Mukand Lal institution planned to start a medical college near here for which 50 acres of land worth Rs 2 crore had already been purchased. Mr Goyal presented a cheque for Rs 5,000 and a medal to an NCC cadet, Ms Sonia Chautani.

SECTION 144 IMPOSED: The District Magistrate, Mr Rajiv Sharma, has enforced Section 144 here on account of the annual examinations for matric, senior secondary and middle levels. Mr Sharma enforced the order from Tuesday till April 2 within 200 metres of the examination centres. He has also prohibited carrying of weapons by the public within 200 metres of the examination centres.

SIRSA
NOMINATIONS: As many as 418 nominations were found correct for 74 wards of three municipal committees and one municipal council for which elections are scheduled for April 2. There are four municipal committees and one council in Sirsa but since the term of Dabwali Municipal Committee is not yet over, election for it is not being held with the other three.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

KANGRA
BODY FOUND: The Kangra police on Wednesday found an unidentified body of a 25-year-old youth, close to Alloni Baba Temple near Purana Kangra on the outskirts of the town. According to Mr P C Sandhu, SHO, Kangra police station, the body bore no external injuries marks and was sent for a postmortem examination. Further investigations are on.

KULU
CONVICTED: Mr L.N. Sharma, Sessions Judge here, convicted Jurgen Lu Dwig Schmitt, a foreign national, under Section 20 of the NDPS Act on Thursday and sentenced him to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him and in default of fine, a further imprisonment of two years. Schmitt was apprehended by the Manikaran police post on January 1, 1999, at Manikaran bus stand and 500 gm of charas was seized from him.

SONEPAT
ARRESTED: The Kharkhauda police has arrested two youths in connection with the alleged theft of a Jeep from Kharkhauda town on March 5 and recovered the stolen Jeep from their possession. SSP K.P. Singh told mediapersons here on Thursday that the arrested youths had been identified as Jaipal of Garhi Haqiqat village and Manoj of Silana village in the district. He said the arrests followed an FIR by Krishan of Anwali village reporting the theft of his Jeep from near Thana Kalan chowk.

GANG BUSTED: With the arrest of three persons, the police on Thursday claimed to have busted a gang of thieves engaged in the purchase and sale of old Maruti cars with fake registration, chassis and engine numbers in the district and elsewhere. SSP K.P. Singh told mediapersons that the arrested persons had been identified as Rajbir of Ahulana village and Mukesh and Anand of Gohana town in the district. The police, he said, recovered five cars from their possession.

WORKSHOP CONCLUDES: The Pharmacy Council of India sponsored a two-day workshop/ refresher course for working pharmacists at Hindu College of Pharmacy here. The course concluded on Wednesday. At least 100 delegates from all over the state and representatives from various health institutions, universities and chemists' and druggists' associations attended the workshop. Mr R.K. Mittal, Chairman of the Sonepat Hindu Educational and Charitable Society inaugurated the workshop.