R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

BATALA
ANNUAL CONVOCATION: The annual convocation of the R.R. Bawa DAV College for Girls was held here on Friday on the college campus. Dr Chadra Prakash, senior vice-president of of the DAV managing committee, presided.

EYE OPERATION CAMP: A free eye-operation camp was organised by the local Bhagat Mohan Lal Seva Samiti at the Civil Hospital here on Wednesday. About 950 patients were examined at the camp.

CAMP: Mr Rahul Bhandari, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), inaugurated a three-day-long free eye-operation camp organised by the Azad Sports Club at Cheema Jodhpur village, 10 km from here, on Thursday.

ASTHMA CAMP: An asthma-treatment medical camp being organised by the local Lions Club (Supreme) will be held at Aggarwal Dharamshala on March 19. Mr Ishwar Singh, SSP, will inaugurate the camp.

FEROZEPORE
SOCIETY: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Sri Sukhmani Sahib Seva Society (Ferozepore city): president — Mr Inder Singh Nagpal; vice-president — Mr Harbans Singh Bhandari; general secretary — Mr Manjit Singh; and treasurer — Mr Kishan Singh.

GARHSHANKAR
MEDICAL CAMP: A free medical camp was organised by Dr S.C. Dhir, Senior Medical Officer, and Dr Dilbag Rai at Jaijon village. About 400 patients were examined and medicines distributed free of cost.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Electrohomoeopathy Union: vice-president — Dr Ashwani Bhatia; general secretaries — Dr Kuldeep Singh Bhatia and Dr Jasbir Singh; assistant secretary — Dr Vimal; and treasurer — Dr Kuldeep.

GURDASPUR
SEMINAR: The Rotary Club (Midtown) and the district Health Department organised a seminar on family welfare at Dornagha on Thursday. Mr K.S. Chandi, ADC, Development, was the chief guest and Dr S.S. Sohal, Civil Surgeon, presided. A medical camp was also organised.

CHARAS SMUGGLING: Shekar Singh and Parlad Singh, both residents of Raja ka Talab in Kangra district were arrested for smuggling charas. Nearly 4 kg of charas was recovered from them. A case has been registered under Sections 20,61 and 85, NDPS Act.

BANNED: Mr S.K. Sandhu, District Magistrate, has ordered the closure of dhabas in the district at 11 p.m. daily. The order will remain in force till April 18. By another order he banned the use of loudspeakers and pressure horns in the district till May 14 under the Noise Pollution Control Act.

JALANDHAR
TWO-DAY CAMP: The Radha Soami Satsang Trust, Dera Baba Teja Singh Saidpur organised a two-day free eye check-up camp at Saidpur village recently. The camp was inaugurated by Sant Rasila Ram, chairman of the trust. Medicines were distributed among the patients free of cost.

LUDHIANA
DHARNA: The Ludhiana Furniture Association staged a dharna near Bharat Nagar chowk on Friday in protest against the fake cases allegedly registered against the president of the association, Mr Neeraj Chawla. Furniture shops in the city remained closed during the bandh.

PATIALA
RESIDENT'S BODY: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Raghbir Marg Residents Welfare Association: President — Mr D.S. Virk; Secretary — Mr Harjit Singhsheru, and Treasurer — Mr P.K. Bansal.

DISPENSARY SOUGHT: Residents of Power Colony-2 of the Punjab State Electricity Board have demanded the opening of an allopathic dispensary in the colony. In a demand letter to Mr G.S. Sohal, Chairman, PSEB, the association said the colony has people living in more than 200 houses who have to travel more than 5 km to the dispensary in the Head Office.

GURU'S FATEHNAMA: Mr Ranjit Singh Balia, Housing and Urban Development Minister, Punjab, released The Fatehnama Guru Gobind, translated from Persian into English by Jasbir Kaur Ahuja here on Friday. The function was organised by the Punjab Languages Department to commemorate the tercentenary celebrations of the creation of the Khalsa.

PHILLAUR
CAR STOLEN: The Maruti Gypsy of Amarjit Singh, a trader from Jalandhar, was stolen from the PWD office here on Friday when he had gone there for some official work. A case has been registered under Section 379, IPC.

SAMRALA
TRIBUTES: Tributes were paid to Subedar Malkiat Singh, who had fought wars against China and Pakistan, at his native village Ghulal, 3 km from here on Friday. Prominent persons and political leaders were present on the occasion.

ZIRAKPUR
POST OFFICE: The Postal Division, Patiala, on Saturday opened a branch post office at Bartana village. This will provide such facilities as sending registered articles, parcels and money orders, making recurring deposits and operating other savings schemes. With this, the number of post offices has gone up to three in the Nagar Panchayat area. Mr Jaswant Singh, Assistant Superintendent of Post Office (ASPO), Rajpura, was the chief guest while Mr Bhagawant Singh, former Sarpanch, inaugurated the office.

EYE OPERATIONS: As many as 70 patients, including 47 women, operated upon in a free eye operation camp organised at Bhabhat village by the Naujawan Sabha and the Panchayat here. This was the 23rd camp organised by the sabha in memory of the late Gen Daulat Singh. Accoding to Mr Kuldeep Singh, president of the sabha, the patients were given spectacles, medicines and food free of cost. The cost of conducting the operations and medicines was borne by the Opthal Care Society, SAS Nagar.

CHANDIGARH

ISKCON FUNCTION: The local body of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness will hold a function on the occasion of Gaur Purnima festival, as part of the birthday celebration of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at Hare Krishna Dham, Sector 36-B, here, on March 20, according to Bhakti Vinod Dasa Prabhu, President of the unit. The attractions of the programme include Mangala Aarti (4.30 a.m.) nagar kirtan (6 a.m.); Sringaar Aarti (8 a.m.); discourse on the life of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (8.30 a.m.); bhajan and sankirtan (4 p.m.) followed by a play “Jaghai Madhai Udhaar” to be staged by children of ISKCON devotees; Mahabhishek of Lord Chaitanya (6 p.m.); Gaur Aarti (7 p.m.) and Prasadam (8 p.m.).

HARYANA

KAITHAL
BAN ORDERS: The District Magistrate, Dr Mahavir Singh, has banned the use of loudspeakers without prior permission. The orders have been issued in public interest and will remain in force till May 31, according to an official press note.

PANIPAT
NOMINATED: The Union Communication Ministry has nominated the national councillor of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists, Mr Rajendra Maurya, as member of the Telecom Advisory Committee (TAC) in Delhi. Mr Maurya is a senior journalist working with a Hindi daily at Panipat.

REWARI
ROBBERS ARRESTED: The local CIA branch has arrested the remaining three accused, who had been evading arrest, involved in a burglary in a grocery shop at Kosli on March 4. Four country-made pistols, seven cartridges, two motorcycles were recovered from them. A case has been registered.

SONEPAT
TRAFFIC BLOCKED: Residents of Kabirpur village blocked the traffic on the GT Road near Bahalgarh chowk, 10 km from here, on Thursday in protest against the alleged killing of a farmer, Mohinder Sharma, by a gang of criminals on the intervening night of March 15 and 16. The blockade was lifted on the assurance given by Mr Rajpal Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police, that the criminals would be apprehended soon.

CLASH: Four persons were injured in a clash between two rival groups at Nayabans village, 20 km from here, on Thursday. Five persons were arrested in this connection. A country-made pistol, a knife and a sword were recovered from them.

HURT: Seven women travelling in a train received injuries when some miscreants threw water balloons on them at Rathdhanna railway station, 8 km from here, on Thursday.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

KANGRA
CANNON SHELL FOUND: The police here on Friday recovered a two foot-long cannon shell, weighing 22 kg from Jag Khad near Jassur, the police said here on Friday. The shell was detected by the people and they informed the police. A case has been registered.

SUICIDE: A 22-year-old housewife, Kamal Jeet Kaur, of Mand village committed suicide by allegedly consuming poison at her home. A case has been registered.