R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

FATEHGARH SAHIB
CREDIT PLAN LAUNCHED: Bankers in the district will disburse loans amounting to Rs 249.96 crore during the coming financial year as compared to Rs 202.57 crore last year, said Mr V.K. Janjua Deputy Commissioner, while launching the district credit plan on Thursday. The plan has been prepared by State Bank of Patiala.

GURDASPUR
KISAN MELA: A large number of farmers from Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar districts participated in a kisan mela held here on Wednesday under the aegis of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra of PAU, Ludhiana. Dr Gurcharan Singh Kalkat, Vice- Chancellor, PAU, appealed to the farmers to cultivate vegetables, fruits and fodder to avoid competition in the prices of wheat and rice.

EXTORTION: The police on Wednesday arrested Rashpal Singh, alias Dhillon, resident of Hustfapur, in the district for extorting money from people on the pretext of getting their wards admitted to JBT and other courses. According to Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, he allegedly extorted Rs 1 lakh from Rajinder Singh of Bath promising him admission to the JBT course. A case under section, 420 and 120, IPC, has been registered.

KHARAR
REMANDED: Mr Sanjay Agnihotri, Judicial Magistrate, on Thursday remanded two employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board to police custody till March 31. The two were arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Department on Wednesday while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1000 in SAS Nagar.

APPEAL: The local municipal committee has appealed to all shopkeepers here to get trade licences from the committee after depositing the necessary fees. The committee has issued instructions that the licences would be issued without fine from April 1 to 30 during working hours.

LUDHIANA
FARMER'S CAMP: A district-level farmers’ training camp was organised by the Horticulture Department at Doraha on wedensday to promote diversification in agriculture. The camp was inaugurated by Mr K.Shiva Prasad, Additional Deputy Commissioner. At least 900 farmers participated in this camp.

NAWANSHAHR
DHARNA HELD: Class III and IV employees of the Life Insurance Corporation, on a call given by the AIIEA to protest against the alleged anti-employee stance of the management on the issue of pay revision, wore black badges and organised a dharna in front of the LIC office here on Wednesday. A memorandum was also submitted to the in charge of the LIC branch office.

PATIALA
BVP PANEL: The following have been unanimously elected the office-bearers of the Bharat Vikas Parishad Punjab (East) here for 2000-2001: President — Mr Hukum Chand Jain; General Secretary — Dr N.K. Sharma and; Treasurer — Mr Gian Chand Goel.

PHAGWARA
INFANT FOUND DEAD: A newly born child was found dead at the local Model Town Park on Wednesday. Dogs had eaten one of his legs and arms. The police has registered a case under Section 318, IPC.

CHANDIGARH

GESTURE TOWARDS GOOD SAMARITANS: To recognise the good tasks done by city residents and to encourage such work, the local police will publicly facilitate and honour the good samaritans. Mr Ajay Kashyap, officiating IGP, said special emphasis would be laid on persons who remove accident victims to hospitals for first-aid. Instructions have been issued to the personnel not to harass such persons in any way through elaborate documentation and questioning at the time they reach the hospitals. Commendation certificates with suitable cash reward would be given, he added.

DONATED: The Canara Bank circle office donated a water cooler to the Institute for Blind at a function on the campus of the institute here on Wednesday. Mr G Narayanamoorthy, Deputy General Manager of the bank, said the bank had provided employment to many handicapped persons, including blind persons, and many PBX operators posted in the bank were blind persons.

WORKSHOP: The public should be educated about smokeless chulhas. This was opined by experts on the occasion of a state-level workshop on the National Programme on improved chullah at the ICSSR Complex at Panjab University on Thursday. Ms Deepa Jain Singh, Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Haryana, said the people should accept the smokeless chulhas even without subsidy.

GET-TOGETHER The Chandigarh chapter of the St. Stephens College Old Students Association will organise a get-together on April 2 at the Police Officers Institute at the Sector 26 police lines at 7 p.m.

BLOOD DONATION CAMP: Lions Club Chandigarh Shivalik organised a blood donation camp at the Industrial Training Institute, Sector 28, on Wednesday. Mr M.P. Singh, Home Secretary-cum-Municipal Commissioner, UT, lauded the efforts of the club in motivating the youth to come forward for the noble cause of blood donation. Mr J.S. Bhatia, President of the club, gave T-shirts to all donors.

TRAINING PROGRAMME: Canara Bank here organised free workshop for 30 women at Dhanas village in Chandigarh from March 27 to March 30. The training was imparted on making decoration pieces of glass sheets stained with glow colours. The training was imparted by Geetha Pai, an artist from the South India.

HARYANA

AMBALA
BURGLARY: A theft has been committed in a house at Premnagar on the Model Town Road here. Thieves broke into the house of S.S. Mehra. The house was locked as Mr Mehra and his family members were away to Delhi. The miscreants took away valuables, including jewellery and some cash. A case has been registered.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
COMPETITIONS: A three-day state level prohibition and anti-drugs campaign, including competitions and contests, concluded here on Wednesday under the presidentship of the SP, Mr Atul Verma. Seventy students from nine districts of the state participated in various competitions.

PARAGLIDING COURSE: A 10-day paragliding training course organised under the aegis of the Adventure Dream-Makers” concluded here at Luhanu Ground on Tuesday. Chief Trainer Pankaj Bhardwaj, said the camp was organised to popularise paragliding.

BANNED: Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Magistrate Jagdish Chander Sharma has enforced ban on the carrying of any type of arms and ammunition from April 4 to April 14 in Kotkehdoor police station area to maintain peace during the Navratra fair beginning from April 5 at the shrine of Nainadevi, 35 km from here. The offering of coconuts by pilgrims has also been banned.

HAMIRPUR
BANNED: Mrs Anuradha Thakur, District Magistrate, has banned the sale of rotten, over-ripe and under-ripe fruits, all kind of edible oils unfit for human consumption, ice balls, aerated water, ice candy, ice-cream and other eatables unless properly covered with wiregauge or glass in the district with immediate effect. This order has been issued in view of reports that there was a danger of outbreak of cholera and other water-borne diseases in coming summer months.

MEETINGS PLANNED: The local administration has decided to hold meetings of gram sabhas in Nadaun and Sujanpurtira development blocks of the district for preparing village-level development plans. The decision has been taken to enable the people to prepare their own plans, according to Mrs Anuradha Thakur, Deputy Commissioner. Meetings of gram sabhas of Nadaun block will be held on April 8 and 11 while those of Sujanpurtira block will be held on April 4 and 6.

KULU
HRTC SERVICES: Bus services on Keylong Shimla and Keylong Sarkaghat routes have become irregular after the transfer of these routes to the Shimla and Sarkaghat depots of the HRTC from the Keylong depot, according to Mr Bhagram Gautam, a zila parishad member of Lahaul and Spiti district. He urged the government to provide more route permits to the Keylong depot. Mr Gautam also condemned the proposal to merge the Keylong depot with the Kulu depot of the HRTC.

SHIMLA
SCRIBE BEREAVED: Mr Rahul Sharma, son of a journalist, Mr P.N.Sharma, died here on Wednesday after a brief illness. He was working in the medical college here. The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has expressed his condolences to the bereaved family.