The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tuesday, August 15, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

R E G I O N A L B R I E F S

PUNJAB

BARNALA
POLLUTION CHECK-UP: Mr Ajaib Singh Kaleka, SSP, Barnala, inaugurated a pollution check-up camp, organised by the local Lions Club at old bus stand on Sunday.

PLANTATION CAMPAIGN: Mr Rahul Bhandari, Subdivisional Magistrate, Barnala, inaugurated a plantation campaign of the local administration and the Rotary Club, Barnala by planting saplings at the local Civil Hospital complex on Sunday to mark vanamahotsava.

HOSHIARPUR
EXCISE RAIDS: The District Excise and Taxation Department with the help of the Dasuya police seized 1560 bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor worth Rs 2.34 lakh from a truck near Milk Plant, Dasuya, according to Mr P.C. Pyasa, Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, here. Driver Chanchal Singh and cleaner Kulwinder Singh were arrested and a case registered. He added that 800 bottles of illicit liquor were also recovered from a Maruti van.

MALERKOTLA
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Youth Club, Malerkotla: president — Mr Farooq Ansari; vice-president — Mr Shekh Mohammed Tahir; general secretary — Mr Zahor Ahmed Chauhan; press secretary — Mohammed Shamshad; and treasurer — Mohammed Ikram Kapoor.

EYE CAMP: The Rotary Club, Ahmedgarh, organised an eye camp at Janata College on Saturday. About 600 patients were examined and 55 operated upon. Medicines were distributed free of cost to them.

MOGA
RICKSHAW LICENCES: The Moga Municipal Committee on Monday directed all rickshaw owners in the town to obtain licences for running their vehicles. Otherwise they would be challaned and their rickshaws impounded, the committee directed.

DISPOSAL PUMPS: The Moga Municipal Committee has approved Rs 10 lakh for the installation of high-powered disposal pumps for draining out the rain-water which accumulates in the Civil Lines area. Stating this here on Monday, the president of the committee, Dr K.S. Gill, said the pumps would be installed behind octroi no 13 and near the old tank on the GT Road.

PHAGWARA
ELECTED: The following have been elected zonal office-bearers of the Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Nawanshahr zone of the SDE (B and R) Association: president — Mr Tarsem Lal; general secretary — Mr Rajeev Beri; and finance secretary — Mr Varinder Kumar.

VANAMAHOTSAVA: The Rotary Club (Central), Phagwara, planted 257 saplings at Government High School, Mehtan village on Sunday, according to Mr Ramesh Kaura, club president. Mr Pritam Singh, SDM, presided over the function, organised by the club.

PHILLAUR
MURDERED: Surinder Singh was allegedly murdered by his brother, Komal Singh, at Bajahan Kalan village on Sunday night. A property dispute is said to be the cause of the murder. The police has arrested Komal Singh under Section 302 of the IPC. The body has been sent to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem.

STRANGULATED: In a daring incident, a shopkeeper, Tilak Raj, was allegedly strangulated by some persons near the Chachoki-Nangal Kherra road on Sunday. The body was found in the nearby fields by the police. The police has registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC.

TARN TARAN
DEMANDED: Residents of Mardana village under Harike police station have demanded the arrest of those responsible for thefts in the village on the night of August 4. Mr Bhag Singh, a victim, alleged here on Sunday that the dog squad had identified the suspects who were residents of the same village.

HUSBAND MURDERED: Harjinder Kaur (28), mother of three kids, in connivance with her alleged lover Partap Singh (27), also a father of three, allegedly poisoned to death her husband Baldev Singh (30), on Saturday night at Sohal village. The suspect escaped. The police has registered a case under Section 302 and 34 of the IPC against them. According to another report the Varowa police found a decomposed body from the canal bank of Nagoke village on Sunday.

CHANDIGARH

I-DAY CELEBRATED: A cultural programme marked the Independence Day celebrations at Janta Colony in Sector 25 organised by the Aruna Asaf Ali Memorial Trust, here on Monday. Over 150 children and elders were regaled by songs and dances of patriotic flavour. The programme concluded with songs by a group of the Punjab Istri Sabha activists. The Chairperson of Chaitana, Ms Surya Pandit, presided over the function. The President of the trust, Mr Vaishnav, informed the children about the freedom struggle and the role of Aruna Asaf Ali in the Quit India Movement.

I-CARDS DEMANDED: The Footpath Workers Rozgar Bachao Samiti, presented a memorandum of its demands to the Chandigarh Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, here on Monday. The footpath workers urged General Jacob to look into their demands, which include the issuance of identity cards and providing pucca booths for which a scheme of Rs 2.10 crore has been approved by the Chandigarh Administration.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The annual election of the Vishal Dramatic Ram Leela Club in Maloya Colony was held under the chairmanship of Mr Raghuwinder Nath Reiki. Those elected as office bearers are: President — Mr Swaraj Singh; Senior Vice-President — Mr Vijay Kumar; Vice-President — Mr H.S. Dadwal; General Secretary — Mr Ashwini Kumar Sharma; and Joint Secretary — Mr Avinash Khanna.

PRESIDENT RE-ELECTED : Mr Ravinder Talwar has been re-elected as the President of the Kendriya Arya Sabha for the year 2000-2001. He has also been authorised by the sabha to appoint his cabinet and other office-bearers.

MC TO CELEBRATE I-DAY: The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh will celebrate the Independence Day function on its premises at the New Deluxe building in Sector 17. The programme includes the unfurling of the national flag and a speech by the city Mayor, Ms Shanta Abhilashi.

DERA BASSI
BHUPINDER SINGH TO BE HONOURED: The Punjab Government will honour Mr Bhupinder Singh Saini, District President of Rotaract Clubs of Rotary International, District 3090, with “Punjab Government Parman Pattar-2000”, a state award for social service. Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, will present this award, consisting of a cash of Rs 11,000, a gold medal, a citation, a certificate and a shawl, to Mr Saini on August 15 at the Independence Day celebrations in Amritsar.

TREE PLANTATION: In its effort to improve safety, health and environment in the region, the north zone chapter of the National Safety Council, would undertake a massive tree plantation drive in the southern sectors of Chandigarh. It will be inaugurated at Vivek High School on August 17 by the Chandigarh Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob.

PANCHKULA
PROPOSED FORMATION OF MC OPPOSED: The executive committee of the Residents Welfare Committee of Sector 4 has opposed the proposed formation of the municipal corporation for the township of Panchkula. The residents have asserted that the township is still in its infancy and will take years to be fully developed. The residents said there should be no municipal corporation in Panchkula, at least for the next 20 years.

HARYANA

AMBALA
'MEET YOUR POET' ORGANISED: The Punjabi Sahit Sabha, Ambala, has organised a “Meet your poet” programme in which the Punjabi poet, Prof Surinder Gill, spoke about his writings. Professor Gill said he started writing poetry when he was in Class VII. He got encouragement from teachers and contemporary literary personalities like Prof Mohan Singh and Bawa Balwant. He stated that being a progressive poet, he had always been writing and empathising with the common man and expressing the socio-economic problems of society. Poets like Dr R.S. Dhillon, Sudarshan Gasso, Darshan Natt, Buta Singh ‘Ashant’, Surjit Singh Surjit, Sufi Jagjit, Dr Ashok Bhatia, Rajinder Raj and Ravi Datt Shastri also recited their poems, according to a press note.

HISAR
LIBRARY: Mr Ajay Chautala, MP, has called upon people to give due regard to kin of martyrs. He was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of a library being set up in memory of Havaldar Mahavir Singh at Ghirai village, near here, on Sunday.

TRANSPORT PERMITS: The Finance Minister, Mr Sampat Singh, has said the state government issue new transport permits for routes up to 35 km to the unemployed youth shortly. Speaking at a public meeting in Daroli village on Sunday, he said the permits would be provided through cooperative societies of unemployed youths. Two permits would be provided for each of the routes to provide better facilities to the villagers.

REMOTE SENSING DAY: The Haryana State Remote Sensing Application Centre (HARSAC) organised a remote sensing awareness programme for students on the occasion of National Remote Sensing Day here at Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) on Sunday. The main objective of the programme was to create awareness about remote sensing in schoolchildren on the birthday of Dr Vikram A. Sarabhai, father of India’s space programme.

LIQUOR SEIZED: As many as 118 bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor and 1500 pouches were seized by the police in a two-day campaign. Seven persons were arrested, the police said here on Monday. Separate cases under the Excise Act have been registered against them.

SIRSA
ONE DEAD: One person died while 22 were injured in two different road accidents in the district. According to information, a jeep coming from Punjab overturned near Jeewan Nagar, leaving one person dead and 11 others, including eight women, injured. In another accident, a jeep coming from Ellenabad collided with a truck, near Tetukhera village, 7 km from here, injuring 11 persons, two of them seriously. The injured were admitted to the local Civil Hospital.

SONEPAT
RAPED: A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a youth in a field at Bhadana village, about 12 km from here, on Sunday. According to a report, the girl was alone when the youth caught hold of her and fled after raping her. The police has registered a case and launched a hunt to apprehend the culprit.

NO DRINKING WATER : Thousands of residents of Mohalla Kalan, Ram Bazar and some other areas had to go without drinking water on Sunday evening following the disruption in the water supply system on account of water shortage in the boosting stations and burning of electric motors.

CANALS MAINTENANCE: The maintenance of canals, distributaries and minors continues to remain a major problem despite heavy expenditure incurred on them in Gohana subdivision of this district. The tailend fields continue to remain dry and canal water fails to reach there. According to many farmers, embankments of various canals and distributaries are facing the problem of silt, resulting in water-logging of the large areas.

VEHICLES’ CHECKING: All Delhi-bound vehicles passing through this district will be thoroughly checked as part of a special alert sounded in connection with the Independence Day. A check-post has already been set up at Kundli village, on the border with Delhi for this purpose.