R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
CONVOCATION: The Secretary, DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi, Principal R.N. Mehta, has exhorted new graduates to carve out a new path to get the country out of the crisis of character, faith and good values for establishing a new social order. He was delivering the convocation address at the 43rd annual convocation of DAV College here on Sunday.

HOSHIARPUR
DEVELOPMENT: Out of 12,428 villages, 6,000 will be identified for 100 per cent development in the state during the current financial year. This was announced by Mr Tikshan Sood, State Minister for Excise and Taxation, Punjab, while addressing a public meting at Qila Barun on Monday evening.

DROWNED: Rekha, daughter of Khajur Singh, resident of Bhatoli Brahmina, slipped into a canal near Uchi Bassi on Sunday evening and drowned.

KHANNA
GRANT SANCTIONED: The University Grants Commission has sanctioned an additional grant of Rs 7 lakh for AS College, Khanna for upgrading of its library, laboratories and other infrastructure related with various graduate and postgraduate courses, according to a press note of the college Principal, Mr Tarsem Bahia. Mr Bahia said a grant to the tune of Rs 20.35 lakh had already been sanctioned to the college. “The fresh grant would be utilised by the college for purchase of books and library equipments,” he said.

BLOOD DONATION: A blood donation camp was organised by the organiser of a blood donation drive launched on April 10, 1983, in association with the Kartar Nagar Welfare Society, here on Tuesday. The camp was inaugurated by a former MLA, Mr Sadhu Singh. 34 units of blood were collected in the camp. Mr Gursharan Jit said 16,591 units of blood had been collected by this organisation through 163 camps. Gurdev Singh donated blood for the 43rd time. Blood was collected by the team of Dr G.P. Mangla of Ludhiana. Mementoes were given to all the donors. 

LUDHIANA
JUNEJA NOMINATED: The Punjab Government has nominated Mr Ashok Kumar Juneja as a member of the District Sales Tax Advisory Committee. A gold medalist in LL.B and a leading taxation adviser, Mr Juneja is general secretary of the BJP (Legal Cell). He said as a member of the committee, he would strive to get those laws and legal clauses amended, which caused harassment to the traders. 

OFFICE-BEARERS: The district president of the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Mr Kamal Chatley, has nominated the following as the members of the district executive committee of the party, in consultation with the district president of the BJP, Mr Harbans Lal Sethi, Mr Lajpat Rai, Mr Vijay Gandhi, Mr Vijay Sharma, Mr Kewal Gupta, Mr Pankaj Kaushal, Mr Ashwani Bahl, Mr Navin Kohli, Mr Kamal Gosian, Mr Shiv Kumar Moudgil, Mr Vivek Joshi, Mr Rajesh Sharma, Mr Japan Kumar, Mr Rohit Vadhera, Mr Parveen Modi, Mr Rajesh Pathak, Mr Ved Parkash Mittal, Mr Naresh Duggal, Mr Kamal Bhandari, Mr Surinder Verma, Mr Harish Kapur, Mr Harish Budhiraja. 

DOWRY: Ms Suman, a resident of Millar Ganj, was allegedly beaten up by his husband and in-laws. It was alleged by Sunam that her husband Jitender Kumar had demanded more dowry from her parents and she was beaten up for not fulfilling his demand. She was admitted to the civil hospital. Police has registered a case under Sections 406, 498A, 323, 506, 313 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code. 

KILLED: Arvinder Singh, a resident of Model Town Extension, was reportedly hit by a car in the morning on Monday. The victim was taken to the Guru Teg Bhadur Hospital where he was declared dead. Police has registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the Indian Penal Code. 

MAYOR: The Mayor of Municipal Corporation, Mr Apinder Singh Grewal, has asked the new Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, Dr K.S. Aulakh, to work in collaboration with the MC for the uplift of city. Both the authorities were meeting for the first time after the new VC joined. Dr Aulakh said that in order to make the city cleaner and pollution free, a green cover was the need of the hour. He said that it was the only way to keep a population of more than 30 lakh hale and hearty. Expressing his concern over the every increasing population of the city, he said that MC authorities should do something to bring population of the city, he said that MC authorities should do something to bring about awareness among those living below the poverty line. 

ROAD SHOW: The Daewoo Motors India Limited is all set to focus on the midsize segment for future growth. The company organised a special road show here on Tuesday, which coincided with other similar shows at 16 different places in the country. A company official said that with three new models Daewoo Motors India offerings would cover the complete spectrum in the midsize car segment and offer a new car in the luxury segment. The launch of these three world-class cars in the midsize segment and the luxury segment would be before the year end.

TARN TARAN
GANG BUSTED: Mr Jagdish Kumar Mittal, SSP, said in a press note here on Monday that a three-member of the gang of cheats had been apprehended. The accused have been identified as Vipan Kumar, Balwinder Kumar, and Anju Bala Gill, alias Shehnaz, wife of Tajinder Singh, all residents of Jalandhar. The three had allegedly cheated Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Thakerpura village near Patti, of a huge amount of money.

CHANDIGARH

CLARIFICATION SOUGHT: Clarification regarding the gazetted status and recruitment rules for the post of the Principal has been sought by the UT Government College Lecturers Association. In a meeting of the 10 members of the steering committee of the Association, held at the Panjab University here on Tuesday, it was decided that a meeting with the Education Secretary would be held and various issues be taken up.

HARYANA

AMBALA
PLEA: The Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry today demanded that a portrait of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal should be installed in Parliament Hall. “Devi Lal was a patriot, a national leader and the maker of Haryana. He always advocated the cause of industry and trade and the farmers,” a release said. Meanwhile, the Haryana Hockey Association has expressed grief on the death of Devi Lal. Devi Lal had worked for the betterment of sports in Haryana and number of incentives had been given to sportspersons under his guidance, a release said.

APPOINTED: Ms Satya Bharati has been appointed the district mahila Congress president, by the state mahila Congress president, Ms Anita Yadav. Yadav has directed Satya Bharati to appoint office-bearers in the district within 40 days, a release said.

HEALTH CAMP: The Social Welfare Society and the Mission Hospital, Ambala City, will organise a general health and eye check-up-cum-operation camp on April 11 at Shahpur village, Dr Har Prakash Sharma, president of the society said.

BHIWANI
HOMAGE: The District Administration observed a two-minute silence in the memory of Devi Lal, former Deputy Prime Minister at the mini secretariat on Tuesday. Deputy Commissioner Sant Kumar Joshi said the ‘Asti kalash yatra’ of the departed soul would arrive in the district on April 13. It will leave for Dadri, badhara and Mohindergarh on the morning on April 14, he added.

HISAR
MURDERED: A man was murdered at Daroli village in Adampur block of the district on Sunday. According to the police, Madan Lal and Gharsi Ram, residents of the same village, allegedly attacked one Satbeer Singh with sticks when he was returning home from his fields. He died on the spot.

SENTENCED: The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Diwan Chand, has sentenced Shamsher Singh to life imprisonment and fined him Rs 5000 on the charge of murdering a person. The Judge acquitted Prithvi Singh, Suresh and Makhan Singh in the case. Shamsher Singh, resident of Kharia village, along with his three companions reached a tea stall in Kabrel village, near here, on July 10, 1996, and fired at the stall owner, Ashok Kumar, who died on the spot.

BODY FOUND: The police recovered the charred body of Ram Bahadur, an employee of the Public Health Department, from an abandoned place near his house here on Monday.

SURRENDERED: A notorious criminal, sukhdev Rajasthani, a resident of Guga Medi in Rajasthan, surrendered before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ms Ritu Tagore, here on Monday. The Judge remanded him in judicial custody. He was wanted in many cases of murder and dacoity.

STATUE: The Haryana Kisan Sangarsh Samiti has demanded installation of a statue of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal at the local Jat College Chowk. Col Ram Pratap Malhan, president of the samiti, said here on Tuesday that Devi Lal fought for the welfare of the poor and farmers of the country. He also demanded that the Centre confer the Bharat Ratna on him.

HOMAGE: Local scribes paid homage to Devi Lal at a meeting held on Monday. They observed two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the departed leader. They recalled his life-long services to the farmers of the country and called him the “real son of the soil”. The district administration organised a special meeting to mourn the death of Devi Lal at the mini secretariat complex here on Monday.

SHAHABAD
CONFERENCE: A shaheedi conference was organised by the CPI’s local unit on the GT Road here on Monday. Banta Ram and others paid glowing tributes to Khushdev Singh, his wife, Gurpreet Kaur, and another relative, who laid down their lives in a militant attack on the house of senior Haryana CPI leader and then MLA from Shahabad Harnam Singh on April 9, 10 years ago. Dr Harnam Singh and his wife, Jaswant Kaur, who received serious injuries while fighting the militants, were awarded the Shaurya Chakra by the Centre. Khushdev Singh was also awarded the Shaurya Chakra posthumously.

SONEPAT
POWER CUT: A major part of this city remained powerless for more than 10 hours at a stretch on Monday The power supply was disrupted due to the snapping and burning of the main transmission line in the railway colony area on account of cutting of trees by the railway authorities.

DEMONSTRATION: Hundreds of women of Lal Darwaza (word No 5) held a demonstration in front of the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner here on Monday to press for the inclusion of their names in the list of persons living below the poverty line. They were also protesting against the alleged bungling in the preparation of the list by the officials of the Food and Supplies Department. They submitted a memorandum to the ADC, Mr Ashok Yadav, alleging that the names of rich persons had been included in the list whereas the deserving poor had been ignored.

CAR STOLEN: A Maruti car was stolen from the judicial court complex at Gohana town, 35 km from here, on Monday. The owner of the car lodged an FIR with the police, according to a report.

CASE REGISTERED: The Sadar police on Monday registered a criminal case against three persons of Badhana village on the charge of harvesting crop illegally from gram panchayat land. This action followed a report lodged by the sarpanch of the village.

MEMORANDUM: Representatives of the All-India Central Council of Trade Unions submitted a memorandum listing their demands to the Deputy Commissioner here on Monday. The main demands include the payment of all allowances to the workers employed in t he industrial units of the district.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
DEMONSTRATION: Led by AITUC national secretary J.L. Dhar, state secretary Kameshwar Pandit and state assistant secretary Bhagat Singh Verma, a large number of workers from all parts of the state demonstrated through the town bazaars and held rally at Shaheed Kumari Champa Chowk here on Sunday evening. The rally adopted a resolution condemning the BJP-led central and state governments for their “pro-rich” and “pro-multinational” and “anti-farmer,” “anti-labour”, “anti-women” and “anti-employees” policies.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Lions Club, Paonta Sahib: president — Ms Savitri Tiwari; secretary — Ms Parmila Chauhan; treasurer — Ms Nirmla Bhandari; and vice-president — Dr Sheil Sehgal.