The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tuesday, May 22, 2001,
Chandigarh, India

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PUNJAB

FARIDKOT
DALIT SENA’S DRIVE: Dalit Sena, a non-political organisation, has launched a ‘Dalit jagran abhiyan’ to make the weaker sections aware of their rights. Committees at district and block levels have already been formed. More than one lakh members will be enrolled by the end of this year to implement the scheme in 12,000 villages. This was stated by Mr Kiranjit Singh Gahari, president of the state unit, here on Saturday.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
CAMP: The Rotary Club, Sirhind, organised a hepatitis-B camp at Vishavkarma Bhavan, Sirhind, on Monday. It was inaugurated by Mr D.S. Walia, ADC (D). According to Mr Shamsher Singh, president of the club, nearly 648 persons were vaccinated at subsidised rates.

FAZILKA
TB CAMP: The local Social Welfare Society, organised a tuberculosis follow-up camp here on Sunday. As many as 140 patients were examined by a team of chest specialists comprising Dr Gian Chand Aahir of Medical College, Faridkot, and Dr Vijay Sachdeva of Fazilka. Mr Kanwal Kishore Grover, secretary, said 15 fresh TB patients were adopted. The organisation was spending Rs 5 lakh annually on TB eradication programmes, he added.

FIRE IN GODOWN: A fire broke out at a godown of wooden boxes in a local firm near the grain market here in the wee hours on Monday. Mr Raman Monga, owner of the godown, said the boxes worth Rs 1,25,000 had been reduced to ashes. Fire engines from Fazilka and Abohar extinguished the fire in about four hours.

FEROZEPORE
LIQUOR SEIZED: The police has seized 4,178 bottles of English liquor being smuggled from the Rajasthan border. According to Mr Harchand Singh, SSP, the police laid a naka near Rajpura village under Abohar subdivision and seized 348 boxes of liquor from a truck and arrested Ilam Singh of Uttar Kashi in UP.

LUDHIANA
RESENTMENT: Resentment prevails among Ph.D staff of government high and senior secondary schools in Punjab over non-consideration of their qualification for higher scales and promotions. Stating this in a press note, Dr Kanwaljit Kaur Bal, lecturer of social studies at Government Senior Secondary School, Gobind Nagar, said that while the teaching staff of government primary schools were getting promotion on the basis of Ph.D, but the staff of high and senior secondary schools having the degree was deprived of any such benefits. He said hundreds of Ph.D lecturers would hold a meeting near the Punjab Agricultural University library on Friday to discuss further course of action.

OCTROI EVASION: The enforcement wing of the Octroi Department in the Municipal Corporation has detected more than one dozen cases of octroi evasion in the city and a composition fee of about Rs 1.06 lakh was recovered from them. The MC Additional Commissioner, Mr Raminder Singh, said that the seized goods included a tempo load of fabrics, a Tata Sumo, carrying medicines and machinery parts. He has warned the offenders to desist from their nefarious activities, while adding that relentless campaign against evasion will continue.

APPOINTED: Mr Akshay Bhanot, district chairman, Urban Development Cell of the Youth Congress, has nominated Mr Sanjeev Kumar Sharma as vice president of the district unit of the cell.

SPORTS BOARD: Mr Sunny Khosla was reelected as president of Dr B. R. Ambedkar Sports Board (Youth Wing) at its meeting held under the presidentship of Mr Rakesh Ghai. The other office-bearers nominated in consultation with the state chairman of the board, Dr D.P. Khosla, are: Mr Roxen Saini — general secretary; Mr Sanjeev Sood and Mr Gagnesh Prabhakar — chief patrons, Mr Satish Khanna — organiser; Mr Johny Sabharwal — patron; Mr Ravi Ghai — cashier; Mr Surinder Pawme, Mr Sanjiv Nona, Mr Sukhdev Shalu Thapar, Mr Neeraj Moong; Mr Vishal Sidhu, Mr Amit Sehgal, Mr Sunil Sidhu, Mr Deepk Charan, Mr Rajesh Ghai, Mr Sumit Rana and Mr Deepak Wig — members of executive committee.

NOMINATED: Mr Ajay Bhandari Tinku has been nominated as president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Ward No 2. This was announced by Mr Ruldu Ram Garg, President, BJP, South Mandal, at a party meeting held here on Sunday. Others present at the meeting were Mr Praveen Sharma, press secretary, South Mandal, Mr Taranjeet Singh, Mr Lakshmi Chand, president, BJP, Ward No. 2, and Mr Rajneesh Dhiman, mandal president.

MALWA INDUSTRIES: Malwa Industries Limited, an indigo denim manufacturing company and a group company of VSO Group, has been awarded ISO 9002 Certificate by the BVQI, a London-based certifying company. The company has its production unit at Machhiwara. Mr Rishi Oswal, Managing Director of the company, said, “It is another stepping stone of the journey towards attainment of total quality management (TQM). Malwa industry has became the first Indian company using Rope Dyeing Technology for manufacturing of indigo denim to obtain this certification”.

INAUGURATED: The cosmetic laser unit of the Pasricha Cosmetic and Laser Surgery Centre was inaugurated at Tagore Nagar, here on Sunday. Dr Puneet Pasricha, Director of the unit, in a press note said that the new unit was inaugurated by Lala Lajpat Rai, MP, and Prof S.K. Sharma, Director, PGI, Chandigarh, was the guest of honour.

NAWANSHAHR
POWER FAILURE: Residents of the local Sharda Mohalla and Gulshan Bazar areas are facing inconvenience due to frequent power breakdown. They alleged their complaints were not being attended to. They said they had to remain without electricity on Saturday and Sunday.

PATHANKOT
POLICE PUBLIC MEET: A police-public interaction meeting was held here on Saturday. Mr Sukhdev Singh, SSP, Gurdaspur, said such meetings would be organised at the village and subdivisional levels. Mr Mohan Lal, Higher Education Minister, Punjab, was also present on the occasion.

CONVICTED: Mangal Singh has been sentenced to one and a half years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 500 for causing the death of Charanjeet, a local resident, by driving rashly. According to sources, the accused had crushed the victim under his truck in the Sarna area on January 2, 1998.

PATIALA
RED CROSS TEAM: The District Red Cross Society has provided help of Rs 9 lakh to 1234 handicapped people, medicines worth Rs 12 lakh for the physically challenged and blankets, machines, clothes and books worth Rs 2 lakh for other victims. A financial help in the form of other material worth Rs 75 lakh and a cash amount of Rs 28 lakh for the Gujarat victims has also been sent by the society. This was stated by a three-member team from the Geneva International Red Cross Society during its visit here. The team appreciated the exhibition that displayed the first-aid treatments in the wake of natural calamities laid down by the Red Cross Caters at the Model Town Girls School. They viewed the help being provided to the handicapped children and polio patients by the Red Cross Society at Saket Hospital. The foreign members asserted the programmes launched by the society to curb the increasing intake of drugs especially among youngsters. The team asserted the free availability of artificial body parts, tricycles and clippers to the handicapped people by the Red Cross Fitment Society. They felt that the society was providing all needed help to the disabled and in particular to those from slum areas.

CAMP FOR HANDICAPPED: The Disability Rehabilitation Centre, Jail Road, in collaboration with the Red Cross Society and Institute for the Physically Handicapped, New Delhi, will organise a one-day camp at the Civil Hospital, Samana, near here on Tuesday. Giving this information, the centre Director, Mr Sharad Ranga, said the camp will provide tricycles, wheelchairs and clippers to the polio effected patients. He added that artificial body parts will also be given to the handicapped people along with hearing aids. Mr Ranga added that the work of issuing certificates to the handicapped people will soon be brought into progress.

PHILLAUR
MEETING: The All-India Railway Ticket Checking Staff Organisation will hold its division-level meeting on May 22 at Ludhiana. Mr B.S. Randhawa and Mr Hardip Singh, divisional president and general secretary, respectively, of the association, said here on Sunday that Dr D.B.Roy, national secretary, will address the meeting.

PSEB’S MOVE: The Punjab State Electricity Board will soon issue pass books to all consumers. PSEB sources said here on Monday that the Information regarding old reading, new reading, inspections, change of meters, etc would be registered in the pass books which would remain in custody of subscribers. The sources said the pass books would be distributed along with the next power bills.

SAMRALA
PENSIONERS’ PLEA: Mr K.L. Khanna, general secretary, Punjab Government Pensioners Association, has urged the Finance Minister, Punjab, to issue the notification regarding his announcement of old-age pension increase for persons belonging to the age group of 65 and 75.

GRANTS GIVEN: Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, MP, gave Rs 1 lakh to the Community Centre Club at function held here on Sunday. He also gave Rs 1 lakh for the construction of a dharamshala for Dalits, Rs 50,000 for the cremation hall and Rs 1 lakh for a community club for Dalits at Ward No. 5 The president of the Community Centre Club, Mr Sandeep Hans, the vice-president, Mr K. S. Dhaliwal and the secretary, Mr Anil Sood, thanked the MP.

STRIKE BY LAWYERS: On a call given by the Bar Association, Sangrur, lawyers of the local Bar observed strike on Monday. The lawyers boycotted the courts and demanded release of the lawyers who were arrested by the Sangrur police, according to Mr S.S. Guron, a senior advocate.

SANGRUR
ELECTED: Harvinder Lal Sharma, a local journalist, was unanimously elected president of the district unit of the National Union of Journalists at a meeting of the union here on Sunday. He has been authorised to nominate the other office-bearers of the district unit.

CHANDIGARH

KISAN MORCHA: The meeting of the National Executive of the All-India Kisan Morcha of the BJP will be held at the UT Guest House here from May 26 to 27. The national president of the morcha, Mr Mahadeo Shivankar, will arrive in the city on may 25. Besides office-bearers of the morcha, several Central leaders will participate at the meeting. Unprecedented drought in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Rajasthan, economic resolution, analysis of the political situation and discussion on the reports received from various “samities” of the morcha will be among the topics to be discussed at the meeting, according to a press note issued here on Monday.

MEMORANDUM: The residents of Burail village submitted a memorandum to the local MP, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, and the Mayor Mr Raj Kumar Goyal, here on Sunday. The residents allege that the Municipal Corporation has never bothered to solve problems of the village. The villagers are demanding the repair of the village streets and regular power supply. They allege that the village’s phirni road has never been repaired. The residents also complained that the water pressure in the area is low. According to a press note of Mr Sat Pal Gupta, president of Gram Sudhar Sabha, Burail, Mr Bansal promised Rs 6 lakh from his MP fund for the construction of community center in the village.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The president of the Chandigarh Wholesale Cloth Merchants Association, Mr Charanjiv Singh, has nominated following office-bearers of the association: Adviser — Mr Om Parkash Mahajan; Executive Members — Mr Tilak Raj Duggal, Mr Mohinder Singh, Mr Purshotam Lal Aggarwal, Mr Iqbal Singh, Mr Sunil Khanna, Mr Partap Singh, Mr Ravinder Singh and Mr Pardeep Kumar Garg.

GOVT'S DIRECTIVE: The Haryana Government today asked all heads of department and managing directors of boards and corporations to persuade their staff to participate in the shramdan at Sukhna Lake here with the same spirit with which they had participated during previous years. Launched on May 6 at the regular end, the timings of the shramdan are from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.

SHRAMDAN: Mr Pawan Bansal and Mr B.B. Bahl, local MP and the CTCC chief, respectively, were among prominent persons, who performed “shramdan” at the Sukhna Lake here on Monday. Besides, Mr Vivek Atray, UT DPR, Ms Usha Mahajan, along with 30 volunteers of Government Polytechnic for Women also participated in the shramdan. The UT Chief Engineer, Mr Puranjit Singh, Kishanjeet Singh, SE and Mr Bhupinder Singh Bhupi, president of the Panjab University Campus Students Union, were other prominent persons, who participated in the removing silt from the lake bed. Till date, 5,47,940 cubic feet silt had been removed.

HARYANA

AMBALA
GAMBLERS ARRESTED: The local police has arrested six gamblers in two different raids conducted on Monday. According to the police, cash and playing cards were recovered from their possession. Those who have been nabbed are Deepak, Raman, Paramjit, Naveen, Satpal and Vinod.

TIGER SKINS SEIZED: The police has seized two tiger skins from two persons near Barara, 35 km from here, on Monday. The police has registered a case against them under the Wild Life Protection Act.

MEETING: The Haryana Balmiki Sabha will organise a meeting at Ambala Cantonment on May 27. According to the president of the Sabha, Mr M.L. Sarwan, some important issues will be taken up for discussion in the meeting.

SEIZED: The Ambala police has recovered 1,500 country-made liquor pouches from a Maruti car on Sunday. During nakabandi, a Maruti car was stopped by the police. The liquor pouches were hidden inside the car. The car occupants, Rohit, Rani Prasad and Brij Bhushan have been arrested, a release said.

MEETING: The general meeting of the Haryana Valmiki Mahasbha will take place in Ambala Cantonment on Sunday. The Senior Vice-President of the sabha, Mr Bishan Das Tank, said among others, the central, district and block units office-bearers are expected to participate in the meeting. He said the work of the sabha over last one year will be assessed and different schemes being run by the government will be deliberated upon.

B.Ed CURRICULUM: Under the aegis of the Haryana chapter of All-India Association for Educational Research, a one-day conference on the theme “Implementation of new B.Ed curriculum of Kurukshetra University” was held at Sohan Lal DAV College of Education, Ambala City. Fortyseven delegates, including resource persons from the teacher training colleges of Haryana, participated in the conference. Dr D.P. Asija, principal of Sohan Lal DAV College of Education, highlighted the need and the objectives of holding the conference. Prof N.S. Mavi stated that the National Council for Teacher Education issued certain guidelines for the curriculum to be prepared by the teacher educators at the grassroot level.

BHIWANI
SIXTY HURT: Sixty passengers were injured, four of them seriously, in a head-on collision between a Tata-407 and a bus at Kharak village on the Bhiwani-Rohtak road, 18 km from here on Sunday. They were returning after attending a marriage ceremony at Meerut. The driver of the bus, reportedly, lost balance over the vehicle near Kelanga turn.

FARIDABAD
HEALTH CAMP: A one-day free health camp was organised by the local Dr Tarun Medical Centre at the Sector 7 and Sector 10 chowk on Sunday. As many as 250 persons were examined. Medicines were given free of cost to the needy patients.

HISAR
ARRESTED: The police on Sunday arrested Sukhvinder Singh of Budhladha in Punjab. He is a member of a gang of car lifters headed by Sumeet.

ILLICIT LIQUOR: The police arrested Satpal Singh of Rishi Nagar here on Sunday and seized 500 pouches of illicit liquor from his possession. It also nabbed Roshan Lal of Piranwali village and seized 85 bottles of illicit liquor from him.

KAITHAL
DRIVERS’ UNION: The district unit of the Haryana State Government Drivers’ Union at a meeting presided over by its president Ram Kesh Malik here on Sunday urged the government to check the misuse of official vehicles by officers. The union also decided not to drive the private vehicles of the officers.

HOUSES DAMAGED: Cracks have developed in some houses at Cheeka due to leakage of water from supply pipes. The house owners are living in constant fear as the houses in Ward No 1 and 3 have been damaged due to seepage. The leakage has also affected a road that has started caving in.

VACCINATION CAMP: The local Manav Kalyan Trust, organised a hepatitis-B camp at Chandni Chowk here on Sunday. As many as 148 persons were vaccinated. The president of the trust, Mr Romesh Chand, said the next camp would be organised on coming Sunday.

SIRSA
INLD MEETING: Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala will preside over a
meeting of ruling party MLAs and office-bearers here on May 30. Stating this, Mr Abhay Chautala said the Chief Minister would also lay the foundation stone of a polytechnic institute at Panniwala Mota village during his two-day visit to the home district.

DAMAGE BY STORM: Storm and rain that hit the area on Saturday night disrupted normal life as water got collected on the road, electric polls were damaged and trees uprooted. Power supply to many villages was disrupted. Sewerage was blocked and water entered many houses.

SONEPAT
AMARNATH PILGRIMS: The president of the All-India Hindu Mahasangh, Swami Krishnanand Ji Maharaj, in a press note issued here on Monday, urged the Central Government to direct the Jammu and Kashmir Government to tighten security arrangements for Amarnath pilgrims and organisers of “bhandaras”.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party: president — Mr Ved Parkash; vice-president — Mr Jagat Singh; general secretary — Mr Ram Niwas; organising secretary — Mr Jai Bhagwan; and treasurer — Mr Ram Dhari.

MOURNED: Mr Sham Dass Mukhija and Ms Shanti Rathi, former ministers, on Monday mourned the death of Deen Dayal Chopra, a veteran Congress leader, and expressed sympathy with the bereaved family.

BODY FOUND: The Government Railway Police found the body of an unidentified youth lying on the railway track near Harsana Kalan railway station, about 5 km from here, on Sunday. The youth was reported to have fallen from a running train and killed.

CONDEMNED: Various farmers’ organisations have condemned the action of the district administration in closing down 19 wheat purchasing centres despite the fact that the harvesting operations have not been completed so far. They have also urged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to intervene in the matter.

SUICIDE ATTEMPT: A housewife reportedly tried to commit suicide by consuming insecticides in her house at Murthal village, 7 km from here, on Sunday. A family dispute is said to be the cause behind the suicide attempt.

CLASH: Five persons, including four women, were injured in a clash between two rival groups at Kakroi village, 9 km from here, on Sunday. A money dispute has been stated to be the cause behind the clash.

YAMUNANAGAR
TEACHERS’ DHARNA: The All-India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (AIFUCTO) will organise a dharna on May 23 at Shastri Bhavan in New Delhi against the Human Resource Development Ministry for not inviting the AIFUCTO leadership for talks with the Federation of Central University Teachers Association. Prof Harbhajan Singh, zonal secretary of the organisation, said here on Monday that the teachers were agitated as the ministry had not honoured the agreement of September, 1998 with the organisation.

CRUSHED: Jawala Bai, a resident of Camp, was crushed to death by a vehicle while crossing a road on Saturday night. The police has registered a case.