The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Monday, June 25, 2001,
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

BATHINDA
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been appointed office-bearers of the Helpline Welfare Club: president — Mr Gurjinder Bhola; senior vice-president — Pritpal Singh; general secretary — Mr Dilbagh Singh Sidhu; press secretary — Mr Balbir Kamando.

GURDASPUR
POSTAL INEFFICIENCY: Sant Lal Mandal, a Bihari labourer working at Hayat Nagar, has alleged that he had sent Rs 2,500 through money order on May 25 to his father at Kishanganj in Bihar but the former was yet to receive the same due to inefficient service by the Department of Post. He threatened to move the court if the department didn’t redress his grievance.

KHANNA
ELECTED: Shri Neelkanth Mahadv Sewa Sangh elections were held here in Abhishek Banquet Hall, under the presidentship of Mahant Vijay Giri. Dinkar Kalia was elected as patron of the sangh. Following office-bearers of Khanna unit were elected: president — Sanju Sharma; vice-president — Vikas Mehta; secretary — Ajay Kumar; joint secretaries — Ambrish Kumar and Harsanjeev; cashier — Prem Kumar Chabra; executive members — Varinder Kaushal, Onkar Rai Mehta, Jaidev Goyal, Acchar Dev Angrish, Mukesh Mehta, Vir Chand, Rajiv Anand, Prem Bhalla and Tajinder Sharma. Follwing office-bearers of Gobindgarh unit were elected: president — Bharat Bhushan; vice-president — Motilal Satiya; secretary — Ved Parkash Sahi; joint secretary — Shiv Kumar and cashier — Hari Krishan Sharma. OC Attack on train flayed: Punjab Youth Akali Dal Badal leader Gurpreet Singh Shergill has condemned the attack on the train carrying `birs’ in West Bengal. He has asked the Punjab Government to take up the matter with the West Bengal Government and appealed to the Chief Minister of West Bengal to take strict action against the miscreants so that the minorities in the state could feel secure.

OFFICE-BEARERS: Congress leaders and workers of the area, including Mr Dharam Pal Angrish, president, Punjab Trade Union, Mr Nazar Singh Lapran, president, Block Congress, Doraha, Mr Parminder Singh Ghudani, president, Block Youth Congress, Doraha, Mr Sher Singh Payal, Mr Charan Dass, Mr Rupinder Singh Nizampur, Mr Surinder Lapran, Mr Amarjeet Jalla and Mr Gurdial Singh Jalla, have welcomed the appointment of Mr Tej Parkash Singh as the vice-president and Mr Gurkirat Singh as the secretary of the state executive. Thanking Ms Sonia Gandhi and Capt Amarinder Singh for these appointments, they expressed hope that it would help in development of the state in general, and Payal area in particular. The General Secretary, DCC, Mr Supinder Singh Ghudani, said the new appointees would strengthen the party and help in solving the problems of youth, farmers, labourers, employees and downtrodden sections of the society, whose welfare was late Beant Singh’s foremost consideration.

MANDI GOBINDGARH
ARREARS SOUGHT: After completion of his intensive tour of 12 villages, Mr Dalip Singh Pandhi, a former minister, said here on Sunday that people will reach Fatehgarh Sahib to attend in the conference of SAD on Tuesday. Mr Pandhi expressed anguish over the harassment of old-age pensioners. It was alleged that accounts of many old people have been lost in the office of District Social Security Officer, Fatehgarh Sahib, and now all of them have to repeat the whole exercise to prepare the fresh cases. Mr Pandhi urged the government that the arrears of pensions be paid to them.

CONFERENCE: Mr Balwant Singh, president of the Punjab Government Pensioners Association, Fatehgarh Sahib, in a press statement here on Sunday has appealed all pensioners to participate in the SAD conference at Fatehgarh Sahib on Tuesday, which is to be addressed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, Punjab, Mr Sodhi further said Punjab is the first state in the country which has accepted the demand of old-age hike at the rate of 5 per cent and 10 per cent after attaining the age of 65 and 75 years respectively. The Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, has called a meeting of the association on July 17 at Chandigarh for consideration of the remaining demands.

NAWANSHAHR
PROTEST MARCH: The district unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) took out a protest march and blocked the traffic at Chandigarh Chowk here on Friday to raise the demands of the youth. They were demanding the inclusion of the right to education and the right to work in Fundamental Rights, checking of privatisation and saffronisation of education, grant of Rs 2000 per month as unemployment allowance etc. A demand charter was also submitted to the Deputy Commissioner for onward submission to the Chief Minister.

PATIALA
BANDH CALL: The youth Wing of the SAD has given a call for two-hour Patiala bandh on Monday morning against the attack on train at Uttarwara, near Kolkata, on Friday. Stating this in a press note, the wing president, Mr Kulwinder Singh Lovely, said the bandh would be held in a peaceful manner.

WELFARE PROJECTS: NABARD will spent nearly Rs 20 crore for providing various facilities in Patiala, Ropar and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. The Punjab Government has decided o provide drinking water in different villages. Apart from this, 24 water supply schemes worth Rs 535 crore would be started in 42 villages in Nabha subdivision. This was disclosed by Raja Narinder Singh, Public Health and Civil Aviation Minister, while inaugurating the water scheme at Chattha village, near here, on Sunday.

CONDEMNED: The lowering of minimum percentage in 10+2 exams from 50 per cent to 40 per cent for admission to BAMS courses through PMET has been objected by the Ayurvedic Students Association, Government Ayurvedic College, during a meeting held her on Sunday. Stating this in a press note, the association president, Mr Moninder Singh, said the percentage marks for admission to BAMS had been lowered while the percentage remained constant for admission to MBBS and BDS courses.

INAUGURATED: A grant of Rs 50,000 was given to the Dashmesh Sports Club by Raja Narinder Singh, Public Health Minister, while laying ht foundation stone of a 66-KV grid power station at Gurditpur village, Nabha subdivision, near here, on Sunday. He also laid the foundation stone of the road leading to a cremation ground near the village. The minister announced that middle school of the village would be upgraded.

PHILLAUR
LOOTED: Unidentified armed robbers looted two petrol stations, near Apra village in Phillaur subdivision and decamped with Rs 72,000. The police has registered a case in this regard. In another incident, unidentified miscreants burgled the house of Pyara Lal at Guru Harkrishan Nagar and decamped with Rs 16,000 besides some other household goods. The police has registered a case.

SANGRUR
AGENTS HONOURED: Ten agents of Small Savings were honoured at a function organised by the office of District Small Savings here on Friday. Mr Sarvjit Singh, Deputy Commissioner, presided over the function and presented cheques and air-conditioners to three agents and generator sets to the other three agents for depositing huge amount. He also presented a gold biscuit, weighing 116.64 gm , to Ms Nirmal Sharma of Malerkotla for depositing more than Rs 3 crore as an agent.

TARN TARAN
GOLD CHAIN SNATCHED: Five unidentified women snatched a gold chain from Swaran Kaur Gill, a local resident, on Wednesday at the Chabal bypass here. In her complaint to the police she said the women after snatching her gold chain along with a locket weighing three tolas fled in a Maruti car (DDC-2707).

HARYANA

AMBALA
MEDICAL CAMP: The Chunmun Club organised a free medical check-up camp for children attending a dance-cum-painting workshop. A team of doctors examined children, Mr Ashok Sharma, director of the club, said.

POWER TARIFF HIKE: The Citizens Council, Ambala Cantonment, and other market associations have resented frequent increase in power tariff this year. Telegrams were sent to the Chief Minister, Haryana, the Haryana Electricity Regulation Commission and the Haryana Vidyut Prasar Nigam in this regard. A press note said that proposed third increment in power tariff from August 1 was objectionable. “There is no justification for three increments in a year. Transmission losses and administrative expenses must be controlled and minimum monthly consumption load charges must be withdrawn,” the release said.

BRIBERY CASE: Money allegedly paid as bribe to a clerk in the Electricity Department was returned to the consumer after the intervention of a local union leader. The power union leader, Mr Ravi Kumar, claimed that a consumer had been forced to pay a bribe to a clerk for getting his application accepted for a meter under the tatkal scheme. He said that after his intervention, the money was returned to the consumer.

HISAR
PROTEST: Members of the Bajrang Dal have decided to hold a demonstration in front of the Public Health office at Adampur, near here, on Monday in protest against the failure of the department to provide basic facilities to the local residents.

DHARNA: The Roadways Employees Union of the Hisar depot will stage a dharna in front of the office of the General Manager on July 20 to press their demands. Mr Sudhir Sehrawat, president of the union, alleged that though they had met the local officials a number of times yet nothing had been done to redress their grievances.

OPEN DARBAR: District officials will organise an open darbar at Uklana, near here, on Friday to hear the grievances of residents. Mr Balbeer Singh, Block Development and Panchayat Officer, said here on Saturday that Mr Anurag Rastogi, Deputy Commissioner, would preside over the function.

AGITATION: The Student Federation of India will launch an agitation against the new admission policy of the state government, Mr Dinesh Siwach, vice president, SFI, said here on Saturday. He said the policy would affect the prospects of thousands of students.

SONEPAT
RESENTMENT: Resentment prevails among residents of some villages on the Kharkhauda-Matindu Road against the non-installation of a power transformer by the UHBVN. The residents alleged that the earlier transformer had been stolen on June 11. They threatened to gherao the officials concerned if it was not installed immediately.

ROAD ACCIDENT: Three persons, including a woman, were injured when the motor cycle on which they were riding was hit by a truck on the Sonepat-Bahalgarh Road, near Fazilpur village, about 3 km from here, on Saturday . The police has registered a case against the driver of the truck on the charge of rash and negligent driving.

ASSAULT: Anil was injured when a youth attacked him with a knife in Mohalla Kot here on Saturday. The police has registered a case against the alleged assailant who is still at large.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
OBJECTION: The Himachal Pradesh State Government Teachers’ Union has objected to the alleged statement by the BJP state president, Mr Jaikrishan Sharma, regarding the transfer of teachers on the recommendations of the local BJP cadres. It urged the Chief Minister and the Education Minister to reconsider the policy.

CHAMBA
PARKING SPACE: The Chamba Citizens Progressive Council has demanded that the state government develop parking space in and around the town in view of the increasing number of vehicles. In a representation to the Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, the council President, Mr D.N. Pardesi, urged him to regulate the haphazard traffic in the town and check driving by under-age boys and girls.

NURPUR
DECISION WELCOMED: The local Town Welfare Committee has welcomed the announcement of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, to revoke the new drinking water meter system in which consumers in the urban areas were asked to install meters and maintain them on their own. Mr Rakesh Mahajan, chairman, and Mr Prem Dass Sahotra, general secretary of the committee, in a joint statement issued on Saturday, demanded the reduction in the recent hike in water tariff.

ADVISORY CENTRES: The Himachal Pradesh National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has decided to set up advisory centres at all subdivisions in the state. Mr Kewal Pathania, state president of the union, said here on Friday that these centres would facilitate students solve their problems.

WATER SHORTAGE: Residents of the town have been facing an acute shortage of potable water being supplied by the Irrigation cum Public Health Department. They said they were getting water supply just for half an hour every day. The consumers alleged that despite inadequate supply of water they were getting water bills at higher tariff.

SHIMLA
ADMISSION DEMANDED: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has demanded that students of the plus two class with compartment should be given admission to the BA classes. It urged the Education Minister to immediately interfere in the matter. It threatened the university authorities with an agitation if steps were not initiated in this regard. The parishad would submit a memorandum to the Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, on Tuesday.

CULTURAL PROGRAMME: The 46th all-India Drama and Dance Competition commenced here on Friday. As many as 600 artistes from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, MP and Orissa participated in the competition. Mr C.R.B. Lalit, Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul-Spiti, inaugurated the function. He stressed upon the need for such competitions and festivals for national integration.