AMRITSAR
MEDICAL CAMP: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.S.Puri, has assured residents of villages along the border full compensation for their crops which have been affected due to the deployment of Army. He was speaking at a medical camp organised by the Army authorities at Singoke village in Ajnala tehsil here on Sunday. The camp was inaugurated by Brig J.S.Grewal. Residents of 20 villages were given medical treatment and medicines were given to them free of cost.

MURDERED: Balwant Singh of Ganj di Mori locality here was murdered allegedly by his brother on Saturday following a dispute over property. According to information , the suspect Sujit Singh, along with his wife and two sons, attacked Balwant Singh with sharp weapons. A case has been registered. However, no arrests have been made.

INJURED: An old woman, along with her maid, were seriously injured in an attack by a person with a sharp weapon. The accused, who was reportedly about 18-year-old, forcibly entered her house and demanded Rs 50,000. When he was refused the money, he attacked and injured them.

DISTILLERY RAIDED: An illicit distillery unit has been raided and 70 kg lahan seized from Mukhtiar Singh of Chattiwind village. About four litres of illicit liquor have been recovered from the accused.

SNATCHED: Two motorcycle-borne youths snatched the purse of Urmila Jain of Ranjit Avenue here which contained Rs 25,000 cash, a diamond ring and a ‘mangal sutra’.

BASANT PANCHMI: The Jat Sabha will celebrate “Basant Panchmi” and the 121st birthday of Deen Bandhu Sir Chhotu Ram at the local Jat Bhavan on Sunday. A press note issued by the sabha said outstanding students and sportspersons would be honoured on that day. A cultural programme would also be organised on the occasion in which folk singers like Mahabir Guddu, Bagbir Rathi, Sarita Choudhary and Ishwar Sharma would perform. Mr Ajay Singh |Chautala, MP, would be the chief guest, while Mr M.S. Malik, president of the sabha, would preside over the function. Mr Ram Niwas, Director Industries, would be the guest of honour. 

FAREWELL PARTY: A colourful show was organised by students of Sanjay Public Senior Secondary School, Sector 44, as a part of the farewell party to the outgoing students of Class X and XII on the school premises here on Monday. A fashion show was also organised on the occasion. The programme concluded with bhangra and giddah items. The school director and Principal, Ms U. Sethi, inaugurated the function. Mr T.R. Sethi, chairman of Sanjay Group of Schools, was the chief guest and Mr K.I.P. Singh, SHO of the Sector 34 police station, was the guest of honour. 

ELECTED: The following have been elected members of the new executive committee of the North India Beekeepers Association, Chandigarh: chairperson — Dr Madhu Gill; vice-chairmen — Mr Sadhu Singh and Mr R.P. Singh; secretary — Mr R.K. Sethi; and treasurer — Mr Vikas Kapoor. 

DEWORMING CAMPAIGN: A four-day Deworming campaign for school children of Maulijagran colony which was organised by the Surya Foundation in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation, concluded here on Monday. Dr Ramneek Sharma, founder director of the Surya Foundation, said worm infestation was a major contributing factor for malnutrition in children. The campaign launched by the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh aims to cover 2,200 school-going children of various colonies. Ms Madhavi Kataria, Director, Social Welfare Department, who was the chief guest on this occasion addressed the students and explained the importance of having healthy bodies to house healthy minds. About 1,052 students from different schools benefitted from this campaign. 

BOOK RELEASED: Madhav Kaushik’s latest poem collection ‘Nayi Sadi Ka Sannata’ was released at a function organised by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi in Hotel Shivalikview here on Monday. Releasing the book, Ms Neeru Nanda, Adviser to the Chandigarh Administrator, said the poet has done a wonderful job at capturing human emotions in a flawless way. Reciting her favourite poem from the collection, Ms Nanda emphasised the need to take Urdu to the masses. “Nai Sadi Ka Sannata” is the 10th book on poem and ghazals by Madhav Kaushik. The poet has received the Haryana Sahitya Akademi Award, Hasya Kavita Samman, Ravindra Nath Vashisth Samman and Rashtriya Hindi Sevi Sahastravdi Samman. Mr H.S. Halwarvi, Editor of the Punjabi Tribune and Vice-Chairman of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, presented the vote of thanks. 

MEDI-FEST AT GMCH-32: The four-day all-India medi-fest, Euphoria-2002, will begin at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, from February 14. Organised by students of the college, Euphoria will comprise performances by students in cultural events and an opportunity for them to unleash the creative talent in the various off stage events. More than 3,000 delegates from various medical colleges of the country are expected to participate in the event. 

APPEAL: The Department of Transfusion Medicine, PGI, has appealed to various NGOs, social clubs, educational institutions, religious bodies and individual donors that there is an urgent need for blood of AB group for patients admitted to the various city hospitals. 

INQUIRY INSTITUTED: The Bank of Punjab (BoP) has instituted an inquiry into the recent rumours about the imminent closure of the bank. “We have started an inquiry, and within a week or so our team will come out with its report”, said Mr Tejbir Singh, executive director of the bank. “Things have normalised now and people are re-depositing their money,” claimed a senior bank official. Following the rumour , the BoP also wrote about the matter to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Legal action would be taken against whosoever had attempted to tarnish the bank’s image, said the bank officials. 

PANCHKULA
KISAN CLUB MEETING: The district administration was committed to increasing the agricultural production and the kisan clubs created with the help of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the Krishi Vibhag, stated Mr S.K. Goyal, Additional Deputy Commissioner, while presiding over the monthly meeting of the Kisan club here on Monday. He said these clubs imparted knowledge about the latest technological developments in the field of agriculture and crop rotation. Farmers were also cautioned against the indiscriminate use of pesticides in order to save environment from pollution. The ADC called upon the farmers for diversification from the wheat-rice pattern to pulses and oilseeds.