R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

• Chaos rules Solan roads
• Honoured for service to ailing
• A change for rural schoolchildren

PUNJAB

AHMEDGARH
CHECK ON COPYING: Mr Ashok Bhalla, DEO(P) Sangrur, has stated that deputation of high and senior school staff in examination centres of Class V has proved successful. He said three types of question papers had served as a check against copying. Mr Bhalla hoped that check at lower level would also prove fruitful in curbing copying in higher classes in future. Mr Lakhvir Singh Kailey, lecturer, Government Senior Secondary School Sandour and in charge flying squad, after inspecting the centres of the area confirmed that centres run by the SCERT were being run under strict observation and that no case of cheating had been registered. 

EYE CAMP: An eye operation camp was organised by the Pandit Dhan Raj Social Welfare Society at Nirmal Dera Ber Kalan. As many as 286 patients were examined by a team of doctors led by Dr R.S. Gill and Dr Harjit Kaur Sidhu. Fifty-one cataract operations were done and lenses of 22 patients were replaced.

AMLOH
BIRTH ANNIVERSARY: The birth anniversary of the Founder of the Scouts and Girls Guide Movement, Dr Baden Powel, was celebrated at Government Senior Secondary School, Naraingarh, 3 km from here, in which scouts and guides from the district participated. Mr Bela Singh, Assistant State Organising Commissioner, said keeping in view the deterioration in values in the society, participation of more students in the movement would draw better results. Among others who spoke on the occasion included the Principal of the school, Mr Roshan Lal Sood, Mr Jagdish Parshad, District Training Commissioner, Mr Shamsher Singh, Assistant Contingent Leader, Ms Kulwinder Kaur and Ms Reshma Rani, guide captains, and Mr Mukesh Kumar, scout master. 

TWO HELD: With the arrest of two persons, the Sriganganagar police on Tuesday claimed to have solved the mystery shrouding the murder of a shopkeeper on Saturday night. Sources in the Rajasthan police said Narender Singh, alias Nangu, of Bharat Nagar, and Raj Kumar, alias Raju, of the JCT extension colony, had been arrested on the charge of killing Bal Ram Sharma, who ran an electronics shop opposite the JCT mills.

BALACHAUR
BODY FOUND: The Kathgarh police on Tuesday found the body of a 35-year-old person near Kishanpur village, 11 km from here. The body has been sent to the Banga police station. The police has registered a case.

DERA BASSI
SEMINAR ON TRAFFIC RULES: In order to create awareness and educate children about traffic rules and regulations, signs and symbols, the traffic police, Patiala, organised a seminar at Col. V.R. Mohan DAV Public School, Dera Bassi, which was attended by the school staff, students, school bus drivers and conductors. Going by the phrase, “catch them young,” the road safety education cell of the Punjab Police, Patiala, impressed upon the young minds to adhere to the traffic rules and regulations, build a positive and healthy road sense so that they can further inspire society and fulfil socio-moral obligation towards traffic rules. Emphasis was laid on avoiding high speed, carelessness and addiction while driving. 

EDUCATION PANEL: Under the Chairmanship of Mr Ujagar Singh, following have been elected the office-bearers of the Education Development Committee, Devinagar: Ms Satwant Kaur, Mr Babu Singh, Ms Salita Saini, Mr BS Saini, Mr Jasbir Singh and Mr Hari Singh. 

FEROZEPORE
STRIKE: The Bar Association of the local district and sessions court has decided to observe a strike on Thursday in protest against senior Congress leader Balram Jakhar’s statement that Abohar would be carved out of Ferozepore as a new district.

HOSHIARPUR
PHONE CARDS: Mr Mohan Lal, General Manager Telecom, said in a press note here on Tuesday Indian telephone cards worth Rs 525 each would be given free of cost at the time of registration for getting new telephone connection in Hoshiarpur city (except JCT, Chohal), Mahilpur and Balachaur. This offer is valid up to March 20 and is also for existing subscribers of BSNL applying for second and subsequent telephone connections at these stations.

JAGRAON
CASH LOOTED: Four Jeep-borne persons have looted cash and packets of mobil oil from Garg Service Station, situated on the Hathur-Diwana road, at gunpoint. The local police has registered a case under Sections 382 and 34, IPC, on the statement of Mr Mukesh Kumar, owner of the pump. According to the complainant, first they asked for diesel and later demanded one litre mobil oil. When the owner went inside to fetch it, they followed him and at gunpoint they looted the cash. They bolted the owner inside the room. 

MEDICAL CAMP: The International Council of Ayurveda, Punjab, has organised a health mela at the old Civil Hospital here. A free ayurvedic medical camp was also organised. An exhibition and a seminar was organised. A team of doctors led by Dr Ashok Sharma examined nearly 400 patients. Dr Inderjit Singh, SMO, Civil Hospital, inaugurated the seminar. 

KHAMANO
TRAINING CAMP: A ‘self help group leaders training camp’ will be organised at Malwa Public High School Kalewal, near here, by the Action Research and Training Institute (ARTI), a social organisation, on Monday. People would be informed about the self help group scheme organised by Nabarad. The ADC, Fatehgarh Sahib, AGM Nabarad, and other officials concerned will participate in the camp and will discuss about other village development schemes. Stating this here, the chairman of Arti, Mr Surinder Singh, said officials of local banks would also be present during the camp.

KHANNA
LOCAL BODY STAFF: Facing a financial crunch after the abolition of octroi, the Local Body Department of Punjab will adjust its staff in other departments of the state government. According to reliable sources, the department had started gathering information about the staff that could be adjusted in other departments of the government. The Deputy Secretary of the local government had issued a letter to all municipal councils and nagar panchayats of the state to send the reports of all newly-appointed inspectors. The department had sought their present report, medical report and character verification reports. The department had demanded the list of recommended posts of the inspectors and the list of the inspectors working against these posts. It is learnt that all newly-appointed inspectors of the department may be adjusted in other departments. 

KHARAR
IT CAMP: An income tax camp will be organised here on Thursday by Punjab National Bank, Ropar road, Kharar, at 10 a.m. According to Mr D.P. Singh, Manager, Punjab National Bank, a team led by Mr Vivek Vardhan, Income Tax Officer, Chandigarh Ward 6(I), would accept the returns of the assessees falling under the I/6 scheme of the department.

LUDHIANA
SEMINAR POSTPONED: A seminar on ‘ Role of councilling in police’s resolution of matrimonial disputes’ scheduled for Wednesday at Wheat Bhavan, Punjab Agriculture University, has been postponed due to the ill health of the chief guest, Mr V. K. Khanna, Chairman, Punjab Human Rights Commission. A police release said here on Tuesday evening that the new dates would be announced shortly. 

FUNCTION: Mr Roshan Lal Arya, general secretary, Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, has asked various newspapers in the country to stop publishing daily and weekly astrological forecasts as these were promoting superstition among people. Mr Arya was speaking at the ‘parivar milan samaroh’ at Arya Samaj, Dal Bazaar, on Sunday. He felt that the trend was a matter of deep concern. He further said people must give up superstitions. Swami Sumnamati ji, Swami Shobhanand, Shri Om Muni from Ferozepore, also addressed the gathering. Others present on the occasion included Prof Vedvrat, Pandit Surinder Kumar Shastri, Sewan Rajender Kumar, Mr Atam Prakash, Mr Om Parkash Passi, Mr Ramesh Sood and Mr Kirpa Ram Arya. 

SEMINAR: The Punjabi Teachers’ Association will organise a seminar at the Government College for Women on Friday. Giving details, Dr Amarjit Singh Dua, president, said Dr Darshan Singh, former chairman, Guru Nanak Sikh Studies Department, Panjab University, will deliver a lecture on ‘Gurmat ideology’. Dr Paramjit Singh from the Department of Punjabi, Guru Nanak Dev University, Principal Kuldip Kaur, patron of the association, and Dr Manjit Singh Komal, secretary, will also participate in the seminar. 

MANDI GOBINDGARH
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the District Tax Bar Association of the district head office: president—Mr Jatinderpal Singh; vice-president—Mr Sanjay Goyal; secretary—Mr Ashwani Abraol; joint secretary-cum-cashier—Mr Satinder Nath Sharma. 

MISSING MAN FOUND: A 6o-yr-old man, Mr Sarup Singh, who had been missing since past 10 days from Patiala, has been reunited with his family with the efforts of Mr Vikas Partap, Deputy Commissioner. According to the information available, due to some mental tension, Sarup Singh went to Gaupolo village, near Bassi Pathana, and started living there. Sunder Singh, a resident of the village, informed the matter to the DC. Reading an advertisement in a newspaper, Prof Gurmukh Singh, the relation of Sarup Singh, contacted the DC and was united with his missing family member. The family of Sarup Singh thanked the district administration for helping in tracing their family member. 

PHAGWARA
KILLED IN MISHAP: A college student, Sarabjit Kaur, was killed in a road accident here on Monday. She was returning to her home at Hadiabad when her vehicle was hit by a scooter. She was rushed to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.

FOUND MURDERED: A landlord, Harjinder Singh (37) of Old Jawahar Nagar, jalandhar, was found murdered near Khajurala, 12 km from here, on the GT road on Wednesday. His body bore injury marks near the neck. Harjinder had been missing for the past two days. In another incident, a youth was crushed under a bus when he got down from it here on Tuesday.

SAMRALA
STRIKE: The strike by the local lawyers of the local Bar Association entered into the ninth day on Tuesday, according to Mr Anil Sharma, president of the association. Talking to mediapersons at the local Civil Rest House, Mr Gupta said the strike would continue till their demand for the construction of new judicial court was not implemented by the administration. 

HARYANA

DRINKING WATER: The Public Health Department plans to install four new tubewells, two overhead tanks and four underground tanks at a cost of about Rs 2 crore to provide 70 litres of drinking water per head to residents of Samalkha. This information was given by the Commissioner of the Public Health Department, Haryana, while talking to newsmen at the Samalkha Blue Jay tourist complex on Tuesday.

YAMUNANAGAR
EDUCATIONIST DEAD: Multan Singh, president of the Gujjar Kanya Vidyamandir, Devdhar, about 35 km from here, died on Tuesday. He was 97. An educationist and a social worker, he was associated with many social organisations and education institutions. His cremation was attended by senior political leaders, educationists and social workers.

FUNCTION HELD: A prize distribution function was organised by Maharaja Agrasen Mahavidyalya, Jagadhri, on Tuesday to honour blood donors. Mr B.S. Malik, Additional Deputy Commissioner, was the chief guest. An industrialist of Jagadhri, Dr Ashwani Goel, was the guest of honour.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Himachal Pradesh State Judicial Officers Association: president — Mr L.R. Sharma, senior vice-president — Mr Rattan Singh Thakur, vice-president — Mr J.K. Sharma; general secretary — Mr S.L. Sharma; and treasurer — Mr R.K. Sharma.

MEETING: A meeting of residents of Behana-Jattan village, near here, was held on Tuesday. Villagers threatened to launch an agitation if the government failed to start the construction of the Berry-Darolan to Khirian bridge here. An action committee was also formed for the purpose and Congress leader Bambar Thakur appointed as its organiser.

CHAMBA
MAN KILLED: One person was killed on the spot and another seriously wounded when a private truck skidded off the road and rolled down into the burn (nullah) at Gattighar in the interiors of the district on Tuesday, according to report received here on Wednesday. According to an official spokesman, the deceased has been identified as Panja Ram and the driver of the truck Roshal Lal was admitted to the Zonal Hospital, Chamba, in serious condition. A case has been registered.

CHARAS SEIZED: Quashim Deen, resident of Khusnagari village in the Churah subdivision in the district, was arrested for being in possession of 8.5 kg of charas at Kandla village, about 35 km from the district headquarters here on Wednesday. The Superintendent of Police, Mr S.R. Ojha, said a police party intercepted the accused while he was carrying charas at Kandla. A case has been registered in this connection under Section 20 of the NDPS Act, the SP said.

KUMARHATTI
DEAD: One person died and three sustained injuries in two incidents. A PWD worker, Babu Ram was killed due to a landslide near Khaltu village on the Subahtu-Kuthar road, 5 km from Subathu, on Tuesday. Three persons received minor injuries when a DTC bus bound for New Delhi from Shimla skidded of the road at Kheel Ka Mour village on the Kalka-Shimla national highway, near here, on Wednesday.

NAHAN
AWARENESS CAMP: The Town and Country Planning Department on Wednesday organised an awareness camp on planned construction at Banog in Nahan. Speaking on the occasion, Town Planning Officer Anita Sharma called for the cooperation of the people in ensuring planned construction of houses in villages and towns.

SHIMLA
STAMP DUTY: The Dhami Vikas Sabha has urged the state government to exempt persons who raise loans from banks for starting their own ventures up to Rs 10 lakh from stamp duty and registration charges. In a letter to Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, the sabha said educated unemployed persons had to arrange 25 per cent or more of the cost of the project as margin money while raising loans for setting up their ventures.

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

Chaos rules Solan roads

The district headquarters of Solan known as the mushroom city, has now become a place of hazardous and unplanned traffic. Factors such as non-regulation of effective traffic norms, narrow internal roads plagued by the encroachment and reckless parking of their vehicles along roads by locals can be attributed to the current situation. The most affected are the Mall and Rajgarh roads, where unplanned commercial establishments in the past few years have aggravated the situation.

Though the administration has banned the entry of heavy vehicles on the Mall road from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. but this seems to have yielded no result. Owing to lack of proper parking facilities, light vehicles can be seen parked along the congested Mall road, hence traffic jams have become the order of the day. Moreover traffic personnel regulating traffic on the DC Chowk often seem helpless to tackle the traffic owing ignorance of traffic rules among motorists as well as strict measures to check violators. In the absence of effective traffic norms and casualness of the police, two-wheelers can be seen been driven recklessly by youth. The apathy of the traffic police can be gauged from the fact that the most of the two-wheelers drivers do not wear helmets. Those who do wear helmets make a mockery of traffic norms as they can be seen donning light, unsafe helmets.

Honoured for service to ailing

Like his father, Mr Jatinder Singh, has also chosen to serve the poor and needy. He is active in the welfare of those suffering from leprosy. He has got inspiration from his father, Mr Prem Singh.

Even the Punjab Government has recognised his services in this field. He was given a commendation certificate on Republic Day at a state-level function in Ropar. The young man says that he is preparing a comprehensive list of those affected by leprosy in this region. Such a list will help in monitoring the welfare of such persons.

A change for rural schoolchildren

A senior Army officer has said children still would like to go to a fair in their schools rather than sitting at home. This was more related to the children who had an opportunity to study in a city school. Now the question is what about the village kids, the poorer ones or the not-so-lucky ones. Will they ever get the thrill of being at a fair organised for them?

Providing an answer, the Army organised a fair for children at Shivpur Head School in Abohar. The response it received was tremendous. The kids literally went berserk and trying to cash on as much of fun as they could gather in the short period at their disposal. Not to miss out the gifts that were earmarked and displaced which provided an added attraction to the zeal of participants. The most encouraging sight was the presence of the parents of these children.

The children tried to show off their performance in sports to their parents. The best part of the event was the stage performance competition — the spirit the children showed had no parallel.

Contributed by Jagmeet Singh, Sarbjit Dhaliwal and Raj Sadosh