R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMLOH
INTERACTION : DSP Sushil Kumar, in his first interaction with mediapersons, traders, councillors and others after assuming charge here on Saturday , urged all to be vigilant to help confine crime in society. During the meeting, Mr Mangat Arora, representative of traders, Mr Baldev Aulukh and Mr Ramesh Dupta, president and vice-president of the municipal council, respectively, and Mr Baldev Sedha, former president of the council, also discussed traffic problems in the city.

AMRITSAR
3 ARRESTED: Three persons, including husband, sister-in-law and brother-in-law of Komal (25) have been arrested by the police in a dowry death case. Komal was found dead outside the house of Rajinder Kumar, brother-in-law of her husband.

RAIDED: Gagan cinema hall located at the Batala road here was raided by a joint team of the police and film distributors on Saturday for screening the movie ‘Raaj’ without permission. The owner of the cinema hall reportedly fled away.

SAPLING PLANTATION: The State Bank of India, Commercial Branch, Ranjit Avenue, organised a sapling plantation drive in association with the Daya Nand Park Society here on Saturday.

BARNALA
PROCLAIMED OFFENDER: The Barnala police had arrested a proclaimed offender, Manjit Rai, from Khanna on July 17. According to Mr Gurinder Singh Dhillon, SSP, Barnala, he was arrested following registration of a case under Sections 420/465/467/468/471 at Tapa police station on 29.1.1999. Manjit Rai confessed that a case was registered against him at Bathinda for selling a plot. He was booked and arrested at Tapa police station for preparing fake documents of the vehicles in 1999.

KAPURTHALA
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Lions Club for the year 2002-2003: president — Mr Charanjit Singh, secretary — Mr Yadwinder Singh; and treasurer — Mr Surinderjit Singh.

KHANNA
REMEMBERED: Third anniversary of Kargil martyr Sukhchaindeep Singh was observed at Payal on Sunday where his father, Mr Surjit Singh, and mother, Harjit Kaur were honoured by the All-India Anti Terrorist Front. While addressing the function, Mr Jagmeet Singh Sahota, president, of the front, Punjab unit, said the families of the martyrs never wish to be honoured for the sacrifices of any of their family member. Rather it is a proud privilege of we people to bestow honour on the families of martyrs, he said. 

LUDHIANA
KANWAD YATRA: The Jai Bhole Kanwad Sangh is organising its Vth annual ‘paidal-yatra’ from August 1 to 17, according to Mr Sham Lal Singla, chairman of the sangh. He said batch of ‘kanwads’ comprising sangh members would be flagged off for Hardwar by Mahant Naraindass Puri from the Sanglan Wala Shivala and the “kanwars’ after filling their pots with Ganga water would reach back the shivala on August 17 via Roorkee, Saharanpur, Ambala. Mahaant Naraindass Puri would be performing the ‘abhishek’ of ‘shivilinga’ with the Ganga water brought by the “kanwads”.

FOUNDATION STONE: Acharya Ratnanakar Surishwarji Maharaj laid nine marble bricks to mark the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Suparshav Nath Jain Mandir here on Monday which is being built under the aegis of Shri Suprashav Nath Jain Puja Mandir Trust. Mr Kashmiri Lal Jain, a spokesman for the trust, said the trust would be constructing the temple in collaboration with Sakal Shri Sangh and the Atmanand Jain Sabha. The temple would be thrown open to the public after completion, he added.

BHAGWAT SAMMELAN: Bhagwat Vibhushan Sant Kishore ji Vyass would preside over the Shrimad Bhagwat Katha Sammelan being held by the Shri Banke Bihari Sewa Parisar from September 12 to 21 at Agar Nagar. This would be the first visit of the renowned saint to the town, according to the organisers. Meanwhile, a meeting of the sewa parisar, held here on Sunday to review the preparations for the forthcoming sammelan, was attended among others by Mr Janeshwar Jain, Mr Satish Jain, Mr Deepak Kumar, Mr Rajiv Duggal, Mr Ashok Gupta, Mr Basant Kumar and Mr Bal Krishan. 

JD AWARDS: Navneet, Deepti and Romin were given the designer awards in the best traditional, kids-wear, and western outfit categories, respectively, at a fashion show organised by the JD Institute of Fashion Technology here on Sunday evening. The models were the students of the institute who displayed dresses of over 30 budding designers of JD. The event was judged by a panel of judges, including designer Harpreet Narula, Rekha Munjal and Manjula Jain.

MANDI GOBINDGARH
DEMAND: “The inputs for the iron-and-steel industry of Punjab from outside and finished engineering items are also mostly consumed outside the state,” said Mr R.P. Bhatia, zonal chairman, of the Steel-rerolling Mills Association of India at Mandi Gobindgarh on Sunday. Mr Bhatia urged the government to introduce uniform modvat policy likely to be introduced from the next financial year and by that time, imposition of entry tax on iron-and-steel melting rerollable scrap should be dropped to save the industry from financial crisis. 

MANSA
MEETING HELD: The local District Bar Association, at a meeting held here on Monday under the chairmanship of Mr Sarbjit Singh Grewal, its president, condemned the local City police for implicating Mr Dalip Singh, a senior Member of the Bar, in a theft case. The meeting decided that the lawyers of the district courts would abstain from court till the case registered against Mr Dalip was cancelled.

PATIALA
DIRECTORY RELEASED: The District and Sessions Judge, Mr S.N. Aggarwal, released a telephone directory of advocates at a function held in the District Courts, here on Monday. The directory, which has been prepared by the outgoing joint secretary, Mr Dinesh Kumar Batish, and an executive member, Mr Sandeep Sharma, contains phone numbers of Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Patiala-based advocates. Prominent among others who present on the occasion were Mr B.S. Billing and Mr Sachdev Vij, president and secretary of the District Bar Association, respectively.

FLAYED: The Bijli Mulazim Front criticised the decision of the management of the Punjab State Electricity Board to deduct 25 per cent take home salary of Class, I, II and III employees and 10 per cent of Class IV employees for July and August. The PSEB authorities, in view of financial constraints, have said the deducted amount would be credited to the GP fund of the employees in January and February next year. However, no interest would be given to the employees whose deducted salary would be credited to their GP fund accounts. The front conveners, Mr Daljit Singh, Mr P.S. Mann and Mr J.S. Aujla, said if the Board did not take back this decision they would be left with no option except to stage dharnas and rallies in front of the office of the Chairman of the PSEB.

PHAGWARA
VANAMAHOTSAV: The Deputy Commissioner, Kapurthala, Mr Rakesh Verma, inaugurated a vanamahotsav function here on Sunday by planting saplings at 20 significant places in the town. A press note issued on Monday said the function was organised by the local Environment Association headed by Mr Kuldip Sardana.

TWO KILLED: A seven-year-old girl, Anita, died of snakebite in her house at Ranjit Nagar on the Bhullarai road. A snake bit her on her hand when she went in the kitchen to have meal. She was rushed to local Civil Hospital where she was declared dead. In another incident Balbir Kaur (45) died while her husband Kewal Ram was seriously injured after their scooter was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer on the GT Road, near Kanshi Nagar, in Mehtan village. The couple was going to Sapror village to pay obeisance at a temple. Balbir Kaur was rushed to a private hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

SAMRALA
APPOINTED: A former president of the local Lions Club, Mr Rajbir Singh Mangat, has been appointed the zonal chairman. According to Mr Deepak Verma, president of the Lions Club,Samrala, the zone includes clubs from Mandi Gobindgarh, Khanna, Samrala and Machhiwara.

HARYANA

AMBALA
TRIBUTES PAID: The Ambala Cantonment MLA, Mr Anil Vij, on Monday said a road leading from the Jagadhari road towards the Gobind Nagar residence of Capt Atual Somra, who attained martyrdom in the Kashmir valley, will be named after him. He said this while speaking at a meeting held in the memory of Captain Somra. Speakers at the sabha paid rich tributes to him. They said he had done the whole nation proud by his brave act.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

SOLAN
SCOOTERIST KILLED: Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Khanna in Punjab, died on the spot when his scooter collided head-on with a truck coming from the opposite direction on Saturday. The pillion rider, Rohit Kaushal, was admitted to the local zonal hospital.