R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

ARRESTED: Pritam Singh of Bishanpura village was nabbed by the police for allegedly running a “dara satta” in rural areas. A case has been registered.

DORAHA
CRITICISED: The Marxist Communist Party of India (MCPI) has criticised the decision of the BJP government to hold fresh elections in Gujarat. In a joint statement issued Mr Jandeep Kaushal, vice-president, All-India Federation of Democratic Youth, Punjab, Mr Krishan Kumar Kaushal, MCPI state committee, Punjab, and Mr Lakhwinder Singh Buani, district secretary, MCPI, Ludhiana, said the existing situation in Gujarat was not fit for holding elections. They alleged that there was a conspiracy behind dissolving the Assembly and holding fresh elections in the state. The MCPI has requested the Election Commissioner not to conduct elections in Gujarat till peace was restored.

SEMINAR: The Lions Club, Jagraon, under the presidentship of Mr Parvinder Singh and in association of staff and students of Government Science College conduct an anti-dowry seminar. On this occasion, the former director of the college, Mr B.K. Garg, presided over the function. Former students of the college, Prof B.K. Gupta, Deputy Director and Mr Mohinder Singh Jassal, Director of the college attended the seminar. Ms Kanwaldip Kaur, Ms Jaspreet Kaur, Ms Prabhjot Kaur, Dr K.S. Baggad, Mr M.K. Grewal, Prof B.K. Gupta and Mr Dhillon condemned the custom and advised the students to fight against the evil.

SEIZED: The Dehlon police has arrested Ruldu Khan and seized 5 kg of poppy husk from his procession. In another incident, the police arrested Amardev Singh and seized 10 kg of poppy husk. Both have been booked under the NDPS Act.

HOSHIARPUR
WINE RECOVERED: The Hariana police recovered 372 bottles of wine being smuggled in a car from Chandigarh during a naka at Bhekhowal on the Dasuya-Hoshiarpur road on Friday. The driver of the car, Parminder Singh, resident of Model Town here, has been arrested.

PCO OWNER ATTACKED: A PCO owner, Ajay Kumar, was seriously injured when three persons attacked him in the city on Friday. Two of the assailants have been identified as Charanjit Singh, a teacher, and his son Saravjit Singh. A case has been registered.

ARRESTED: Swarnjit Singh, alias Pappu, a travel agent and resident of the local Mohalla Guru Nanak Nagar, was arrested on Thursday. His partner, Prem Kumar, has been missing. According to Mr Naresh Kumar Dogra, SHO City police, Hoshiarpur, Swarnjit Singh was arrested under Sections 306, 420 and 406 of the IPC for duping Santosh Kumar of Bassi Gulam Hussain after promising him a job in Saudi Arabia. The boy had committed suicide as he had not been able to get employment there.

LUDHIANA
CONFERENCE: The district unit of the Indian Medical Association, in collaboration with Apollo hospital, Delhi, will hold a conference on July 28 at Park Plaza. According to a press note, eminent speakers would deliver lectures on the occasion. In the first session, Dr A.N. Jha, would talk on ‘Neuro Surgery — Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’. Dr P.N. Renjen would speak on ‘Management of Acute Ischaemic Stroke in first six hours’. Dr Usha Jha would speak on ‘Laproscopic Dermoid Cystectomy’.

MALERKOTLA
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Rotary Club Malerkotla: president — Mr Vinod Jain; secretary — Mr Raj Kumar Jindal; and cashier — Mr Sukhpal Garg.

DENTAL CHECK-UP: A dental check-up camp was organised by the Samaj Sewa Club at Government School, Mandiala here on Friday. According to Mr Joginder Singh, secretary of the club, 250 schoolchildren were examined by Dr Mohammad Shabbir, CMO, and his team. Medicines were distributed free of cost.

MANSA
LOK ADALAT: A state-level lok adalat will be held here on August 3. Giving this information, Mr Harsh Mehta, Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary of the local Free Legal Services Authority, said here on Saturday that the lok adalat would be inaugurated by Mr B.C. Rajput, District and Sessions Judge, Bathinda.

WATER SAMPLES: Fortynine samples of potable water being supplied by various water works of the district were taken by the District Health Department and of these 25 samples have been found unfit for human consumption by the Bathinda laboratory. This was disclosed by Dr Janak Raj Bansal, local Civil Surgeon, while talking to mediapersons here on Saturday.

MOGA
STRIKE CALLED OFF: Local-foodgrain traders who went on strike on Friday in protest against the alleged excesses committed on certain shopkeepers of the Moga grain market by certain officials of the Moga Municipal Council opened their establishments on Saturday after an assurance given to them by the DIG, Ferozepore Range, Mr Raj Pal Meena, that he would look into the matter.

NAWANSHAHR
LIONS CLUB: The Lions Club (Charan Kanwal), Banga, organised a function at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Naura, about 12 km from here, on Friday to honour the meritorious students of the school. Mr Baldev Nayyar, District Chairman (Environment), Lions Club, presided over the function, Mr Avtar Singh Gobindpuri, secretary of the club, said in a press note.

PATIALA
REVIVED: Punjabi University has revived additional seats for admission in all courses run by teaching departments and its regional centres for the students who had outstanding achievements in youth festivals, according to a statement by Dean, Academic Affairs, Dr U.C. Singh.

DEMAND CHARTER: The Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology Employees Association has submitted a charter of 26 demands to the Director of the institute. The press secretary, Mr Parmod Chand, said the charter had been discussed at the general body meeting of the association and approved by it. The demands inlude reservation of 2 per cent seats for wards of members of staff and 100 per cent concession on tuition fee besides implemntation of pension scheme and promotion of internal candidates.

IT CENTRE OPENED: The State Bank of Patiala has set up an I.T. centre at Government High School, Seona, near here. The centre was inaugurated by Mr S.S. Vashisht, Assistant General Manaer of the bank, here on Saturday at a function which was presided over by District Education Officer (Secondary) Bhupinder Kaur.

PLANTATION DRIVE: The Lions Club, Patiala Central, organised a tree plantation drive at Government Senior Secondary School, Civil Lines and on Bhupindra Road. More than 50 trees of medicinal value were planted by members of the club in collaboration with the State Bank of India, New Officer Colony branch and Juneja Realtors.

CONDEMNED: The Patiala Photographers Welfare Association has condemned the manner in which the local Postal authorities are allowing advertisemtns to go on telephone bills of BSNL subscribers in the form of stickers. The president of the association, Mr Darshan Singh, said it would start an agitation in case this illegal activity was not stopped.

SAMRALA
TELEPHONE NUMBERS: There would be no change in telephone numbers in Samrala Machhiwara, Khamanon for present, said Mr Mohinder Singh, Divisional Telephone Engineer, Samrala division, here today. Talking to mediapersons, he said customers would be informed about any change in numbers immediately.

GIRLS’ WING: On the demand of parents of the girls of the Samrala area, the management committee of Malwa College, Bondli-Samrala, has created a separate girls’ wing from the current academic session, said Mr Jasbinder Singh Dhillon, Principal of the college, here today.

SEWERAGE SYSTEM: Priority would be given to the sewerage system in the Samrala city, said the local MLA, Mr Amrik Singh Dhillon. Inaugurating the new complex in the committee premises here today, Mr Dhillon said problem areas of the city also included streetlights. Unauthorised encroachments would also be removed shortly, he said.

CHANDIGARH

MEDICAL CAMP: A free medical camp will be organised at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Sector 7, here on July 28. Patients suffering with eye and ENT problems will be examined by a team of doctors from Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh.

HARYANA

RATH YATRA: The rath yatra against terrorism, which was flagged off on Friday from Delhi for onward journey to Srinagar, passed through different areas of Ambala Cantonment and Ambala City before heading for the valley on Saturday. The rath yatra has been organised by the Haryana unit of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front. The AIATF activists raised slogans against Pakistan and demanded that Pakistan must stop cross-border terrorism.

KAITHAL
INSTALLED: Lion Shyam Sunder Gupta was installed as president of the local Lions Club at a function here on Thursday. Lion Subhash Batra, District Governor, was the chief guest and the Governor elect, Mr Anil Seth, was the guest of honour.

PROCESSION: Employees from different government departments organised a procession here on Friday in protest against the dismissal of MITC employees from service. The procession was led by Mr Bharat Singh Beniwal, state vice-president of the Haryana Karmachari Mahasangh and convener of the MITC Employees Joint Action Committee.

SHAHABAD
DE-ADDICTION CAMP: A de-addiction camp was held at Teora village, near here, on Friday. The Inspector-General of Police, Ambala Range, Mr Alok Joshi, was the chief guest. Mr Kapoor Chand Sharma, local MLA, presided over the function.

SIRSA
DOWRY CASES: Three persons, including a woman, have been arrested by the district police in two different dowry cases. According to police sources here on Friday, the arrested persons are Amarjeet of Mojdeen village, Raj Kumar and Jagir Kaur.

ZILA PARISHAD POLL: The INLD candidate for the zila parishad byelection of Ward No 4 is likely to be elected unopposed as no other political party has fielded any candidate. The election will be held on August 4.

DEMONSTRATION: A demonstration was staged by the Joint Action Committee of the Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh and Sarv Karamchari Sangh in protest against the closing down of the MITC office. The agitating employees led by regional deputy general secretary of the committee Nihal Singh assembled outside the camp office of the Deputy Commissioner and raised slogans against the Haryana Government.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

DHARAMSALA
MINOR RAPED: The local police arrested Manoj Kumar on the charges of raping a minor on Thursday. Manoj was working as a domestic servant of the victim’s family at Rakkar village, near Sidhabari. A case has been registered.

PROVIDENT FUND: Teachers of GGDSD College, Baijnath, has demanded an inquiry into the alleged bungling of their Provident Fund deposits by the college authorities. In a written statement, Prof Anup Sharma, press secretary of the HP Non-Government College Lecturers Association, Baijnath, has alleged that the Provident Fund contributions deducted from their salaries were not deposited in time with the Regional provident Fund Commissioner, Shimla, thus making them liable for the payment of income tax on the amount.