R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
NAGAR KIRTAN: To mark the 533rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, a nagar kirtan will be held on Monday. Mr Ajaib Singh, Manager, Darbar Sahib, said the traditional procession would start from Akal Takht at 12 noon on Monday.

BATHINDA
SEMINAR: A seminar on ‘Adult and Continuing Education’ was held at Government Senior Secondary School, Multania on Sunday, near here where students were called upon to do social service. A debate, declamation and paper-reading competition was held.

EYE CAMP: The Eye Care Society organised a camp here on Sunday where 208 patients were examined. The society has set up an eye clinic at the Bibi Wala road of the city.

FEROZEPORE
CARDIAC CAMP: Fortis Heart Institute and Multi-speciality Hospital on Saturday organised a cardiac OPD consultation camp in association with martyr Dr Anil Baghi Hospital here. People from nearby towns like Jalalabad, Guruharsahai, Zira, Makhu, Faridkot and Dharamkot got themselves examined. Fortis has decided to hold such camps in Ferozepore every 15 days.

GURDASPUR
LOK ADALATS: State-level lok adalats were organised at the local court complexes in Gurdaspur, Batala and Pathankot on Saturday. Mr A.K. Sharma, District and Sessions Judge, presided. He said 215 cases were decided on the spot through mutual consent.

HOSHIARPUR
COPS HURT IN MISHAP: Head constable Kashmira Singh and constable Bhajan Singh were seriously injured when a tractor-trailer (PB07F-1569) hit them while they were performing their duty near the railway crossing at Talwara on Saturday evening. Both were admitted to the BBMB Hospital, Talwara. In another accident Sajjan Mohnti died on the spot when the tractor-trailer in which he was travelling hit a tree near Garhdiwala. In yet another accident, Amarjit Singh, a mechanic at the local Parbhat Chowk died on the spot when a vehicle hit his scooter near the Tanda bypass bridge.

MARTYRDOM DAY: The martyrdom day of Lala Lajpat Rai was observed here on Sunday. A function was organised by the Servants of the People Society at Lala Lajpat Rai Senior Secondary School, in this regard. Mr Romesh Chander Dogra, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister, presided over the function.

KHANNA
LABOURER KILLED: A migrant labourer was killed while working in a rice sheller on Saturday. The victim has been identified as Ashok Mandal, 40, a resident of Bihar. He was admitted to the Civil Hospital where he was declared dead. The body was handed over to his family members.

CELEBRATED: The 733rd birth anniversary of Sant Namdev was celebrated at the local Bhagat Namdev Mandir on Sunday. Kirtan was performed by Bhai Sarbjit Singh Khalsa, Giani Gurcharan Singh Hisar wale, Baba Budh Singh Khanna wale and the Sukhmani Sahib Sewa Society, Khanna. Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, MP, who was the chief guest, honoured Mr Mast Tam and Mr Manjit Singh Sehgal for donating blood for 55 and 42 times, respectively. Mr Sham Sunder, president, Blood Bank Society, Khanna, Mr Sant Singh Kainth, Mr Baldev Singh Taggar and Mr Kartar Singh Sohal, all office-bearers of the mandir management, attended the function, among others.

KHARAR
PROCESSION: A procession was taken out here on Saturday by the Arya Samaj in connection with ‘Shatabdi samorah’ celebrations. The procession started from the Dasehra Ground and passed through various parts of the town. Earlier an education and character building sammelan was also organised. Ms Laxmi Kanta Chawla, a former Punjab MLA was the chief guest on the occasion.

HEALTH CAMP: The Sahara Welfare Club is organising a 4-day free homoeopathy and accupressure camp, which started on Saturday. The camp was inaugurated by Mr Rupinder Singh, DSP, Kharar. As many as 150 patients were given medicines in the camp on the first day.

LUDHIANA
CONTEST: Over 400 students of DAV Public School, BRS Nagar, participated in aao bune contest here. Students were divided into five categories and they were asked to knit any pattern of their choice. The students created beautiful patterns using and multicolored yarns. Mr R.S. Patial, Principal of the school, emphasised the importance of learning knitting.

CELEBRATIONS: Tiny-tots of Kiddies Paradise, Kochar Market, held a function to mark Gurpurb. Kids and parents recited shabads and a langar was organised. Principal Gulshan Kaur emphasised the need to adopt Guru Nanak’s teachings and principles in life.

NAWANSHAHR
ANNIVERSARY: The Shaheed Master Gian Singh Sangha Yaadgari Committee would organise a “shraddhanjli samaroh and political conference” at the nearby Shahabpur village on November 20 to commemorate the death anniversary of Shaheed Gian Singh Sangha, a CPI( ML) leader who was gunned down by terrorists. Painting competitions for schoolchildren on revolutionary topics would be held at Shahabpur village on November 19.

BJP MEETING: Dr Mohan Singh Phalianwala, president of the state unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party, addressing a workers’ meeting at Ravidas Mandir here on Saturday, exhorted them to gear themselves up for a long and decisive battle against the Congress regime in the state. Terming the government “anti-dalits” the BSP leader alleged that it had not honoured a single promise made in the election manifesto.

STUDENT STIR: The Punjab Students Union has decided to organise district-level dharnas in the state to protest against the new education policy, privatisation and commercialisation of education and ‘anti-student’ policies of the state. In a press note, Mr Kulwinder Singh Chahal, state secretary, PSU, said the stir would be launched from Patiala on November 21.

ALLEGED: Mr Madan Lal Bhucher, chairman of the local Municipal Subordinate Employees Union said on Sunday that the increasing political interference in the affairs of the MC coupled with the apathetic attitude of authorities, the octroi income of the council had declined . He alleged that it was due to a “deliberate shortage” of octroi employees created by the council authorities.

PATHANKOT
WORKSHOP HELD: The Association of Surgeons of Pathankot (ASP) on Saturday held a laparoscopy workshop where 10 persons were operated upon free of cost at Ranjit Sagar Dam Hospital. More than 300 surgeons under Dr Pardeep Kumar Chowbey participated in the workshop which was inaugurated by Mr RC Jain, Chief Engineer, Ranjit Sagar Dam Project.

PATIALA
DISTRIBUTED: Punjab Public Service Commission member M. P. Pandove distributed winter uniforms to 530 poor and needy students of more than 40 schools of the district on behalf of the Janhit Society at a simple function organised at the State College of Education on Sunday. Mr Shree Kant Sharma, president of the society, and its founder, Mr Om Prakash, enlightened the audience about the ongoing activities of the society. The function was presided over by Mr B. K. Kapur, a retired Principal. As many as 54 persons were also given pensions on the occasion by the society.

ELECTED: Mr Raghubir Modgil has been elected as patron of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Contractors Association at a meeting of the association held here on Sunday. The other office-bearers are: deputy chairman — Mr Tara Singh; president — Mr Jai Bhushan Malik; vice-president — Mr S.S. Saini, general secretary — Mr Jaspreet Singh, cashier — Mr Manoj Gupta; and propaganda secretary — Mr Jagrup Singh.

PHAGWARA
TRAINS CHECKED: Railways’ anti-sabotage squad, headed by AIG Joginder Bawa, conducted a surprise checking of trains at the local railway station on Sunday. The trains checked included 1058 Down Dadar Express, 5707 Up Barauni Express, 2497 Up Shan-e-Punjab and Flying Mail, according to railway sources.

HARYANA

AMBALA
DEMAND: The chairman of the Citizens Council, Ambala Cantt, Dr N.C. Jain, on Sunday demanded that a list of roads, which need to be repaired, be prepared by the district administration. He said a number of bylanes had not been repaired for over a decade and a committee, headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, should prepare a complete list of such roads so that repair work could be carried out at the earliest. According to him, the local MP, Mr Ratan Lal Kataria, had told him that a sum of Rs 38 lakh had been sanctioned for roads from the MP fund.

FATEHABAD
VISIT: The State Home Secretary — Mr B.D. Dhalia, visited the pond construction sites at Hinjrawan Kalan and Jhalnian villages on Saturday. The ponds are being constructed under the Special Component scheme started for draught relief. The Deputy Commissioner, Dr R.B. Langyaan, the SP, Mr K.K. Rao, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr C.R. Rana, and SDM Yogesh Bhardwaj accompanied the Home Secretary.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

SUBSCRIBERS’ WOES: Telephone subscribers of the nearby Kopra area are facing inconvenience due to disrupted telephone services for the past several months. They have threatened to return their telephone instruments to the BSNL authorities if the phone service in their area is not restored.