R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AHMEDGARH
FUNCTION: An annual prize distribution function was organised at Government Senior Secondary School, Barundi, which was presided over by Principal Harmesh Lal Marwaha, Mr Surjit Singh was the chief guest. Meritorious students for 2001-02 were honoured and given certificates. Students presented a cultural programme on the occasion.

AMRITSAR
CHAIN SNATCHING: An incident of chain snatching of Mrs Savita, a resident of Islamabad, took place on Sunday at the busy Putlighar crossing while police men deputed there reportedly took no notice despite a scuffle between the victim and the assailant.

BATHINDA
WORKSHOP: The Department of Physics of Government Rajindra College held a workshop here on Monday. Experts from Punjabi University, Patiala delivered lectures. Prof Chint Ram, Head, Department of Physics, in a press note issued here said Dr Balvir Singh Sandhu (nuclear physics), Dr B.R. Sood (material physics), Dr P. Shamsher (electronics) and Dr Gurmail Singh (university courses in physics) delivered the lectures. A poster-making competition was also organised. 

GURDASPUR
ARRESTED: The police has arrested Shiv Raj, a resident of Paniar Gandhian, 7 km from here, for selling intoxicating medicines to drug addicts without the prescription of any medical officer in violation of orders of the District Magistrate issued under Section 144 of the CrPC.

GANG BUSTED: The Shahpur Kandi police under Pathankot subdivision in the district has busted a two-member gang for extorting huge sums from people on the plea of getting them appointments in the health department. Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, while talking to mediapersons here on Monday said that Nirmla Devi, a dismissed employee of the Health Department since 1994 was arrested on Monday whereas her accomplice, Mohan Singh, a clerk in the Civil Hospital, Gurdaspur, was yet to be arrested.

SCHEME: Mr Khushal Bahl, Education Minister, inaugurated the model gram scheme launched by the Animal Husbandry Department at Hayat Nagar village, 3 km from here, on Monday. Under the scheme, villages in every block in the state would be adopted by the department every year for improvement of cattle wealth in the state. The scheme would be taken up in phases in three consecutive years.

JAGRAON
STRIKE: Local lawyers stayed away from their work in courts to protest against the attack on Sikh followers who had come to pay obeisance in Gurdwara Thara Sahib by the musclemen of Ashutosh of Nurmahal. They demanded from the government to close down all the deras who are creating nuisance in the state.

KAPURTHALA
SCHOOL FUNCTION: Mr Amarjit Singh Samra, Revenue Minister, Punjab, has said that a sum of Rs 65 crore was being spent on providing infrastructure in schools in the state under the new education scheme. Addressing a function at the local public school on the Mall on Monday, Mr Samra told that the aim of the Punjab Government was to provide quality education.

KHAMANO
MOURNED: Mr Amrik Singh Dhillon, MLA, Samrala segment, and Mr Kirpal Singh Khirnian, member SGPC, have mourned the death of Jagan Singh, sarpanch of Rialpura village and activist of the SAD. Jagan is survived by his widow and two children

LUDHIANA
SURGEONS’ CONFERENCE: Dr Alka Dogra, Reader and Head, Skin and VD Department of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), chaired sessions of the 5th biennial National Conference of Association of Cutaneous Surgeons of India (ACSICON) held at the PGI, Chandigarh, from November 22 to 24. Dr S.C. Ahuja, Principal, DMCH, in a press statement on Tuesday said Dr Dogra had also been nominated as the Treasurer of the ACSICON. More than 400 dermatologist from all over the country attended the conference.

EYES DONATED: Dr Anil Taneja, a resident of Heera Colony, Hoshiarpur, has donated the eyes of his mother Kamlesh to Puranjot Eye Bank. Dr Ramesh, in charge of the eye bank in a press statement on Tuesday said Kamlesh was 70 years old and her son, Dr Taneja, was a dedicated social worker.

FUNCTIONS: As many as 125 widows were given relief by the Dhanda Charitable Trust at its monthly widow pension distribution function here on Sunday. The function was jointly presided over by Pandit Mahanand Shastri and Mr Sohan Lal Dhanda, while Mr Suraj Bhan Jain was the chief guest. The Bharatiya Kalyan Jyoti Sanstha and the Sarb Sanjhi Welfare Society also organised widow pension distribution functions on Sunday.

DISCOURSE: Addressing the concluding session of the Bhaktamar Anushthan at the Baba Gajja Jain Community centre here on Tuesday, Muni Vinay Kumar ji Alok said the philosophy and teachings of Lord Mahavira were very relevant in the present strife-torn world.

WORKSHOP HELD: S.D.P. College for Women organised a workshop for students of commerce and economics in the seminar hall of the college here on Tuesday. According to a press note, Mr D.P. Sharma, Chief Manager, State Bank of Patiala, Daresi Road, presided over the function. The students were given training regarding opening account, filling forms, depositing and withdrawing cash, issuing cheque-books and opening fixed depisits.

SAMRALA
MOURNED: The local journalists observed a two-minute silence in the memory of late journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati at the Civil Rest House on Tuesday. Earlier at a meeting S.P. Kalra demanded a CBI inquiry into the death of Chhatrapati.

PRINCIPAL SUSPENDED: The Malwa College Council Committee suspended Mr Jasbinder Singh Dhillon, Principal of Malwa College, Bondli-Samrala, here on Tuesday till pending enquiry, according to Mr Jasmel Singh, vice-president of the committee. Meanwhile, Dr Parminder Singh Benipal, Senior Professor of the college, had been appointed as acting Principal, he added.

CABIN GUTTED: The wooden cabin of Mr R.K. Kaushal, a senior advocate was reportedly gutted in the old tehsil complex on Monday causing an estimated loss of Rs 10,000. The cause of fire is still not known.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
EYE CAMP: The Sai Baba District Samiti organised an eye camp at Ghumarwin, near here, on Monday in which 503 patients were examined by a team of doctors. Samiti president K. L. Gupta said that specialists Dr R K Gupta, Dr Chanderkanta and Dr C L Chauhan (Una), performed 70 cataract operations while 55 patients were provided IOL lens free of cost.