R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
TWO HELD: Two persons were arrested here on Friday on the charge of snatching a bag. The accused are Mandip Singh of Nijjar and Mandip Singh of Ramdas village. A knife was seized from them.

SMACK SEIZED: The police has seized 800 gm of smack and arrested two persons in this case. The smack valued at about Rs 3.5 lakh in the international market was being carried by one Gulwinder Singh (40) and Sukhchain Singh (25). The drug was being brought here from Uttar Pradesh.

CONDEMNED: The Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association has condemned the police raid on Hotel Mohan International. In a press note issued here on Friday, the general secretary of the association, Mr A.P. Singh Chatha, said the cylinders seized in the raid actually belonged to the hotel staff members and had been picked from their living quarters.

CROPS: In a shift from paddy cultivation nearly 2.69 lakh hectares would be brought under the cultivation of basmati, maize, cotton, oil seeds and cereals in the region this year. the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Iqbal Singh Sidhu, said in a press note issued here on Friday.

TRAINING CAMP: A block-level training camp for farmers would be organised at the agriculture office in Majitha on Monday, where experts from Punjab Agricultural University Department would train farmers in the use of new technology, rotation of crops and crop diversification.

APPOINTED: Mr Surinder Arjun has been appointed the vice-president of the Sri Durgiana Committee. He will also be the acting president when need be.

BATHINDA
CASE REGISTERED: The Dayalpura police has registered a case on the complaint of Mr Harnek Singh of Malooka village, in which he has alleged that some persons have been trying to change the direction of a brick-lined watercourse. He said Mr Raghbir Singh came to the spot on Monday and dug out eucalyptus saplings along with his accomplices.

PLOT DONATED: A city-based businessman, Mr Raj Kumar, donated a plot measuring 300 sq.yd. at Gill Patti village, near here, to the Aasra Welfare Society on Friday. Mr Vinod Bansal, spokesman for the NGO, said a dispensary and a stitching training centre would be opened there.

MURDER CASE: The Nathana police has registered a case against an unidentified person. Sources said Inderjit Singh, a migratory labourer, had been killed by his associate, who also took away the money of the victim. The body was found at Kalyan Sukha village.

HOSHIARPUR
BHAJAN SINGER: The Ram Charit Manas Parchar Mandal organised a ‘sankirtan’ in connection with its 28th annual congregation at Shakti Temple here on Thursday where Baldev Krishan Sehgal of Sanskar channel presented bhajans for thousands of devotees who had gathered there.

KIDNAPPING: Mr Harkanwal Singh, state secretary of the Communist Party Marxist (Pasla), and Mr Yodh Singh, district secretary of the party, have condemned the kidnapping of Mr Ganga Prashad, member state executive, of the party from his house. In a press note issued here on Friday, they alleged that the kidnapper called himself a Congress leader of Ludhiana.

LIQUOR SEIZED: The police seized illicit liquor from Gurnam Singh of Padrana, Didar Singh of Bassi Kalan, Didar Singh of Dhadu Khurd and Kutan Chand of Bassi Kalan on Thursday. It also seized 1.5 kg poppy husk from Bhajan Kaur of Urmur. Cases have been registered against all. In raids on the houses of Kulwinder Singh of Krishna Nagar Mohalla and Rajan Kumar of Banjer Bagh on Friday, 2,000 pirated CDs of various films were seized.

KAPURTHALA
PREFECTS APPOINTED: The Army organised a prefectorial investiture ceremony at Army Public School in Beas. The Chairman of the school, Brig D.S. Kullar, presented the school staff with badges and ties. Gurkirat Singh and Avtar Kaur were appointed head boy and head girl, respectively. The Army Wives Welfare Association, with the cooperation of Vardhman Woollen Mills, Ludhiana, organised a knitting competition on the occasion.

KHARAR
COMPLAINT: Mr Sohan Singh, a resident of Ranjit colony, Kharar, in a letter given to the SHO, Kharar, has alleged that an agent, Harbhajan Singh, sending persons abroad took Rs 50,000 and passport of his son from him on April 5, on the promise of sending his son abroad. The agent, a resident of Bodran village of Dasua teshil when tried to be contacted they came to know that no body of this name resided there.

MANSA
LAWYERS’ STRIKE: Members of the District Bar Association, Mansa, observed a strike on Friday to protest against the murderous attack upon Mr Sushil Kumar Bansal, advocate, and his brother, Mr Ram Rattan Bansal, journalist at Budhlada by some miscreants at Taj Marriage Palace. The lawyers demanded the conversion of the FIR under Section 307 of the IPC and the immediate arrest of the accused.

MUKTSAR
OFFICE-BEARERS: Dr S.K. Jindal has been elected president of the local unit of the Indian Medical Association. Dr Vikramjeet has been elected secretary, Dr M.L. Aswani treasurer, Dr Sudhir Raj joint secretary and Dr B.S. Dhaliwal and Dr M.M. Bansal vice-presidents.

PATHANKOT
DRILL: As part of its disaster management plan, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) conducted an emergency response drill at its depot here on Friday. Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Deputy Commissioner of Gurdaspur, and other senior officials from the district and the Army witnessed the fire drill.

PATIALA
HONOURED: Dr K.R.S. Thind, a homoeopathic doctor from the city, has been awarded the Hahnemann Award at a conference organised by the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital in London. The award is named after Dr C.F.S. Hahnemann, the founder of the homoeopathic system of medicine. More then 500 delegates from all over the world participated in the conference in which Dr Thind presented his paper on Leucoderma. Twenty eight speakers presented their papers at the conference which was held to publicise the results of research matters related to homoeopathy. Dr Thind was also awarded the Star of Excellence award in Malaysia for his contribution to the progress of homoeopathy.

TEACHING SKILLS IN GEOGRAPHY: A competition of teaching skills in geography and geography model making was organised by the Association of Punjab Geographers at the Government College of Education here on Saturday in which 12 teams from colleges of education in Punjab and Chandigarh participated. Dr K.S. Sohal, Head of the Department of Geography, Punjabi University, presided over the competition and Dr I.N. Chawla, president of the association, gave away their prizes. Mandeep Gill from GCE, Chandigarh, bagged the first position in teaching skills in geography. Chandan Goyal from GCE, Patiala, and Amit Jain from DM College of Education Moga, bagged second and third positions, respectively. In the geography model making, Sarabjit Kaur from DM College of Education, Moga, bagged first position and Manjit Singh from the GHG Khalsa College of Education Sadhar bagged the second prize.

SANGRUR
A CORRECTION: Apropos of the news item published in the April 17, 2003, issue under the headline “Two doctors booked for violating PNDT Act”, the word “lady” before Dr J.R. Bansal, District Appropriate Authority for the PNDT Act-cum-Civil Surgeon Sangrur, was published inadvertently. The error is regretted.

TARN TARAN
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Sarhali unit of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union. President — Prof Lakha Singh; and Secretary — Prof Paramjit Singh Misha.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local unit of the Federation of arhtias association: president — Mr Sucha Singh, vice president — Mr Mehar Singh Chutala; and general secretary — Mr Tarlok Singh.

ONE KILLED: Dilbag Singh (33) of Panjwar village, a Punjab police commando, was killed late Thursday in a road accident near Panjwar. The Chabal police has registered a case under Sections 304-A and 279 of the IPC and said Dilbag was riding home on his bicycle when some vehicle hit him.

FRAUD: Salwant Singh of Dode village has been charged with fraud on the complaint of one Ashok Kumar of Fatehgarh Churian village that Salwant had produced someone else as his close relative to register his two shops in his name.

TWO KILLED: Two persons were killed and two others injured when a Maruti car (DBG 2945) was hit from behind by a private bus (PB-02-P-9982). The police has registered a case under Sections 304-A, 337, 338, 427 and 279 of the IPC against Beant Singh ‘Battu’ of Jalalabad village, driver of the bus. Those who got killed were Malkiat Singh and Satish Kumar of Bhucho Mandi in Mansa. The injured are Sarabjit Singh of Bhucho Mandi and Kuldeep Singh of Bagha Purana.

IN-LAWS BOOKED: The Patti police has registered a case against six members of a family, including four women, under the Dowry Act on the complaint of Ms Rawinder Kaur (26) of Koharka village. The complaint was submitted to the Senior Superintendent of Police.

POPPY HUSK SEIZED: The police has seized 40 kg poppy husk from two persons and registered cases against two more for selling medicines without doctor’s prescription. Mr Narinder Bhargav, Senior Superintendent of Police, said here on Thursday that a special campaign had been launched against drug peddlers.

HARYANA

AMBALA
DM’S ORDERS FLOUTED: Rehriwallas have been selling uncovered eatable items, cut fruit and sugarcane juice in Ambala city despite the District Magistrate’s orders against this practice. A few days back the district administration has imposed ban on the sale of sugarcane juice and other uncovered eatable items as a precautionary measure. Officers of the municipal council and the Health Department were directed to implement the order. In Ambala cantonment, officers of the MC had conducted raids on several rehris selling uncovered cut fruit and sugarcane juice and had also impounded many rehris violating the administration order. But in Ambala city, the order was yet to be implemented.

BHARAT VIKAS PARISHAD: The Ambala unit of the Bharat Vikas Parishad was adjusted the second best unit in the state. Dr Pardeep Sharma Snehi, president of the local unit, said the national president of the parishad, Justice Jitender Veer Gupta had awarded the award to the Ambala unit at a function in Panchkula. He said the Ambala unit had been running a number of welfare projects in Ambala for the needy and the poor.

ONE KILLED: One person was killed in a road accident on the Ambala-Jagadhri road near Dheen village. The incident occurred when a motor cycle collied with a jeep. The person, Faquir Chand, driving the motor cycle was killed. The police has registered a case.

STOLEN: A Hero Honda motor cycle was reportedly stolen from Ambala cantonment. Gurbachan Singh, in a complaint lodged with the Ambala cantonment police station, alleged that he had parked his motor cycle near the Mall road. The police has registered a case.

LICENCE CANCELLED: The licence of a grain dealer of new grain market at Ambala city was cancelled by the market committee authorities following the complaint of over filling of wheat in the bags against the prescribed norm. As per the norms, the procurement agencies purchase the wheat from the shop of the grain dealer. After the purchase, the dealer fills the wheat into bags and seal it. For that he had been paid labour charges by the procurement agencies. The excess filling of the crop in the bags caused loss to the farmers.

JIND
PAPER LEAK: Dr A.K. Chawla, Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, said at a felicitation function organised by the citizens of Jind on Friday that some of the suspects in the question-paper leakage case had been apprehended. The university’s decision to postpone some of the examinations and get question-papers reset had brought good results.

KARNAL
PROHIBITED: To check air pollution the District Magistrate, Mr R.S. Doon, through an order has prohibited the practice of setting fields on fire after harvesting wheat crop by the farmers in Karnal district under Section 144 of the Cr PC. Any violation of the order will be viewed seriously and the culprits will be punished. This order shall be remain in force up to May 31.

SIRSA
EMPLOYEES’ MEETING: Office-bearers of the Sirsa unit of the All Employees Association, MITC (Haryana), held a meeting here on Friday. They denounced the anti-employee attitude of the state government.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

PARWANOO
BLOOD DONATION CAMP: A blood donation camp was organised here on Saturday by the Blood Donors Society. About 130 persons donated the blood. The camp was conducted by Dr Ranjeeta Hazari and her team from the Department of Haematology and Transfusion Medicines, Blood Bank of Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh. Members of local Rotary Club and the Senior Citizen Forum also took part in the camp. Certificates and gifts were given to the donors.