The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, September 28, 2003, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

R E G I O N A L B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMLOH
CELEBRATIONS: With the dawn of the Navratras, Dasehra celebrations have begun with pooja in the newly built community bhavan, a project of Rs 12 lakh undertaken by the Ramlila Trust. The Ramayan path started from Friday and will continue round the clock up to Dasehra.

AMRITSAR
WORLD TOURISM DAY: The World Tourism day was celebrated here on Friday by students of the Department of Tourism of the BBK DAV College for Women. Principal of the college Mrs J. Kackria said that students of the college participated in the youth festivals held in England and France this year and won applause. Earlier the students presented a programme of folk dances of the country.

20 BOOKED: More than 20 persons, including five women, have been booked by the Islamabad police allegedly for smuggling smack, opium and charas in Amritsar. All belong to Putlighar and localities nearby. They are Ratan Lal Fauji of Nikka Singh Colony, Kanwaljit Singh and Varinderpal Singh of Dilawari street, Bholi of Putlighar, Harjinder Kaur and her son Ladi of Damganj, Onkarjit Singh Sarkaria, Saraswati Bhaian and her sons, Gurpreet Singh, Chanchala Dev, Roshan Lal, Sukhjinder Kaur, Mahesh Kumar, Shamsher Singh, Rajbir Singh, Ranjit Singh, Bhinder, Angrej Singh, Satam Singh, Mangal Singh, Bobby, Jeera, and Maddi.

SEMINAR: A seminar on the contribution of Hindi fiction writer Yashpal will be organised by Guru Nanak Dev University on September 29. Dr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor of the university will preside over the function according to a press note here on Friday.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
BAR ASSOCIATION: The District Bar Association at a meeting held under the presidentship of Mr Amarjit Singh Cheema, has condemned the working of the ADC (D) and has sought his transfer within 10 days. In a press note Mr Brij Mohan Singh, sectary of the association alleged that Mr B.S. Shergill, ADC (D), is misbehaving with advocates. The bar has sent copies of resolution to the Chief Minister, the Chief Justice of High Court and the Chief Secretary.

LUDHIANA
GURDWARA-MANDIR ROAD: The main road of Sarabha Nagar, known as the Gurdwara - Mandir Road will be widened and fresh premix will be laid at the cost of about Rs 22 lakh. Mr Gurcharan Singh Galib, MP, will lay the foundation stone in the presence of Mr Nahar Singh Gill, Mayor of the city, and Mr Jagmohan Sharma, president of the district Congress.

RELEASED: At a monthly function organised by the Punjabi Gazal Manch on Thursday at Punjabi Bhavan, a book by Dr Gurdev Singh ‘Palle di Hawan’ was released by Ajaib Chitarkar, president, Punjabi Gazal Manch. On the occasion, a great gazal writer Dard from Amritsar and famous novelist Talwinder Singh were warmly welcomed by chairman of the manch Inderjit Hussanpuri.

VISIT: Mr Arun Chattree, FACHE, an internationally renowned healthcare policy expert, from Cleveland Ohio, USA, along with his associate, Ms Luna Hutchinson, visited the Christian Medical College and Hospital today. Mr Chattree gave a lecture on the clinical trials.

WORKSHOP: A one- day workshop on computer hardware was held today at Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Gujarkhan campus, Model Town, Ludhiana. MCA students participated in the workshop. The main speakers were Mr I.P. Singh, Head of Computer Department, Kamla Lohtia College, Ludhiana, and Mr Munish Singh, Marketing Partner, Atam Technologics.

PATIALA
BODY FOUND: The body of a 13-year-old boy was found floating in the “sarovar” of the Kali Devi temple on Friday. The boy, Alok, had left his house to pay obeisance at the temple on Thursday evening and had not returned home. The body was discovered by devotees. The police has registered a case.

BLOOD DONATION: A blood donation camp was organised by the Soni Blood Donors Club here on Monday. As many as 74 units of blood were collected. The camp was inaugurated by Dr Rajinder Singh Atwal, in charge, blood bank team of Rajindra Hospital, and was presided over by Mr Karam Singh Bhang.

MEDICAL CAMP: A free medical check-up camp was organised by Children Memorial School in memory of 22 children of Our Lady of Fatima who lost their lives in the Nangal boat tragedy. The PRTC Chairman, Mr Ved Prakesh Gupta, inaugurated it. The Chairman of the school Mr Y.R. Passey, and the Principal, Mr Ramneek Ghuman, were also present among others.

PROJECT: Mr Gurmail Singh inaugurated the sewerage project of various areas falling under ward No. 3 on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, he said water and sewerage lines would be soon laid down in remaining areas of the city. Ms Rawinder Kaur, SDO, Sewerage Board, Mr Balvir Pal Singh, councillor, ward No 3, were present, among others.

ZIRAKPUR
CONTEST: Activities like quiz competition, declamation contest, collage making and painting competition were organised by the North India Institute of Hotel Management to mark the Tourism Day on Saturday. The winners of quiz competition are: Maninder Singh, Manpreet Singh and Pankaj Chamoli. Om Prakash was adjudged winner in declamation contest.

CHANDIGARH

MEETING: The UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma (retd), said on Friday that saints and seers could play an important role to bring about a positive change in society by teaching the people to adopt austere lifestyle. Justice Verma expressed his view when Jain Muni Vinay Kumar Alok called on him at Punjab Raj Bhawan. The Governor said at a time when society was ridden with the social evil of dowry, female infanticide and corruption, it was the teachings of saints and seers that could guide the people to move in the right path.

RELIEVED: Additional Professor in the Department of Cardiology, PGI Dr H.K. Bali, was ordered to be relieved of his charge of catherisation/invasive laboratories. He was also ordered to be put in charge of non-invasive laboratories. According to sources in the Institute, a letter was issued by the Head of the Department.

CAMP: To mark the thalassemia awareness week, the Interact Club of Bhawan Vidyalaya organised a blood donation camp at the school. A team of doctors from Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32 were present. Talks and interactive sessions were also organised. Mimicry and scene-enactment contest was also organised .

HARYANA

AMBALA
CONTEST: A mathematics quiz competition was organised for Class X students of DAV Senior Secondary School, Ambala City, on Saturday. The Principal Ms Reena Nagrath, said apart from being based on the syllabus, the quiz took the students out of textbooks to the world of numbers and fun games. Students discovered how numbers, symbols and geometrical figures are part of life.

KAITHAL
YOUTH FESTIVAL: The three-day Zonal Youth Festival of Kurukshetra University will begin at DAV College, Pundri, on September 29. This information was given to mediapersons here by Mr Kuldeep Gupta Principal, Mr Gupta said Dr A.K. Chawla, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, would inaugurate the festival and Mr Surinder Singh Barwala, M.P, would preside.

CAMP: The Sewa Sangh, a local voluntary organisation, organised an eye-check-up and operation camp at local Geeta Bhavan. As many as 700 patients were examined and 190 operated upon.

CONTEST: The Rotary Club, Kaithal, organised a declamation contest on the topics of vices and virtues of viewing television and positive and negative effects of tuitions and coaching’ in OSDAV School here today. As many as 20 teams from local schools participated in the contest. Mr J.P.S. Dahiya, Additional Deputy Commissioner, was the chief guest. The students of OSDAV school won the over all trophy. S.S. Bal Sadan team was given consolation prize. In the junior group OSDAV and Hindu School were declared joint winners.

SIRSA
DEAD: Bira Singh of Hanumangarh, who was coming to Ellenabad on motor cycle, died when a vehicle hit him near Talwarakhurd village. Bira Singh was admitted to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

YAMUNANAGAR
THEFT: A sum of Rs 1.5 lakh was stolen from the house of Mr Shadi Lal Sachdeva of New Hamida Colony here. Theft was noticed on Thursday. The police was informed on Friday.

MYSTERIOUS DEATH : Shamsher Ali (35) of Kulchandu village near here died on Thursday. It is stated that the deceased sprayed insecticide in his field and was probably affected by it.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
YATRI NIVAS SOUGHT: The Chamba Welfare Association has demanded `yatri nivas’ here. In a letter to Major Vijay Singh Mankotia, Himachal Tourism Minister, the Association lamented that Chamba did not have suitable and comfortable accommodation which forces tourists to go back to Dalhousie or Pathankot. The association demanded development of Sarol Garden, Jhamwar resort, Nag Temple, Shah Madar Shrine, Bhatalwan Temple, Baddi Dehra, Sufi Saint Jamal Shah Mazar at Rajpura, Chaandra Shekhar Temple at Sahoo and Hadimba temple at Mehla.

DHARAMSALA
TIBETAN YOUTHS: The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, here has opposed talks between India and China. In a statement on Friday remembering the Tibetan freedom fighters who demonstrated in Tibet in 1987, the RTYC said that India should not forget 1962 when it was betrayed by China. The RTYC said that India should hold talks with China to solve the Tibet issue.

ARRESTED: Vijay Kumar of Bagli village was arrested and stolen vehicles worth Rs 7.50 lakh, postal orders and Indira Vikas Patras worth Rs 4,26513 were recovered from him. A bottle of chloroform and two official rubber stamps of motor vehicle registration officer, and fake licences were also recovered according to the police.

RESTORE CHOWGAN: Mr Harsh Mahajan, Himachal Animal Husbandry Minister has directed the Deputy Commissioner, Chamba to release Rs two lakh to the Municipal Council for the repair and upkeep of ‘The Chowgan’. The Chowgan was vandalised during the Minjar fair.

PARWANOO
INAUGURATED: Nitiraj Engineers Private Ltd inaugurated its unit here on Saturday. According to Mr Rajesh Bhatwal, Managing Director of the company, the company is an ISO-9001 company with 56 branch offices and was awarded the Jamna Lal Bajaj Foundation Award in 1998. The company will manufacture models of electronic weighing scales, ranging from jewellery scales, table-top scales, platform scales and kitchen scales.

SHIMLA
RIVER RAFTING: Maj Vijai Singh Mankotia, Himachal Tourism Minister, on Friday said that the government would take up the matter of reduction in import duty on equipment to promote rafting. He was speaking at the two-day seminar on river rafting. Rafting is organised only in four out of the eight major rivers of the state.