R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

• Mandi loses ace mountaineer
• Eco-friendly couple
• Patients examined

PUNJAB

AMLOH
ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Democratic Employees Front: president — Mr Davinder Singh Punia; and executive members: Mr Avtar Singh Ajad, Mr Ujagar Singh, Mr Tejwant Singh, Mr Dev Singh, Mr Chajju Ram Khamano, Mr Balbir Singh Bagi, Mr Rattan Singh, Mr Harjinder Singh and Mr Satbir Singh.

INQUIRY SOUGHT: Mr Sukhdev Singh Tibbi, district general secretary, Kisan Sabha, in a representation addressed to the Chief Minister has sought an inquiry into the funds released for the maintenance of canal minors in this subdivision. He alleged bungling on a large scale. The complaint was also endorsed by various gram panchayats.

AMRITSAR
MEDICAL CAMP: As many as 500 persons attended a free medical and eye camp organised jointly by NSS wing of the local DAV College, Leo Club and Lions Club at Gurdwara Nanaksar, Verka, here on Tuesday. Medicines were distributed free of cost at the camp inaugurated by the Vice-Principal of the DAV College, Mr SN Joshi.

ELECTED: Mr Hardeep Singh has been elected general secretary of the District Youth Congress (Urban) with the approval of Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala and Mr Davider Singh, presidents of the Indian Youth Congress and the Punjab Pradesh Youth Congress, respectively. This was stated in a press note issued here on Tuesday.

APPOINTED: Dr G.S. Gill took over as head of the Department of Commerce and Business Management, Guru Nanak Dev University, here on Tuesday, according to a press note issued here.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
DC STAFF UNION: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Class III Deputy Commissioner Office Employees Union at a meeting held here on Wednesday. President — Mr Tarlok Singh; vice president — Mr Jaspal Singh; treasurer — Ms Ravinder Kaur; general secretary — Mr Gurbachan Singh.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of Class IV Employee Union of the Deputy Commissioner Office: president — Mr Tarlok Singh; vice president — Mr Jaspal Singh; treasurer — Mrs Ravinder Kaur; and general secretary — Mr Gurbachan Singh.

PNB DAY : The Sirhind branch of Punjab National Bank, celebrated its 27th foundation day with full fanfare here on Wednesday. The function was presided over by Mr P.K. Chandana, senior manager from the Chandigarh office.

GURDASPUR
NABBED: The Batala city police has nabbed a gang of thieves. Mr Ram Singh, SSP, Batala, said the arrested were identified as Daleep, Sachin and Pinku, all residents of Bihar.

HOSHIARPUR
ARRESTED: The Tanda police has arrested Lakhwinder Singh of Miani village under Section 302, 376 of the IPC in a murder and rape case. 

CAMP: A medical camp was organised by the Punjab Health Systems Corporation, Hoshiarpur, at Amroh village on Monday. As many as 930 patients were examined by a team of doctors. Medicines free of cost were also given to them. Mr Romesh Chander Dogra, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Punjab, also attended the camp.

LUDHIANA
CONTEST: The Bhartiya Parishad, Kitchlu Nagar, organised a group patriotic songs competition at Bhartiya Mandir Senior Secondary School, here on Tuesday. Six schools participated patriotic songs were selected from “Chetna Swar”, a book on patriotic songs compiled and published by the Vikas Parishad. Mr BL Premi, Mr Ramkrishan, Ms Manju Dutta were the judges. Guru Nanak International School, Model Town, won the first prize and Bhartiya Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School won the second prize.

ALBUM RELEASED: An audio album of Tejinder Kahlon was released at a function held at PTM Music Company’s headquarters here on Tuesday. Music Director, Surinder Bachan, choreographer Sarabjeet Kaur Mangat, Director of Punjab Cultural Promotion Council, Davinder Singh Chhina, Prof Rajdeep Singh Gill, folk singer Jagtar Jagga and company’s director Kanwaljit Singh jointly released the album of Mr Kahlon. Lyrics of the album are written by Babu Singh Maan and it has been produced by Goldy Kahlon.

PAINTING CONTEST: Students of Saraswati Modern School, Civil Lines, participating in a painting competition on Wednesday. It was organised by HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company. As many as 400 students participated. Students were told to draw and paint simple things like a sun, a flower, a peacock or a cat. Majority of the students drew two sunflowers and painted these with caryon colours.

TARN TARAN
SALARY NOT PAID: The local SDM, the Tehsildar, the naib tehsildars and the employees here have not been paid their salaries for the month of August.

CHANDIGARH

SAPLINGS PLANTED: The United Welfare and Development Society, Chandigarh, organised a sapling plantation programme on the complex of Bhu-Jal Bhavan in Sector 27 here on Wednesday. The programme was inaugurated by the Regional Director, Central Ground Water Board, Dr M.D. Nautiyal, according to a press note. Office-bearers of the association and officers of the board participated. 

HARYANA

AMBALA
OFFICE-BEARERS: The followings were elected office-bearers of the Gandhi Market Workers Union at a meeting held here on Wednesday: Chairman — Mr Kamal Sharma; president — Mr Darshan Lal; vice-president — Mr Sudesh Ghai; general secretary — Mr Prem Bangali; secretary — Mr Madan Mohan Sharma; and treasurer — Mr Vijay Walia. 

BJYM CAMPAIGN: The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha state unit vice-president, Mr Satish Mehta, said here on Wednesday that a Jan Jagran Abhiyan will be launched from October 5. Mr Mehta said the yatra would start from the Kali Devi Temple in Kalka and would culminate on October 13 at Ambala City. 

YOUTH FEST: Students of the Ambala College of Engineering and Applied Research have done well in the first zonal youth festival (technical zone) of Kurukshetra University. The festival was held at B.R.S. Dental College and Hospital, Kot Billa, Panchkula. The college participated in four events and bagged three awards. Pooja Sharma stood first in Haryanvi dance (solo) and was recommended for inter-zonal youth festival. 

BLOOD DONATED: A blood donation camp was held at Government College, Cantonment, to mark the World Blood Donation Day. The camp was organised by the Red Cross Society, the NSS, the NCC and the Mahila Prakosht. At least 80 persons donated blood. The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr M.L. Kaushik, was the chief guest. A quiz competition and poster-making competition was also held.

THEFT BID: A youth who was planning to commit a theft in Shahpur village was given a unique punishment by villagers. According to a member of the Yuva Mandal a “jagran” was being held in the local temple on night of Wednesday. A man was spotted crouching in a darkness. On being noticed, he ran away. Members of the Yuva Mandal nabbed him after a chase. Thereafter, villagers ensured that the man sat through the jagran. In the early morning hours, when the man felt hungry, he was offered food by the mandal members. The man was allowed to leave only after he promised that he would no longer commit a robbery.

SHOWROOM: Rajan Enterprises has set a new trend in season shopping by setting up a showroom in Ambala City. The three-floor showroom has an exclusive bridal gallery and a fashion boutique which possibly is the largtest in North India. It offers a wide choice in bridal wear, silk sarees and designer suits, according to Mr M.L. Sachdeva of Rajan Enterprises. 

FATEHABAD
SANJHI COMPETITION: The local MLA, Ms Swatantra Bala Chowdhary on Tuesday distributed prizes among the winners of the Sanjhi competition organised by the Public Relations Department. The City Magistrate, Mr Munish Nagpal, and the District Public Relations Officer, Ms Paramjit Kaur were present. Sanjhi is a work of art made by women with cow dung and day. The Sanjhi made by Jyoti of the local Jagjivanpura won the first prize of Rs 1,500. Ms Shimla Devi of Bhodia Khera village won the second prize of Rs 1,000 while Ms Krishana Kamboj of Hinjrawan Kalan village received the third prize of Rs 750.

HISAR
DHAN MELA: Haryana Agricultural University will organise a state-level Dhan Mela at Kaul in Kurukshetra district on October 3. Dr L.S. Suhag, mela coordinator and Director of Extension Education, said here on Tuesday that Mr M.K. Miglani, Vice-Chancellor of the university, would inaugurate the mela and address a meeting of farmers. The focus of the mela would be to tele paddy growers about the promising rice varieties and the efficient cropping practices.

KURUKSHETRA
SEMINAR: Tension and stress have increased, putting pressure on the nervous system and leading to heart problems. This was stated by Dr A.K. Chawla, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, at a public lecture on “Preventive cardiology — the do’s and don’ts” here on Tuesday. The lecture was organised by Fortis Heart Institute and Multi-Speciality Hospital (SAS Nagar).

HIMACHAL PRADESH

HAMIRPUR
BSP UNIT: The district unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party will be formed on October 3. Party workers of the district will elect their office-bearers at the meeting, Mr Dhani Ram Shukla, general secretary of the state unit of the party, said here on Tuesday. He said Mr Tulsi Dass Bansal, state party chief, and Mr Balwant Singh, state convener of the party, would also attend the party meeting where the new unit would be constituted.

MEMORANDUM: The Congress failed to stage a dharna outside the Head Post Office here on Tuesday in response to a call given by its state body against the alleged “anti-people” stance of the Central Government. The party, however, submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner here against the Central Government for forwarding it to the President of India. Earlier, party leaders and workers gathered at the local rest house and marched in a procession towards the Mini Secretariat. They raised anti-Centre slogans.

KULU
KILLED: One person was killed and two were injured when the jeep in which they were travelling fell into the Sainj nullah, near the Larji-Sainj road, about 38 km from here, on Monday. The deceased was identified as Yog Raj, a resident of Shikari village in Sainj valley of this district.

MANDI
CAMP: A training camp for representatives of panchayats, mahila and yuvak mandals concluded at Darang near here on Monday. Thakur Kaul Singh, Irrigation and Public Health Minister, presided.

COMPETITION: A competition of trout angling was held at Larji near Aut under the auspices of the Fisheries Department here on Monday. Raj Kukar of Raison was declared first for catching the biggest rainbow trout weighing 1.5 kg. The second prize went to Vir Singh Negi, also hailing from Raison. Among the participants were two persons from Italy and Sweden.

PALAMPUR
TIMBER SEIZED: The local police has seized 250 frames of timber worth Rs 50,000 being transported illegally from Kandwari to Palampur. Two persons have been arrested in this connection. Police sources said it had received a tip-off that illegal trading of timber was going on in Kandwari areas of the sub- division.

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

Mandi loses ace mountaineer

Commandant Sunil Dutt Sharma of Mandi town (Himachal Pradesh), who also scaled Mount Everest, was leading the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) climbers who were killed in an avalanche while coming back after conquering Peak-2 of Mount Panchachuli in Pithoragarh district on September 20.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had honoured Mr Dutt at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on May 20, this year with the ‘Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award’ for his outstanding achievements in mountaineering. He received a cheque for Rs 1.5 lakh and a scroll.

Amongst others the function was specially attended by Mr Edmund Hillary, the first person to scale Mount Everest along with Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953.

Sunil Dutt (41) was born in this town in 1962. His native village Dev Dhar is near here in Tungal Valley. He joined the ITBP in 1986. Mr Dutt scaled Mana Peak of Uttranchal in 1988. Thelu Peak and Sudershan Parbat in 1989, Sanser Kangri in 1990, Kanchenjunga in 1991 and Mount Everest in 1992.

He had led the first successful Indian expedition to Kanchenjunga from the South-West route via Nepal in 2000 which is considered extremely hazardous. It is the third-highest peak in the world.

Besides this he took part in the international expedition to Mount Fuziyama in 1992, international expedition to Mount Tateyama in 1992, international police expedition to Black Peak in 1993 and Indo-Japanese Expedition of Mana (NW) in 1995.

Eco-friendly couple

Mrs Meera Ahluwalia, Lecturer in R.K.M.V. Government Girls College, Shimla, is connected with half a dozen eco-friendly institutions and clubs of national and international repute. The British-designated ‘Secretary House’, the official residence of the Ahluwalias in U.S Club area in Shimla is considered one of the most eco-friendly green houses of Shimla. On her agenda is making a glass house in their house in Lakkar Bazar, Shimla.

Her husband Subhash Ahluwalia, a 1989 batch IAS Officer of the H.P. cadre, Special Secretary to the Chief Minister, has literally turned Mr Virbhadra Singh’s office into an artificial eco-friendly park with giant-sized multi-coloured laminated photographs of trees, roses, tulips and gladiolis.

Subhash’s careergraph is full of the midas green touch. He has greened wherever he has served. As SDM, Kinnaur, he was responsible for greening the valley. As DC, Mandi, the Sundernagar town got a green facelift. His stints as Director, Public Relations, and Director, Youth and Sports, is still remembered.

Patients examined

More than 2500 patients were examined at two free medical camps organised by Abohar-based Seth Shankar Dass Daulat Ram Nagpal Charitable Trust in Abohar.

Organised in memory of Seth Shankar Dass Nagpal, Seth Daulat Ram Nagpal and Seth Milkhi Ram Nagpal, the homoeopathy camp was inaugurated by Dr Chander Trikha, Director, Haryana Sahitya Academy, and the allopathic camp was inaugurated by Dr Ashwani Suri, M.Ch. Head of Cardio-Surgery, Tagore Heart Care Hospital, Jalandhar.

More than 700 patients were examined by homoeopathic doctors from Abohar and Chandigarh and about 1800 patients were examined by allopathic doctors from PGI(Chandigarh). FORTIS (Mohali), Chandigarh, Panchkula, Abohar, Jalandhar, Delhi, Ludhiana and nearby areas.

Free medicines were distributed to the patients. Besides free ECG, ECHO, Ultrasound, BP, Sugar tests were also conducted.

— Contributed by Kishori Lal, Ravi Bali and TNS.