R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
RESEARCH PROJECT: The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, has sanctioned a research project entitled ‘Study of genomic diversity of human population of north-west India’ to Prof Dr AJS Bhanwar, Head, Department of Human Genetics, Guru Nanak Dev University. He has been sanctioned Rs 9.81 lakh for the same.

GURDASPUR
EMBEZZLEMENT: An embezzlement of Rs 11 lakh from the Central Co-op Bank Shri Hargobindpur, by four employees of the bank has come to light. The police has identified the accused as Baljit Singh, a resident of Leel Kalan, Narinder Singh and Som Dutt, both resident of Dalla and Arjun Singh, a resident of Qadian. All have been arrested and a case registered.

LUDHIANA
FARMERS’ MEET: The Bhaura branch of Indian Bank organised a farmers’ meet for villagers of Bhadurke, Noorwala and Kakowal on Friday to create awareness about various credit schemes of the bank. The bank officials visited these villages and interacted with the farmers. 

COMMITTEE MEETS: The meeting of the District Sales Tax Advisory Committee was held here on Friday. The members desired that the agenda of the meeting be circulated in advance and suggestions be invited from the members. 

PATHANKOT
CYCLE RALLY: A cycle rally was organised on Wednesday here by Ways, an NGO, which was flagged off by SDM Puneet Goel. The object of the rally was to make people aware of the need for education and to promote adoption. Mr S.K. Sood, Principal, A.B. College, Mr S.K. Baria, Principal, SD College, and others participated.

PATIALA
MEETING : The local Pensioners Welfare Association (Regd) will hold a meeting on Saturday at new-built Mini Secretariat. This was stated on Friday by general secretary of the Association, D.S. Bajaj. 

PHAGWARA
IMA’s PLEA: The local unit of the IMA has condemned the registration of cases against doctors of Bathinda under the PNDT Act. It has said the cases should be withdrawn as the authorities had not found anything “wrong”.

SAMRALA
DEATH ANNIVERSARY: The death anniversary of Kargil martyr Devinder Singh was observed at his native village Takhran, 10 km from here, on Friday. Mr Jaspal Singh Jassi, SDM, Samrala, thanked the Punjab Government for appointing the martyr’s widow, Ms Amarjeet Kaur, in the SDM courts at Samrala. 

STAMP PAPERS: No non-judicial paper of denomination between Rs 25 and Rs 500 are available in the tehsil courts here. Permission for the use of non-judicial stamps of denomination between Rs 15 and Rs 25 has been sought. 

NEW BAR ROOM: A bar room for the members of the local Bar Association was inaugurated here on Thursday in the new judicial courts complex. Bar members distributed sweets according to advocate Harbans Singh Diwa. 

REVENUE STAMPS: The problem of revenue stamps, which was created by some mischievous persons in Samrala and Machhiwara towns, has been solved, according to Ms Sukhwant Kaur, Treasury Officer, Samrala. According to the instructions of the Punjab Government, revenue stamps can now be purchased from stamp vendors and from the treasury office. 

HARYANA

AMBALA
MUSIC CONTEST: P.K.R. Jain Senior Secondary Public School’s music team has won the second prize in the national-level group song competition held at Benaras. The competition was organised by the Bharat Vikas Parishad. The school music team represented Haryana. Himanshu won the first prize in the interactive session. The team also won the fourth prize in the folk song category. School teachers Deepak Kapil and Ms Chhavi had guided the students. 

ENCROACHMENT BID: An attempt of encroachment on a part of graveyard could not succeed after the intervention of the police in Ambala City on Friday. A number of Muslims, led by Syed Ahamad Khan, met the in charge of the Police Post No. 2. The police removed the pillars dug there. The police has asked the both parties to come tomorrow to settle the dispute amicably. 

JAIN COLLEGE: A collage and poster-making competition was held in the Computer Department of SA Jain College, Ambala City, recently. The college Principal, Dr C.L. Singla, inaugurated the competition. In poster making, Himanshu Mittal won first prize, Sarabjit Kaur and Priyanka remained second and third, respectively. In collage making, Vipin Handa won first prize while Vivek Sharma and Manish Sharma was second and third prize respectively. 

FATEHABAD
SC/BC ASSOCIATION: Mr Suraj Bhan Rathi, district president of the All-India Confederation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes Association, on Thursday alleged that the state government had failed to honour the commitment made to the confederation regarding implementation of 85th amendment of the Constitution, completion of backlog in reservation, reservation in the Haryana Civil Services, time-bound promotions to safai karmcharis and reservation in medical and engineering colleges. He said an agitation on these issues would be launched soon.

HISAR
2 KILLED: Two persons were killed when their scooter rammed into an oil tanker near Agroha village on the Agroha-Barsala road on Wednesday, police sources said here. The youths, Vijay Soni and Bahadur Singh, were coming from the Barwala side on the scooter when the mishap occurred.

TRAIN STOP: The Jaipur-Hisar Express will stop at the Aurangpur railway station on the Hisar-Bhiwani railway section from November 16, a North-Western Railway official said here on Thursday. The halt would be for three months on an experimental basis, Station Master of Aurangpur Ajay Gautam said.

KAITHAL
COMPENSATION ORDERED: The District Consumer Forum here has directed an insurance Company to pay Rs 3.70 lakh with interest as compensation for a vehicle stolen and Rs 2000 for mental agony to a consumer due to non settlement of the claim in time. Kulbir Singh of Rajound village had purchased a new Tata Sumo in July, 1999, and got it insured with the local branch of United India Insurance. However, his vehicle was stolen. The Insurance company failed compensate him for the same.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

KANGRA
SUICIDE BY YOUTH: A 22-year youth allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree at Banooje village under Kangra police station on Wednesday night. District police chief S. Zahoor H. Zaidi said the body was found near a dabha being run by the father of the deceased at Banooje on the Mandi highway.

SOLAN
SCOOTERIST KILLED: A scooterist, Ramesh Dutt of Dhanot village in Angi, was killed in a head-on collision with a Canter near Mohan Meakin Brewery here on Wednesday.