R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Bathinda
KILLED: At least one person was killed in an accident which took place at the Bathinda-Goniana road on Monday morning. Police sources said a tractor-trailer and a car collided heads on and the car was badly damaged. The car driver, Krishan Singh, was seriously injured and was rushed to the local Civil Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the tractor, Parmod Kumar, was also injured.

Hoshiarpur
HEALTH CARE: The Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association has demanded recruitment of 1,000 medical graduates on a permanent basis in the PCMS cadre and creation of at least 750 specialist posts in the civil hospitals and community health centres so as to promote primary preventive health services and to strengthen healthcare in the state.

LUDHIANA
Welcomed: Mr Tulsidas Jaitwani, president, Punjab Beopar Mandal, has welcomed the sops announced by the Chief Minister for urban areas and the industry. He said the introduction of exim forms was unnecessary and had not resulted in any increase in revenue. He also hailed the decision of the Chief Minister on raising the limit of self-assessment of sales tax to Rs 75 lakh and said this would provide great relief to the traders.

Machhiwara
CAMP: A free medical check up camp will be organised by the Malwa Group of Industries at Harian village, near here, on January 14, the foundation day of the mill. According to Mr Manuj Mehta, General Manager, a cultural programme will also be presented.

Pathankot
PROTEST RALLY: The PWD Field and Workshop Workers Union on Monday held a protest rally in front of the XEN office here against the “anti-employees” policies of the government.

PATIALA
AWARDED: Virender Kumar, a student of Sanskrit Department of Punjabi University won the third position in an all-India Navodit Sanskrit poetry competition held at Delhi recently. He has been awarded a certificate along with a cash prize of Rs 700.

Phagwara
HELD: The police has booked three persons, including the owner and manager of a marriage palace, under Section 336, IPC, on charges of endangering the life of others. One Amit Singh of the local Hargobindnagar area was arrested in this connection and later released on bail. His gun was seized by the police.

CHANDIGARH

OFFICE OPENED: The Punjab Vikas Congress on Tuesday opened its Chandigarh chapter, which was inaugurated by Mr Ram Murti Sood, president. He announced that his party would contest all the Parliamentary seats in Punjab during the forthcoming elections.

Elections: Mr Charanjiv Singh and Mr Jagdish Arora are the two candidates left in the fray for the post of the president of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal. Mr Charanjiv Singh will release his manifesto on Wednesday.

Panchkula
Havan contest: The first-ever havan competition was organised at the local Chaman Lal DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 11, on Monday under the aegis of DAV Ambala zone. While Hans Raj Public School, Panchkula, stood first, DAV Public School, Ambala, and Police DAV Public School, Ambala cantonment were placed second. Major R.N. Kapoor of DAV School, Ambala cantonment, was placed third. Dr V.P. Paul, Principal of the Chaman Lal DAV Senior Public School, gave away the prizes.

Founders day: A paper-reading contest on was organised by Satluj Public School, Sector 4, on the occasion of the founders day on Monday. According to school Principal Krit Serai, in the senior category, the first prize was won by Smriti Chandel and the second by Omica Sahni. Manpreet won the third prize. In the junior category, Shamair Cyriac and Priyanka won the first and second prize, respectively.

Prize: Urvashi Goel, a student of Class IX of Hansraj Public School, Sector 6, has won a cash prize of Rs 3,000 in the inter-school essay writing contest organised by the Northern Railways on the occasion of the Kalka-Shimla rail centenary celebrations held in November, 2003.

HARYANA

AMBALA
LOHRI: Ambala Central Jaycee celebrated Lohri on Monday. Mr Manish Gupta, president of Ambala Central Jaycee, said that a tombola was organised, besides three punctuality gifts being given to members. The members sang songs to mark Lohri.

HAVAN CONTEST: Students of DAV Public School, Model Town, Ambala City, have won the second prize in inter-school havan competition. The competition was held at Chaman Lal DAV Public School, Panchkula. The students who performed the havan included Tamanna, Surbhi, Sandhya, Meenu and Jyotsna. They were guided by Purohit Parmeshwar.

NEW PRINCIPAL: Mr Shamsher Singh Sihag took over the charge of Principal of the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Ambala City on Tuesday. Earlier too he had been the principal of this institute for several years. Mr Sihag said, besides quality training to the students, cultural and sport activities would also be promoted in the institute.

SURRENDERED: Another officer of the Punjab Wakf Board, Mohammad Wani, surrendered in the court of the JMIC, Ms Seema Singhal, here on Tuesday. He was wanted by the Ambala police in the Avedna Sharma case. Three days back, Assistant Engineer of the board Zakir Husain and Avedna Sharma had surrendered in this court. One idol was found broken in a Shiv temple in Rangia Mandi at Ambala cantonment on Tuesday. The police has rounded up one person of Milapnagar in this regard. According to information, the pujari of the temple had gone to his village and another person was looking after the temple. On Monday evening some of the villages noticed that a resident of Milapnagar was wandering there. They caught hold of him and later released him. On Tuesday morning when the people found the idol broken they informed the police and expressed their suspicion over the involvement of the resident of Milapnagar in the incident.

Kaithal
AIYC RALLY: Mr Randeep Surjewala, President, All-India Youth Congress, addressing a public meeting organised by Mr Tejinder Mann state president, Haryana Khet Mazdoor Congress, at Kasan village on Monday, said farmers were the worst hit by policies of the NDA government at the Centre. He critised the state government for rendering 40,000 employees of various corporations and departments jobless.

Rohtak
ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Vaish Education Society here: President — Mr Shri Kishen Jain; vice-president — Mr Mitter Sain; secretary — Mr Pawan Tayal; and joint secretary — Mr Makhan Lal Bansal.

Sirsa
PLEA: The Haryana Vyapar Mandal held a meeting on Monday where it demanded the state government should withdraw VAT with immediate effect spokesperson Raj Karan Bhatia said it was time the traders got united and raised their voice. The district president of the Haryana Vyapar Mandal talked of the problems of business men with regard to VAT and called it a “blcak law”.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Mandi
BITUMEN SCAM: In the multi-crore bitumen scam, the Vigilance wing of the Himachal Police on Tuesday presented a challan in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Sureshwar Thakur where all six accused, including Mr S.K. Sikand, the then Chief Engineer, Central Zone, appeared. The state Vigilance had registered a case against them in 2000 in connection with a multi-crore bitumen scam resulting in loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer.

POOR WORKMANSHIP: The slab of a schoolbuilding being constructed at Bhadrawar panchayat of Gopalpur block reportedly gave in due to poor workmanship and violation of specifications in the use of cement and steel. Excise and Taxation Minister, Mr Rangila Ram Rao, has reportedly taken serious note of the lapses. The work of laying in a new slab was being under taken again allegedly to hush up the matter.