R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Dharna: The Revenue Patwar Union staged a dharna here to express resentment against non-payment of salaries by the authorities for the past three months. They pressed for other long-pending demands also. The union demanded that the patwaris of the region, who had been suspended for different reasons, be reinstated immediately.

AMLOH
MC passes budget: The Municipal Council, Amloh, at a special meeting on Thursday passed the budget of Rs 1,44,56,000 unanimously for the year 2004-2005. Providing details of the budget, executive officer B.R. Gupta said 11 shops of the council were lying vacant and would be auctioned shortly. The committee also decided to appoint 10 employees on contract basis to cover-up the shortage of staff.

Amritsar
NEW BUS STAND: The Municipal Corporation has entered into an agreement with a Delhi-based company, Rohan and Rajdeep Infrastructure Limited, to construct a new bus stand complex at a cost of Rs 18 crore. It was stated by Mr Jugal Kishore Sharma, MLA, at a press conference here on Thursday.

STUDENTS’ VISIT: A group of 53 students from the Department of Economics, BBK DAV College for Women here visited Nasta village near Atari on the international border on Thursday to study the economic conditions of the area. The study revealed that the area lacked banking, health and secondary education facilities.

shramdaan: One hundred and fifty students undertook cleaning and deweeding of the botanical garden at a shramdaan organised here on Thursday under the aegis of the Society of Botanical and Environmental Sciences. The camp was inaugurated by Prof Jagjit Kaur, Chairperson, University Ladies Club.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
MEETING: A state-level meeting of the Brahmin Sabha will be held at Shri Naina Devi Temple Sirhind City on February 8, in which delegates from all districts of the State would participate. This was stated by Mr R.N.Sharma and Mr Varinder Rattan, president and secretary of the district Brahmin Sabha in a press note issued here on Wednesday. They said after the general body meeting a special meeting of the executive committee would also be held, which would be presided over by Mr C.D. Shashtri, state president.

Donation: Students of Sirhind Public School collected Rs 22,000 for SOS Children’s Village situated at Rajpura. Briefing mediapersons, the Principal of the school, Ms Rajwant Kaur, said the school had always been in the forefront of social service. She said Ms Rojy Sareen of the village honoured schoolchildren and staff for their efforts for the cause. She said 34 such centers were running in India and at Rajpura 180 children were staying in the village. Students of the school collected the amount under the Young Ambassadors Scheme of the village. She said such activities inculcated a sense of responsibility among students.

DISCUSSION: A discussion on the present political scenario in the country was organised by the Department of Commerce, Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib, on Friday. Dr Dharminder Singh, head of the department, initiated the discussion.

LUDHIANA
Scrutiny Committee: SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra has constituted one-man committee comprising Prof Prithipal Singh Kapoor, an eminent Sikh scholar and a former Pro-Vice Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, to evaluate books submitted for publication by Dharam Prachar Committee, SGPC, Sikh History Research Board. He will also scrutinise the objectionable material telecast by the various channels or published in the newspapers and magazines and issue suitable clarification thereto.

Demand: The Rajguru Nagar Welfare Society has called upon the authorities of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust to install a new tubewell in the colony. The society at its annual meeting has also sought the land for community centre, development and maintenance of the parks, sweeping and cleaning of roads and proper functioning of the streetlights. The election of the office-bearers was also held. Major Baldev Singh Gill was elected president, Mr Anand Ram Gupta — vice president, Mr Subhash Chand Trikha — secretary; Dr Kulwant Singh Sandhu — joint secretary and treasurer — Dr Dalip Singh Kapur.

CAMP: The Dairy Development Department of Punjab organised a dairy development camp at Kaddon village in Doraha here on Thursday. Over 250 senior secondary students from schools of Kaddon, Shahpur and Jatana villages attended the camp. Inaugurating the camp, Ms Laj Kumari Sarna, Deputy Director, Dairy, made the villagers aware about various dairy development schemes being undertaken by the state government. Mr Prem Singh, Dairy Development Inspector, gave tips on the production of clean, high quality milk.

FOOD FESTIVAL: Majestic Park Plaza is celebrating the Chinese New Year from February 6 to 15 at Orient Blade has organised special Chinese food festival to mark the occasion during the week. Special Chinese chef, Mr Chandan disclosed that of all the traditional Chinese festivals, the New Year is perhaps the most elaborate, colourful and important. Mr Chandan said there were six generic dishes in China. These included sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and mild. Other dishes were variations and combinations of these generic dishes only.

Mandi Ahmedgarh
MEDICAL CAMP: Mr Arvind Malhotra, general- secretary of Shant Tara College, said that a free medical and blood donation camp would be held on the college premises on Saturday. A team of doctors from Mohan Dai Oswal Cancer Hospital will examine the patients. Mr G. S. Dhillon, Senior Superintendent of Police, Sangrur, will be the chief guest .

Nabha
GRANT: The town has received a total grant of Rs 600 lakh for the construction of three main roads and repair and strengthening of eight link roads. This was stated by Kaka Randip Singh, MLA.

CLUB: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Lions Club: president — Dr Mulak Raj; secretary — Dr Sanjay Goyal; joint secretary — Dr Manoj Goyal; and PRO — Dr S.S. Sethi.

PATIALA
CELEBRATED: The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) celebrated the occasion of its 45th Formation Day with great enthusiasm here on Friday. On the occasion, the board honoured 70 retired senior officers and employees. While presiding over the function Chairman of the PSEB Y.S. Ratra recalled the period when the board was carved out of the electrical branch of PWD Department in 1959. He added that at that time the generation in Punjab was only 36 MW from Joginder Nagar Hydro Project which has now risen to more than 5800 MW from Punjab owned hydro and thermal power stations.

Felicitated: The Rotary Club, Patiala, felicitated Prof S.C. Sharma on getting this year’s Rotary International “Service Above Self Award” at a meeting held at the Academy of Sikh Religion and Culture here on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, the president of the club, Mr Didar Singh Bason, emphasised the need to create awareness among people about various challenges being faced by mankind. He called upon the people to work for the upliftment of mankind. He also presented a memento to Prof S.C Sharma on the occasion.

ACTION CRITICISED: The PSEB Employees Joint Forum on Thursday condemned the police action on “peaceful” protest marchers of the PSEB and state government near Matka Chowk, Chandigarh. Joint forum leader Amarjit Singh Sodhi criticised the Chandigarh police and administration for using force on the agitating PSEB employees, who after holding peaceful protest dharna had marched towards the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to submit a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister for reviewing government decision regarding splitting of the PSEB. A national-level convention against the Electricity Act- 2003 has been planned at Delhi on February 8, he added. Forum leaders Radhey Shyam, Surinder Singh, Karam Chand Bhardwaj, Ranjit Singh and Sukhdev Singh also spoke.

Move hailed: The Centre for University Teachers Group of Punjabi University has welcomed the Vice-Chancellor Swaran Singh Boparai’s initiative to establish an engineering and technology college at Talwandi Sabo for rural students. Convener of the Centre for University Teachers Joga Singh said it was a commendable step on the part of university to reach out to the most deprived sections of society

CAMPAIGN : A global campaign was launched on Thursday by the Culture and Heritage Conservation Initiative on Sikh Identity and Ideology to protest against the proposed ban on turbans by the French Government at Fatehgarh Sahib. Dr M.S Randhawa, Convener of the initiative, informed that a global movement had also been planned to bring awareness among the international community about the unique identity of Sikhs and to focus on the Sikh ideology preached by its Gurus.

PROJECTS: Punjab Social Welfare Minister Joginder Singh Mann launched rural development projects at Khalyan and Bhakhriana villages on Thursday. An official press note said Rs 20 lakh would be spent on the projects.

HARYANA

AMBALA
DECLAMATION CONTEST: An inter-college declamation contest was held at Kalpana Chawla women’s polytechnic on Thursday. They spoke on the role of cooperatives and rural banking in the agrarian sector. Mr Rampal Keshwar was the chief guest. Franny Oberoi of GMN College was first, Asha Singh was second while Richa of the host college was third.

WELCOMED: The Delhi High Court order on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has been welcomed by Congress activists. District Congress president Ashok Jain said the High Court order proves that there was a deep-rooted conspiracy against former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The conspiracy seems to have been hatched against Rajiv Gandhi and his family by non-Congress parties. He said the High Court has vindicated our stand that Rajiv Gandhi was a honest Prime Minister and there was no question of kickbacks being received by him in the Bofors case. He said the Congress activists have always stood by Ms Sonia Gandhi. 

Fatehabad
INAUGURATED: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Mehtab Singh Sehrawat, inaugurated the Information and Guidance Bureau for career counselling of students in the local manohar Memorial College. The District Employment Office has sponsored the bureau.

Hisar
REMANDED: A local court on Thursday extended the judicial remand of Usha, who had shot at a woman last month, till February 19. She was produced in the court on Thursday. A local resident, Usha, had allegedly opened fire at Ms Sangeeta, a teacher in a local private school, with her revolver at Sector 15 here when she was going to her school in her car on January 22.

CHARAS: The local police on Thursday arrested a person and recovered 90 gm of charas from his possession. According to the police, a party had raided the house of Balwant Singh, a resident of nearby Sisar village, and recovered the contraband. The police also arrested another person, Dinesh, a local resident, and recovered 65 gm of opium from his possession. The police has registered cases against both.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Bilaspur
INAUGURATED: Deputy Commissioner Subhasheesh Panda inaugurated an exhibition-cum-sale bazar of products of “self-help-groups” of women under the integrated child development project here on Thursday. He declared that such exhibitions and bazars would be started in all block development headquarters every month in an attempt to popularise these products and provide an easy market for products of these self-help-groups.

Chamba
FILLING STATIONS: Various transport unions in Chamba district have urged the government to accord sanction to the proposed filling stations at Sinhuta, Tunnuhatti, Goli, Surgani and Kharamukh. The stations fall in the distant Bhattiyat, Dalhousie, Churah and Bharmour tribal subdivisions of Chamba district where the number of vehicles had increased manifold owing to the rise in the transportation services over the past few years.

Kulu
CHARAS SEIZED: The district police seized 5 kg of charas on Thursday. Mr A.P. Singh, Superintendent of Police, said Kancha Lama, a Nepalese, was nabbed at the traffic post at Bajaura, about 15 kg from here on the Kulu-Mandi national highway while he was travelling in a private bus going to Dharamsala from Kulu and charas seized from him.

Nahan
MELA: A three-day health mela sponsored by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry will be organised by the district administration and the Health and Family Welfare Department, Sirmaur, in the historic Nahan Chowgan from February 12 to February 14. Surgeons and physicians from AIIMS, Delhi, the PGI, Chandigarh, and different medical colleges of North India have confirmed their participation in the mela.