R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
LECTURE: A lecture on “AIDS awareness and prevention” was delivered by Dr Ravi Sahni, Professor of Skin and STD, to B-Tech students of Baba Kumar Singh Engineering College, Gursar Satlani Sahib, near here on Tuesday. He explained the high incidence of AIDS in vulnerable sections of society. Dr S.S. Bhatti, Director-Principal, advised students to have monogamous relationships.

Ferozepore
ELECTED: Mr Kulbhushan Garg and Mr Gurdev Singh have been elected chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the Ferozepore Cantonment Primary Cooperative Agriculture Development Bank.

Hoshiarpur
CASE REGISTERED: On a complaint of Baljit Singh of Ghogral village, the Dasuya police has registered a case under Section 406, 420, 120B of the IPC against travel agents, Mohan Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Balwinder Singh of Sariala Kalan for duping him of Rs 10 lakh. In his complaint, Baljit Singh alleged that the travel agents took Rs 10 lakh along with his passport in 2003 for sending him to the UK. They neither sent him abroad nor returned his money and passport.

Khanna
WORKSHOP: A one-day workshop on solid waste management and water management was organised on Monday at A.S. College by the College Extension Department in collaboration with the Centre for Adult and Continuing Education, Panjab University. Experts from Agriculture Department and progressive farmers from surrounding villages — Salaudi, Kalal Majra, Laulari and Daid Pur participated in the workshop. The experts said the continued and careless excessive use of water resources could result in water crises in the state. Dr Rajinder Pal Singh, Agriculture Development Officer, expressed the fear that water scarcity could be the cause of third world war.

Ludhiana
IAP's newsletter: The Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Ludhiana district branch, released its inaugural issue of biomonthly newsletter here on Wednesday. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rajinder Gulati, president of the branch, said that the first issue of newsletter had been dedicated to polio eradication. Dr A.K. Handa, secretary of the branch, said that the newsletter would be a biomonthly affair and would reach each and every member of the branch. Dr Daljit Singh, principal of the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, who is also the life member of the branch, said that it was very rare that a district branch published its own newsletter. For this, he congratulated the president and his team of IAP.

Action sought: Dr Gursharan Singh, district president, IMA, and member, Punjab Medical Council (PMC), has requested the president, PMC, for ordering an inquiry on the basis of news report published in a section of media on Monday from Amritsar about female foeticide. In a letter written to the president, Dr Gursharan Singh said the report had exposed the violation of the PNDT Act and also the very basics of medical ethics. He said guilty doctors should be summoned to the PMC.

HARYANA

Kaithal
ARRESTED: The police has arrested members of a gang who allegedly wanted to extort Rs 1 lakh from a shopkeeper of Kalayat by threatening to kill him. A police spokesman said Suresh Kumar, son of Kali Ram mahajan of Kalayat had lodged a complaint with the police that when he was sitting at his shop on February 9, he was called by Ram Kishan and his wife Krishna to their house where Kuldip, Rajbir, Sonu, Rakesh and Pirthi were also present. All the suspects accused demanded Rs 1 lakh from the victim at pistolpoint.

Sirsa
STUDENTS ARRESTED: Two schoolchildren and their accomplice were arrested on charges of burning records of a school at Odhan village. The incident occurred this month. Those arrested have been identified as Iqbal, Amandeep and Jagdev. As per police sources, the students committed this act in anger for having been reprimanded by a schoolteacher.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Chamba
UP IN ARMS: People of the Chamba region are up in arms against the transfer of doctors and specialists from the zonal hospital, Chamba, to other districts. At least three organisations of the area in press statements have stated that the zonal hospital which is already short of doctors and other specialists would add to the sufferings of the residents of this backward and neglected district.