R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
CONDEMNED: The minister of State for Education, Prof Darbari Lal, on Wednesday condemned the fatal attacks on Shia Muslims during Mohrrum processions in Karbala and Baghdad in Iraq killing about 140 persons and Quetta in Pakistan in which about 44 persons died. In a press statement issued here, Prof Lal said no religion in the world allowed violence. They preached non-violence and respect for other religions.

CONG TICKET: Intellectuals, he added by Mr Talwinder Singh, an advocate, in a press statement on Wednesday urged the All-India Congress Committee President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, president of the PPCC, Mr H.S. Hanspal, to allot the party ticket to Capt Bikramjit Singh Pahuwind for the Tarn Taran constituency.

COPYING: The All-India Sikh Students Federation, led by Mr Manjit Singh Bhoma, on Wednesday urged the state government to provide special security outside the examination centres to relent large-scale copying in the forthcoming annual Punjab School Education Board Examinations. In a press statement issued here, Mr Bhoma also appealed to the Vigilance Bureau to come down heavily on “corruption” among the supervisory and invigilation staff during the examinations.

WORKSHOP: A 10-day workshop on video production techniques and methodologies organised at DAV College for Boys concluded here on Tuesday. Six short films were screened during the workshop. Mr M.L. Aeri, Principal, said the films were conceived scripted, shot, edited and packaged by the students themselves.

BOOK RELEASED: Sri Darbar Sahib Upar Fauji Karvie, a book written by Mr Jaswant Singh ‘Azaad’ on the sufferings of Sikh youth who ran off to Pakistan following Operation Bluestar and their condition in Pakistan jails, was released by Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, secretary, SGPC, here on Tuesday.

WELCOMED: The Amritsar Bar Association on Tuesday welcomed the election for Mr B M Vinayak, as Vice-Chairman of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, Mr R.S. Sandhu and Mr Ramesh Chander Sharma, president and secretary, respectively, of the association also welcomed the election of Mr Vinayak.

Batala
CHEATING CASE: A case has been registered at the city police station against Madan Lal and his brother, Sarwan Kumar, residents of Bhagwanpura in Kapurthala district, under Section 420. This was stated in a press note issued here on Wednesday by the SSP here. The culprits allegedly took Rs 3.5 lakh from Mr Ram Pal of the local Mahajan Colony about three years ago for sending him to Italy. They neither sent him to Italy nor returned the money.

Ludhiana
Cassette released: Bhupinder, a teacher of S.N. Jain School, has brought out an audio cassettee titled “Kudi Khumb Vargi”. The cassette is produced by Vaanni Audio and Video Company. It was released by singer Harbhajan Mann at Guru Nanak College , Doraha, here on Tuesday.

Nawanshahr
SPECIAL LECTURES: Dr D.R. Vij, vice president of the Indian Council of Teachers Education (ICTE) and Dr R.P. Goyal delivered special lectures on ‘Towards Better Teaching’ and ‘Guidance and Counselling ‘ at Dayanand Amarnath College of Education for Women here on Tuesday, informed Dr Dev Ichha Shekhar, Principal.

APPOINTED: Lt. Col Jernail Singh (retd), president of the district unit of Ex-Servicemen Cell (PPCC), has been appointed organising secretary of the Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee by Mr H.S. Hanspal, PPCC President. Mr Sham Sunder Sharda has been appointed vice-president of the district unit of the Congress.

OFFICE-BEARERS: Mr S.P. Singh and Mr Sita Ram Chaudhary have been appointed president and vice-president, respectively, of the district unit of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh.

Phagwara
MEETING HELD: The sub-divisional level free legal aid committee met here on Tuesday with Mrs Navjot Sohal, Civil Judge (Junior Division) and Chairperson of the panel in the chair. According to a press release the next quarterly Lok Adalat would be held on March 13.

Phillaur
DECIDED: The All India Shiv Sena ( Rashtaravadi) has decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections and declared its candidate for the Phillaur parliamentary seat. Mr Sanjeev Darroch, vice-president of the Sena, has been chosen to fight the Phillaur Lok Sabha seat.

Samrala
TRANSFERS RESENTED: All three teachers of Government Primary School, Bondli, have been transferred and only one temporary teacher has been posted in their place, according to Mr Sodhi Singh, Sarpanch of Bondli village. There are 101 students in the school mostly belonging to poor families. Due to these transfers, the studies of the students will suffer. He demanded the posting of permanent teachers to the school.

FREEDOM FIGHTER DEAD: Freedom Fighter Arjan Singh Ghulal, a resident of Ghulal village, 5 km from here, died here on Tuesday evening. Mr J.S. Jassi, SDM, Samrala, Mr Amrik Singh Dhillon, MLA, Mr Avtar Singh Ghulal, district vice-president of the PPCC, Ludhiana, were present at the cremation on Wednesday.

HARYANA

AMBALA
FUNCTION: To commemorate the achievements and contribution of Amrita Pritam to Punjabi literature, a function was held at Shri Atmanand Jain (PG) College in Ambala City on Wednesday. College principal Dr C.L. Singla said the function was organised by the Haryana Punjabi Sahit Academy, Panchkula, in collaboration with SA Jain College. Noted Punjabi poet Mr Surjit Patter presided over the function, while Dr Chander Trikha graced the occasion. An exhibition on the works of Amrita Pritam was put up on the college premises. A special documentary film on the life and achievements of Amrita Pritam was shown to the gathering. This was followed by an inter-college poetry recitation competition. 

hisar
1 killed in accident: A youth was killed in a road accident in the Azad Nagar area of the city on Tuesday. According to the police, Surjeet Singh (25), a resident of Dhana Khurd village, was returning here from a nearby Gangwa village on a motorcycle. As he reached near Azad Nagar a jeep hit his vehicle. He died on way to hospital. The Sadar police has registered a case.

Yamunanagar
CONVOCATION: Mr A.K. Chawla, Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, has appreciated the role of great personalities “whose joint efforts have contributed a lot in spreading education for women in the area”. While delivering the convocation address at Hindu Girls College, Jagadhri, on Tuesday, he stressed the importance of educating women for the uplift and all round development of society. He conferred degrees on 400 graduate and postgraduate students. Dr Urmila Sharma, Principal of the college, read out the annual report of the college.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Bilaspur
REPUDIATED: Mr Sabardeen, general secretary of the Minorities Cell of the state unit of the Congress has repudiated the claim of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that the BJP is not a communal party. Addressing mediapersons here on Tuesday Mr Sabardeen said the Prime Minister had failed to implement his much proclaimed ideology of ‘‘Equal treatment to all’’ during the Gujarat riots.