R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
WELFARE: The Handicap Welfare Union, headed by Mr Manmohan Singh Baserke, on Friday urged the government to provide school at the district level where handicapped persons could get free education, vocational training and food. He also said the pension category of the handicapped persons should be separated from the old-age pensioners and widows to give at least Rs 1,000 per month to them.

Hoshiarpur
AWARD: Dr D.B. Kapur, chairman of the All-India Medicos Society and secretary-general of the World Council of Alternative Medicine, received a life-time achievement award on the sixth World Congress on Holistic Natural Health Science at Gangtok (Sikkim) on March 27, according to a press note issued by the All-India Medicos Society here on Saturday.

TWO KILLED: Naresh Kumar, who was in a stationary truck, was killed when the vehicle was hit by another truck near a petrol station in Mukerian on Friday. The driver of the stationary truck was seriously injured and admitted in Civil Hospital, Mukerian. In an another accident, Vidya, a resident of Bure Rajputan village, was crushed to death by a car while crossing the road in the village 18 km from here, on Saturday. The car driver sped away.

TWO BOOKED: On the complaint of Lovekesh Kumar of Model Town here the police registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC against Pankaj Abet and his brother Rajan Abet of Krishan Nagar here for cheating him of Rs 2.50 lakh. He alleged that both brothers took Rs 2.50 lakh from him for sending his son to Italy. They neither sent his son to Italy nor returned the money.

LUDHIANA
PRIZE DISTRIBUTION: The management and staff of Rajindra Model Senior Secondary School, Haibowal Kalan, organised a prize distribution function on Saturday. The function was held to honour the students of all classes who had attained top three positions in examination. Mohit Sharma and Shalza had got first and second position, respectively, in Class IX. Ms Nirmal Sharma, Principal, gave away the prizes. She said in the next session, the school would start nursery teacher training (NTT) course.

Course concludes: A three-month certificate course in young farmer training concluded at Kairon Kisan Ghar, Punjab Agricultural University, on Friday. As many as 12 Armymen and 24 civilians attended the course. Dr V.K. Bhamota, in charge of the course, said participants were trained in all practical aspects which were a part of the three-year BSc agriculture course. Dr Amrik Singh Sandhu, Director of Extension Education, and Dr Jaswinder Bhalla, Assistant Professor of Extension Education, were present during the valedictory function.

ZIRAKPUR
EX-SERVICEMEN’S SOCIETY: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Ambala Ex-servicemen Transport Co-operative Society Ltd. : president — Mr Prem Singh Dhakauli; vice-president — Subedar Bachan Singh; and members of the managing committee — Mr Bhagat Singh, Mr Amarjit Singh and Mr Jaswinder Singh.

HARYANA

Fatehabad
APPOINTED: Ms Maya Rathi, a local social activist, has been appointed organising secretary of the state unit of the Indian Justice Party. In a communication received by Ms Rathi here on Friday, Mr Udit Raj, national president of the Indian Justice Party, while appointing her as organising secretary of the state unit, had expressed the hope that she would work for making the organisation strong in Haryana.

POLL BANDOBAST: The Inspector General of Police (Hisar Range), Mr Resham Singh, has asked police officers of the district to launch a special drive to nab proclaimed offenders and bail jumpers as these persons could pose law and order problems during the forthcoming Parliamentary poll. The IG was addressing police officers and Station House Officers of various police stations of this district here on Friday. The SP Mr Saurabh Singh was also present on the occasion. Mr Resham Singh urged the SHOs of the district to prepare lists of anti-social elements in their respective areas so that effective measures could be taken at the appropriate time. He said it was the duty of the police to ensure that persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes Backward Classes, minorities and economically weaker classes were able to exercise their right to franchise fearlessly.

Hisar
ROAD MISHAP: A driver of Haryana Police was killed in a collision between a state roadways bus and a tractor, near auto market here, police said on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as Sumer Singh (28), district police chief Atar Singh Ahlawat has announced Rs 2 lakh as assistance to the family of Sumer Singh, who was killed in the mishap on Friday. Ahlawat has also said that free education would be given to Summer's children.

ONE KILLED: One person was killed and two others including a woman, were injured seriously in a collision between a Haryana Roadways bus and a motor cycle near Sorkhi village, about 40 km from here, on Hisar-Delhi national highway, the police said on Saturday. The police said three persons — Ram Prasad, Mange Ram and his wife Roshni were going on a motor cycle from their village Chanat to Kunger village to mourn the death of a relative. Near Sorkhi village, their motor cycle collided with a state transport bus, killing Ram Prasad on the spot. Mange Ram and his wife Roshni have been admitted to a private hospital here.

Karnal
SAMMELAN: The Haryana Institute of Fine Arts (HIFA) and the Karnal Club will jointly organise the 6th ‘Mahamoorakh Sammelan’ here on April 17 in which Hasya kavis’ from all over the country will participate. According to Mr Piyush Kumar a Secretary of the HIFA the main theme of this poetic symposium will be ‘Chunavi Dangal’. He said HIFA would also conduct a national level competition in photography, cartoon-making and poetry on the topic of ‘feel good factor’ simultaneously with the poetic symposium. Attractive cash prizes amounting to Rs 25,000 in total would also be given to the winners, he added.

PROGRAMME: A three-week national training programme on ‘Information Resources on Genetics and Documentation Techniques for Livestock Improvement’ is in progress at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) here. As many as 20 scientists, specialists in livestock breeding from different states of the country are participating in this advanced training programme. Dr Nagendra Sharma, Director, NDRI, while addressing the trainees said there was a need to document genetics resources in the country because in the coming years the beneficiaries of various technologies would have access to the scientific information and the technologies developed by various institutions. Dr B.K. Joshi, Head of the dairy cattle breeding division said the Centre for Advanced Studies had already organised 17 such programmes during the past few years in which as many as 350 scientists from across the nation had participated.

Kurukshetra
DELEGATION: A Chinese delegation, led by Du Yangling, Deputy Director, China Centre for Contemporary World Studies ( CCCWS), met Dr A.K. Chawla, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University to explore the possibility of academic collaboration between Chinese Institute and Kurukshetra University. Prof Devendra Kaushik, Chairman, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata, was also a member of delegation. Chinese scholars were keen to know about the course structure and other facilities available in Kurukshetra University. Prof Zhou Yuyun of the same centre explained to the Vice-Chancellor that China’s overseas consultancy department provided approximately 3,500 scholarships annually to the Chinese students for study abroad. Chinese delegation also extended an invitation to Vice-Chancellor to come to Beijing so that collaboration between the two institutions could take the shape of MoU.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
DECISION OPPOSED: The local Safai Karamcharis Union has opposed the recent decision of the local Municipal Council assigning the cleanliness work of the town on contract basis. Mr Ajeet Subh, president of the union, here on Friday warned the council to withdrawn its decision or face direct action. He said the union would resort to agitation if the decision was not revoked.

DHARAMSALA
RAPE ACCUSED HELD: The Baijnath police on Saturday arrested Raj Kumar alias Raju from Panchrukhi. He is accused of allegedly raping a girl in Rakkar village on March 28. According to Kangra S.P. S. Zahoor H. Zaidi, Raj Kumar had entered the house of Karam Chand and raped the girl.

3 HURT IN MISHAP: Two persons were injured in an accident in Kangra district on Friday. According to the police, a Maruti car hit a motor cycle near Sunehat on the Dehra-Una road and fled the scene. Two youths were injured and were admitted to a hospital for treatment.

CREDIT PLAN: The annual Credit Plan for Kangra district for the current year has been enhanced to Rs. 231.87 crore. The Kangra DC, Dr Shrikant Baldi, said out of this amount Rs 82.81 crore has been allocated for agriculture sector , Rs 30.73 crore for small scale industries and Rs 118.33 crore for other priority sector. The amount was 33 per cent higher than the last year.

BAN ON ARMS: Kangra DC S.K. Baldi has banned carrying of arms and explosives in the district till the election process for the Lok Sabha elections is over. He said the ban would continue till May 20.

PROJECT FOR COLLEGE: The veterinary college of Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur, has been allocated Rs 63.40 lakh project for undertaking study on improvement of feed resources and nutrient utilisation for raising animal production. According to university sources, the Department of Veterinary Physiology , College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, will undertake the study.

KANGRA
1 killed, 3 hurt: One person was killed and two others were injured in three different road accidents in this district during the past 24 hours, the police said here on Friday. The Kangra district police chief, Mr S. Zahoor H. Zaidi, said Prem Chand (57), a resident of Ladwara village was hit by a car (HP 43 0036) on Pathankot-Mandi Highway on Thursday and died on way to Dr R.P. Government Medical College Hospital. The police has registered a case under Sections 279 and 304A, IPC. Sahil, a five-year-old child, was injured when he was hit by a car at Hadbara and a woman pillion rider was injured in another case.

Booked: The Kangra police has registered a case of rape against Raju of Rakkar village in Baijnath police station on Thursday after a girl of the same village lodged a report with the police. The police has registered a case under Sections 363, 366 and 376, IPC.

SHIMLA
APPOINTED: Professor Harbans Lal Kapoor, Principal, Indira Gandhi Medical College, has been made member of the programme advisory committee for the National Cancer Control Programme by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The committee members will monitor and provide technical support for the National Cancer Control Programme.

BOOK ON KINNAUR: Mr V.S. Kokje, Governor, released a book entitled “Alokik Kinnaur” authored by Mr Vijay Shankar Tiwari at a function in Raj Bhavan here on Friday. The Governor said that the book contained description of social, geographical, cultural aspects of the tribal Kinnaur district. Attractive photographs of Kinnaur and Spiti were added attraction.

SOLAN
PROBE ORDERED: Mr Abhishek Trivedi, SP, on Friday ordered an inquiry into a case of seizure of herbs worth Rs 6 lakh after a police team failed to achieve any breakthrough in the matter. The inquiry would be headed by DSP(headquarters) R.C Chajjta. Four persons had been nabbed on March 18 from Arki where 94 sacks of herbs and 1 kg of opium, including texas baccata whose sale is banned were seized from a truck.