R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Abohar
Seminar: A two-day seminar on health awareness at Government Model High School and Government Senior Secondary School for Boys concluded here on Tuesday. Dr Rakesh Sehgal emphasised the need of creating awareness among students from the primary classes about health as only a healthy child could develop interest in studies.

CONTEST: Mr Pallav Jain and Mr Gaurav Chachan of LRS DAV Senior Secondary School here had been declared winners in the senior category of “Bharat ko Jaano” (know India) state-level contest organised by the Bharat Vikas Parishad.

Hoshiarpur
ACCIDENTS: Gurdev Singh of Chak Sakoor in Bhogpur was killed on the spot when a car (HP-49-006) hit his scooter near village Khokhar on the Jallandhar-Pathankot road on Tuesday evening. In another accident, an unidentified person was crushed to death at Mananhana by a vehicle. Gurmeet Singh of Khu-Khun Kalan succumbed to his injuries at the Civil Hospital, Tanda. He was seriously wounded when his motorcycle skidded off the road near Kurala on Tuesday.

Nawanshahr
SARPANCH BOOKED: The Vigilance Department has arrested District Development and Panchayat Officer, Jaswant Singh posted at Moga and Mr Roshan Lal, a former sarpanch of Malikpur Nawanshahr, for allegedly “alloting” 158 acres of panchayat land to 22 persons, fraudulently showing them in possession of the land. They have been sent to judicial remand for 14 days. The Vigilance Department has booked as many as 23 persons in this case.

Pathankot
IN-LAWS BOOKED: Following the death of Ashok Kumar, a resident of Bajri Company here, the local police has booked his mother-in-law, brother-in-law and his wife. The accused have absconded. The deceased was married on June 30, 1995, to Bala, a local girl. They had four children. On Monday when the victim went to his in-laws’ house, the accused sprinkled petroleum on him and set his clothes on fire.

Phagwara
CAR THIEVES NABBED: During a special naka here on Tuesday, two members of an inter-state gang of car thieves were reportedly arrested while they were preparing to sell two stolen cars. The cars were impounded. The gang consisted of five persons belonging to Panchkula, Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Phagwara.

Alumni Body: Kamla Nehru College for Women here held a refreshing session for its Alumini Association. A press note by college principal Kusum Verma said 150 old students of the college attended it.

SAMRALA
Celebrations: The local Nankana Sahib Public School will organise a programme to mark Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary on November 30 on the school premises, said Ms Kuldeep Kaur, Principal of the school. On November 28 akhand path will be held and on November 29 a competition in dastarbandi and declamation contests will be held. On November 30 bhog of akhand path and a langar will be organised. OC

Appreciated: Punjabi writer Hamdardvir Nausheharvi has appreciated the announcement of literary awards to the writers in Punjab. He has urged the Punjab Government to resume pension to old writers which was discontinued about 15 years ago.

Shobha yatra: A nagar kirtan and shobha yatra to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev will start from Gurdwara Sri Guru Granth Sahib (main chowk ) on Thursday, according to president of the gurdwara Bhai Kuldeep Singh Mann and secretary Kapoor Singh. Jathedar Kirpal Singh Kheernian, member SGPC, along with Panj Piaras, will lead the shobha yatra.

CHANDIGARH

Panchkula
AWARDED: The Principal of Satluj Public School, Sector 4, Mr Krit Serai, has been awarded the Dr Radhakrishnan award by the Avantika Group at a function organised at Chandigarh on November 20. The award was presented to him for promoting Indian culture and education and contributing towards social causes.

SCIENCE EXHIBITION: The district-level science exhibition for children was held at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 15, on Tuesday. As many as 30 teams from various schools in the district participated and 10 teams have been selected for participating in the state-level exhibition to be held at Karnal on December 12. Two teams of Chaman Lal DAV School, Sector 11, and one team of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 6, have been selected from the senior category, while a team of Chaman Lal DAV School and New India Senior Secondary School have been selected from the junior category. From rural areas, one team each of Government School Ramgarh, Karanpur and Kot have been selected from the senior category, while teams of government schools in Kot and Pinjore have been selected.

PULSE POLIO: Nearly 16,000 children have been administered polio drops during the two-day door-to-door pulse polio campaign on November 22 and 23. Teams of health workers were specially deputed by the health authorities to administer polio drops to children who could not take the drops on the pulse polio immunisation day on November 21.

MEETING: The Panchkula Rajput Sabha has decided to hold a meeting of the sabha on every second Sunday of a month at Town Park, Sector 5.

ANNUAL DAY: The annual academic day, “Navrangika-2004”, of Valley Public School, Mansa Devi Complex, was held on Sunday. Mr R.D. Garg, a senior IAS officer, was the chief guest.

HARYANA

Ambala
COURSE: A Short-term course on effective curriculum implementation was conducted by the faculty of the Curriculum Development Centre of the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (Chandigarh) at Government Polytechnic, Ambala city, on Wednesday. Dr K.M. Rastogi highlighted the technological advancements and challenges of technical education. Various aspects of curriculum development were dealt with. The Principal, Ms Sadhana Jain suggested that the faculty could make their teaching more effective by 
implementing the tips given during the training.

Programme: A programme was organised by the Department of History of DAV College, Ambala city on Wednesday. Prof K.L. Tuteja was the chief speaker. He spoke on the issue “Could India’s division have been avoided”. He analysed the issue at length and he opined that a variety of factors led to India’s division at Independence. SDM Satbir Saini presided over the programme. He spoke about the importance of history. The college Principal Dr J.S. Nain, was present.

DEMONSTRATION: Mr Umed Lohan, state president of the youth wing of the INLD, has said activists of party would stage a protest demonstration in front of Parliament House in New Delhi on December 6. Earlier, the plan was to hold the demonstration on December 1, but it had been changed in view of the state Assembly session. The INLD general secretary Mr Ajay Chautala, would lead the protesters.

Sirsa
ARRESTED: The local police has arrested a second person in a job scam. Jasgir Singh, a resident of Sangria town of Rajasthan, was nabbed along with Om 
Prakash. The two had collected a sum of Rs 4.25 lakh from three youths on the pretext of getting them jobs.

Sonepat
ARRESTED: A young girl and her alleged paramour were arrested while they were found in a compromising situation in a room at Pio Munya village, 15 km from here, on Tuesday. According to the police, the girl was identified as Anjali of Jhanki village in Chhatisgarh while the youth was identified as Anwar of Baghpat district in UP.

SHOT: Mr Shiv Narain Kuchhal, brother of Mr Chetan Swaroop Kuchhal, president of the Kiryana Merchants Association, was shot at and wounded allegedly by two motor cycle born assailants while he was sitting in his shop in the mandi area here on Thursday. Mr Kuchhal was admitted to a private nursing home and his condition is stated to be serious. The police has registered a case against the assailants who are still at large.

HELD: The Murthal police on Wednesday arrested a proclaimed offender Karamir of Kuran village in connection with a case of murder registered against him. He failed to return to judicial custody after the was released on parole. According to another report, the Civil Lines police arrested two persons, Sahil of Sikka Colony and Raj Kumar of Sundar Sanwari Basti, in connection with a case of theft registered against them.

DEAD: Ashbir, a farmer, was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his fields at Krewri village, 10 km from here, on Wednesday.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Bilaspur
CONVICTED: The District and Sessions Judge, Mr V.K. Ahuja, on Tuesday convicted Jaspal Singh of Bhakra village under Sections 304-B and 498-A, IPC, and sentenced him to two years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs 10,000 for forcing his wife, Shubhlata, alias Ranju, to commit suicide on March 2,1999, 40 days after his marriage to her on January 22, 1999.

FREEDOM FIGHTER DEAD: Prominent Praja Mandal freedom fighter Mian Ransingh (88) died at his village at Masaur near Ghumarwin on Tuesday. An employee in the Agriculture Department with the last Raja of Bilaspur, he was dismissed from service and kept in confinement for Praja Mandal activities. His funeral was largely attended.

Nahan
INAUGURATION: The Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha, Mr G.R. Mussafir, inaugurated an additional building of Middle School, Kangar Dharyar, in Pachhad region of Sirmaur on Monday. Addressing a public meeting on the occasion, he said Rs 8 crore would be spent on its construction.

Shimla
CPRI CHIEF: Dr Bir Pal Singh, an eminent farm scientist, has taken over as Director of Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) here. He was earlier Joint Director of the Central Potato Research Institute Campus at Modipuram in Meerut.