R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
SPECIAL CELLS: Mr Parkash Singh Badal, President, Shiromani Akali Dal, has said the ex-servicemen wing of the party will establish its cells in villages to know their grievances. He explained these views while addressing the rally of ex-servicemen wing of the party at Ajnala. 

Bathinda
FUNCTION: The local Swami Vivekanand Girls College celebrated its first foundation day on Sunday by organising a prize distribution function on the college premises. Girls of the college enthralled the audiences by performing various cultural items. The students also appealed for help and donation for tsunami victims through a well-presented musical skit. Speaking at the function, Mr K. A. P. Sinha, Deputy Commissioner, who was the chief guest, stressed on the girl education and gender equality in the society.

Barnala
SCHOLARSHIP TEST: Y. S. School, Barnala, would conduct a scholarship test on March 20, said Ms Shanta Kumar, Principal of the school. The test was meant for those students who would be taking admission in Classes VIII, IX and X. The scholarships worth Rs 8500 each in the form of school fee for one year would be offered to 15 students. The test would be conducted in four disciplines, English, science, mathematics and general knowledge and the students can attempt their questions either in English, Hindi or Punjabi languages, the Principal added.

Jalandhar
WORKSHOP: The US Embassy in collaboration with the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Guru Nanak Dev University, will organise a workshop on “Media ethics” at its regional campus here on Friday. Dr Kamlesh Singh Duggal, head of the department, said that the main theme of the workshop was media ethics that were being practised by the journalists.

Jagraon
kerosene seized: Sushil Kumar of M/s Sushil Oil Store, Jagraon road, Mullanpur, is alleged to have been selling kerosene oil after purchasing it from government-approved fair price shops meant for distribution under PDS. Dakha police registered a case under Section 7 of Essential Commodities Act on the complaint of Mr Rakesh Singh, Food and Supply Officer, and seized 765 lts of kerosene oil from his business premises.

Booked: Sukhdarshan Singh of Burj Hari Singh, and Kala of Dhanola and Binda of Raikot, allegedly entered the shop of Alam Singh at Burj Hari Singh and damaged his counter and electric items and threatened Alam Singh with sharp-edged weapons. Raikot police has registered a case under Sections 452, 427, 506, 34 of the IPC. No arrest has been made, so far.

LALRU
Blood camp: As many as 133 persons, including 11 women, donated blood at a camp organised by the Lalru unit of Bhata Vikas Parishad, here on Sunday. Mr Narinder Sanga, Sub Divisional Magistrate of Dera Bassi, inaugurated the camp by donating blood.

Ludhiana
Medical camp: The All-India Multi-Speciality Centre organised a free medical and eye check-up camp, here today, under the guidance of renowned laparoscopic surgeon Dr Naresh Bassi. A number of specialists in surgery, orthopaedics, medicine, cardiology, gynaecology and obstetrics, infertility and eye diseases examined more than 300 patients in the day-long camp. All patients, registered for surgery in the camp will get the benefit of subsidised surgical treatment, including laparoscopic surgery for gall bladder stones, uterine fibroid, hernia, appendicitis and infertility. The institution will also provide endoscopic surgery to the patients at concessional rates. The cataract patients will get intra-ocular lens implantation.

Malerkotla
ADOPTED: Punjab Charity Ltd, a London-based charity organisation, has adopted eight students from Malerkotla. Mr Amjad Ali, Chairman of Sohrab Public School, said here on Saturday that Mr Harminder Gill and Mr Vijay Sharma, Directors of the organisation who visited Sohrab Public School, donated Rs 1 lakh for the education of these eight students.

Moga
ARREST STAYED: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the arrest of Sanjeev Gupta, a vernacular daily scribe, till March 18. A case was recently registered against Gupta on the charge of blackmailing. The high court has also sought the record relating to his case from the police.

BODY FOUND: A body was found lying in a jeep outside Bukkanwala Chowk here on Saturday. The body was later identified to be that of Banta Singh of Dhaleke village. Sources said Banta Singh died after being hit by an octroi contractor’s vehicle. The octroi contractor’s employee reportedly tried to dispose of the body, but their jeep broke down on the way. They ran away leaving the jeep on the spot. Unconfirmed reports said both the parties had reached a compromise.

SENTENCED: A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a minor in 2001. A fine of Rs 10,000 has also been slapped on him. The victim’s mother had lodged a complaint against Jasveer Singh, who was her neighbour at Gobindgarh Basti, accusing him of raping her six-year-old daughter.

SEMINAR: A one-day national seminar on “Globalisation: Prospects and Challenges for India” was held at Kamla Nehru College for Women here on Saturday. It was organised by the post-graduate department of political science with the help of the University Grants Commission.

SAMRALA
MEETING: A monthly meeting of the Anti-Corruption Front held here on Sunday in their office on the Machhiwara road under the presidentship of Commandant Rashpal Singh, president of the front. A resolution was passed in which the Vigilance Department was congratulated for arresting the BDO and the JE of the Machhiwara block. The front decided to honour Mr Manmohan Singh, former sarpanch of Chakki village, who helped the Vigilance Department in nabbing the corrupt employees. The VDS Scheme of the PSEB was also criticised.

ZIRAKPUR
Protest: In want of basic civic amenities promised by the developer, residents of The New Generation Apartments, Zirakpur, protested outside the office of a developer, on Sunday. They were demanding provision of a communtiy hall, parking space besides basic civic amenities like potable wate, power back up and lift.

CHANDIGARH

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Market Welfare Association, Sector 24-D; president — Mr J.S. Rathor, vice-president — Mr Sunil Kumar and chief secretary — Mr R.K. Kapoor.

EYE CAMP: As many as 300 patients were examined by a team of doctors from Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Sector 32 at an eye camp organised by the Lions Club Chandigarh Supreme yesterday. Around 60 patients will be operated upon in GMCH later this week. The camp was inaugurated by the Lion Massa Singh Nandra, Lions Club of Woolwich and Greenwich, UK. 

MOHALI
FUNCTION: Annual prize distribution function of Saint Soldier International Convent School was held at the school recently. Mr V.K. Sharma, Special Secretary, Punjab Government, was the chief guest. More than 500 students were awarded prizes. Parampreet Singh bagged the award for scoring 91.4 per cent marks in Class X, Manraj Kang got a prize for getting the second position in fencing at the national level. Bhawna Pandit, Satnam Kaur, J.P. Kaur, Rupinder Kaur, Baljeet Singh and Arti Malhotra were given awards for excellent teachers.

HARYANA

Fatehabad
DHARNA: Numerous residents of Lali, Jallopur and Lalwas villages held a dharna in front of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd telephone exchange at Lali village and locked the main gate of the building in protest against the poor telephone service in the area. They also burnt an effigy of the Union Communications Minister.

Rewari
ASSAULTED: Three persons assaulted Rameshwar, a resident of Mohalla Meharwara, with a knife near the Gol Chakkar area here on Friday. Rameshwar was returning home after selling his buffalo, and the three waylaid him with a view to looting him. A case has been registered under Sections 323, 324, 325 of the IPC.

Sonepat
BEATEN UP: Jagdish, a factory worker, was allegedly beaten up by the police at Kundli police station on Saturday. According to a report, the police action followed a complaint lodged by the factory owner against another worker who escaped after stealing goods from the factory premises. When the police arrived in the factory, the culprit was not present in the factory and the police took Jagdish to the police station where he was beaten up.

RESENTED: Resentment prevails among residents of Jatheri village against the alleged failure of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam to replace two transformers, which got burnt three weeks ago, plunging the entire area into darkness. The residents also held a protest meeting and warned of intensifying the stir.

Thieves arrested: With the arrest of seven persons, the Kundli police on Sunday claimed to have busted an inter-state gang of thieves operating in parts of Haryana, Delhi and other states for the past few months. The arrested persons were identified as Sunil of Garhi village in Baghpat district of UP, Parveen and Rajesh of Kundli village, Babloo of Murthal village, Dalbir of Khanda village, Kaloo, alias Parveen, of Kundli village and Rameshwar of Delhi.

Convicted: Mr J.S. Jangra, Additional Sessions Judge, on Saturday convicted Jatinder, Anil, Ishwar and Bhupinder in a murder case and sentenced all of them to imprisonment for life with a fine of Rs 5,000 each. All the persons, who belonged to Ahulana village under the Ganaur police station, had shot dead Randhir of the same village on January 6, 2002.

PROTEST: A large number of angry residents, including women, held up traffic for about an hour on the Kharkhauda-Delhi road near Ferozepur Bangar village, about 25 km from here, on Sunday in protest against the erratic power supply, unscheduled and unorganised power cuts enforced by the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN).

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Bilaspur
KILLED: Sito Devi, wife of Sajjan of the Diara sector died and Vijay Kumar, Sukru Devi, Rohit and Jagdish were seriously injured when a private bus coming from Arki hit their three-wheeler on Saturday.

Chamba
ARRESTED: The Himachal Pradesh police has arrested three thieves and recovered 67 kg of aluminium wire from them. Disclosing this here on Saturday Mr J.P. Singh, SP, Chamba said a police patrol party found these persons carrying bags on checking the police found aluminium wire in the bags being smuggled.

Kumarhatti
KILLED: One person was killed and another injured when a jeep (HP-14-1185) carrying them collided head on with a sand-laden Canter (HP-63-0833) on Kalka-Shimla National Highway, near here, last evening. Tara Chand died on the way to Zonal Hospital, Solan. The deceased hailed from Kheel Jatli village.

WORKER ATTACKED: A factory worker was killed when he was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon by three youths near the Morepen plant on Baddi-Nalagarh road on Saturday. Jai Pal, employed in a unit at Bhud village, was coming home along with his two colleagues at around 3 pm on a cycle when youths blocked his way. They started beating him up with stone and knife. Jai Pal’s colleagues rushed him to the subdivision hospital, Nalagarh, but he died on the way.

Nahan
INAUGURATED: The Speaker of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha, Mr G.R. Musafir, on Saturday inaugurated the building of panchayat bhavan at Thod Niwd, in Rajgarh subdivision. About Rs 2 lakh have been spent on the construction of the building. He also laid the foundation stone of the additional building of middle school Thod Niwad and inaugurated additional building of primary school, Reiri Gusan.