R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Hoshiarpur
WORKSHOP: To reduce the infant and maternal mortality, a workshop was organised under the Inter-State Border District Cluster Strategy at Mini-Secretariat here on Saturday in which all senior medical officers of the district, programme officers working in Civil Surgeon’s office and supervisors of the District health department participated. Dr S.P.S. Sohal, Deputy Director-cum-Civil Surgeon, Hoshiarpur, said on account of various ailments relating to pregnancy, one pregnant mother was losing her life every minute in the world. Similarly, 20 children between the age of 0-5 years also die every minute.

MEDICAL CAMP: On its 30th annual function, the Shri Ram Charit Manas Prachar Mandal in collaboration with Men-Tsee Khang, a Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama Dharamsala organised a first free medical camp based on the Tibetan system of medicine for patients having joint pains, at local Shakti temple on the eve of Ramnaumi here on Sunday. A team of Tibetan doctors led by Dr Dalva Dolma, Dr Dekyi Tsomo and Dr. Yeshi Dorjee examined more than 200 patients on this occasion.

Kapurthala
CAMP: About 100 animals were treated at a camp organised by the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Samiti at Kadupur village on Saturday. The organisation appealed to the Deputy Commissioner for allotment of land for keeping the stray animals and ordering for the sterilisation of stray dogs.

INSPECTION: Additional Deputy Commissioner Paramjeet Singh on Saturday took a round of 80-km-long Dhussi Bund on Beas to assess the preventive measures to be taken to control the floods for which the drainage department proposed a plan amounting Rs 7.66 crore. The drainage department has planned the repair of damaged spurs and construction of two new spurs and six studs at Atma Singh advance bund no 1 near Desal village and four spurs and 10 studs at Atma Singh advance bund no 2.

Nawanshahr
SHO HELD: Varinder Kumar, SHO, and Pargat Singh, junior munshi, posted at the Balachaur police station had been arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act. They were found guilty of forcing Rajiv Kumar of Kishanpura village to pay Rs 7000.

Phagwara
TWO ARRESTED: The police has arrested Nirvair Singh and Paramjit Singh under Section 36 of the PUDA Act, 1995, for carving out an unauthorised colony at Hajipur village on the outskirts of Phagwara. Both were sent to judicial custody, it was learnt on Sunday. PUDA had lodged a complaint with the Sadar police against the duo for creating an unauthorised colony.

SUICIDE: Munna of Mehligate died after consuming celphos tablets. The suicide note left by him said that he was mentally upset and taking this step due to it. Nobody should be held responsible in case he died, the note stated.

Phillaur
LOOTED: Four car-borne armed robbers struck at a money changer agency-cum-PCO at Wadhala village on the Goraya—Zandiala road in Phillaur subdivision and looted Rs 80,000 in cash and two gold chains at pistol point on Saturday. Mr Yogesh Kumar, ASI, Zandiala police post in charge, said the robbers came in a grey coloured Santro car and asked the agency owner, Arvinder Singh Walia, to hand over the entire cash.

FIRE: Standing wheat crop was destroyed in a fire which broke in the fields of Kulwant Singh at Atti village in Phillaur subdivision on Saturday. Sparking from high tension wires was said to be the cause of fire. The exact loss could not be estimated yet.

CHANDIGARH

Camp: Panjab University Campus Students Council, in association with Aryans Educational and Charitable Trust organised a free UGC NET awareness camp at students centre, Panjab University (PU) on Sunday. Prof D C Kataria, an educational expert for NET examination, answered the queries of students related to the examination. Nearly 200 students from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and Chandigarh took part in the camp. 

MOHALI
KAHUTA ASSN: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Kahuta (Rawalpindi) Association : president - Mr Kulwant Singh Chowdhry; Sr vice president; Mr Lochan Singh vice-president — president; Mr Tirath Singh; Mr Amrit Singh Chowdhry joint secretary — general secretary; Mr Amar Singh Shah; finance secretary; Mr Jagdev Singh Bakshi and treasurer — Mr Amritpal Singh Bakshi.

PANCHKULA
PAINTING WORKSHOP: A painting and art workshop was organised by the Panchkula unit of the Sanskar Bharti in association with Pidilite Industries at Manav Mangal School, Sector 11. As many as 60 students from different schools of the district were participating in the workshop, which will continue till April 23.TNS

Request for park: The House Owners/Plot Holders Welfare Association, Sector 11, has urged that the vacant area near Chotta Haripur be developed as a park. In a letter to Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, President of the Association, Mr Mahesh Goyal, said that the vacant area is in a dilapidated condition and was presently home to stray cattle, dogs, and was being used as a garbage dump. He urged that the area be beautified and used as a park.

ORIENTATION PROGRAMME: An orientation programme for parents of the students studying in the pre-primary classes was organised at The Gurukul, Sector 20, here today. Dr Nandita Choudhary, a psychologist, who is the Head of the Department, Lady Irwin College, Delhi, addressed the common behavioral problems of children faced by the parents. Dr. Subhash Arya, Director, Centre for Child Heath, Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi, spoke about some common illnesses affecting children and their simple remedies.

INAUGURATED: Fitness World, a heath club, was inaugurated, in Sector 9 here on Saturday. Offering an inaugural discount of 15 per cent , the gymnasium has state-of-the-art machines for cardio, strength training, aerobics, martial arts, dance and yoga as well as pool and billiards at its fun zone.

Launched: The VLCC centre in Sector 9, here launched “glycolic peels” to make check ageing of skin, pigmentation and acne marks. Dermatologist Rohit Bansal launched the product and gave a free demonstration of the treatment.

HARYANA

Kaithal
DEAD: The father of a defeated candidate in the Cheeka municipal Committee elections died when he came to know about the defeat of his son in the elections. Dharam Pal was contesting election from ward no 14. His father, who was reportedly unwell for some time, died when he got the news of the defeat of his son in the election.

6 ARRESTED: The district police has arrested six members of a gang of criminals who snatched a motor cycle, cash and mobile phone from a person last year. They were brought by a party of the CIA, headed by Inspector Amrik Singh, on production warrants from Hissar jail and produced before a local court, which remanded them to police custody.

Karnal
INJURED: Two persons were injured in a clash between farmers of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh at Peer Baroli village, falling under Gharunda block of Karnal district, here on Thursday night. The trouble started when a group of farmers from Khawajapur village in Muzaffarnagar district (U.P.) tried to stop Ram Juari of Peer Bharoli village from harvesting his wheat from 34 acres of land. When he and his sons resisted they were attacked by them with firearms and lathis.

POWER FAILURE: Nangal Kalan, a village situated on the GT Road in the district, is without electricity for the past few days since the falling of a transformer. Residents alleged that their complaints to the authorities of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) in this regard have fallen on deaf ears.

BOY KILLED: Abhi, three-year-old son of Dharampal Verma a journalist, was killed in a road accident at Gohana town, 35 km from here, on Friday evening. The boy was going with his son on a scooter, which was involved in an accident with a tractor-trolley. The police has registered a case.

ATTACKED: Virender, alias Manu, an undertrial, who was involved in a murder case, was seriously injured when he was attacked with sharp-edged weapons by two alleged criminals, Sanjay Butania and Satbir Bajania, in the district jail around 10 a.m. on Sunday. The injured prisoner was taken to the local Civil Hospital, from where he was referred to the PGIMS, Rohtak, for further treatment. The police has registered a case.

DEAD: Karamvir (40) reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a rope in his house at Qumashpur village, 13 km from here, on Saturday. The body was sent for post-mortem examination. Depression was stated to be the reason behind his taking the extreme step.

TWO ARRESTED: With the arrest of two persons, the special police staff on Sunday claimed to have busted a gang of auto thieves operating here and nearby towns for the past few years. The arrested persons were identified as Sandeep, alias Kala, of Kurar village and Pawan Kumar of Hassanpur village. The police recovered four stolen motor cycles from them. A case has been registered.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Bilaspur
ARRESTED: The police has arrested Kishanlal, alias Shankar of Motipur village, Tihra Anchal, Nepal, under Section 302 of the IPC for murdering a woman and her two-year-old son on August 14, 2004, near Brahmanighat under the Talai police station. This was stated by the SP, Mr M. Chander Shekhar here on Saturday.

STRIKE: The Himachal Pradesh Petroleum Dealers Association has declared that they will observe a 24-hour strike from midnight of April 17 to 18, on a call given by the Federation of All-India Petroleum Dealers. During this period all petrol stations will remain closed in the state, according to Mr Sukumar Singh, president of the association. He said they would observe the strike because dealers’ commission had not been not been increased to 5 per cent since April 2, 2005, which was the last day of the ultimatum given by the federation.

PROTEST: The Bilaspur Nagar Vikas Sabha has protested against the opening of a liquor vend on the main road of Luhnu ground near National Sports Complex. Members of the sabha urged the Deputy Commissioner to reconsider the decision and remove the vend immediately.

Dalhousie
COMPENSATION: Farmers of this area, who were affected with the erection of 400 kv double circuit twin conductor transmission line between Khairi and Chamba in Chamba district, are up in arms against the Power Grid Corporation of India for delay in providing compensation to them. These farmers have sought compensation for their land used for installing the transmission line. In a memorandum submitted to the government, the affected farmers have urged the corporation to compensate them.

Seized: A flying squad of the state Forest Department on Saturday seized 49 sleepers of deodar allegedly cut by Kulbrat, a resident of the Chakloo area in Chamba district. Officials of the flying squad raided Kulbrat’s house and seized 49 sleepers worth lakhs of rupees from his possession. The police has registered a case against the suspect.

Kulu
BURIED ALIVE: Two persons were buried alive at the NHPC Parbati Hydro-Electricity Power Project site, Siund, 54 km from here on Saturday. These victims were working with Jai Prakash Bhola Nath company. Mr A.P. Singh, SP, said efforts were on to locate the bodies.

WASHED AWAY: One person was washed away in the Parbati near Barsheni and another injured when NHPC security guards allegedly threw stones on them on Thursday. The injured, Moothu Lal, approached the Deputy Commissioner for help. His companion, Vijay Kumar, fell into the river and was washed away. They were from Rajasthan, and have been collecting junks to earn their bread and butter, Moothu added. The SP said a case under 304A of Culpable Homicide not amounting to murder had been registered against guards. One of the guards, Rajesh Kumar, had been arrested in this regard.

SEIZED: The police on Saturday seized 500 grams of charas from Jai Bhagwan of Karkhana village in Jind district of Haryana. A case under the NDPS has been registered against the accused.

SUICIDE: A tourist from Ferozepore allegedly tried to commit suicide in a hotel here on Friday. The hotel staff apprehended something wrong when the guest did not open the door till noon. They broke open the door and found him lying in a pool of blood. He had cut his nerves with a blade. He was admitted to the local Zonal Hospital from where he was referred to PGI, Chandigarh for further treatment.

Nahan
RECOVERED: The Rajgarh police here on Thursday raided the house of Prabhu Ram, a resident of Dhamla Tipera village, and recovered 519 bottles of country-made liquor from his possession. The police arrested Prabhu Ram in this connection.

Nurpur
DEAD: Mr B.D. Chowdhary (57), SDM, Jawali, died on Saturday at his native village. Lathiyani in Una district following a kidney failure. Mr Chowdhary had started his career as a post-graduate teacher in the Himachal Pradesh Education Department and joined the Himachal Administrative Services 15 years ago. His cremation was largely attended.

NSS camp: A 10-day NSS camp organised on the premises of the local Government Senior Secondary School concluded on Saturday. As many as 50 students took part in it. NSS volunteers also launched a sanitation drive in various parts of the town and on school premises. The closing ceremony was presided over by the DSP, Mr Vimukat Ranjan.

NSS CAMP: Members of the NSS unit of the local government senior secondary school organised a 10-day-long camp in the school campus which concluded on Friday. As many as 50 students participated the camp. The main objective of the camp was ‘youth for swachhdhara’. The closing ceremony was presided over by the local DSP, Mr Vimukat Ranjan.

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

New chapter in Indo-Pak ties brings alive pages of common history

COMMON CAUSE: A recent issue of Pakistani magazine ‘Pancham’ carried an autobiography of Punjabi freedom fighter Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna.

The recent thaw in the India-Pak relations is perhaps getting reflected in the Pakistani print media too, with the common influences and movements that shaped the freedom struggle of both the countries being increasingly highlighted.

Two recent issues of ‘Pancham’, a monthly published from Lahore, bear testimony to this. With Faiza as its Editor and Maqsood Saquib as the publisher, the magazine is published in Punjabi language, but the script is Shahmukhi (Persian).

In the October-November 2004 issue, the magazine had reproduced the autobiography of Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna, the founder of the Ghadar Party. The December 2004 issue was also devoted to the Ghadar movement. It carried a picture showing the mutineers of the Ghadar movement being shot by British soldiers.

The ‘mukhbol’ (foreword) of the issue gives a brief history of Punjab, from the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the British annexation of the state. Patriotic groups like the Namdhari Lehar and Pagri Sambhal Jatta are mentioned in it, besides the pro-imperialism movements like the Arya Samaj, Anjumn-e-Islamia and Singh Sabha.

“The idea behind publishing the autobiography of Baba Bhakna was to highlight the philosophy of saints like Farid, Nanak and Waris. The works of these great souls appear to be free of myopic ‘isms’, be it regionalism or other sectarian ideologies,” says the publisher.

Road to hope

For those separated from their near and dear ones by politics and war, the initiation of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service shows the way to hope.

Among the tens of thousands of people elated by the decision will be Afzal Bi of Kamalkot village in Jammu and Kashmir, who has long cherished the dream of reuniting with her husband, ‘trapped’ in PoK.

“India-Pakistan bus kab chalegi, beta?” has been her persistent query to all journalists and researchers visiting the village close to the LoC. The Karawaan-e-Aman bus, which seemed a distant dream just two months ago, may just be the answer to her prayers.

Since the early 1990s, Afzal Bi, along with her three children, has been waiting for the borders to open so that she could cross the LoC ‘legally’ and meet her husband Aslam Mohammad in PoK.

He was among the 300 men from Kamalkot, Sultan Dhaki, Dulanjha and Busgrah villages, near the LoC, who had crossed the border when the pro-Pak frenzy was at its peak during the last decade.

Her husband and the others had crossed to the other side in the hope that they would call their families there later. But that was not to be and Aslam remained in PoK.

“Real peace will come only when there will be no LoC, when our livestock will be able to graze freely on either side and we will be able to cross into their villages anytime,’’ the words of this illiterate woman aptly sum up the aspirations of the common man.

Avian encounters

A team of 30 ornithologists fanned out in various parts of Haryana recently on a bird-sighting mission.

In the dawn-to-dusk exercise, seven teams surveyed the Barwala Bird Safari and the Morni forest in Panchkula district; the Sultanpur National Park in Gurgaon district; the Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary in Jhajjar district; the Delhi canal and Drain Number 8 in Sonepat district; the Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary in Yamunanagar district; the Bhiwani wetlands and desert patches in Bhiwani and Hisar; wetlands of the Panipat oil refinery; Badkhal Lake; and the wetlands in Faridabad district.

In the 12-hour drive, 271 species—- constituting 20 per cent of the total birds found in the Indian subcontinent—were sighted and recorded, that too in a single day.

Among the avians spotted were five species of pheasants, including the red jungle fowl and kalij; four varieties each of barbets and owls; one large-tailed nightjar; 20 species of raptors, including the common white-rumped vulture at Morni, red-billed blue magpies and the grey treepies; four species of drongos; five of bulbuls; seven of prinias; black-chinned babblers and rusty-cheeked scimitar babblers; and three of buntings.

Sarus cranes, black-necked storks, greater spotted eagle, darters and the Eurasian curlew were also sighted.

While Suresh C. Sharma of Sonepat was the chief coordinator for the project, Bill Harvey, a British ornithologist, and Bikram Grewal were the referees.

“It was a very interesting exercise as it tested our skills. It’s great to know that so many species of birds still exist in Haryana,” says Sharma.