R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

Regional potpourri
Taking hi-tech cure to doorstep of tribesmen
E-book on ayurveda
Batalvi auditorium begs completion

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
Postal staff for CBI probe : The Bharatiya Postal Employees Union (Class-III) in a press note issued here on Saturday demanded CBI enquiry into the alleged frauds committed in two postal offices. Mr Joginder Singh, president of the union, alleged that the union had brought to the notice of the head of the division, Mr Kalosia, the act of the omission and commission by small savings agents but he did not take any action. He also said that the union had brought to the notice of the chief the alleged fraud committed at Mohan Nagar Post Office. 

2 Bangladesh nationals held: Two Bangladeshi nationals, who were trying to cross over to Pakistan from Roranwala Khurd village, were arrested by BSF jawans here on Friday. Mr R.S. Yadav, Company Commander, said that Suhail and Sahil, residents of Bangladesh, were trying to cross the border when the Jawans of the BSF captured them. Indian currency worth Rs 1059 was recovered from them. They were later handed over to the police for further investigations. 

3 held with narcotics: The district police arrested three persons in separate incidents for allegedly possessing narcotics here. The police said one Harjit Singh, a resident of Airport Colony, was arrested with 50 grams smack while Rahul, a resident of Jawahar Nagar, and Jagtar Singh of Nabipur village were nabbed with 20 gm and 5 gm of smack, respectively. Cases have been registered under the NDPS Act.

Ambedkar birth anniversary: The SC/ST Cell of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee celebrated the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratan Dr B.R. Ambedkar here on Friday by paying floral tributes to his statue. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Balbir Singh (Bubby), President, PPCC SC/ST Cell, Punjab, stressed on the need to follow the ideals set by Baba Saheb. 

NRI website: Mr Mahavir Prasad, Union Minister for Development of Villages and Small Scale Industries, launched a website www.punjabnrihelpline.co-m here late last evening to bring non-resident Indians (NRIs) close to their roots by providing information about their vibrant Punjab. —

Pension adalat: A mini pension adalat would be held on April 27 for the redressal of grievances of pensioners who withdraw pension from the office of Defence Pension Disbursing Office (DPDO). Mr P.K. Saraswati, A.O., in a release to the press here said that the pensioners are required to submit their applications in duplicate mentioning their HO No. Regimental No., NBS account No., name of record office etc to the in charge, DPDO, opposite the Punjab Roadways workshop, by April 17. 

Jalandhar
AIFUCTO dharna: The All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO) would go on an indefinite dharna in front of Parliament from May 16 against the alleged failure of the Government of India to implement certain issues approved by the Ministry of Human Resources, Dr V.K. Tewari, national secretary of the federation, said here recently.

Phagwara
Human rights: Awareness regarding human rights has witnessed a vertical increase since the enactment of the Protection of Human Rights Act. As compared to 90 complaints received by Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) in 1992, the number has increased to 18,000 this year, PSHRC member, Mr N.K. Arora has said. The increase in the flow of complaints showed people’s faith in the PSHRC, he added.

HARYANA

REWARI
Raped at knife-point: A young married woman was allegedly raped at knife-point by a youth from the neighbourhood in the bathroom of her parental house at Dhani Jaitpur village near Bawal in the early hours on Friday. The victim’s uncle, tried to overpower the accused but he managed to flee. It is stated that the accused barged into the victim’s house after scaling the boundary wall. He then woke her up and forcibly took her at knifepoint inside the bathroom where she was sexually assaulted. On the victim’s statement, the Bawal police has registered a case of rape against the accused Surender, who is absconding. 

FATEHABAD
Woman raped: A married woman was allegedly raped at Bighar village in this district on Friday. The police has booked one person in this connection. The victim was married only two months back. The victim had gone to answer the call of nature in the fields at night, when the accused, Vijay, caught her and raped her. The accused also threatened her of dire consequences in case she disclosed the incident to someone. The police has booked the accused under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

KULU
Timber seized: A team of Forest Department officials headed by Assistant Conservator of Forests, Mr Gulab Singh Chandel, seized 10 sleepers at a naka at Mohal, about 5 km from here, on Saturday. Mr Chandel said the party was on alert to nab timber smugglers. Two vehicles without lights were spotted coming from the Koli Behar area. When they tried to stop them, the car driver tried to hit their car and sped away. The driver of the van jumped out of the moving vehicle and disappeared. Both the vehicles were without number plates. The matter was reported to the police.

NURPUR
Forest official dies in mishap: Puran Chand, a Deputy Ranger of the Forest Department posted at Ghatasni in Bhatiyat subdivision, died on the spot on Pathankot-Mandi national highway at Chogan here on Thursday when his motorcycle was hit by a speeding tractor coming from the opposite direction. The deceased hailed from Balley village in Chamba district. The tractor driver fled after the accident leaving his tractor (HP-38-4800) on the highway. The police has registered a case.

SUNDERNAGAR
Bank counter inaugurated: Mr Tek Chand Dogra, MLA from Nachan Assembly segment, on Friday inaugurated the 18th extension counter of H.P. State Co-Operative Bank at Marketing Yard, Dhanotu. He said 115 branches out of 155 branches of the bank in Himachal had been computerised and the rest would be computerised within two months. Mr Natha Singh, Chairman, H.P. State Co-operative Bank, while speaking on the occasion said the bank was serving people of the hill state for the past two decades and had earned a profit of Rs 50 crore during this year. 

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

Taking hi-tech cure to doorstep of tribesmen

Dr R.K. Verma, an ENT specialist, has made available the latest treatments to the tribal residents of Kinnaur.

Many doctors’ work doesn’t go beyond their clinics, operation theatres or promotion of their practices. But Dr R.K. Verma, an ENT surgeon posted in the regional hospital at Reckong Peo in the tribal district of Kinnaur, has virtually taken medical help to the doorstep of the tribal people.

He has successfully conducted hi-tech surgeries that the tribesmen could not have hoped for in this remote area earlier, many of them free of cost.

 More than 60 per cent of the patients who visit government hospitals, primary health care centers and dispensaries in Kinnaur district every year suffer from respiratory and eye diseases. Sinusitis is the most common among them.

Though the Health Department and the district administration have hardly extended any help to this doctor, he says, “I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction after performing each surgery, and this motivates me to continue with my endeavour.”

The health authorities have not even provided him with the required surgical equipment and he has purchased most of it from his own pocket, he says.

 This year, he has so far performed 13 plastic surgeries on the nose, functional endoscopic sinus surgeries (FESS), endoscopic daeryocystis (watering of eye) and advanced micro-ear surgeries. 

The ENT surgeon is also responsible for giving a makeover to tribal women, having performed plastic surgery on many a nose.

E-book on ayurveda

Ayurveda is an age-old way to healthy living, but its Jalandhar-based practitioner, Dr. Sanjeev Sood, has modernised the study of this traditional system of medicine by compiling its principles into an e-book.

The exhaustive e-book (electronic book) deals with ‘Pulse Diagnosis’, a traditional Ayurvedic subject, and it can be accessed with the help of a CD or it can be loaded on to a computer, says Dr Sood, Head of the Panchkarma Department of the local Dayanand Ayurvedic College.

The book, according to him, is an easy guide to the diagnosis of diseases by monitoring the pulse.

“My book tells everything about pulse diagnosis and it enables any of its users to evaluate the ‘tridoshas’ (‘vaat’, ‘pit’ and ‘kaff’) correctly as it deals with the intricate techniques of pulse diagnosis, which was popular among the ‘ayurvedacharyas’ of olden times.

This e-book is supported by pictures and diagrams so that anybody can understand the system and master it,” he claims.

Dr Sood says that with ayurveda catching the fancy of the people in the West, the Americans, in particular, are keen to learn about the traditional pulse diagnosis and ‘panchkarma’, the body purgation system of ayurveda.

“It took me six months to complete this e-book and I am thankful to our college principal, Dr Raj Kumar Sharma, for his cooperation in this regard. It has already been released by Dr S.K. Sharma, Adviser (Ayurveda), Government of India,” he says.

Shortly, he plans to go in for the commercial production of the book, mainly for students and teachers of ayurveda.

Batalvi auditorium begs completion

The Shiv Batalvi Auditorium in Batala, which was planned about 25 years ago to commemorate the great Punjabi poet, is in bad shape and has still not been completed.

The poet was born on October 8, 1931, in Lohdian village in Sialkot district of Pakistan.

He had his early schooling at Batala and passed the FA examination from Baijnath (Himachal Pradesh). He died on June 7, 1973, in Mangial village, near Pathankot.

The auditorium was to be raised by a trust under the chairmanship of the then Deputy Commissioner, A.K. Kundra. Its foundation stone was laid by the then Governor of Punjab, Aminudin Ahmad, in 1980 on a piece of land adjacent to Baring Union Christian College on the Batala-Jalandhar road.

So far, about Rs 25 lakh has been spent on construction. Initially, contributions were made for the building by brick-kiln owners in the shape of free bricks. It is estimated that another Rs 25 lakh is needed for the completion of the project.

The asbestos roof of the structure has developed cracks and needs immediate repair or replacement. The lawns have become a dumping ground for garbage and there is wild growth on the premises. The floor of the auditorium is unpaved and uneven and unfit for use.

The auditorium, which has been under the control of panchayati raj officials, has been crying for maintenance for about 10 years.

Residents need to rise to the occasion and render help for the completion of the project. — Contributed by Kulwinder Sandhu, Varinder Singh and Balraj Mahajan