R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Khanna,
Five booked: The local police has booked five residents of Khanna for assaulting Kanwinder Singh, a resident of nearby village. The complainant alleged that he was assaulted near Khanna on Monday. He was undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Mansa
Landlord-worker agreement: The Mazdoor Mukti Morcha has alleged that the agreement arranged between labourers and zamindars of Guradi village was not being implemented. It is notable that the agreement was agreed to by both the parties in the presence of district administration officials. State secretary of the morcha Bhagwant Singh Sammaon further alleged that district administration was not sincere about enforcing the agreement. He announced that if the agreement was not implemented the Morcha would observe this Independence Day as anti-repression day on Dalits.

Independence Day function: A district-level function to celebrate the Independence Day would be organised at Nehru Memorial College here. Gulzar Singh Ranike, animal husbandry minister, would be the chief guest on the occasion.

Moga
Priest gets jail for 3 years: A local court here on Tuesday sent a gurdwara priest to three years of imprisonment on the charges of sexually abusing a minor child. Additional public prosecutor of the district Lakhvir Singh informed that Karamjit Singh, the then gurdwara priest of village Kaleke falling under Baghapurana sub-division, had sexually abused a four-year-old child of the same village on December 20, 2002. A fine of Rs 10,000 has also been imposed and if he failed to deposit the same he would undergo imprisonment for another month, he added. 

Muktsar
Free medical check-up camp: The health department here organised a free medical check-up camp, on Wednesday. Issuing a press release, the civil surgeon, Muktsar, stated that 545 patients attended the camp. As many as 92 of them were diagnosed by Ayurvedic doctors and 108 by the homeopathic doctors. A number of health and district administration dignitaries attended the camp. 

PATHANKOT
700 examined: A free medical check-up camp was organised by the district health authorities at Bamial, 40 km from here, on Wednesday. Dr R.S.Rana, civil surgeon, Gurdaspur, who was the project chairman of the camp said the camp was organised in the rural area of Bamial block of Gurdaspur district on the directions of Punjab health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla. More than 700 patients were examined at the camp by a team of expert doctors from the Civil Hospital,Gurdaspur, and free medicines were distributed among them.

Patiala
Mushaira on Aug 16: The Mehak Cultural Forum will organise an all-India mushaira in Patiala on August 16 to commemorate Independence Day. A forum spokesman said it would be the first visit to Punjab of poets like Ibrahim Ashk who penned the lyrics of the country’s biggest hit film, “Kaho Na Pyar Hai”, and Jalees Sherwani who wrote the script of the film, “Tere Naam”. Others who will participate in the mushaira include Waseem Barilivi, Rahat Indoori, Noori Parveen and Dr Sardar Anjum. Dr Shakeel Ahmed, minister of state for home affairs, Government of India, will be the chief guest.

Zirakpur
Four held in theft cases: The Zirakpur police have arrested four persons involved in various cases of theft here today. The accused have been identified, as Jhulfkar, Kali, Irshad and Sabbar Laddi, all were residents of Malerkotla. According to the police, they received information that a vehicle (PB 11-Y 3769), which was loaded with the engine, had witnessed near Sonalia village, Gazipur. In an attempt to nab them, the police set up a naka near Singhpura bus stand and intercepted the vehicle containing a theft engine from their possession. The local police have registered the case and have started further investigations. 

CHANDIGARH

HARYANA

REWARI
Husband, in-laws booked: Sunita Yadav (25), who was admitted to the Civil Hospital here with severe burns on Monday, has alleged that her in-laws set her afire after sprinkling kerosene on her. She is the wife of Birender Singh Yadav and resident of Uttam Nagar Colony here. Consequently, the police has registered a case of attempt to murder against her husband, father-in-law and mother-in-law in this regard.

SIRSA
Fire in City Cable office: A fire broke out in the office of City Cable, a local television network, here on Wednesday. A worker noticed the smoke emanating from the third floor of the office situated on the Janata-Bhawan road at 5 am and informed the matter to the police and the owner. Fire tenders had a tough time in bringing the fire under control. Manager of the network Ved Goyal claimed that recorders, modulators, amplifiers and other equipments worth lakhs were burnt in the fire.

Last date extended: The directorate of distance education of Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, has extended the last date of submitting the applications to its various courses from August 16 to September 10. Vice-chancellor K.C. Bhardwaj on Wednesday said the decision had been taken in view of students’ demand and delay in declaration of results of postgraduate classes by other universities. The directorate of distance education of the university had started several job-oriented courses for the benefit of students, he added.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
Pensioners seek DA: The Himachal Pradesh Pensioners’ Welfare Association has sought releasing of overdue installment of ‘dearness allowance’ to the state pensioners. In a press release issued here on Wednesday, the pensioners urged the Chief Minister P. K. Dhumal to issue necessary directions to the authorities to release the D.A. installment at the rate of six per cent from 1 January, 2008.

DALHOUSIE
Wasps attack four: Four persons were stung by the wasps when they were working in their fields at Trimath in Bhattiyat subdivision on Tuesday. They were immediately rushed to the Chowari government hospital, where two of them were discharged after giving the treatment, while two others were admitted in a serious condition.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

JAMMU
Curfew claims lives of 2 leopards: Two leopards have died in Manda Wildlife Park here of starvation due to non-availability of meat following the ongoing Amarnath land transfer agitation, Wildlife Department sources said here on Wednesday. “The duo died as staff could not feed them properly in view of the curfew and absence from duties,” they said. One male leopard, Raja, was found dead in the park on Wednesday. On August 10, a 17-year-old female leopard, Reshma, had died under mysterious circumstances. The Wildlife Department has ordered a probe into the deaths.

LeT militant surrenders: A Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) militant on Wednesday surrendered before security forces at the Line of Control (LoC) soon after he crossed into Rajouri district. Khalil Ahmed (25) crossed into Vir Badashver forward area in Keri-Chingus belt of Rajouri district from PoK on Wednesday, official sources said. Later, he was sent to interrogation centre.

Udhampur
Nursing course inaugurated: Lt-Gen Pradeep Khanna, Chief of Staff, Northern Command, inaugurated a course on nursing education "Trauma Care-Holistic Nursing Approach” at the Command Hospital, Udhampur. The General emphasized the role of a nurse as an instrument of healing with the awareness of transpersonal human caring. A souvenir was also released later to commemorate the occasion. Major-Gen D.Ganguly, Commandant of the Command Hospital, said this event would enable nursing officers to update their knowledge and skills A handbook on the above subject was also released by the Commandant. This course will continue till August 20. A large number of medical and nursing officers from various hospitals of Northern Command are attending the course.