The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

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PUNJAB

Amritsar
Complaint against Badal: A delegation of Sikhs from Rajasthan, led by Tajinder Singh Timma, convener, Sikh Advisory Committee, on Tuesday met Giani Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar, Akal Takht, to lodge a complaint against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for campaigning in favour of Gurjant Singh Brar, former Rajasthan minister, who is contesting the Assembly seat with the “blessings” of Dera Sacha Sauda chief. Timma alleged that it was unfortunate that Badal had violated the directive of the Takht by campaigning in favour of a candidate who had sought help of the Dera Sacha Sauda.

Batala
Intoxicants seized: The police arrested one Rajni Bala, a resident of Gandhi camp, and seized 520 gm of intoxicant powder and 1500 intoxicant injections on Thursday. She was held at Gurdaspur road.

Bathinda
Pooja gets special award: Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Rampura Mandi, organised its annual prize distribution function on Tuesday. Gurbachan Singh Ghuggi, inspector, cooperative societies, was the chief guest on the occasion, who gave away mementoes and certificates to the meritorious students. The students who secured the top three positions in their respective classes received awards. Pooja Rani, who won a district-level science declamation contest, got special prize from the chief guest. The prize for best teacher was won by Raj.

Chandigarh
Restoration of allowance: The Punjab Civil Medical Service (PCMS) Association on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the Punjab government to restore the non-practicing allowance (NPA) of 39 senior officers of the PCMS cadre, including directors, additional directors and deputy directors of Health Services and the district civil surgeons. The Senior PCMS Association, headed by Dr D.C. Sharma, and the PCMS Association, headed by Dr M.S. Randhawa and Dr D.S. Gill, said while framing the revised rules of the PCMS cadre in 2003, the NPA of these doctors was advertently or inadvertently stopped by a mere clerical mistake.

Mansa
CPI (ML) stages protest: Activists of CPI (ML) today demonstrated against the policies of municipal council in Mansa City wearing black gowns. The protesters marched in the city and raised anti-council slogans. Addressing the gathering, district secretary of party, Bhagwant Singh and Sukhcharan Singh, alleged that the municipal council had been auctioning the properties of the council. They also criticised the municipal council for not providing proper garbage cleaning system in the city.

Nawanshahr
V’ball tourney: The Kirpal Sagar Academy would organise 13th national-level inter school volleyball tournament in the memory of its founder chairman, Dr Harbhajan Singh, from December 5.

Pathankot
Bar’s president: Senior advocate Jatinder Dev Sharma was elected president of the Bar Association with a thumping majority. He defeated his rival Om Shankar Jaidka by a margin of 112 votes. Ajay Pathania and Vikram Puri were elected as vice-president and secretary, respectively.

Gambler held: The police today arrested Jatinder Kumar of Ramkalwa village allegedly invovled in gambling activities and seized three computers. A case has been under the Gambling Act registered.

Patiala
AISAD candidates’ list: The All-India Shiromani Akali Dal (AISAD) has resolved to “resurrect” the “original spirit” of the Akali Dal on December 14, the foundation day of the Shiromani Akali Dal, by holding an ardas at Akal Takht in Amritsar. Meanwhile, the parliamentary board of the AISAD has decided to announce all its parliamentary candidates by December 14.

Conference: Dr Manjit Inder Singh, professor at the department of English, Punjabi University, has been invited to present the keynote address at the 53rd All-India English Teachers' Conference, being held at the Gurukul Kangri University, Hardwar, from December 18 to 20. The theme of the conference is 'Indian Sensibility in Indian English Literature.'

Elected: Prof Jagtar Singh, dean, faculty of education and information science, Punjabi University, Patiala, has been elected president of the Indian Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science (IATLIS) for the term 2008-2011, while Dr Trishanjit Kaur, reader at the department, has been elected its general secretary. Other members of the team are: Prof B. D. Kumbar and Prof I.V. Malhan, vice presidents, Dr H. P. S. Kalra, joint secretary, Kiran Kathuria, treasurer.

SANAUR
Seminar: District TB officer Dr Jawahar Joshi said the tuberculosis is not a social curse, rather a major health problem in India. Addressing an awareness camp that was held at Government Senior Secondary School (Boys) here, Dr Joshi said it killed more adults in India than any other infectious disease. Everyday, more than 4,000 persons get infected with the TB bacilli and more than 1,000 die of TB, but it is curable by DOTS under Revised Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) with excellent results. The District TB Control Society (DTCS), Patiala, also organised a magic show on the occasion.

Sangrur
UN urged to rope in Pak: A gathering of local residents has asked the UN to put pressure on the Pakistan government to hand over the terrorists named in a list submitted to it by India. The residents were gathered at a condolence meeting organised here on Tuesday to pay tributes to the security personnel and others, who had lost their lives in the recent terror attack on Mumbai. Happy Goyal, district vice-president of the youth wing of the SAD, said the UN should convene a meeting to pass a resolution in this connection.

Milkman murdered: The body of a milkman from Mangwal village Balwinder Singh (45) was found hanging from a tree near Nankiana Sahib Chowk here on Thursday. The police said on a complaint of Makhan Singh, brother of the deceased, the police had registered a case.

HARYANA

CHANDIGARH
Appointed: The state government has engaged advocate Samar Vijay Singh as assistant advocate general in the office of Advocate General, Haryana, in Chandigarh against the vacant post on contract basis with immediate effect.

Panchayat bypoll: The state government has directed all financial commissioners and principal secretaries, commissioners and secretaries, HoDs, divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners not to transfer the officers and officials connected with the conduct of panchayat by elections, which are scheduled to be held on December 21 till the completion of the election process. A letter to this effect was issued by the chief secretary.

KURUKSHETRA
Abhinandan Samaroh: Haryana Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organiations (HFUCTO) is organising an “Abhinandan Samaroh” in the honour of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at Kurukshetra University (KU) here on tuesday for his contribution towards education and the teaching community. In the morning session HFUCTO would hold an educational convention on the theme “Changes and Challenges: Higher Education in Haryana” and the findings of deliberations of the educational convention would be presented before the Chief Minister in “Abhinandan Samaroh”.

REWARI
1 killed in accident: Maya Ram, an employee of Indo Nissin Foods Limited, Bawal and a resident of Jaipur district, was killed while his companion sustained injuries when the motor cycle, they were riding on, was reportedly hit by a car on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, near Deodhai village, near here, on Wednesday.

ROHTAK
Body found: Police found the body of Madan, a resident of Babra Mohalla, lying on the Singh Pura road on the outskirts of the city on Thursday. There were injury marks on the body. The police has sent the body for the post mortem and has started investigations. The cause of the death was still ascertained.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
College function: The Government Postgraduate College here will be celebrating its golden jubilee on December 21 when it will complete its 50 years as being upgraded to the degree college in 1958. This was stated by principal (retd ) and president of the Old Students Association of this college S.R. Kaushal.

HAMIRPUR
Programme inaugurated: Education minister I.D. Dhiman inaugurated a two-day programme at Nadaun being organised by the Language and Culture Department to observe the birth anniversary of writer Yash Pal here on Wednesday. Addressing gathering, he said: “Writers and cultural activists should draw inspiration from the life and writings of Yash Pal and try to follow this in their lives.” A poetic symposium was also organised on this occasion.

NAHAN
1 killed in mishap: Desh Raj (48), a resident of Kandaiwala village, was reportedly killed on the spot here on Wednesday after he fell from a tractor in Meerpur Kotla village. After conducting a postmortem on Thursday, the Kala Amb police handed over the body of the deceased to his family. The police said a case has been registered against the driver of the tractor in this regard.

Body found: The Pacchad police here on Wednesday found a dead body of one local resident in the Jaihar area of Pacchad tehsil. The deceased has been identified as Ishwer Singh (40), a resident of Ratiayana village of the area. SHO Gyan Chand Thakur said the body had some injury marks in legs and other parts of the body. He said he was reportedly missing since Tuesday. A case has been registered in this regard.

NURPUR
Funds released: The state government has earmarked the final installment for the construction cost of the science block of Arya Government College to the tune of Rs 17.04 lakh. Local MLA Rakesh Pathania said on Wednesday that earlier the government had released Rs 26.99 lakh in March when the issue of a dearth of construction fund had raised before the Chief Minister.

SHIMLA
HAS mains exam postponed: After the intervention of the state high court, the state Public Service Commission has postponed the mains examination of the Himachal Administrative Services (HAS). The matter was brought to the notice of the court by some candidates who alleged in their petitions that there were numerous irregularities committed by the commission while conducting the preliminary examination of this service.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

JAMMU
Journalist dead: Noted senior journalist and writer Shamboo Nath Gurkha passed away after brief illness here on Thursday. He was Editor-in-Chief of Jannat-e-Kashmir, Jammu. He joined journalism in 1954. During his initial phase of career he worked with several vernacular newspapers. Apart from it, he was a social activist and member of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists. He is survived by a son and a daughter. His sad demise is widely mourned in journalistic circles.

RAJOURI
Science exhibition: The District Institute of Education and Training has recently organised a two-day district-level science exhibition at Jawaharnagar near Rajouri. As many as 72 schools participated in the exhibition. According to a press note issued by the Education Department here, additional deputy commissioner, Rajouri, Robin Singh Mehta, who was the chief guest on the occasion, inspected the science models displayed in the exhibition and interacted with students.

Body found near LoC: The body of Muhammad Farooq of Hill Kaka area has been recovered lying just close to LoC in Mankote sector of frontier district Poonch on Thursday. Police sources said the police after registering an FIR under Section 174 of the RPC has started probing the matter. The body has been handed over to his relatives for conducting last rites.

SRINAGAR
Man found dead: A resident of Gurdaspur, Punjab, died in his rented room here, on Thursday morning, official sources said. One Wali Mohammad informed the police that Ashok was not opening the door of his room at Qamarwari. The police opened the door and found him dead in the room. Ashok was working at the workshop of the house owner. A case has been registered, they said.