R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

Amritsar
Concern over turban-less Sikhs: Taking serious note of instances where turbans of protesters were allegedly being taken off by the police, former Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti has written an open letter to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, urging him to make sure that strict action is taken against guilty so that such incidents don’t recur. In his letter, Vedanti said, “We see photographs of turban-less Sikhs in the media almost every other day, which hurts Sikh sentiments, particularly as these incidents are taking place when an Akali government is at the helm of affairs.” 

Chandigarh
Badal frowns on mudslinging: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday called upon all political leaders in the state to abide by basic norms of "clean and constructive politics" and said that the resort to vulgar and unparliamentary publicity gimmicks by some leaders had only lowered the image of public figures in people's minds. "Politics of abuse and vulgarity mudslinging makes good news, but it’s a bad politics. I am shocked that the language used by some of our political rivals bordered on obscenity," he said. 

Punjab notifies bonanza for staff: The Punjab Government has notified the bonanza for its employees, including special grade pay to certain categories. An official release here said the bonanza included increased house rent for employees posted in Patiala and Bathinda cities, special additional increment for drivers, Group-D employees, police personnel up to the rank of inspectors, five per cent additional house rent for employees entitled for rent-ree accommodation. 

51 panchayats get cleanliness award: As many as 51 gram panchayats of Punjab have been conferred with the Nirmal Gram Puraskar, a national award for fully sanitised and open defecation-free villages under Total Sanitation Programme for the year 2010-11. The department of Water Supply and Sanitation distributed these awards to the award winning panchayats at a function presided over by Paramjit Singh Aujla, Secretary, Water Supply and Sanitation Department. 

Expenditure on education to go up: The State Education Advisory Core Committee has decided to increase the expenditure on education from 0.75 to 1.5 per cent of the GDP. This is one of the main decisions taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan here on Tuesday. State Education Advisory Core Committee Nodal Officer Nishan Singh Kahlon said it was also decided to constitute Punjab State Higher Education Council. 

PSIEC holds draw for industrial plots: The Punjab Small Industries And Export Corporation (PSIEC) conducted draw of lots for allotment of 101 industrial plots in the IT city, Phase VIII (A&B), Mohali, on Tuesday. 

Doraha
PowerPoint presentation: A PowerPoint presentation competition was held at Guru Nanak Model Senior Secondary School, Doraha, today. Students spoke on topics related to science, commerce, computer and social evils. They were adjudged on the basis of their presentation. Harjot Kaur (IX-B) of Mars House secured the first position, Shubam Sharma (XI) of Mars House got the second position and the third position was secured by Ramanjit Kaur (XI) of Earth House. Principal DP Thakur congratulated the winners.

Guru Nanak school win: The hockey team of Guru Nanak Model Senior Secondary School, Doraha, (U-19 boys) baffled Mehta Gurukul School, Doraha, and got the first position in the district-level tournament, while girls U-19 team defeated Raipur Zone in the district-level tournaments and bagged the first position.

Children’s Day: Children’s Day was celebrated with enthusiasm at Doraha Public School. Various activities were organised to mark the day. Children of primary section were taken out for a picnic at Deer Park, Neelon. A movie was also shown to all students. The most exciting event was a cricket match between teachers and students. It was a 12-over match. Man of the match was Tapvir Singh. Sukhpal Singh,Chairman, Doraha Group of Institutes congratulated both the teams.

Jalandhar
Contests held: The three-day regional-level cultural and co-curricular competitions organised by Punjab School Education Board began at Lovely Professional University today. As many as 250 school students gathered to exhibit their talent in six competitive events.

Mentally challenged electrocuted: A mentally challenged person was electrocuted when he climbed on a power transformer situated near Green Park this morning. The incident took place when an unidentified mentally-challenged person came in contact with a live wire. The victim died on the spot.

Ludhiana
Contest: The economics department of Khalsa College for Women, Civil Lines, organised the 47th AD Shroff Memorial Elocution Competition here yesterday. Students spoke on burning issues such as rising prices of commodities, Right to Education Act, India’s demographic advantage and economic disparities. Stating that the household incomes had hardly risen in the past years, whereas the prices of commodities had almost doubled, students pleaded that the government should come forward and ensure that the basic minimum necessities were not affected. Another student discussed the dilemma of vast and rich Indian continent. Applauding the role of organisers, principal Dr Varinder Kaur Thind motivated students to place their hands on every opportunity they got to learn the requisite skills in life.

Founder’s Day: Guru Teg Bahadur National College, Dakha, celebrated its Founder’s Day. The function was presided over by Bikramjit Singh Khalsa, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Technical Education, Punjab. College principal Dr Assa Singh Ghuman spoke on the importance of the function. Dr Guriqbal Singh, head of the postgraduate department of Punjabi, threw light on the life of the founder, Baba Jiwa Singh, and explained how, he, despite being illiterate himself was an educationist, who could realise the importance of education, especially for the underprivileged and deprived sections of society. Chief Guest Bikramjit Singh Khalsa urged students to draw inspiration from the lives of people like late Baba Jiwa Singh. As many as 29 students were given ‘Baba Jiwa Singh excellence awards’. Students, who brought laurels to the college in the recently concluded youth festival and ‘Mela Dheean Da’ were also honoured. Financial help was offered to 12 needy, but brilliant students by the Widows and Orphans Trust.

Financial help: Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal gave a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to Gurminder Kaur, principal of Government College for Women, Ludhiana, at a function held in the college. The cheque was given for the renovation of college building. The CM said the college was one of the best colleges in Punjab. “The principal is running the college excellently,” he added. Hira Singh Gabria, Cabinet Minister for Jails, Cultural Affairs, Tours and Travel and Printing and Stationary, thanked the CM for giving the amount. 

Player honoured: Kushmeet Kaur, a sportsperson, has been selected for Indra Gandhi NSS National Award for 2010-11. Thirty youths are given medals, certificates and cash prizes every year. Kushmeet Kaur was selected for the Republic Day parade in January, 2011.

‘Desh Sewa Diwas’: Saheed Memorial Sewa Society celebrated ‘Desh Sewa Diwas’ at Nehru Sidhant Kendra here today. Dr Parmjit Singh Jaiswal, Vice-Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi National University, presided over the function. Dr Parmjit Singh said the country could not move ahead without improving the national character.

Extension of date sought: Officials of the Punjab School Education Board met Suresh Tondon, vice-chairman of the board, to highlight various problems faced by the school authorities. They requested the chairman to extend the date of submission of second semester examination forms for classes X and XII.

Band introduced: Urantia, a Columbian Band, has been introduced in a city hotel. This band was founded 10-year-ago by Edger. Urantia is a spiritual and philosophical book that discusses God, science cosmology religion, history and destiny. 

Patiala
Conference: Punjabi University, Patiala, is celebrating the Golden Jubilee Year and a world Punjabi literary conference is being organised by the Punjabi literary studies department on November 16 and 17. Dr Amrit Pal Kaur, director, said this international conference on the theme “Contemporary Punjabi literature: Concerns and possibilities” would cover all developmental aspects of Punjabi literature.

HARYANA

Rewari
Youth rapes neighbour’s wife:Narpal allegedly raped his neighbour’s wife at Dulehra Khurd village, near Bawal, late last night. Narpal allegedly sprinkled kerosene on the woman and set her afire. The woman later succumbed to her burns. While the woman’s husband was away at a marriage function, the woman, along with her two children, was sleeping in the house when Narpal barged in and committed the crime. Though Narpal has been arrested, the police has not yet added section 302, IPC, to the FIR registered for rape etc. against the accused.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
Himachal Sadan: The city Congress committee here has protested against the “very high rates” of stay at the recently inaugurated Himachal Sadan in Chandigarh where attendants of patients visiting the PGI from Himachal are expected to stay during the treatment period. A meeting of the committee, presided over by its president Raj Kumar Tadu here on Tuesday, said Himachal Sadan was actually a serai for the purpose of allowing cheaper stay to the targeted group. 

CHAMBA
NPA sought: The Himachal Pradesh Veterinary Department Employees’ Association has sought 25 per cent non-practising allowance (NPA) to veterinary pharmacists in line with the NPA to veterinary doctors. Association president Subhash Rana said here on Tuesday that the state government had upgraded about 35 veterinary dispensaries and simultaneously promoted some veterinary officers, but the veterinary pharmacists had not been given promotion, resulting in resentment among them.

NURPUR
95 donate blood: A blood donation camp was organised jointly by the Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre, Nurpur, the Blood Bank, Dharamsala, and the HP State Blood Transfusion Council at Government College, Dehri, near here, on Tuesday. Around 95 students, most of them girls, and teaching staff of the college donated blood in a mobile blood bank.

DEHRADUN

DEHRADUN
Gas connection scheme: The Uttaranchal Gramin Bank will soon introduce a gramin gas connection scheme to lessen the burden of women living in the rural areas of the state. The scheme will be launched in collaboration with the GMVN, Indian Oil Corporation Limited and the State Women Empowerment Department.

Janta milan today: Chief Minister BC Khanduri will meet the public during his janta milan programme to be held at his cantonment road residence on November 16. The programme would be held from 10 am to 11 am. 

Infant abandoned: A-seven-month-old infant was found abandoned near Shantikunj in Haridwar on Tuesday. She is the third girl child found abandoned in the holy city of Haridwar in the past fortnight. 

Kumaon Briefs

CM lays stones of 25 projects: Carrying on with his stone-laying and dedication spree, Chief Minister BC Khanduri launched more than 40 projects worth Rs 87 crore at Ramnagar on Tuesday. At a public meeting held at MP Inter-college, he laid the foundation stones of 25 schemes and projects while dedicated 15 others. Addressing the gathering, he said the state needed to tread the path of development in an ideal and cultured manner so that it could set an example for the rest of the country. He underlined that the basic thought and character needed to be clear to achieve the desired goals.

Leopard kills woman: A woman was killed by a leopard in the Bhainsiyachana area of Almora district on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Sunita Arya (22). The victim along with three other women had gone to fetch fodder on Monday morning when she was attacked by the leopard. She died on the spot. Villagers have demanded that the animal be declared a man-eater and action be taken in the regard. Officials of the Forest Department have announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for her family.

Six killed in mishaps: Six people were killed in separate mishaps reported from the Kumaon region in the past 24 hours. Three persons were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in fell into a gorge on the Bharari-Sharan stretch in the Kapkot area of Bageshwar district. The deceased have been identified as driver Devendra Singh, Virendra Singh (22) and Devedra Singh (23), both passengers. In another incident, two motorcycle-borne persons, identified as Tarni (20) and Rajiv (19 ) of Pipliya, were killed when their vehicle collided head-on with a tractor in Bazpur. They were on their way to Kashipur from Gadarpur along with another person, Bhola, who sustained major injuries. In yet another incident, Harjinder Singh (20) of Malpuri was killed when his motorcycle collided head-on with an excavator in Rudrapur.

Plea to ban heavy vehicles: Residents of Bazpur, Udham Singh Nagar, have demanded that the plying of heavy vehicles should be banned in the town during the day. In a memorandum handed over to the administration, they said the plying of heavy vehicles in the town led to traffic congestion and was the cause of major accidents. They have demanded that no-entry principle be implemented in the town with regard to the plying of heavy vehicles on a priority basis.

12 meat shops raided: Twelve meat and fish shops were raided by officials in Haldwani and products being sold were also seized. The raids were carried out by a team comprising officials of the local Municipal Corporation, the Animal Husbandry Department and the local administration. The raids were carried out across the town from the Rampur road area to Kathgodam following complaints that stale mutton and fish were being sold at outlets that did not have basic infrastructure like deep freezers. According to information, fish and mutton were destroyed while chickens were handed over to licensed poultry farms and shops.

(Compiled by Rajeev Khanna)