R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

BARNALA
Housing problem: Safai karamcharis all over India except Kerala are facing housing, water, sewage and education problems. This was disclosed here on Friday by Mr Sardip Singh, member of the National Commission Safai Karamchari, while addressing a press conference in the local SDM office.

JALANDHAR
Recruitment rally: The Army will organise a recruitment rally at the Sikh Regimental Centre, Ramgarh Cantonment (Bihar), from January 7 to 30. The drive is only for Sikhs other than Mazhbi and Ramdasia. Candidates should be matriculates between 16 to 21 years of age.

MOGA
Tricycles distributed: Mr Manpreet Singh, Gidderbaha MLA, distributed 45 tricycles to handicapped persons, hearing aids machines to 20 deaf and dumb, wheel chair to three and artificial limbs to 45 handicapped at a function organised at Kotkbhai near Gidderbaha in Muktsar district. Mr B.S. Sudan, Deputy Commissioner, presided over the function.

Municipal Committee: Residents of various localities, including shopkeepers of Baghapurana town, 15 km from here on Friday, protested against the local municipal committee for using substandard material in construction of roads. They have demanded an inquiry against the employees of the committee.

TARN TARAN
Office-bearers: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Citizens Council: president — Mr Sawinder Singh Arora; vice-president — Mr Avtar Singh Taneja; general secretary — Mr S. P. Singh Lehri; joint secretary — Mr Malkiat Singh; organising secretary — Mr Charanjit Singh Randhawa; and treasurer — Mr Balraj Singh Chawla.

Welfare Camp: The local rural development division of Punjab and Sind Bank, organised a tractor maintenance and animal welfare camp, here on Thursday. Nearly 150 farmers from nearby villages attended the camp. The agricultural scientists from Punjab Agriculture University (Ludhiana) imparted training to the farmers in tractor maintenance.

CHANDIGARH

Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Sector 7 Istri Satsangh Sabha : President — Mrs Ratanjit Kaur; Vice-President — Mrs Tejinder Kaur Mann; General Secretary — Mr Kanwaljit Kaur Dhaliwal; Joint Secretary — Mrs Gurnam Kaur Kohli; and Cashier — Mrs Paramjit Kaur.

SAS NAGAR
ITI function: Students of the Industrial Training Institute for Women in Phase 5 here organised a cultural function to welcome the new year. As many as 22 students presented items like dance and song. The Principal of the ITI, Mr M.P.Singh, said the best items would be selected for the cultural items to be presented by the institute on January 26.

HARYANA

FATEHABAD
Liquor vend: Residents of Harijan Basti in Bigher village have expressed resentment over the opening of a liquor vend in their colony. The residents met the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anil Malik, here on Friday and demanded the closure of the vend. The Deputy Commissioner has asked the District Excise and Taxation Commissioner to take necessary action and report before January 5.

"Open darbar": The Deputy Commissioner organised an "open darbar" here on Friday. Nearly 50 complaints were brought before him. Senior officers of various government departments were present on the occasion. Residents of the local Timber Market has requested the DC to lay sewer lines in their area and that of Ramsaran village demanded a bridge over the road going to their village.

Killed: A motor cyclist was killed when a vehicle hit him here on Friday. The victims’ face was crushed in the accident.

JIND
13 injured: Thirteen persons, including 11 children , a school teacher and the conductor of a school bus were injured when the bus in which they were travelling dashed against a tree near 33 kv power house at Safidon on Thursday. The condition of four injured persons was stated to be serious. The police has registered a case under Sections 337 and 279 of the IPC against the driver.

Hard-core criminal: The Jind and Kaithal police has in a joint operation arrested Satbir a hard-core criminal. This was stated here on Saturday by Dr B.K. Sinha, SP. He was involved in a number of dacoities, robberies, murders and vehicle thefts in Jind, Kaithal and other parts of Haryana.

KARNAL
Power cuts: Residents of Karnal, Kurukshetra and Panipat have been facing power cuts since last week. An official of the HVPN said here on Saturday that power shortage had been due to some technical problems at the Thermal Plant in Panipat.

SIRSA
Crime graph: The district crime graph has shown a marked decline. This was stated here on Saturday by the district police chief, Mr K.K. Mishra. The police has arrested 158 criminals within a month. Out of these 52 are history sheeters.

SONEPAT
NSS camp: A 10-day NSS camp organised by the NSS unit of the local Hindu College concluded here on Friday. Mr Dharampal, SDM, was the chief guest. He distributed prizes to students and commendation certificates to the blood donors on the occasion.

Distributed: Mrs Nirmal Chaudhary, youth Congress leader, distributed blankets and shawls among 1,800 persons at a function organised at Ganaur, 16 km from here on Friday.

Memorandum: A memorandum listing the demands of mini-bank employees was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner by leaders of the Mini Bank Karamchari Maha Sangh here on Friday.

Dharna: Employees affiliated to the Joint Action Committee of the Haryana Urban Development Authority ( HUDA) continued their agitation on Saturday. They sat on a dharna and shouted slogans against the administrator.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
Resentment: The district units of the HP State Medical Officers' Association, the Pharmacists Association and the Health Department Drivers’ Association have strongly resented the appointment of an HAS officer as the Additional Director in the Health Department. They have urged for the removal of the officer as the department was effectively functioning under its present Director, Dr S. R. Chauhan. The state Medical Officers Association has also strongly resented the withdrawal of the rent free accommodation to the doctors.

JAWALAMUKHI
Resigned: The Block Congress Committee President, Mr Indermohan Walia, on Friday tendered his resignation keeping in view the prevailing political situation in the party. He alleged that the senior Congress leader and former MLA, Mr Kewal Singh Pathania, had launched a campaign without taking party members into confidence.

KANGRA
Accident: Udham Singh was killed here on Friday in a road accident near Shahpur Bus Stand on the Pathankot-Mandi Highway. According to the police, the victim was hit by a truck. He was admitted to the zonal hospital at Dharamsala where he succumbed to his injuries. The police has arrested the driver and impounded the truck.

Truck recovered: One of the two trucks which were stolen by thieves from Gaggal police post on December 3 was recovered by the police on Friday from Sujanpur in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. According to reports, two trucks bearing Punjab registration number were impounded by the RTO on November 26. Later, the trucks were found missing from the police post. A case has been registered under Section 379 of the IPC. The truck driver has absconded.

NAHAN
Cases redressed: Mr Rakesh Kaushal, Deputy Commissioner, presided over the district level "Prashashan Janta Ke Dwar Par" camp at Rajpur in Paonta tehsil on Friday. Nearly 128 cases out of 235 were redressed on the spot. He distributed an ex-gratia payment of Rs 35,600 as compensation under abolition of tenancy provision to 45 small and marginal farmers.

NURPUR
HRTC Federation: The Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation Employees Federation has advocated to convert the HRTC into Himachal Roadways. This was stated here on Friday by Mr K.N. Sharma, state president of the federation, at their 7th annual convention in Jassur.

SOLAN
Liquor seized: The Dharampur police has seized 5,250 pouches of country-made liquor from a Shimla-bound truck near Dharampur, 15 km from here on Friday. Mr Rakesh Aggarwal, SP, said the market value of the seized liquor was Rs 1.75 lakh. The truck driver Gurnam Singh, a resident of Gharaunda (Karnal) and conductor, Bhim Lal, a resident of Jind had been arrested under the Excise Act.