R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

FEROZEPORE
Donation: Mr Janmeja Singh Sekhon, a Cabinet minister, Punjab, donated Rs 50,000 out of discretionary funds for the construction of a hall of Namdev Gurdwara. He announced this during his visit to the gurdwara on Tuesday.

JALANDHAR
Smack seized: The Goraya police has arrested Ram Singh, a resident of Goraya, and seized four grams of smack from his possession. According to the police, a case under Sections 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against him.

NSS camp: A 10-day NSS camp organised by students of the local Guru Nanak Dev University College concluded at Gillan village, near here, on Wednesday. Addressing the students on the occasion, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, a Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, said such camps play an important role in creating awareness among villagers. He announced a grant of Rs 50,000 for the repair of the village cremation ground.

Appointed: Mr Major Singh has been appointed general secretary of the beopar cell of the Punjab Youth Congress by Mr Devinder Singh Babbu, president, PYC.

Lok adalat: To initiate a debate on the working of the local Doordarshan Kendra, Via-Media, a journalists' association, has decided to hold a Lok Adalat here on January 30. In a press note issued here on Wednesday, Mr Baljit Singh Brar, president of the organisation, said a panel of judges would record the statements of both sides and submit a report to the government.

KAPURTHALA
Woman killed: Giano (35), a resident of Narkat village, was killed in a road accident on the Khukrain-Gure Road on Tuesday. According to the police, a three-wheeler in which she was travelling turned turtle when a vehicle hit it. She was rushed to the local Civil Hospital where she declared dead. The police has registered a case.

LUDHIANA
Body found: The police on Tuesday found a still born baby from a garbage dump near Housing Board Colony in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar. The head of the child had been eaten by stray dogs. A post-mortem report of the body has shown that it was a still born child. A case under Sections 317 and 318 of the IPC has been registered.

MOGA
NRI Sabha: The district administration has decided to allot a plot to the Punjab NRI Sabha for setting up its bhavan in the town, the District Magistrate, Mr Kanwal Bir Singh Sidhu, who is also the Chairman of the NRI Sabha, Moga unit, said while addressing a conference here on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the sabha has decided to constitute its district-level youth wings in the state.

NAWANSHAHR
Loans distributed: The local District Rural Development Agency organised a "jagriti samagam" at Baradari Club here on Wednesday. Dr Roshan Sunkaria, Deputy Commissioner, presided over it. The DC said during the current financial year loans worth Rs 2.08 crore were distributed among 790 persons.

SAMRALA
Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Bar Association:president - Mr Lachman Singh Rai; vice-president - Ms Kuldeep Kaur Takhi; secretary - Mr Kapil Dev; and cashier - Mr Amandeep Singh.

HARYANA

SIRSA
Seeds provided: The district administration has supplied 5665 mini kits of high yielding variety of mustard and gram seeds to farmers, in the district, according to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Amit Jha. He advised the farmers to go in for mild irrigation of mustard crop due to cold and dry spell.

Faulty telephones: Resentment prevails among residents of Rania town in the district against the Telecommunications Department for a faulty telephone exchange in the town for the past many days. They alleged that no action had been taken by the department inspite of their repeated requests.

Kavi sammelan: The local Punjabi Sahitya Sabha, organised a kavi sammelan here on Wednesday. As many as 24 poets from the district participated in the sammelan.

Plea: Mr Hira Lal Sharma, a spokesman of the Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal has demanded that cases registered against traders of Haryana during anti-reservation agitation in Haryana in 1990 should be withdrawn. He said a deputation of the mandal had earlier met the Chief Minister and apprised him of their demand.

SONEPAT
Inaugurated: Mr Sudhir Rajpal, Deputy Commissioner, inaugurated a five-day yuva camp organised by the UNESCO here on Wednesday. Speaking on the occasion, he urged the participants to work hard for the development of the country. Mr K.P. Singh, SSP, also spoke on the occasion.

Shop gutted: A fire broke out in a cloth shop at Gohana, 35 km from here, on Wednesday resulting in a huge loss. The cause of the fire is not known.

Canal water shortage: A patwari was taken hostage at Bhadana village by irate villagers on Wednesday in protest against the non-reaching of canal water at tail-end of fields. The patwari was later released on an assurance that steps would be taken to improve supply of water. The farmers also threatened to gherao the office of the Irrigation Department in case the supply was not improve.

YAMUNANAGAR
Plea: Resentment prevails among college teachers working in non-government aided colleges for not receiving the salaries for the past three months. Prof Harbhajan Singh, a former president of the Haryana College Teachers Union, said here on Thursday that they would hold demonstration on January 11.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

MANDI
Elected: The following have been elected office-bearers of the District Bar Association: president — Mr H.K. Sharma; vice-president — Mr M.P. Sehgal; general secretary — Mr Desh Raj Sharma; and joint secretary — Mr R.K. Dhiman.