R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
SEMINAR: A seminar on ‘women health’ was organised here on Wednesday in Shahzada Nand College for Girls. Mr Jasminder Singh, DIG, border range, Amritsar, was the chief guest. Expressing concern, Mr Jasminder Singh said that the crime rate against women was increasing by 8.3 per cent every year.

FEROZEPORE
MEDICAL CAMP: As many as 250 patients suffering from bone diseases were examined and treated at a free medical check-up camp organised at local Tarlok Hospital on Thursday by Crossland Ranbaxy, according to the hospital in charge, Dr Kamal Kant.

KHANNA
WELFARE CAMP: A family welfare camp is being organised by the Health Department, Punjab, in association with the Lions, the Rotary and the Khanna Vikas Clubs at local Civil Hospital on Tuesday, according to SMO, Khanna, Dharam Pal. Blankets, medicines and transport will be provided free of cost to persons operated upon.

MALERKOTLA
DOCTOR SOUGHT: The post of a woman doctor in the 100-bed Civil Hospital here is laying vacant since the past five years. Women, especially from Muslim families, are facing problems due to this. Private hospitals are mushrooming around the Civil Hospital. There is no check on the corruption in these private hospitals. Residents demand immediate posting of a woman doctor at the Civil Hospital.

MOGA
ASSOCIATION: The following office-bearers of the Moga District Medical Practitioners Association have been elected: chairman — Dr Gurmel Singh Takhanwadh; president — Dr Gurmel Singh Mari; general secretary — Dr Mohinder Singh Saidoke; cashier — Dr Gulshan Kumar Moga and; secretary — Dr Parmod Kumar.

NAWANSHAHAR
BLOOD DONATION: The local blood donors council, in collaboration with the Naujwan Sabha, Sujjon, organised a blood donation camp to mark the Martyrdom Day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru & Sukhdev at Khatkar Kalan village, about 9 km from here, on Thursday. Dr Ram Lubhaya Sharma, Civil Surgeon, inaugurated the camp in which 70 units of blood were collected, informed Mr Jaspal Gidda, president of the council, in a press note issued here on Friday.

PATIALA
BUDGET PROPOSALS: The Federation of Aarthi Associations of Punjab on Friday said that the Budget proposals for charging Rs 3,000 as registration fee from new firms and Rs 2,000 as renewal charges every year were unwarranted. The association President Bal Krishan Singla said this move would discourage firms from registering themselves with the Excise and Taxation Department. He said many old licencees could surrender their licences and the new proposal could lead to a loss for the government.

SAMRALA
DEAD: Dr Kishan Singh Khurana, president, Sri Sukhmani Sahib Society, died here on Thursday. His cremation was largely attended.

APPOINTED: In a meeting of Senior Citizens (pensioners) of the subdivision, here on Thursday, held under the chairmanship of Mr Gursharanjeet Singh Khanna, secretary-general of Indian Non-Government Organisations Association, Mr J.S. Grewal was appointed convenor and Mr P.S. Batra patron.

PANEL: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Council of Junior Engineers, PSEB Circle, Khanna, here, president - Mr Charan Singh, senior vice-president — Mr Jagdish Rana; and secretary — Mr Devinder Singh.

TARN TARAN
CAMP: The Welfare Department, Punjab organised an awareness camp for persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes at Kasel village, 26 km from here. Mr Gulzar Singh Ranike, State Minister for Agriculture, Punjab, was the chief guest and Mr Tarlochan Singh Tur, MP, presided over the function. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Ranike said the Punjab Government had earmarked Rs 412 crore for the upliftment of the Scheduled Castes

WALKOUT: Mr Lawinder Pal Singh Pakhoke, Mr Sukhwinder Singh Chabal, Bibi Manjit Kaur, along with other sarpanches and people of the area, walked out of a gurmat samagam, organised on Thursday by the Dharm Parchar Committee of the SGPC at Pandori Ran Singh village, the native village of Giani Kewal Singh, Jathedar, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, in which Giani Kewal Singh, who has been excommunicated by the Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Pooran Singh, was present. However, Giani Kewal Singh addressed the gathering.

CHANDIGARH

DEMAND: The Chandigarh Tourist Bus Operators Union has demanded early release of contract carriage permits to the bus operators. In a representation to the Adviser to the Administrator here, the president of the union, Mr Satpal Gupta, said that the State Transport Authority(STA) had taken a decision to increase the number of contract carriage permits to 180 in April 1999. In spite of the fact that the applicants had deposited the applications with requisite fees in May 1999, nothing had been done so far.

REMANDED: Proclaimed offender Tarsem Singh, accused of causing death by rash and negligent act, has been remanded to judicial custody till April 7 by the UT Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr H.S. Madaan. Tarsem was earlier booked by the police for causing death by rash and negligent act, endangering life by driving rashly or negligently and causing hurt by an act which endangers human life under Sections 279, 304-A and 337 of the Indian Panel Code.

DIRECTOR: Mr Vivek Attri, an HCS officer, has taken over as Director, Information and Public Relations, relieving Mr Ashok Sanghwan of the additional charge. Mr Attri will also hold the additional charge of the Controller of Printing and Stationery. A couple of more positions are lying vacant in the Administration as the panel of names are awaited from Haryana.

PANEL: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Chandigarh Janswasth Karamchari Sangh: Adviser — Mr Jai Ram Joshi; Chairman — Mr Ajit Singh; President — Mr Ramayan Parshad; Senior Vice-President — Mr Rash Pal Singh; Vice-President – Mr Vishwa Nath; General Secretary — Mr Ram Pal; Organising Secretary — Mr Jarnail Singh; and Treasurer — Mr Arun Kumar.

PROTEST: The Pind Bachao Joint Action Committee held an Akhand Path in Mullanpur in protest against the proposal of the Punjab Government to develop Anandgarh city. Mr Gurbakash Singh Dhillon, President of the committee, said that political leaders from different parties in the “bhog” ceremony on March 26 and the next course of action would be announced on the occasion.

DRIVE: In a major anti-encroachment drive, the enforcement staff of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) on Friday demolished over 260 concrete structures and three illegal sheds in Indira Colony in Mani Majra. Over 35 personnel of the civic body, along with three trucks and one bulldozer, demolished the pucca structures and the boundary walls and removed malba simultaneously.

SAS NAGAR
PROBE SOUGHT: A former President of the local municipal council, Mr H.S. Billa, has sought probe as to how a senior clerk in the council, who had been absent from duty for over four years, was reinstated despite an inquiry pending against the latter. Mr Billa maintained that cases of alleged corruption against the senior clerk Amrit Lal notwithstanding, he was reinstated by the officials concerned and had illegally occupied a house in the council residential complex of the council here.

HARYANA

AMBALA
CONFERENCE: A joint conference of the Oriental Bank Employees Union (NR) and the All-India Oriental Bank Officers Association (Northern zones and Haryana state) is going to be held on March 26 at Farookha Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Ambala Cantonment. The conference is likely to be attended by about 3500 delegates/observers from all over the Northern Region.

RESENTMENT: A meeting of SD College Teachers Union resolved to wear black badges with effect from Thursday “to show their resentment towards the non-payment of salary by the college management”. “For over two years now, the staff of the college has not been paid salary in time. It was also resolved to press upon the President of the SD College Managing Committee to ensure the timely payment of salaries. Dr R.S. Dhillon, President of the Union, said that the unit would intensify its stir in case the present situation continued,” a release issued by the union said.

ROHTAK
CAMP: A free health check-up camp was organised by the Saksham Foundation at Lakhan Majra village in the district on Wednesday. Dr (Mrs) Sonia Khullar said a team of doctors comprising paediatricians, eye specialist, gynaecologist and pathologist examined 438 patients and distributed medicines, free of cost. The District Red Cross Society, the Health Department and the Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Lakhan Majra, also helped in the organisation of the camp.

SONEPAT
STRIKE: Employees of the local cooperative sugar mill went on a tool-down strike on Thursday for demanding immediate payment of bonus to them. They also opposed the ban imposed by the state government on the purchase of sugarcane from UP farmers and said this had led to the closure of the mill before time.

CONVENTION: To safeguard the interests of the consumers and to apprise them their rights, the Haryana state unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat is organising its state-level grahak sammelan (consumers’ convention) on Sunday the premises of the Shiva Shikhsha Sadan here. Representatives from all over the state will take part in this convention. Mr Sudhir Rajpal, Deputy Commissioner, will be the chief guest.

HR DEPOT: The Sonepat depot of the Haryana Roadways has earned a revenue of Rs 187.37 lakh during February this year as compared to Rs 158.02 lakh earned during the corresponding period of last year. Mr Harish Chander Jain, General Manager of the Roadways, told mediapersons here on Friday that this depot had also earned a record traffic receipt of Rs 180.05 lakh last month as compared to Rs 153.12 lakh earned during the corresponding period of last year.

INQUIRY: Mr Sudhir Rajpal, District Magistrate, has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the death of an undertrial Rampal of Bajana Kalan village allegedly by negligence of the police and the doctors on March 17 last. Mr Suresh Kumar, Tehsildar-cum-Executive Magistrate, Sonepat, has been deputed for this purpose.

YAMUNANAGAR
PANEL: The following have been elected office-bearers of local Industries Association: president — Mr Ramesh Kumar Goyal; vice-presidents — Mr Sarwan Kumar and Mr Iqbal Sagar; general secretary — Mr Tilak Raj Vinayak; and joint secretary — Mr Dharam Paul Gupta.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

NAHAN
EYE CAMP: The Hiteshi Service Society has announced to hold a free eye check-out camp at Senior Secondary School Kapota on Sunday. The camp is being organised with the help the Health Department and the district administration. In this camp food, medicines and spectacles would be provided to the operated patients, free of cost.

CONVICTED: Mr Janashwer Goel, Sessions Judge, has convicted a Nepali labourer Budh Ram, under Section 376, IPC and sentenced him to a rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for raping a minor girl (9). The judgement was announced here on Wednesday.

SOLAN
STRIKE: The joint action committee of Parmar University Horticulture and Forestry Students Association, in a memorandum sent to Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal through Deputy Commissioner R.D. Dhiman on Tuesday threatened to launch an indefinite strike in case the government did not accept their “just demands” within three days. The association had been pleading for reservation of direct recruitment quota for the posts of forest range officer and assistant conservator of forests for the forestry graduates on the pattern of Kerala, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Jammu and Kashmir.