R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
NEUROCON 2000: Neurocon 2000, a conference on neuro-surgery, neurology and neuroradiology, was organised here on Friday. It was attended by eminent neurosurgeons from Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab and neighbouring states. Mr A.P. Pandey, IG, Punjab, inaugurated the conference. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Pandey congratulated the organisers on their effort.

BATALA
ASSUMES CHARGE: Mr Sukhdev Singh Brar took charge as the chief of Batala police district here on Friday. He replaced Mr Loknath Aangra, who has been transferred as the chief of Majitha police district.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
PROTEST MARCH: Employees of the Municipal Council, Sirhind, on Friday organised a protest march against the “high-handedness” of a Councillor, Mr Harvinder Pathak. They said until an FIR was registered against the Councillor, no work would be done. The employees raised slogans against the Councillor.

HOSHIARPUR
SAFAI MAZDOORS: On a call given by the action committee of the local municipal council, members of the Safai Mazdoors Union observed a strike here on Friday in protest against the proposed formation of mohalla sanitary committees by the council. A meeting was organised in which all employees of the council participated. Addressing the meeting, Mr Pawan Kumar Adia, president of the union, and Mr Kulwant Singh, president of the action committee, said they would continue their struggle until their demand was not met.

HELD: The district police arrested two members of an inter-state liquor smugglers’ gang and recovered a large quantity of liquor on Thursday. In a press note issued here, Mr R.P. Mittal, SSP, said on a tip-off, a police party of Sadar police station arrested the two.

LUDHIANA
SECURITY COVER: The District Magistrate, Mr Arun Goel, has passed orders making it mandatory for all modes of public transport, including tourist buses and taxis, to have a proper security cover while plying in the district between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. The orders would be in effect from May 1 to June 29, 2000, and the District Magistrate can be approached for the security cover.

APPOINTED: Sant Baba Shamsher Singh Jagera, president, International Sant Samaj, has appointed Sant Baba Bhagwant Singh Gidhsar Bheekhi Rara Sahib as the general secretary of the Sant Samaj.

NAWANSHAHR
PROTEST: Activists of the Employees Federation, Punjab State Electricity Board, and the JES Council, Nawanshahr Circle, organised a convention here on Friday in front of the PSEB office in protest against the reported decision of the Punjab Government to hand over the work of the Goindwal Thermal Project to a private company. The employees said they would hold protest rallies from May 1 to 5 against the move.

CHANDIGARH

SANT SAMAGAM: The Chandigarh-Mohali Nanaksar Sukhmani Society will organise a unique Sant Samagam to coincide with the martyrdom day of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev, on April 29 near dara Studio in SAS Nagar from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saints from various walks of life will participate and community kitchen will be organised on the occasion.

RESENTED: The Chandigarh State Federation of Cooperative House Building Societies Limited has assailed the Chandigarh Administration for revising the land rate for cooperative house building societies from Rs 750 a square yard to Rs 2500 a square yard and resolved to meet again on may 3 to decide future line of action on this upward increase in the land prices.

ASSOCIATION: Mr Mota Ram Parmar and Mr K.L. Varma have been elected President and General Secretary of the Friends Welfare Association. Other office-bearers are Vice-President — Mr Kuldeep Singh; Joint secretary — Mr Surinder Singh; and Treasurer — Mr Navtej Singh.

MUSIC CONCERT: The Tourist Promotion Society of Chandigarh (TPSC) will organise an instrumental music concert on April 29 and 30. It is being presented by Subhash Ghosh and other prominent artists from the Academy of Indian Classical Music and Fine Arts (AICMA), Chandigarh.

SAS NAGAR
PROTEST: The Godrej-GE Employees Union on Friday protested against the alleged retrenchment of five employees of the company. Accusing the management for adopting an anti-employee policy, the union leaders said its members were being forced to abandon the agitation.

GATE MEETINGS: The Punwire Employees Coordination Committee and the Punwire's sub-committee of the Joint Action Committee of Punjab and UT employees held separate gate meetings in front of the Punwire factory here on Friday. Rejecting the policy of divide and rule of certain vested interests, they resolved to solve the problems of the employees.

HARYANA

AMBALA
SEMINAR: A national seminar will be held at Shri Atmanand Jain Institute of Management and Technology on April 30. A number of experts are expected to participate in the fifth national seminar on “e-business: recent trends, projections and its implications for corporate India (Vision 2010)”. Institute Director, Prof Mukesh Sehgal, said the seminar would focus on understanding the meaning of e-commerce and its relevance and projections in all functional areas of management in India.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

KULU
WORKSHOP: A two-day workshop for women was organised at Panchayat Bhavan here on Thursday by the Himachal Pradesh Handloom and Handicraft Apex Society and the Women and Child Welfare Department. The women were apprised of the schemes available for carpet weaving. Mr Pankaj Lalit, Managing Director of the society, said a project had been sanctioned for the carpet industry in six districts of Himachal Pradesh which included Kulu.

PARWANOO
ELECTED: The new team of the Parwanoo Industries Association has been elected unanimously. The following are the office-bearers, B.N. Kataria — President (emeritus), Arun Suri — President, Alok Sharma — Sr Vice-President, Anil Sehgal — Vice-President, Rakesh Bansal — Honorary Gen Secretary, Adesh Chadha — Honorary Joint Secretary, R.K. Goel — Honorary Treasurer, Daulat Thakur —Honorary Joint Treasurer, Geeta Sachdeva — Honorary Organising Secretary.

BLOOD CAMP: The Blood Donors Society of Parwanoo, a voluntary organisation for safe blood movement, will organise a blood camp of May 6 at local E.S.I. Hospital from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.