R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

FEROZEPORE
WELFARE: In a representation handed over to the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, on Wednesday the local Vikas Vihar Welfare Society president, Mr S N Malhotra, has urged the government to look into the hardships being faced by the residents due to lack of civic amenities. The locality did not have facilities like water supply, sewerage and roads whereas the houses were built by the residents after depositing the development charges with the Municipal Council.

PATIALA
PETROL STATION: The state’s first multi-facility modern petrol station was opened near Shambu on National Highway Number 1 by Satguru Jagatjit Singh of Namdhari Darbar Bhaini Sahib. Chief Manager Charanjit Singh said in a press note here on Wednesday that the station of Bharat Petroleum has been built at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore. Housed in 4.5 acres, it has parking space and servicing facility for 150 trucks and 400 cars. It also has a shopping complex, fast food centre, dormitory and dhaba.

BAJAJ ASSUMES OFFICE: Mr Manmohan SIngh Bajaj, senior Akali leader and President of the District Unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday took over as Chairman of the Improvement Trust of Patiala. A large number of his supporters and Akali leaders accompanied him to the trust office.

CHANDIGARH

ENCROACHMENTS: The enforcement wing of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh on Wednesday removed about 120 encroachments adjacent to the internal roads of Sectors 39 and 40. The MCC also sent notices to over 100 water byelaws defaulters. Meanwhile, the Mandal No 15 of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha has demanded a probe into the use of ‘substandard’ material in the construction of roads from CTU Workshop to Hallo Majra and from OCF to Plot No 1 of the Phase I of the Industrial Area.

PUNJABI QUESTIONS: Students of MA II (Punjabi) who appeared in the first option in the annual examination of Panjab University this year in a letter to the Controller of Examination have complained that a big section of the question paper did not adhere to the syllabus norms. Mr Dayal Pratap Singh Randhawa, President of the Panjab University Campus Students Council, in a press note here on Wednesday urged the university officials to look onto the matter.

SAMMELAN: The 71st five-day Shri Harinam Sankirtan Sammelan will be organised in Sector 20 from Friday. The main events will be jagran and discourse.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Punjab State Cooperative Audit Department (ministerial staff association, H.O., Chandigarh): President — Mr Hazara Singh; Vice-President — Mr Amrik Singh; General Secretary — Mr Satpal Singh; Joint Secretary — Ms Surinder Jit Kaur; Propaganda Secretary — Mr Nachchattar Singh Baidwan; Cashier — Mr Surjit Singh; and executive — Mr Shiv Kumar Saini, Ms Paramjit Kaur, Ms Nimrata Devi, Mr Gurdeep Singh, Mr Mohinder Singh, Mr Gurdev Singh, Mr Ramesh Mohan Khuller and Mr Umar Paul Sharma.

HARYANA

AMBALA
TEACHERS MEET CM: A delegation of the Haryana College Teacher’s Union (HCTU) has met the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala regarding the long pending demands of the college teachers of the state. The delegation also called upon the Financial Commissioner-cum-Education Secretary, Mr Prem Prashant, and requested him to get the pending salary of the college teachers released, the family pension scheme implemented, the arrears of the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations paid and the screening for senior scale and selection scale done at the earliest, a press note said.

IEC STUDENT: Dipti Gupta, a student of IEC computer education, Ambala Cantonment centre, has secured 3rd rank in India in the July 99 exam of ‘O’ level computer course. Dipti was awarded a certificate of merit and a cash award of Rs 1,000 by Prof Ashok Chandra, Special Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development, in DOEACC review workshop held at Delhi.

SONEPAT
BLOCKADE: Shopkeepers of the Kakroi Chowk and Gohana Road area pulled up their shutters for more than four hours and blocked the traffic for an hour in protest against the removal of encroachments from municipal land by the officials of the PWD (B & R) and the Municipal Council here, on Tuesday. Mr Dharampal, SDO, along with other officials stopped the anti-encroachment drive after negotiations with the shopkeepers. Meanwhile, the district administration has decided to continue the anti-encroachments drive in the city and elsewhere in the district.

ARRESTED:The local police on Thursday claims to have solved three cases of thefts committed in different parts of the city with the arrest of three persons. Mr K.P. Singh, SSP, said here on Thursday that the accused have been identified as Vinod, Jai Bhagwan and Narinder. Two country-made pistols, two cartridges and household goods worth several lakhs of rupees have been seized from them. The culprits confessed having committed the thefts in West Ram Nagar and Model Town areas of the city.

SNATCHING: The Sadar police has arrested Jagbir of Jahri village in connection with the alleged snatching of a cash bag from Naresh Kumar near Jahri village on May 24, 1999. The SSP said here on Thursday that the culprit had snatched several thousand rupees from Mr Naresh Kumar, a partner of S.R. Surinder and Company while he was on his way to a distillery at Jahri village for purchasing liquor. Naresh Kumar was waylaid near the bus stand by two persons who snatched the cash bag from him and escaped on a motor cycle.

RESENTMENT: Resentment prevails among local industrialists against the alleged harassment by the Executive Engineers of the Haryana Pollution Control Board stationed at the district headquarters.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

PARWANOO
FLAYED: The recent power tariff hike, announced by the government of Himachal Pradesh has sent a wave of resentment amongst the residents. They said that this time the hike is exceptionally high. The increase in prices of kerosene and LPG in addition have made the matter worse for the common man.