R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
FOLK SINGERS: Popular Punjabi folk singer Surinder Kaur and gazal singer Jagjit Singh Zirvi regaled audience at “An evening with Punjabi folk singers” here on Friday at Guru Nanak Bhavan of Guru Nanak Dev University. This programme was organised by the School of Punjabi Studies of the university.

EMPLOYEE BOOKED: A municipal corporation employee has been booked by the police on charges of fraud and breach of trust. According to the information available from the police, Bikar Singh along with Kewal Singh have been booked under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC, allegedly for taking Rs 50,000 from former army man Sahib Singh on the pretext of securing him a job in the municipal corporation.

SMALL SAVINGS: Mr Narinderjit Singh, Deputy Commissioner, distributed prizes to the small savings promoters and agents at the annual function held here on Friday. He said public response to the small savings scheme in the urban areas was very good but more attention should be paid to the rural segment.

CHEMIST SENTENCED: The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr B.S. Sandhu, has sentenced a chemist of Gandiwind village in the district to one year’s rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Sections 27 (B) and 27 (D) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act for stocking and selling drugs without licence. The Civil Surgeon, Dr Rajinder Singh, said in a press release on Friday that the chemist was also sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 100 under Section 28 of same Act.

KHARAR
BJP: Mr Om Parkash Aggarwal, a senior BJP leader of Kharar, has been elected President of the BJP Kharar Mandal. The election was held under the supervision of Mr Surinder Sood, District President of the BJP.

SATSANG BHAVAN: The newly built Shri Durga Bhavan (satsang bhavan) and Langar Bhavan will be inaugurated on May 16 at 8 am by Swami Ji Nadi Paar Kurali Wale at Shiv Mandir Mitha Kuan Kharar.

LUDHIANA
FOUNDATION STONE: Mr Apinder Singh Grewal and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Mayor and Commissioner, respectively, of the local municipal corporation, laid the foundation stone of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium here at Pakhowal Road on Friday. The stadium will have a seating capacity of 50,000.

SCHOLARSHIPS DISTRIBUTED: Scholarships worth Rs 10.2 lakh were distributed to 637 students here on Friday by the local Nehru Sindhant Kendra Trust.

VERKA MILK: The Ludhiana District Cooperative Milk Producers Union has reduced the retail price of standardised Verka milk from Rs 15 per litre to Rs 14 per litre and the double toned milk from Rs 11 per litre to Rs 10 per litre with effect from next Sunday. This information has been given by the Managing Director of the union.

CHANDIGARH

COPS REWARDED: The Police Department has given cash rewards to 12 personnel who did exemplary work in shifting injured persons, involved in an accident near Lalru on May 4. It may be recalled that but for the efforts of Mr A. S Mann, a businessman of Sector 35, and the timely arrival of four police ambulances, the lives of four persons would have been lost. Those honoured include SI Balbir Singh (Rs 250), ASI Devinder Singh (Rs 250), HCs Gopal Krishan, Yugwant Singh, Zile Singh, Surjit Singh, Constables Shiv Narain, Vijay Kumar, Sher Singh and Home Guards Anil Kumar, Binder Singh and Gulrajbir Singh.

MARKET BUSINESS: The IBM India organised IBM Solutions Forum 2000 here on Saturday targeting small and mid-market businesses offering a glimpse of the company in areas of emerging technologies. Mr Ashish Kumar, Country Manager, Small and Mid Market Business, said since Indian industries have become globally competitive, their needs and business issues are becoming similar to those of companies across the globe.” The forum focussed on how companies could use the Internet and intranets to improve their marketing, customer service and sales. The thrust was on imparting knowledge that e-business is not just Internet-based transactions but refers to all business activity from sales to operations to inventory using the Internet, the intranet and local networks.

SHOPPING CARNIVAL: Ms Priti Kohli of Chandigarh Shopping Carnival on Friday clarified that all major and multinational companies sponsoring the carnival were either branding or launching their new products and not retailing anything during the eight-day carnival. She said efforts were being made to create confusion, both among traders and consumers. A number of major multinational companies dealing in automobiles, information technology, home appliances, Internet and computers, e-commerce and others would showcase their products during the carnival. All participating shops and traders would offer special discounts and a number of events would be held during the carnival, she added.

PANCHKULA
LIQUOR SHOP: The police swung into action and used force to disperse agitating protestors at the level crossing in Sector 19 here on Friday night. The move came about when residents of Sector 19, protesting against the opening of a liquor vend in the vicinity, blocked traffic at the crossing and a couple of them were seen trying to motivate people to join the protest using a loud speaker for which no prior permission had been sought. Police sources said that a team of policewomen was summoned from the Sector 5 police station, following which action was initiated. This was necessitated since the protest began at 8.15 pm and the Shatabdi Express was due in a few minutes.

SAS NAGAR
CATARACT: A new multifocal zonal progressive foldable lens for cataract patients has been introduced at Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib Eye Hospital at Sohana, near here. A spokesman of the hospital said with the new facility, a lens can be implanted in the eye after stitchless cataract surgery through a very small self-sealing incision.

HARYANA

KURUKSHETRA
ZILA PARISHAD: Mrs Kaushalya Devi of Damla village unanimously elected the chairperson of the local Zila Parishad here on Friday. Mr Mewa Singh of Rattan Dera Village was elected the Vice-Chairperson. Mrs Kanta Singh was unanimously elected the president of the Municipal Council, Thanesar.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

SHIMLA
BJP CHIEFS: Mr Sanjay Shastri was elected the president of the Chopal unit of the BJP on Friday. He defeated Mr Salig Ram Chauhan by 113 votes. Mr B.L. Mehta was unanimously elected president of the Shimla unit of the party. 

BILASPUR
ELECTED: Mr Hardyal Singh Chandel was once again unanimously elected the president of the BJP Gehadwin unit by delegates drawn from all parts of constituency at Jhandutta, 45 km from here, on Friday.