AMRITSAR
MEDICAL COLLEGE: The BJP MLA, Ms Lakshmi Kanta Chawla in a press note issued on Saturday took strong exception to the “apathetic approach” of the state government in appointing a professor for orthopaedics at the local Government Medical College, causing immense loss of studies to the students doing postgraduation. Ms Chawla described the working of the medical college and the hospital as dismal and lacking in infrastructure.

GARHSHANKAR
CASE SOLVED: The Garhshankar police claims to have solved the murder case of Sri Ram, a watchman at DAV College for Women here, whose half-burnt body was found on the college campus on the intervening night of May 13 and 14. Prem Kumar, son of Sri Ram, had lodged a complaint with the police stating his uncle Pyare Lal could be involved in the murder. According to the police Pyare Lal has confessed to killing his brother and burning his body.

GURDASPUR
POWER THEFTS: Sixtyfour officials of the Punjab State Electricity Board, local subdivision, headed by Mr Balbir Singh, Executive Engineer, raided Behrampur subdivision on Saturday as part of a special drive launched by the department to detect power thefts and other irregularities. As many as 27 cases of power theft and 23 cases of excess load were detected. According to Mr Balbir Singh, the power connections of parties involved in power theft and having excess load were immediately disconnected. Penalties amounting to Rs 47,000 were imposed on the defaulters.

LUDHIANA
IMPOSTORS CAUGHT: Two persons, who claimed to be employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board’s Vigilance Department were caught by a group of industrialists on Saturday after their bluff was called. It is learnt that K.K. Sharma and Jasbir Singh went to the factory of Mr Rajesh Mongia near Sherpur chowk and introduced themselves as Inspector and constable of the Vigilance Department of the PSEB. They demanded a bribe of Rs 500 from Mr Mongia. He became suspicious, Sharma confessed that he was a retired PSEB employee and Jasbir Singh an ad hoc employee of the board.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Offset Printers Association: president — Mr Raj Thapar; vice-presidents — Mr Manoj Verma and Mr Harinder Paul Singh; general secretary — Mr Kamal Chopra; secretary — Mr Kaushal Jain; and treasurer — Mr Amarjeet Singh Mankoo.

LOK ADALAT: The first experiment of holding a special Lok Adalat to settle court cases relating to banks met with success when 160 cases involving loan recoveries amounting to Rs 80 lakh were settled on a single day at the old courts complex here on Saturday. The Lok Adalat was inaugurated by Mr Justice H.S. Bedi, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, and Executive Chairman of the Punjab Legal Services Authority.

ORGANISED: Thalasaemmic children Welfare Association organised a blood donation camp in the PGI on Saturday. It was inaugurated by the UT Deputy Commissioner, Mr M. Ramsekhar. The next blood donation camp will be organised on June 10. Other such camps will be organised in the next few days to meet the shortage of various blood groups. 

CAMP ON FIRST AID: A seven-day camp has been organised at Government High School, Khuda Lahora, to train students in first-aid and home nursing. The camp was inaugurated by the school headmistress, Ms Darshana Aggarwal, on Saturday. Nearly 30 students of the school are attending the camp. They are being given training to give first-aid to the injured for bleeding wounds, fracture and snake bite, to provide artificial respiration and to carry wounded persons from one place to another. Mr Ram Kishan delivered the lecture and gave demonstration about first-aid. The need of organising more such camps in schools were emphasised. 

EXCELLENCE CERTIFICATE: A local resident, Dr R.K. Chopra, has been awarded the certificate of excellence by the India International Friendship Society. Dr Chopra was awarded the certificate at a seminar on economic growth and national integration at New Delhi recently by a former Governor of Tamil Nadu, Dr Bhisham Narian Singh. 

HAILED: A number of Scheduled Castes organisations of Chandigarh on Sunday welcomed the decision of Ms Sonia Gandhi for appointing Mr B.B. Behl as president of Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (I). The meeting was also attended by the All-India Safai Mazdoor Congress, Majhbi Dal Chandigarh, Chandigarh Valmiki Maha Sabha, Dr Ambedkar Welfare Council, North Zone Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe Welfare Federation. 

SAS NAGAR
COMMITTEE: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local unit of Sri Ram Lila Committee: President — Mr R.L. Gulati; Senior Vice-President — Mr S.P. Aggarwal; Vice-President — Mr R.G. Kakkar; General Secretary — Mr Vijay Verma; Secretary — Mr R.B. Pandey; and Finance Secretary — Mr S.S. Pathania. 

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Mohali Private Schools Association: President — Mr H.S. Panesar; Vice-President — Mr Sanjeev Kumar; General Secretary — Ms Veena Ratra; Joint Secretary — Ms Iqbal Bhalla; and Treasurer — Mr H.S. Sood. 

AMBALA
TRIBUTES PAID: A meeting was organised at Congress Bhavan in Ambala City on the occasion of the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi here on Sunday. Mr Balwant Gupta, President, District Congress Committee, said on the occasion that Rajiv Gandhi had led the country from front. Criticising the state government, he said the people had been overburdened by various taxes imposed recently.

KAITHAL
DOWRY DEATH: The Railway Police arrested here on Friday the husband and mother-in-law of a woman for their alleged involvement in her murder. The body of the victim was found near a railway track near Geong village on May 9. The brother of the victim had lodged a complaint with the police alleging that his sister had been murdered for dowry. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody by the court.

ARRESTED: Raju of Julani Khera of Kalayat was arrested here on Friday following the seizure of a .315 bore pistol from his possession. The police has registered a case against him.

PANIPAT
RESENTMENT: Resentment prevails among industrialists of Sector 29 of the local industrial estate over the setting up of a temporary police post near the entrance gate. An adjoining piece of vacant land too, it is alleged, has been encroached upon by the Police Department for constructing a permanent police chowki. An industrialist alleged that the police chowki had been constructed in a green belt area on HUDA land.

KANGRA
RESENTMENT: Resentment prevails among pilgrims and local residents here, who visit the famous Bajreshwari temple to pay obeisance for the alleged mismanagement of the shrine putting pilgrims to inconvenience during the ‘darshan’ of the idol of the goddess. It is alleged that pickpockets move freely in the temple complex and on Saturday a pilgrim from Jammu lost his purse containing Rs 3,000 while paying obeisance in the main sanctum of the temple.

TOURISM: To boost tourism in the valley, a six-day ‘Trigarath 2000’ event has been organised by the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department in collaboration with the Department of Art, Languages and Culture. It was inaugurated by the Agriculture Minister, Mr Vidiya Sagar, at the Kangra Fort here on Saturday night. The event is aimed at focusing the attention of the tourists towards the cultural heritage of the valley. Mr Vidiya Sagar said the present tourism projects under implementation in the state involved an investment of Rs 600 crore.