R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR 
MEDICAL CAMP: As part of a special drive to create awareness about the latest operative techniques to treat “phulveri” a one-day camp will be held at Skin Department of the local Guru Nanak Dev Hospital on May 26. According to Dr Paramjit Singh patients would be benefited by the camp as the latest technique takes much less time to cure the ailment as compared to the traditional therapy.

BATHINDA 
HEPATITIS-B : A three-day Hepatitis-B immunisation camp organised by the Army Wives Welfare Association at Military Hospital, Bathinda was inaugurated on Monday. According to a press note issued here by the Army authorities approximately 500 to 600 children below the age of 10 years of corps units would be vaccinated at the camp. Mrs Kusum Duggal, President Chetak AWWA, inaugurated the camp and Lt Gen G.K. Duggal, AVGM, GoC Chetak Corps, released a brochure on Hepatitis-B.

BUDHLADA
SKIN DISEASE CARE CAMP: More than 400 persons were examined and given medicines free of cost at a three-day “Skin Disease Care camp” organised by the Interact Club here in memory of Suresh Kumar Goyal, general secretary of DAV Model Senior Secondary School Managing Committee. Mr Megh Raj Goyal, Chairman, Management Committee, in a press note issued here on Monday said a team of doctors led by Dr Rajesh Rani Gupta, Head of the Skin Department, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, examined the patients belonging to the town and surrounding areas. 

FAZILKA
CRUSHED TO DEATH: Major Singh (40), a driver of an Army School bus, was crushed to death here by a bus on Monday on Malout road, while he was returning home on a moped. The accident occurred when a private bus hit his moped near new grain market killing him on the spot. His son, Iqbal Singh (10), sustained serious injuries was rushed to the local civil hospital. The driver of the private bus is absconding. The police has registered a case.

FEROZEPORE
RALLY: Members of the Uttriya Railway Mazdoor Union held a rally here on Monday in support of their demands regarding casual labour service, additional pension and vehicle allowance. The mass awareness campaign had been launched on May 15 and concluded on Monday. The speakers threatened to intensify their stir if their demands were not met by the authorities concerned.

VISITED: Justice J.S. Kher of the Punjab and Haryana High Court visited the local Central Jail on Sunday and heard grievances of inmates. He decided cases of 14 undertrials who admitted their crimes. Justice Kher directed the District and Sessions Judge to decide the cases of undertrials on priority basis.

MEMORANDUM: A delegation of Tewar village, led by its Sarpanch, Mr Mohinder Singh Hundal, met the SSP of Ropar, Mr G.S. Bhullar on Tuesday and gave him a memorandum, demanding a high-level inquiry into the incident of May 17 in which some persons of Takipur village attacked and injured some residents of Tewar village. They have written that instead of punishing the guilty a criminal case under Section 326 was being registered against some residents of Tewar village. 

LUDHIANA
MOCK PARLIAMENT: In order to educate the students about parliamentary procedures, the University Speakers Forum, PAU, organised the second phase of a mock parliament session in the Committee Room of the College of Agriculture recently. The “Speaker” conducted the proceedings, starting with the administration of oath to new MPs, observance of silence in memory of a deceased member of “the parliament”.

NAWANSHAHR
CHAKKA JAM: Mr Lehmber Singh Taggar, general secretary of the Punjab Kisan Sabha, said at a press conference on Monday evening that the five kisan unions of the state would observe ‘‘chakka jam’’ in the state for two hours on May 25 in protest against the anti-farmer policies of the government and to press the state government to waive the loans of the farmers. Mr Taggar said if their demands were not accepted by May 25 the kisan unions would gherao the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on the opening day of the next Assembly session and ‘‘karza mukti andolan’’ would also be intensified.

PHAGWARA
FELICITATED: A Canada-based Punjabi writer-cum-journalist, Bhupinder Singh, was felicitated here on Monday by Punjabi Lekhak Sabhas of Palahi and Phagwara. T.D. Chawla and Devinder Singh, president and vice-president of the sabhas respectively, presented a trophy to the NRI writer.

APPOINTED: Dr Raman Aggarwal has been appointed Director of Studies of IMA College of General Practitioners — an academic wing of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Punjab. According to communication by Dr O.P.S. Kande, President of the Punjab IMA received here on Tuesday another local doctor J.S. Virk has been appointed joint secretary of the college.

PHILLAUR
STICKER MISUSE: Several vehicle owners are misusing stickers depicting a red cross and many vehicles displaying these stickers are allegedly being used to transport illegal weapons and spurious drugs. This was stated by Mr Shneel Kamal Singh, Assistant Director and Information Officer of the Indian Red Cross Society, while addressing a two-day “Tracing Orientation Course” organised by the Red Cross at Punjab Police Academy here on Monday. He displayed some stickers depicting signs for “doctors”, pharmacists and hospital vehicles and appealed to all concerned to use their own valid stickers to prevent the misuse of “red cross stickers”.

PATIALA
UNIFORMS DISTRIBUTED: The Red Cross Hospital Welfare Association Chairperson Mrs Ravinder Kaur Bir on Tuesday distributed school uniforms and books to needy children of Jain Girls Senior Secondary School, here. She said medicines worth Rs 5.50 lakh had been distributed this year. She said more than 100 students had been selected for giving teaching aids.

SANGRUR
DHARNA: A large number of brick kiln workers, including women, under the banner of Lal Jhanda Punjab Bhatha Mazdoor Union staged a dharna in front of the office of the Assistant Labour Commissioner here on Monday. Workers raised slogans in favour of their demands which included the implementation of the Factory Act at brick kilns, Provident Fund scheme for the workers and hike in the wages of brick kiln workers.

CHANDIGARH

PURSE LOST: Ms Vijay Sharma of NIPER, SAS Nagar said on Tuesday that had lost her purse in a Haryana Roadways bus on Sunday. The purse contained her driving licence, identity card, PAN card and some cash. 

PLANNERS' PANEL: Mr K. Surjit Singh has been elected Chairman of the Chandigarh regional chapter of the Institute of Town Planners of India. Mr Jaswant Singh has been elected as Secretary while Mr Devinder Nimbokar Treasurer and Mr Nadim Akhtar Auditor. 

STUDENTS' GESTURE: Students of the Interact Club of the Sector 27 Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan collected Rs 10,000 in response to an appeal of the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for people of the drought-hit areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat. A cheque for Rs 10,000 was presented to the Adviser to the Administrator, Mrs Vineeta Rai, for onward transmission to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. 

NOMINATIONS SOUGHT: The local unit of the Chandigarh Nationalist Congress Party at its meeting held on Monday urged the Chandigarh Administration to nominate members of the party on the Local Advisory Council and its various sub-committees. 

WATER SHORTAGE: The West of Sector 38 HIG (Upper) Group Agency has complained of acute shortage of drinking water in the colony. The agency maintained that those living on the first and second floors had been experiencing severe shortage of drinking water for the past two months. 

HARYANA

AMBALA
TRAINING PROGRAMME: A training programme — Positive attitude — was organised here jointly by the Ambala Junior Chamber and the Junior Chamber of Ambala industry. J.C. Kajal Bhatt, a trainer from Mumbai conducted the three-hour programme, which was attended by 30 participants. Junior Chamber President Mr Lalit Sachdeva informed that JC Rohit Goel and JC Vinay Mehta were adjudged outstanding participants, a release said. 

KALKA
EYE CAMP: An eye camp was organised by the Northern Railway Women Welfare Organisation (Open Line Branch) Kalka in collaboration with the State Bank of Patiala, N.Rly workshop branch, at the Railway health unit here on Tuesday. Ms Manjari Negi, President of the organisation, said that 90 patients suffering from various eye-ailments were examined in the camp. 

SONEPAT
CHAIN FAST: The Ganaur unit of the Communist Party of India has decided to launch a two-day chain fast from June 13 next in protest against the failure of the state government and the district administration to fulfil the long-standing demands of the people of this area. A spokesman of the party told mediapersons here on Tuesday that if the state government failed to accept the demands of the people, the party will have no alternative but to launch a fast unto death thereafter.

NOMINATED: Mr Bhaiya Ram Gupta, a social activist, has been nominated as the district convenor of the National Vaish Council, according to a press note issued by the party.

DHARNA: Safai workers sat on a day’s dharna in front of the office of the Sonepat Municipal Council here on Tuesday in protest against the non-payment of salaries for the past two months. They also held a rally and raised slogans against the Chairman of the council and other authorities.

PANIPAT 
PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM: To strengthen the public distribution system and to check the alleged irregularities committed by the ration depot holders the Deputy Commissioner has constituted four teams to inspect the functioning of the depots. He has further directed the Food and Supplies department to take strict action against the depot holders found harassing the card holders. Besides District Controller of Food and Supplies Department he himself is conducting inspections to check the irregularities allegedly being committed by the depot holders. 

AWARENESS CAMPAIGN: To create awareness among the people about AIDS, a family health conference of panches and sarpanches on block basis was held under the Family Health Awareness campaign, here on Friday. The conference was presided over by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anand.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

UNA 
BRICK KILN OWNERS: A meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Brick Kiln Owners’ Association was held here on Sunday to protest against the government’s failure to check the illegal entry of truckloads of bricks from Punjab. While addressing mediapersons, the president of the association, Mr Jeewan Batta, said brick kilns in the state would remain closed from September 1 to December 30 as a protest. It was pointed out that 200 trucks carrying eight lakh bricks were entering Kangra while 70 trucks carrying 2.8 lakh bricks were entering Una every week without paying any tax at the barriers. Mr Batta said these bricks were substandard and the state was loosing revenue worth lakhs of rupees due to tax evasion.

SUNDERNAGAR
LEGAL LITERACY: A Legal Literacy Camp was held here on Saturday under the Chairmanship of Mr D.D. Sharma, ADJ, Mandi. More than 200 delegates from all over the subdivision attended this one day camp. The representatives of different panchayats, mahila mandals, yuvak mandals and delegates from other social organisations, participated. The delegates were given information regarding free legal aid and other legal issues in order to increase legal literacy among villagers.