R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

PUNJAB

HOSHIARPUR
ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the district Revenue Patwar Union: president — Mr Satnam Singh; senior vice-president — Mr Tajinder Singh; general secretary — Mr Shivdarshan Singh; organising secretary — Mr Sukhwinderjit Singh; joint secretary — Mr Jaswinder Singh Dhillon; and treasurer — Mr Ganesh Kumar.

KHARAR
SHOOTOUT: : Mr Ranjit Singh, owner of a dhaba in nearby village, Bhago Majra, was injured when he was shot at on Monday night at about 9.30. According to the FIR lodged with the Kharar police by Mr Ranjit Singh, he runs a dhaba on the roadside. He has alleged that at about 9.30p.m. five persons, including Sadhu Singh, Ravinder Kumar and Ram Singh, panch of Raipur village, came there and wanted to have liquor. When he refused to oblige, Sadhu Singh fired at him with his pistol. 

DHARNA: Members of the Block Congress Committee sat in dharna outside the office of the SDM here on Wednesday to protest against the anti-people policies of the state and Union Government. The dharna was addressed, among others, by Mr Harneik Singh Gharuan (former MLA), Mr Natrajan Kaushal (Municipal Commissioner) and Mr Mehar Singh (president, BCC). Later they gave a memorandum to the SDM in which they alleged that the people were not getting old-age pension, widow pension, etc which were started during the Congress regime. They demanded that the minimum wages of industrial workers should be increased to Rs 3500 per month. 

REMAND:  Mr Sanjay Agnihotri, Judicial Magistrate, on Wednesday remanded three women Ganji, Palo and Tejo in judicial custody till June 19 who were arrested by the SAS Nagar police on the charge of snatching a golden chain of a woman.

MALERKOTLA
TRAIN CRUSHES WOMAN: An woman was crushed by the Dadar Express at the local railway station on Tuesday. According to Mr Rajesh Kumar, Station Master, the woman was alighting from the train when she lost her balance. A case has been registered.

NAWANSHAHR
CASE REGISTERED: The SSP, Mr Ishwar Singh, in a press note issued here on Tuesday said cases were registered against two travel agents Davinder Singh of Kultham village and Harmesh Chand of Balachaur for allegedly duping Satnam Singh and Balbir Singh of Rs 1.80 lakh and Rs 1.97 lakh, respectively, on the pretext of sending them abroad.

IMPERSONATION CASE: The Banga police has registered a case against Makhan Singh of Mirpur Lakha village on the charge of impersonation for getting a passport issued. Mr Avtar Singh, ASI, Mukandpur, had gone to the village for police verification when he came across the discrepancy it and brought to the notice of the SSP, who ordered the registration of the case.

REVAMP: The State Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Mr Sohan Singh Thandal, said on Tuesday that the government would revamp soon the Food and Civil Supplies Department. He said this year 20 per cent more wheat had been purchased than the previous year.

SEWING CENTRES: Mr Roshan Sunkaria, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chairman, District Literacy Society, said here on Wednesday that the society would open 40 self-supporting sewing training centres in villages. Dr Sunkaria said literacy conscious villages would be given priority while setting up training centres.

PATIALA
UNION: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Town Planning Employees Union: president — Ms Rajinder Kaur; general secretary — Mr Zora Singh; vice-president — Mr Makhan Singh; and treasurer — Mr Sabu Singh.

APPOINTED: The Lions International has appointed Mr Vijay Kumar Goyal as its zonal chairman of District 321-F (region VI) for 2000-01.

ENROLLED: Ms Satwinder Bitti, a Punjabi singer, has been enrolled as vice-patron of the Indian Red Cross Society on the recommendations of the local unit of the Red Cross Society.

NOMINATED: Dr Harbir Kaur Rao, Assistant Professor, Medicines, Government Medical College, Rajindra Hospital, here has been nominated as member of the Patiala Juvenile Welfare Board. Her name has been selected and recommended by the Deputy Commissioner for her contribution towards the Red Cross work.

PHAGWARA
IMPROVEMENT TRUST: Two BJP municipal councillors Jagdish Virji and Khyal Chand have been nominated as members of the local Improvement Trust, according to information received here.

CHANDIGARH

SAS NAGAR
MOVE RESENTED: The residents of Phase 4 in a representation to the Additional Chief Administrator of PUDA have lamented that the management of private convent school was upgrading the primary level school to the middle level in violation of guidelines issued by PUDA. The residents said that upgrading the school in the area would cause problems like traffic congestion and noise pollution.

HARYANA

AMBALA
POWER CUTS: The Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday expressed concern over the unscheduled power cuts, frequent breakdown and low voltage of electricity supply in the district. The chamber said in a press note that scientific instrument industries were facing great financial crises. The production had gone down considerably and nearly 15,000 workers engaged in the industry were sitting idle. The Vice-President of the chamber, Mr N.C. Jain, said the orders were being cancelled by overseas buyers and buyers from various states in India. The chamber demanded that the district administration should summon a joint meeting of the HVPN and representatives of trade and industry. 

CHILD ABANDONED: A month-old female child was found abandoned in the railway track at Mohra railway crossing, 10 km from here on Wednesday. A labourer, who was working in the track, spotted the child lying on stones. He informed the ex-sarpanch of the village, Mr Kartar Singh, who handed over her to the Ambala City hospital authorities. It is presumed that the child either fell from the running train or might have been abandoned by some parents.

KAITHAL
ELECTROCUTED: Two girls of Jakholi village were seriously injured after getting electric shocks on Monday. According to information, Bala (18) and Bira (11) were coming home from the fields when the fodder which they were carrying on their heads touched some high-powered wires resulting in electric shocks to them.

PANIPAT
TRUCK ACCIDENT: A truck laden with stone fell into a river on Tuesday after breaking the railing of a bridge near Naultha. The truck was coming from Dadri. The mishap occurred as the driver lost control over the vehicle.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
GHERAO: Residents of Bharmour area in the district gheraoed the Bharmour police station on Tuesday in protest against the deteriorating law and order situation in the tribal area. The angry residents also smashed window panes of government buildings. Cases have been registered on this connection.

JWALAMUKHI
MISHAP: Two persons were killed and three injured on Tuesday when a Maruti van in which they were travelling rolled into a ditch near Zia in Kangra district. The deceased were identified as Raj Kumar and Sushil Kumar. The driver has absconded. A case has been registered.

SHIMLA
STONE LAID: Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, laid the foundation stone of the state milk federation building to be constructed at a cost of Rs 61 lakh, here on Tuesday. He also inaugurated a shopping complex at Totu to be constructed at a cost of Rs 13 lakh.

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

Library sans librarians

After the retirement of Librarian Om Parkash Goel from the local district library on April 30 last, the library is being manned by two class IV employees.

The library has a sanction for two librarians and two class IV employees i.e. a bearer-cum-attendant and a peon. One post of the librarian has been lying vacant for the past several years while the other fell vacant after the retirement of Mr Goel. Now in the absence of librarians, the bearer-cum-attendant and the peon are manning the library. Both the class IV employees have not received their salaries for May so far. Mr Goel has also been awaiting the payments of his GPF dues and leave encashment. Mr Goel comes daily to the library because no one has so far taken charge of the district library from him.

Interestingly, Mr Goel was promoted as chief librarian in August 1998. He could not avail the promotion as, he says, the state government did not make any arrangement to relieve him from the district library.

Besides the sanctioned posts, the library needs two posts of restorers, two attendants, a chowkidar, a gardener and a wholetime sweeper. In the absence of a gardener, the surroundings of the library building are in bad shape. The rare and valuable books are gathering dust due to broken glasses.

the library has even failed in paying the bills of newspapers and magazines for the past eight months. The library had meagre funds for the purchase of new books during the last financial year.

Angler’s delight

An employee of the Department of Zoology,Panjab University, Chandigarh, and another employee of the H.P. Fisheries Department have set up a golden mahseer hatchery at Deoli fish farm at Ghaggus in Bilaspur district.

Prof M.S. Johal, Principal Investi-gator, Fish and Fisheries Laboratory, Department of Zoology, says the hatchery, funded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, is based on the Norwegian technology. The water from the Ali stream, a tributary of the Sutlej, has been used in the hatchery. In this stream golden mahseer migrates for breeding during the monsoon from rivers and reservoirs.

‘‘The project will include breeding of golden mahseer up to fingerling stage and releasing these into the rivers and reservoirs , says Professor Johal.

He says earlier this cold water fish used to be in abundance in Himachal and Uttar Pradesh. However, its numbers depleted over the years due to dams and pollution.

Mr Jagat Prakash Nadda, Health and Family Welfare Minister, recently inaugurated the hatchery. He said the project will not only help in increasing the production of mahseer but also attract anglers from all over the country.

The Centre has sanctioned Rs 5 crore to set up another national mahseer seed farm at Sidhpur in Mandi district.

Poor schools

Lack of adequate infrastructure and shortage of teaching staff in government schools has adversely affected the functioning of schools in Gurdaspur district. At primary level there are six vacancies of block education officers, 84 of centre heads, 305 of head teachers and 225 of JBT teachers.

According to official sources, as many as 47 primary schools are functioning without buildings. The most of the building of primary schools in rural areas leak during the rains. There isn't adequate flooring in the schools.

The sources say that the rate of absentism, particularly in schools located in villages near Dhussi Bundh on the Indo-Pak border beyond the Ravi and Dhar sub-division is very high.

The sources say that 125 middle schools, two high schools and one senior secondary school are functioning without buildings or in unsafe buildings.

Thirty six schools are functioning without principals and 22 without headmasters. The number of vacancies of lecturers in senior secondary schools is more than 130. As many as 149 posts of teachers in various subjects in high and secondary schools are vacant.

Brain operation

Mr Sumeet Kumar, a son of Mr Praveen Sharma, resident of Mohalla Gobindpura, Yamunanagar, met with a road accident. He was brought to a private hospital from where he was referred to the P.G.I, Chandigarh. He went into coma. Apprehending that journey to the PGI may prove fatal for Sumeet his parents took the patient to the Aggarwal Hospitalat Yamunanagar. Dr Anil Aggarwal, surgeon, fround from his C.T. Scan a blood clot in the brain and a few ruptured blood vessels. Considering the gravity of situation, Dr Anil Aggarwal performed an emergency operation and removed the clot and repaired the ruptured blood vessels.

According to Dr Aggarwal, the patient's memory has been restored. He is preparing for his examination.

Two inventions

Students of Government Polytechnic, Bathinda,have invented a soap making machine and named it Automatic Soap Factory and Robotic Arm.

These inventions were completed under the guidance of Mr Kuldeep Singh lecturer, Government Polytechnic, Bathinda. Talking to TNS, Mr Kuldeep Singh said Automatic Soap Factory was invented by Navdeep Singh, Vikas Goyal, Vikas Gulati, Ashwani, Pawandeep, Arun and Munish Kumar, all students of instrumentation technology.

Mr Kuldeep said the model can produce 1.5 to 2 kg of soap in one go. One has to add the specified raw material in a small tank attached with the machine. An alarm rings when the soap is ready. He added that the materials and equipments used in the project cost Rs 2,500.

The second invention Robotic Arm was done by the team including Naindeep, Gagandeep, Ashwinder, Puneetpal, Devinder and Sukhwinder. They worked on the project for three months.

Robotic Arm, Mr Kuldeep claimed can stamp, punch, pack, print and place things. Robotic Arm works on peneumatic supply and electric motar.

Mr R.P. Singh, the principal of the institution has appreciated the models. Mr Kuldeep said that they had applied for patent rights.

(contributed by Sushil Goyal, Vishal Gulati, Harjeet Singh, Tilakraj Gupta, Ashwani Dutta.)