R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

PUNJAB

FEROZEPORE
ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of Army Samaj Mandir (Gurukul Vibhag). Patron - Mr Hawan Lal Mehta; president - Mr Mahatama Mohan Lal; vice-presidents - Mr Om Parkash Dhawan and Mr D.R. Goyal, secretary - Mr Ajay Kumar Soni; and treasurer - Mr Sukhdev.

NAWANSHAHR
Proclaimed offender held: The Balachaur police arrested a proclaimed offender Harjinder Singh, alias Jinder of Simbal Najara village (Balachaur), during a special naka held on Monday. The police has seized one country-made .12 bore pistol along with two cartridges from him, SSP Ishwar Singh said on Tuesday.

PATIALA
PSEB STAFF: The Bijli Mulazam Front and several other trade union bodies have urged the PSEB to implement those decisions taken by the board management at a meeting held with the front on May 10. In a press note issued by the front here on Wednesday, the secretary, Mr Daljit Singh, said if the PSEB management would not implement their demands then the front and other trade union bodies would be left with no other option except to start dharnas from June 19.

CONDOLED: The untimely death of senior Congress leader Rajesh Pilot was condoled by the District Congress Committee (Urban) at a condolence meeting held here on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by the President of the DCC (Urban), Mr Ved Parkash Gupta, Secretary of the PPCC, Mr Vishnu Sharma, the political secretary to the PPCC chief, Mr Harchand Singh Barsat, and other senior leaders. 

DELEGATION: A delegation of residents of Gurbax Colony and Guru Nanak Nagar met the Minister of State for Railways, Mr Digvijay Singh, at Delhi on Tuesday. The delegation led by the Lok Bhalai Party president, Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, urged the minister to re-open the passage leading from the local diesel component works (DCW) to Gali No 7. The DCW authorities had closed this passage which led to a lot of inconvenience to the residents of the twin colonies. The minister assured the delegation that he would take up the matter with the DCW authorities to find a suitable solution. 

SYMPOSIUM: A symposium on ‘Samaj, Siasat Ate Sahit’ a book written by Bhim Inder, was organised by the Friends of Socialism. The secretary of the organisation, Mr Kuldeep Singh, while highlighting the various aspects of the book said it was an attempt to see things happening around in totality. Two papers were also presented by Dr Tejwant Mann and Dr Gurdev Singh Chandi. 

SANGRUR
DRIVE: The district health authorities have launched an anti-adulteration campaign. Under the campaign, the authorities raided several shops on Monday. Dr C.P. Bansal, Civil Surgeon, Sangrur, said here on Tuesday that a team of health officials had taken 10 samples of food items, including seven milk samples, from different dairies and shops in Malerkotla and Dhuri towns. As many as 12 samples of medicines had also been taken from shops in Dhanaula, Barnala, Sehna and Bhadaur.

TARN TARAN
MOLESTATION CASE: A case under Sections 354, 452, 452, 506, 511, IPC, has been registered by the Goindwal Sahib police against a couple Satnam Singh and Surinder Kaur for molesting a married woman and their tenant Kashmir Kaur (30). The police sources told newsmen here on Tuesday that Satnam Singh, a constable at Chandigarh, was under the influence of liquor when with the help of his wife Surinder Kaur he tried to rape Kashmir Kaur.

CHANDIGARH

SAS NAGAR
AWARENESS CAMP: Stressing upon the need for regular check-up for pregnant women, the Project Director of the Healthy Highway Project, Mr I.P.S. Bajwa, on Wednesday stated that treatment of sexually transmitted diseases should not be delayed. Speaking during the family health awareness-cum-check-up camp organised by the local branch of the Family Planning Association of India’s at the LCV Truck Union, near PTL chowk, Mr Bajwa also emphasised upon the need for indulging in safer sexual practices. According to a press note, nearly 150 truckers participated in the camp and 30 patients were checked up for skin problems.

HARYANA

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE: Mr chander Shekhar, Telecom District Manager, inaugurated a 2000-line RSU telephone exchange in Sector 15, a residential colony of HUDA here on Monday. He said that this only a technical cut-over of the RSU exchange from the main telephone exchange. The complete procedure, he said, would be done in three phases. The last phase would be completed by the end of the current month after which it will become a 4000-line RSU.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

NURPUR
LEGAL CAMP: The Himachal Pradesh Legal Services Authority organised a legal literacy camp on the campus on Regional Water Sports Centre, Pangdam in Jawali subdivision, on Monday. Over 500 villagers, besides mandals and gram panchayats' office-bearers participated. Mr V.K. Ahuja, District and Sessions Judge, Kangra at Dharamsala presided over the camp.

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

Neglected aquarium and park

The district aquarium and park near the residence of the Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner is a picture of neglect. It was inaugurated by Mr B.D. Pandey, the then Governor of Punjab, on May 6, 1984.

The fish pond has dried up long time ago. Congress grass grows over the strollers` path. During rains water stagnates in the pond and breeds mosquitoes.

During Mr S.K. Sandhu`s stint as the Deputy Commissioner of Gurdaspur the tank filling exercise was started, but abandoned.

The premises has a library for the aged, but it doesn't have an attendant.

There is a fountain near the track for walkers. The juice bar at the entrance sells Allu Tikkies.

Plant breeder

Dr Gurdev Singh Khush, Principal Plant breeder and Head Department of Plant breeding, Genetics and Biochemistry and leader of the Cross Ecosystem Research at the International Rice Research Institute, Phillipines, has been bestowed with the Wolf Prize for Agriculture for 2000 for his "extraordinary contribution to theoretical research in plant genetics, evolution and breeding, especially of rice with regard to food production and alleviation of hunger".

The Wolf Prize carries a total of $100,000 and is awarded every five years by the Wolf Foundation, Israel, to promote science and art for the benefit of mankind.

The award was presented to Dr Khush on May 21 by the President of Israel, Mr Ezer Weizman, in Jerusalem.

Dr Khush, an alumni of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, has made a remarkable contribution in the areas of research, developing new approaches and mobilising new techniques. Using his basic genetic and biological findings he has been abe to produce high-yielding rice varieties which are resistant to several major diseases.

As a result of widespread adoption of improved varieties developed under his leadership, world rice production doubled in 25 years period from 257 million tonnes to 520 million tonnes in 1990.

He has developed a new plant type with a 20 per cent higher yield potential which will be given for cultivation to farmers within three years.

This is the fourth award which Dr Khush has received this year. Earlier he was conferred the Padma Shri, the Friendship award by the Indian Science Association. He is recipient of Borlaug Award, Japan Prize, Mark International Award, USA, Rank Prize, UK and the World Food Prize.

Dr Khush has been decorated with six honorary degrees by various universities. He belongs to Rurkie village in Jalandhar district.

Studious Shaveta

Miss Shaveta Nakra from Hoshiarpur was selected in the Indian Administrative Service this year.

An alumni of Government College Hoshiarpur, Miss Nakra secured 85th position.

She topped in Panjab University in graduation and secured a gold medal in B.Com. She majored in Economics at the seventh position. She also cleared the UGC examination for lecturers in her first attempt.

Her father Subhash Chander Nakra and mother Saroj run a boutique near Clock Tower in Hoshiarpur city.

Her father, mother, brother and uncle have been a source of inspiration for her. She said that she used to devote 16 to 18 hours a day to her studies.

Eye donation

Lion Gurraj Karan Singh has completed eight-month-long eye donation awareness campaign. He under took the campaign on a bicycle throughout the State.

The owner of an electronics shop in Sirsa, Gurraj was inspired by a blind couple in January 1997 to work for the blind. He set out on his bicycle on September 12, 1999, from here and returned on May 27, 2000.

During this period he covered 400 schools, 72 colleges, four prisons and 48 Lions Clubs. He met various people and inspired 1600 for eye donation.

He has been honoured 10 times by the administration. Lion Gurraj has also given lecturers on eye donation on All India Radio from Rohtak, Kurukshetra and Chandigarh. His aim is to open an eye bank and go on a nationwide campaign for which Punjab National Bank has assured him assistance.

TB Helpline

A Non-Government organisation, TB Helpline,has been formed under the aegis of the District Health Department. Initially the society will take up 10 patients and each will be given medical aid and other necessities free of cost.

After three months more patients will be taken up. Five hundred regular members will be enrolled. Each member will donate Rs 25 per month. Similarly 100 life members shall also be enlisted and each will donate Rs 2,500.

According to Mr Inderjit Sharma, a national awardee in social service and Mr Parveen Kala, State awardee in social service, Chairman and General Secretary, respectively, of the body, 100 members had already been enrolled.

The Deputy Commissioner has also granted Rs 11,000 to launch the programme. He has also assured to give more financial help.

A five-member sub-committee has also be constituted which will regularly visit different parts in the district. Many doctors have offered their voluntary services to monitor the programme.

(Contributed by Tilak Raj Gupta, K.S.Chawla,Ravinder Sud, Bhupender Dharmani and Ramesh Gupta).