R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

BATHINDA
AIDS PATIENTS: Mr Raj Gupta, chairperson, District Aids Control organisation (DACO) has stressed that everyone should feel concerned about AIDS patients. Addressing a function organised by NIIT, Bathinda centre here on Saturday in connection with the workshop on AIDS, Mrs Gupta said HIV positive patients were being neglected. Mr Jawahar Goyal, Director, NIIT Bathinda, said educational institutions should organise workshops, seminars, declamation contests and other competitions to make people aware about AIDS.

MALERKOTLA
CAMP BEGINS: A six-day ‘art of living’ camp commenced here on Saturday at the local malerkotla Club. The camp is being organised by Viakati Vikas Kendra under the guidance of Mrs Mohini Devi from Bangalore. A spokesperson of the kendra, Mrs Aruna Sharma, told mediapersons that it was the third camp and as many as 200 persons were participating in the camp.

ENCROACHMENT: The local Citizens Welfare Council and Press Club have criticised the administration for not removing encroachments on roads especially in the local Telian Bazaar. The patron of the council, Mr M.M. Angrish, on Saturday said the encroachers were mostly rehriwalas and vegetable sellers but the administration was doing nothing in this regard.

PATIALA
DECISION RESENTED: The Focal Point Industries Association on Sunday resented the decision to shift the centre for collection of furnace oil and other related products from Ambala to Jalandhar. In a memorandum sent to the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, the association Chairman, Mr H.S. Ahluwalia, said the problem was more acute for industries located in Patiala district as the distance now would be three times more and the capacity of Jalandhar depot for production furnace oil was just 10 to 12 trucks per day, which was not even one-third the capacity of Ambala depot. This would increase the waiting time for trucks, as a result of which retention charges would also be increased. Mr Ahluwalia also pointed out that the sales tax difference between Punjab and Haryana was more than 18 per cent, making it unbearable for such industries to cope with such a high cost price rise. Mr Ahluwalia urged the Chief Minister to intervene in and solve the problem.

GOVT TO ENCOURAGE PUNJABI: The Punjab Government would extend wholehearted support to writers who were engaged in the promotion of the Punjabi language and culture. This was stated by Mr Gobind Singh Kanjla, Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Youth Affairs, while releasing poet Sham Singh’s book ‘Rooh De Bol’ at a function organised by Sarb Kala Darpan at the Languages Department on Sunday. Mr Kanjla announced a grant of Rs 25,000 to Sarb Kala Darpan. Mr M.L. Hasija, Director, State Languages Department, and Mr Jaswinder Singh, Head of the Punjabi Department, Punjabi University, also spoke on the occasion. —

PHAGWARA
ACCIDENT: A pedestrian, Mr Bachittar Singh, was crushed to death under a car on the GT Road near Chachoki village on Saturday. The deceased belonged to Paddi jagir village.

COPS CAUGHT: Two policemen were caught red-handed while accepting a bribe from a young man and a woman, here on Friday.

CASE REGISTERED: The local police on Friday registered a case under Section 354, IPC, against a youth of Chak Hakim village for allegedly trying to outrage modesty of a woman with whose son the youth had an altercation earlier.

SANGRUR
BLOOD DONATION: Twenty policemen and women donated blood at a camp organised in the local Police Lines on Friday. The wife of the DGP, Punjab, inaugurated the camp.

TARN TARAN
FOUND DEAD: Pritam Kaur (50), wife of Mr Kishan Singh of Jhamke village falling under police station Chabbal, was found dead on Thursday night under suspicious circumstances at her farm house. The police has registered a case under section 302, IPC.

THREATENED: The Goindwal Cooperative Spinning Mills Employees Union, Goindwal Sahib, has threatened to burn an effigy of representatives of the mill management in case officials of closed cooperative spinning mills in Punjab are not removed from this mill by June 26. Union president Kulwinder Singh Khehra and General Secretary Tarsem Singh, in a press statement issued here on Saturday, said the mill had been suffering losses worth crores, but still salaries of these officials were being paid. They threatened that if their demand was not accepted the union would not allow the mills to function smoothly.

PATWARI ARRESTED: Patwari Jasbir Singh and three other persons, were booked under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120B, IPC on October 25, 1998, have been arrested. The patwari in connivance with the other accused had tampered with revenue records and made forged documents, the police said here on Saturday. The accused were produced in the local court and sent to judicial custody till June 28.

SHO BOOKED: The Chabbal police has booked its former SHO Gurdev Singh, for allegedly taking bribe from Charan Singh of Thathi village. Charan Singh had complained to Gurdev Singh, who was then SHO, Chabbal, about the snatching of Rs 30,000 from him on April 2. Gurdev Singh had then demanded a bribe from Charan Singh which was duly given. But even then the snatched amount was not returned. Charan Singh then lodged a complaint with the local police and a case was registered against the SHO, who has absconded.

CHANDIGARH

AUDITION ON JUNE 20, 21: The preliminary audition for participation in a music programme on Zee TV — Sa Re Ga Ma — will be held at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, on June 20 and 21. According to information available here, a team of Zee Telefilms Limited from Mumbai, headed by the music director of the programme, Annujj Kappu, will hold the audition of the upcoming singers for the programme. The singers in the male and female categories will be required to render Hindi film songs.

OFFICE-BEARERS: Mr Pritam Singh has been elected President of the Sri Dasmesh Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Dadu Majra, following a court direction. Other office-bearers are Senior Vice-President — Mr Balwant Singh Dardi; Vice-President — Mr Malkiat Singh; General Secretary — Mr Piara Singh; Office Secretary — Mr Balkar Singh; Propaganda Secretary — Mr Balkar Singh; and Cashier — Mr Dalip Singh.

DEMANDS RAISED: A delegation of the Transport Cell of the Chandigarh Nationalist Congress Party met the Commissioner of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Mr M.P. Singh, on Saturday and apprised him of the problems being faced by transporters of the city. The delegation demanded better toilet and sulabh shauchalya facilities at all transport markets, sufficient parking area for trucks and cars, repair of roads of transport sector, provision of streetlights and repair of existing streetlights and allotment of vacant plots to transport companies.

HARYANA

KURUKSHETRA
CHEMISTS' ASSOCIATION: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Wholesale Chemists Association, Kurukshetra: President — Mr Atul Garg; Vice-Presidents — Mr Ashok Goyal and Mr Suresh Gupta; General Secretary — Mr Naresh Singla; Joint Secretary — Mr Radha Krishan Arora; and Treasurer — Mr Anil Singla.

SHRI KRISHNA TRUST: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Shri Krishan Educational Trust, Kurukshetra President — Mr Ramesh Sharma; Vice-President — Mr Durga Dass; Secretary — Dr Krishan Kumar; and Treasurer — Mr Girish Kumar.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
FISHERMEN’S THREAT: The Gobind Sagar Oustees Fishermen’s Cooperative Society here has threatened to launch an agitation if the Gobind Sagar Fish Federation does not clear all arrears within a week for fish purchased by it. Society president Muneer Akhtar and general secretary Hariram said here on Sunday that mismanagement and financial irregularities had become the order of the day in the federation and certain commission agents “had become rich at the cost of poor fishermen.

NSUI WARNING: The National Students Union of India has warned the government and HP University authorities that it would be forced to launch a state-wide agitation if elections to the Central Students Association in colleges and universities were not held immediately. District president Madhusudan said here on Sunday that the NSUI would not tolerate this any longer.

TRAINING CAMP: A two-day district-level social work leadership training camp organised by Chetna, a social organisation, concluded at Kisan Bhavan here on Friday. Dr Malika Nadda, general secretary of Chetna, said 40 presidents and general secretaries of mahila mandals and other voluntary organisations attended the camp guided by Mr Mukesh Singh, Director of the HP State Voluntary Health Association, Shimla. The village leaders were given training in organising social work, particularly for the uplift of women.

CAMP ORGANISED: A one-day workshop on the formation and functioning of self-help groups was organised at Ghumarwin, 30 km from here, on Friday. It was presided over by Deputy Commissioner Jagdish Chander Sharma and attended by more than 400 representatives from various panchayat and voluntary bodies. Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Commissioner said 75 per cent of development works would be implemented through these groups in the villages. The SDM, Mr B.L. Raghava, project officers and Block Development Officers of the area also attended the function.

CHAMBA
ELECTED: Mr Sat Pal Thakur and Mr Gajinder Vashist have been elected president and general secretary, respectively, of the district unit of the Himachal Pradesh Para-Medical Staff Association.

RESIDENTS' PLEA: Residents of Pangi tribal subdivision in this district have urged the government to set up a ‘test centre’ at Killar, the subdivisional headquarters for educated youth appearing in various tests. Mr Kailash Chand, pradhan, Killar Gram Panchayat, and Mr Devender Sharma , Pradhan Rei Panchayat, said at the moment, youth of Pangi had to go either to Bharmour, Chamba or Shimla. They also demanded the opening of a sub-depot of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) at Killar.

KULU
TIMBER SEIZED: Two persons — Shadi Lal of Chanag village and Bansiram of Kashan village — have been arrested and a truck with 27 deodar logs has been seized, according to Mr Anurag Garg, Superintendent of Police. The district police chief said here on Sunday that 14 persons were arrested during past fortnight under the Excise Act.