R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

• REGIONAL POTPOURRI
  

PUNJAB

HOSHIARPUR
ARRESTED: As part of a campaign against anti-social elements , the local police has arrested Pritam Singh, alias Rana, and Budh Mandal Nageshwer, alias Bhupinder, a resident of Hardi, Sadar Sipal, Bihar, and recovered a stolen truck ( PCJ 4497) from their possession. Mr R.P.Mittal, SSP, said here on Tuesday that this truck was stolen by the accused from in front of Gurdwara Takar Sahib on June 12.

PATIALA
OFFICE-BEARERS: The general body meeting of the Industrial Services International was held at Simran Resorts here. The following were elected office-bearers of the managing committee for the year 2000-2001 unanimously: President — Mr Surjit Singh Rakhra; Vice-President — Mr M.L. Ahuja; General Secretary-cum-Executive Director — Dr M.R. Chaudhary; Secretary-cum-Director Finance — Mr I.S. Waraich; Secretary-cum-Director Publication — Mr Sham Jindal; and Treasurer — Mr B.D. Kaushal.

PATHANKOT
1 HELD FOR GRAFT: Patwari Dilbhag Singh, in charge of Kauntaupur village, has been arrested by the Vigilance Bureau, Gurdaspur, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 300 from Mr Vijay Kumar for supplying him a copy of the revenue record on June 19. The DSP , Vigilance Bureau, raided the tehsil complex and arrested the accused. However, there is resentment among the subordinate revenue officials over the arrest of Dilbhag Singh and a protest has been lodged with the Naib Tehsildar in this regard.

SANGRUR
LIQUOR SEIZED: The district police has arrested 42 persons involved in illegal liquor trade and seized 720 bottles of illegal liquor, 105 kg of lahan and 49 bottles of spirit from them during the past few days. Mr Jatinder Singh Aulakh, SSP, said on Tuesday that the police had also arrested 16 persons involved in smuggling poppy husk and recovered 131 kg of the drug from their possession.

TARN TARAN
GRANT RELEASED: A grant of Rs 23.47 lakh has been released by the Punjab Government to the local municipal council under the Central scheme for integrated development of small and medium towns. Mr Jatinder Kumar Sood, president of the council, said on Tuesday that Rs 14.47 lakh will be spent on developing the local Shaheed Udham Singh Park.

DHARNA: Powermen under the banner of the Punjab State Electricity Board Employees Sangharsh Committee on Tuesday staged a dharna to prepare the employees for the proposed strike on June 21 in protest against privatisation and giving the work of the Goindwal Thermal Plant to a foreign company. The employees were addressed, among others, by Mr Atma Singh Rampuria, Mr Tara Singh Khehra and Mr Jagtar Singh Uppal.

CHANDIGARH

BAIL GRANTED: Yogesh Khurana, an employee of a cable network firm of Sector 22, was granted bail by the Duty Magistrate, Mr Pushwinder Singh, in a case of alleged violation of the Copyright Act of 1957 by showing the Hindi movie Josh to viewers. A case was registered on a complaint by Ashok Kumar, owner of K. C. Theatre. The public prosecutor argued that the accused was showing the movie for which he did not have the authorisation. The defence counsel argued that the accused was being falsely implicated in the case and nothing was recovered from the office of the accused. After hearing the proceedings, the judge ordered that the accused be released on a bail of Rs 10000 and furnishing the like amount in surety.

SEMINAR: A seminar on aspect of phacoemulsification, the modern technique of cataract removal and foldable lens implant, will be held in Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, on June 25. According to Dr R Kumar, President of the Chandigarh Ophthalmological Society, Dr Rasik Vajpayee, Professor of Ophthalmology All-India Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr Jagat Ram, Head of the cataract unit of the PGI, will be the main speakers. Dr V.K. Kak, Director Principal of the medical college will inaugurate the seminar. About 100 delegates will attend the seminar.

SAS NAGAR
VOTER I-CARDS: The Mohali circle unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday has urged the Punjab State Election Commission to make voter I- cards mandatory in the forthcoming elections to the local municipal council. Mr I.S. Waraich,a member of the circle unit, said it had been observed by the Election Commission that a number of fake votes had been prepared and genuine votes had been deleted in the last exercise of revision of voters list. Making the voter I-card mandatory would ensure elimination of fake votes, he claimed. — TNS

HARYANA

AMBALA
ROAD BLOCKED: A truck driver was allegedly beaten up by Excise Department officials near Baldev Nagar in Ambala City on Wednesday. Following the altercation, the national highway was blocked for sometime. The incident took place at about 11 am, when a truck driver, Mr Devinder Thakur, who was coming from Shimla, was accosted by five persons, who were travelling in an Excise Department vehicle near a petrol pump at Baldev Nagar. He was beaten up and he sustained injuries over his left eye. The truck driver parked his vehicle in such a manner that the national highway got blocked. He said he was carrying perishable goods and it was important for him to reach Delhi. The Deputy Commissioner Ambala, Mr Ram Niwas, said the incident was being looked into. The national highway could be cleared only after the police intervened.

NARNAUL
HARMONY AWARDS: The Government of India has decided to institute national communal harmony awards with the help of the National Foundation for Communal Harmony. This was announced by Mr V.Rajasekhar, Deputy Commissioner, here on Tuesday. The award amount for an individual will be Rs 1 lakh and for an organisation Rs 2 lakh.

SONEPAT
SUICIDE: Guddi, a 22-year-old housewife, allegedly burnt her child and herself to death in Rindhana village, about 45 km from here, on Tuesday. A family quarrel is stated to be the main cause of the alleged suicide. However, the parents of the victim allege that it is a case of dowry death.

ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION: Mr Hardeep Singh Doon, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Headquarters, put a stop to unauthorised construction on disputed land in a local college here on Tuesday. However, the DSP is alleged to have snatched the camera from the land owner, who had taken photos of the unauthorised construction.

SAPLINGS: The Forest Department plans to plant as many as 4 lakh saplings of various trees in this district during the current rainy season. According to official sources, these sapplings will be planted along the roads, canal embankments and in the premises of educational institutions, government offices, public places and shamlat lands.

WOMAN ATTACKED: A woman inmate was injured when she was allegedly attacked by other inmates of a working women’s hostel here on Tuesday. The incident occurred when the woman objected to the stay of a youth, claimed to be the brother of another girl student, in the hostel. This led to an attack by the girl student and her associates, including her ‘brother’ on the complainant.

INUNDATED: Some areas of a residential colony were inundated when a PVC pipe burst in the boosting station of the Public Health Department near subzimandi here on Tuesday. This led to the collapse of the water supply system and the entire city remained without water in the evening. The cause of the bursting of the pipe was being ascertained by the department.

ABSENT: The authorities of the local municipal council conducted a surprise visit to check the attendance of safai workers here on Tuesday. According to official sources, 27 safai workers were found absent from duty and penalised by the authorities concerned.

2 HELD FOR THEFT: With the arrest of two youths, the city police on Wednesday solved a number of cases of theft in different parts of the city. The SSP, Mr K.P. Singh, told mediapersons here that the arrested youths were Sandeep of Rishi Nagar colony and Rajiv of Balmiki Basti here. The police also seized a country-made pistol and live cartridge from the possession of Sandeep and a case under the Indian Arms Act had been registered against him.

THEFT BID: Auto thieves are reported to have made an attempt to steal two cars from Mohanpura (Mashad) here on Tuesday night. One of the neighbours of the car owners woke up and raised an alarm, making the thieves flee.

CYCLIST KILLED: Ashok, a cyclist, was killed on the spot when he was hit by a jeep near Jat Joshi village, about 8 km from here, on Tuesday. According to the police, the victim belonged to the Garhi Ghasita area of the city. The police has registered a case against the jeep driver.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
SUMMER CAMP: A three-day Gandhi summer school, organised by the Nehru Yuvak Kendra and Gandhi Centenary Youth Peace Kendra at Lethwin, 40 km from here, concluded here on Monday evening. Mr Rooplal Sharma, former General Manager of the HP State Cooperative Bank, presided over the function. Thirty students between the ages of 13 and 16 were given training at the camp.

CHAMBA
RELAY FAST: The relay fast by the Chamera oustees and activists of the local unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) entered the second day on Wednesday. The fast is being held in support of their demands like employment to the families of oustees, compensation of land and other allied demands. Mr Mohinder Singh, president of the local unit of the DYFI, said here that the fast was being held in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner.

TRAFFIC BLOCKED: The residents of Mehla block in Chamba district on Wednesday blocked traffic on the Chamba-Bharmour highway for about four hours from 8 a.m. in protest against the government move to shift the office of the Block Development Officer (BDO), Mehla, to Bhattiyat. Later, following the intervention of district authorities, vehicular traffic was resumed.

JAWALAMUKHI
RESENTMENT: Resentment prevails among the residents of Kathog village, near here, over the police inaction in the case of the mysterious death of 30-year-old Ajit Dhiman of the area. The deceased was found missing for the past ten days after he had attended a marriage party at Ropa village near Khundian. His decomposed body was recovered from a ravine near the same village recently. The police is treating it as a mere accident but family members of the deceased claim it is a death under mysterious circumstances.

KULU
PEAK SCALED: Six girls scaled the 17200 feet-high Shiti Dhar Peak at 11.35 a.m. on Tuesday under the guidance of Rajiv Sharma, training in charge, Kanwar Singh Verma, instructor, and Radha Devi of the Mountaineering and Allied Sports Institute, Manali. This was stated in a government press note on Wednesday.

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

Sobha Singh Art Gallery cries for care

ESTLING against the backdrop of the majestic Dhauladhar ranges, Andretta is a sleepy hamlet under Palampur subdivision of Kangra district, which abounds in unspoilt natural beauty. This non-descript village shot into the limelight when legendary painter late Sobha Singh, known worldwide as a painter of the divine, decided to set up an art gallery here. This followed partition of the country.

A distraught Sobha Singh travelled all the way from Lahore into the sylvan surroundings of Andretta, leaving behind a repository of some 300-odd rare paintings, portraits and other works of art. It took the master painter almost years to erase from his memory the mayhem that was caused in the aftermath of partition. Having settled down here, the great master resumed work and created a colourful mosaic of captivating paintings through his unbridled brush. His intense feelings for the country and his countrymen are explicitly depicted in some of the timeless paintings and portraits adorning the gallery walls.

Situated against the silhouettes of the green hills, the art gallery is the favourite haunt of art lovers and connoisseurs from across the globe, who throng this quaint little countryside destination to marvel these immortal paintings. The gallery houses some of Sobha Singh’s original paintings and portraits, including the Kangra Bride, Sohni-Mahiwal and the Sikh gurus.

But, it is a matter of grave concern that the gallery is in the throes of neglect. Neither the state nor the union government has done anything to protect and preserve the rich treasure of priceless paintings and other works of art.

“What to speak of the government’s gesture of goodwill, the signboards that were put up at certain points for the convenience of the visiting art enthusiasts from across the world were either dismantled or darkened by certain miscreants. What more we can expect to perpetuate the memory of revered father ?”, is the anguished cry of Bibi Gurcharan Kaur, daughter of the late painter, who tries to hold back tears.

The state government can contribute its mite by initiating effective steps to save this treasure-trove of rare paintings and portraits. This will be a fitting tribute to the great painter of our times.

Steady rise

Leading industrialist of Haryana, Ramesh Kumar Goyal has worked his way to the top. His father’s death forced him to leave school and work as a daily wager with a trunk maker at 25 paise per day.

Ramesh was born at Amritsar on May 5,1936.

On the prompting of his elder brothers Kashmiri Lal and Sushil Kumar he rejoined school. During holidays he sold gubaras (balloons) at Qadian. By selling balloons for Rs 5 a day, he got 25 paise as commission. This went on for one year.

During college Ramesh got a job of a note examiner in the Reserve Bank of India in Delhi. Later his brothers gave him a share in the Nagina foundry, Batala.

After his marriage to Tripta he shifted to Yamunanagar. He became the Managing Partner of M/s Roshan Industries and a DGTD Foundry. In 1984 he became the Managing Director of M/s Vartman Engg. Pvt. Ltd., Yamunanagar.

He has been General Secretary, Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the past two years. He is the president of Yamunanagar Industries Association, Yamunanagar and Financial Secretary of International Punjabi Society (Haryana Branch) and a trustee of the Ganga Mata Charitable Eye Hospital Trust, Saptrishi Link Road, Hardwar.

Mysterious disease

Young Jaswinder Kaur was looking forward to getting married when she was told that sometimes there was something odd about the way she walked. Orthopaedic experts in Jalandhar found nothing wrong with her; heart specialists declared her normal. A confident Jaswinder went through the marriage ceremony in 1986 and went to live with her husband and his family at Anandpur Sahib.

But her health kept deteriorating and no amount of medication would help her. She also received treatment at the PGI in Chandigarh but that too did not help. Her husband sought legal separation.

In 1988, the court dismissed her husband’s plea for separation and her in-laws took her back to Anandpur Sahib. Next year she gave birth to a baby girl.

After child birth, her health started falling rapidly and in 1991, she finally signed the divorce papers and returned to her parents in Nawanshahr, along with her daughter.

Her disease has finally been diagnosed as “myopathy of limb girdles”, a rare condition which so debilitates the body that any limb movement becomes impossible.

Jaswinder has given her daughter, Rupneet who is now 11 years old, to her sister in adoption. Thus relieved of her only responsibility, Jaswinder, now 35, desires that her body be used for medical research on this disease. Although physically disabled with her body reduced to a mere mass of tissues, mentally she is sufficiently alert to express her desire that she wants to submit herself to medical research and experimentation so that medical science is able to find a remedy for this rare and mysterious disease. She appeals to medical research institutes to contact her at the following address: Care of Mr Darshan Singh Gulati, Jain Colony, Rahon Road, Nawanshahr, Phone 01823-20885. Her only desire now is that she should be of some help to others who might be afflicted with this disease.

— Contributed by Ramesh K. Dhiman, Ashwani Dutta and Pramod Bharti