R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

ABOHAR
CAMP: A two-day camp was organised by the Centre for Post-Harvest Technology here to impart training to the farmers for the protection of the cotton crop. Dr G.S. Chauhan, a former Director of the Regional Fruit Research Station, Punjab Agricultural University, was the chief guest.

AMRITSAR
INVITED: Dr Ranvinder Singh Sandhu, Professor of Sociology, Guru Nanak Dev University and coordinator of South and South-East Asia Regional Group of Forum of Researchers of Human Settlements, Rome, has been invited to present a paper at the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences from July 24 to 28 in Beijing.

GRANT UTILISATION: Mr Narinderjit Singh, DC, said here on Monday that the Rs 135.85 lakh grant from the Centre for various welfare schemes would be distributed on "first start " basis for the ongoing welfare schemes. He also sought a utilisation certificate within a month of the receipt of grant.

BARNALA
CONTEST: The Kendriya Vidyalaya, Air Force station, here organised a sub-region declamation extempore contest on the school premises on Saturday. Mrs Bhattacharya, chairperson, AFWWA, was the chief guest.

BATHINDA
NOMINATED: Mr Darshan Singh Jeeda, president, Samajwadi Janata Party, Punjab, has been nominated as member of the Telecom Advisory Committee for Punjab. This was stated in a letter written to Mr Jeeda by Mr R.N. Sharma, Chief General Manager, Punjab Telecom circle.

KHARAR
cHEMISTS' BODY: The Ropar District Chemists Association assured the DDI Ropar on Tuesday that all members were following the rules of the Drug Act and the association was against those who were selling intoxicants. According to a press note issued by Mr Satish Chand Gupta, Secretary of the association this assurance was given at a meeting called by the DDI with the office-bearers of the association, in which the provisions of the Drugs Act were thoroughly made clear, with stress on the drugs having psychotropic and narcotic substances to be sold with extra care.

TEACHERS NOT PAID SALARIES: Hundreds of teachers of this area, working in government high schools and secondary schools, have not been paid their salaries for June till date. According to the information available, they have not been paid salaries because the Education Department and the Finance Department have not given the required sanction of posts and DDO powers to the person concerned. Some teachers, while giving this information, alleged on Tuesday that this was happening many times, but the departments were not bothered at all.

DRIVE: The voters of Kharar who have not been given photo identity cards so far will be photographed on July 22 in Kharar. Giving this information on Tuesday, Mr Devinder Singh, SDM Kharar, said the drive to prepare identity cards in Kharar subdivision got a very good response in the past few days. He said about 300 identity cards were prepared in villages daily. He said all employees of the BDO office and municipal committees had been motivated to make this campaign a success.

MALERKOTLA
CRUSHED:Manjeet Singh of Ahmedgarh village was crushed to death by a PRTC bus on the Malerkotla-Ludhiana road on Monday. According to information, he was coming from Jagerapul to Ahmedgarh on his scooter when the bus hit him. He died on the spot. A case has been registered.

MOGA
LACK OF TEACHERS: Residents of Mahesari village in the district on Monday complained that there were at present only five teachers in Government High School in the village against the sanctioned strength of 10 for the past several months. They said although the Punjab Education Minister, Mr Tota Singh, had assured them in this regard but so far no new staff had been appointed.

RESENTMENT: Residents here have complained that there is only one messenger at the local telegraph office against the actual strength of five. They have sought an increase in the strength of messengers.

NAWANSHAHR
SANGAT DARSHAN: Dr Roshan Sunkaria, Deputy Commissioner, in a press note here on Monday said for the redress of public grievances sangat darshan programmes were being organised at the DC office every Thursday.

PATHANKOT
MEDICAL CAMP: A free medical check-up camps was organised at Kareli village on Sunday by the Lions Club. Thirtyfour cataract operations were performed. Medicines, food and spectacles were given free of cost to patients.

PHAGWARA
VOTER I D CARDS: The date for getting made voter photo-identity cards had been extended to July 31 for the convenience of the remaining voters of Phagwara Assembly constituency, according to the local SDM, Mr Pritam Singh, here on Tuesday.

DEFECTION: Senior youth leaders of Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal Satinderjit Singh Lucky, chief secretary, youth wing, Punjab, and Satinderpal Singh Joga of Kapurthala district left the party on Monday and joined the SAD. This was stated by Mr Jatinder Pal Singh Palahi, general secretary of SAD.

DEFERRED: Residents of Palahi village deferred their decision to block traffic on the G T Road here on Tuesday. The protest was against the delay in the completion of Phagwara-Patiala road.

SOUGHT: The General Categories Welfare Federation on Tuesday sought the dropping of Punjab Tourism Minister, Chaudhary Swarna Ram, from the Cabinet for playing caste and arm- twisting politics by threatening to quit in case the government implemented the Supreme Court’s ruling about employees’ promotions.

PHILLAUR
SUICIDE: Gurmaij Singh committed suicide by allegedly setting himself on fire at his in-laws’ house at Gorsian Nihal Bilga village in Phillaur subdivision on Monday. Jeeto, mother of the deceased, stated that Gurmaij had gone to his in-laws’ house to bring back his wife, who after a quarrel had gone there.

CHANDIGARH

ADMISSIONS: On the second day of joint admissions to B.E./B.Arch courses, Panjab University, on Tuesday, admissions in the defence, military, paramilitary, sports, backward classes, freedom fighter, handicapped and riot victims categories were taken up. All seats were filled except for the single seat reserved for a riot victim in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology.

HARYANA

AMBALA
MARKET BANDH: The Disposal Goods Traders Association claimed observance of a complete market bandh on Tuesday to protest against ST-38. However, a few shops opened despite the bandh call in the afternoon. The Joint Secretary of the association, Mr Vijay Kohli, said the bandh call was given to protest against ST-38 on traders. “The bandh has been a complete success, with almost all markets of Ambala remaining closed on our call,” he said. Some market association members said although they were keen to participate in the bandh, they had not been able to hold the executive meeting regarding the bandh call. The bandh proved to be a bane for consumers as the markets remained closed for two consecutive days. The Ambala Sadar markets were closed on Monday on a weekly basis.

BHIWANI
SUICIDE: A 41-year-old man committed suicide by allegedly jumping in front of a train between Hansi and Bhiwani on Sunday. The GRP here has registered a case.

ROHTAK
POWER THEFT CASES: The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam has detected 117 cases of power theft and imposed a fine of Rs 5.12 lakh on the defaulting consumers during the first fortnight of the month in the local circle alone. Mr M.P. Tyagi, Superintending Engineer, Rohtak circle, said the nigam had recovered a fine of Rs 1.66 lakh so far from Rohtak and Jhajjar districts.

SONEPAT
ELECTROCUTED: Mrs Suresh , a 34-year-old housewife, was electrocuted at Rehmana village, about 16 km from here, on Monday.

SHOT AT: Mr Subhash, a property dealer, was shot at and injured while he was taking his meal in his house in Adarsh Nagar area here on Monday. A case has been registered. According to the police, an old enmity was stated to be the cause of this incident.

INSPECTION: Officials of the Labour Department inspected the factory of the Osram India Limited on the Sonepat-Bahalgarh road, about 3 km from here, on Monday and detected certain irregularities relating to the violation of labour laws as well as the Factories Act.

RESULTS NOT DECLARED: Resentment prevails among students against the non-declaration of their results by the Haryana Board of School Education. Many students said their results had been withheld on the charge of copying but they said 45 of them had not appeared in the above-mentioned examinations.

IDOL INSTALLED: An idol of Swami Braham Parkash ji Maharaj was installed by Mrs Krishna Hooda, president of the women’s wing of the district unit of the Haryana Vikas Party, at a function held at Bhatgaon village, about 15 km from here, on Monday.

YAMUNANAGAR
DIRECTED: The Haryana Government has directed all Deputy Commissioners in the state to stop forthwith the registration work of the pilgrims for the Amarnath yatra. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajeev Sharma , said the Jammu and Kashmir Government had requested the state government to stop the registration work to avoid the violation of the guidelines issued by Dr Nitesh K Sen Gupta's inquiry report.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

KUMARHATTI
ROAD NOT METALLED: Resentment prevails among residents of Bholi village over the failure of the authorities concerned to metal the 12 km-long Sultanpur-Dharo link road. They alleged that nothing had been done so far although repeated requests had been made in this regard.