The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, August 4, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

R E G I O N A L B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
VANMAHOTSAVA: The Town Hall branch of the State Bank of India celebrated vanmahotsava on Wednesday at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Shivala Bhaian. Mr V K Sharma, Asstt General Manager, inaugurated the function. Students planted saplings on the occasion.

BARNALA
WORKSHOP: The Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha in association with the local unit of the Punjabi Sahit Sabha, the Lekhari Sabha, and the Malwa Sirjana Kendra will organise a two-day workshop on novels on August 12 and 13 at the local Government High School (Boys).

FATEHGARH SAHIB
STRIKE: The steel re-melting process has come to a halt in all induction furnaces of the town causing a loss of crores of rupees following a bandh call given by the Mandi Gobindgarh Induction Furnace Association against the alleged harassment by officials of the Central Excise and Customs and the Sales Tax departments.

KHARAR
LAWYERS’ STRIKE: Members of the local Bar Association suspended work in courts here on Thursday to protest against the “unlawful” arrest of advocates of Kapurthala. A meeting, held under the presidentship of Mr Anil Kaushal, urged the government to take appropriate action.

TAILORING COURSE: The community polytechnic wing of Government Polytechnic Institute, Khuni Majra, near here, has started the course of cutting and tailoring at Majat village. According to a press note issued here on Thursday by Mr B.R. Gupta, Project Officer, the course has been started under the scheme of Government of India for providing free training to the unemployed girls of this village. Information regarding facilities of transfer of technology and technical support services were also provided to the villagers.

MALERKOTLA
ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Punjab unit of the Indian Union Muslim League: President— Mr Noor Mohammad ; General Secretary — Mr Mohammad Talib, and cashier — Mr Mohammad Shokat.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of Reliance Club, Mandi Ahmedgarh: president — Mr Vishal Bector ;vice-president — Mr Tapinder Pal Sofat ; general secretary — Mr Firoz Khan ; cashier — Mr Rakesh Verma ; and manager — Mr Rajiv Bharti.

MOGA
PROTEST: The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has decided to launch a statewide agitation against corruption in the offices of the Revenue Department and the Punjab State Electricity Board. This was stated here on Thursday by the state president of the BKU, Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal.

WATER SHORTAGE: Residents of several villages in this district are facing an acute shortage of drinking water and power for the past several months. Villagers complained that they had to fetch potable water from far-off places.

PHAGWARA
SUICIDE: A married woman, Sukhdev Kaur, committed suicide by jumping into a canal near Panshta village on Tuesday. The police said her husband, Satnam Singh, used to harass her which forced her to take the extreme step. A case under Section 306 of the IPC had been registered against Satnam Singh.

BURGLARY: The house of Ms Surjit Kaur was burgled and valuables worth Rs 40,000 stolen at New Model Town on Tuesday. The valuables included 55 gm of gold.

CHANDIGARH

WORKSHOP: A workshop on ''membership growth'' was organised at Kurali by Mr B.S. Garcha, Regional Chairman (District 321-F). The workshop was held to motivate various Lion Clubs to expand their base by enrolling more members. The workshop was attended by members of 16 clubs. Mr K.S. Sandhu was the chief guest and keynote speaker on the occasion.

INTERVENTION PROJECT: The State AIDS Control Society of the Union Territory of Chandigarh has sanctioned a Rs 3.25 lakh intervention project for barbers, hair-dressers and beauty parlours to the Citizens Awareness Group and the Surya Foundation. Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Income Tax, in a letter to the group has informed that the donations made to the group will be eligible for tax relief under Section 80-G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The group will organise an ayurvedic and tree plantation camp at Dev Samaj Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 21, on August 5, according to the president of the group, Mr Surinder Verma.

ORIENTATION COURSE: The Department of History, Panjab University, started its week-long orientation course for the new students admitted in the department on Wednesday. This programme is specially designed to orientate the new students about how they are to conduct themselves at the university level as being different from the colleges. The schedule of this course includes panel discussions on various topics of history, various courses, their scope and even lectures on how to read a book, write essays, present assignments, etc. This is the third orientation course of the department and unique in its method.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The Nusrat Yaadgari Manch (Kansala) in Ropar, formed in memory of the world famous qawwal, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, has elected the following office-bearers: President — Mr Channi Kansalewala; General Secretary — Mr Surinder Mianpuria; Finance Secretary — Mr Avtar Singh; Convener — Mr Harinder Lili; Press Secretary — Mr Babli Paintpuri; and Consultants — Mr Shoukat Ali ‘Diwana’.

HARYANA

SONEPAT
TWO-WHEELERS RECOVERED: The Baroda police has arrested a youth, Joginder of Salwan village, and has recovered a motor cycle and a scooter from him. He had stolen the scooter from Narwana.

MEMORANDUM: A large number of Bihari labourers sent a memorandum to the President, Mr K R Narayanan, on Thursday demanding a high-level probe into the alleged murder of an aged woman, Brahmo Devi, at a farmhouse in Kabirpur village. They alleged that three labourers had been implicated in the case by the police.

CLASH: Five persons, including a woman, were injured in a clash between two rival groups at Barwasni village, about 5 km from here, on Wednesday. The injured were immediately hospitalised. The police is investigating the case.

SUICIDE ATTEMPT: Parveen, a 10-year-old student, reportedly made an unsuccessful suicide attempt by consuming insecticide tablets in his house at Khewra village, about 14 km from here, on Wednesday.

PROBE DEMANDED: Two members of the Sonepat Zila Parishad urged the Deputy Commissioner on Thursday to order a high-level probe into the public complaints on the use of sub-standard material in the construction of the inter-state road between Bahalgarh and Khewra village by contractors in connivance with officials of the PWD (B and R).

MURDER CASE SOLVED: With the arrest of two persons, the Rai police on Thursday claimed to have solved the murder case of Ram Karan, a resident of Baroli village, on July 24. The SP, Mr A S Chawla, told mediapersons here that the arrested were Arjun and Krishan of the same village. He said the arrests followed the registration of an FIR by Mr Beg Raj, father of the deceased.