R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
DEPARTMENT SHIFTED: The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Guru Nanak Dev University, has been shifted from the Phase-I Urban Estate to Doaba College, Jalandhar, according to the university authorities.

GURDASPUR
RAPED: The police has booked Ajit Singh and Buta Singh of Pahra village, 3 km from here, on a charge of raping the wife of their servant. A case has been registered.

ARRESTED: The police has arrested Deeda Raj of Shimla and Bholi of Awankha. Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, said the accused were allegedly involved in the sale of illicit liquor in the Dinanagar area.

HOSHIARPUR
DHARNA: Members of the district unit of the Janata Dal, led by Mr Raj Kumar Niddar and Mr Adarsh Gupta, on Friday staged a dharna in front of the office of the municipal council in protest against the “inefficient” working of the council. They criticised the municipal authorities and the councillors for the bad condition of the roads and poor sanitation in the city.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following were elected office-bearers of the Meter Readers Association, PSEB: president — Mr Kewal Singh Gill; senior vice-president — Mr Bachitter Singh Nagi and Mr Baldev Singh; vice-presidents — Mr Kulwant Singh Mann, Mr Kartar Singh and Mr Suresh Kumar; general secretary — Mr Ravinder Nath Sharma; finance secretary — Mr Surjit Singh Thakur; press secretary — Mr Sarwan Singh; and auditor — Mr Charanjit Singh.

MALERKOTLA
KILLED: Seeta Ram (60) of Akbarpur Channa village, about 10 km from here, was killed in a road accident on Thursday. According to information, he was hit by a car while he was on his way to Vaishno Devi. The police has registered a case.

NAWANSHAHR
CONVENTION: Mr Raghunath Singh, Secretary, CITU, Punjab, said here on Thursday that four labour organisations — CITU, AITUC, INTUC and HMS — would hold a joint convention in Amritsar on August 19 to chalk out an ‘action plan’ to launch a stir against the Punjab Government’s proposed move to fix the minimum wages at Rs 1,950 and Rs 2,660 per month for unskilled and skilled labourers, respectively.

SANGRUR
ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Sangrur Medical Technologists’ Association : president — Mr Mukesh Sharma; vice-president — Mr Harinder Singh; general secretary — Mr Gulzar Singh; secretary — Mr Rajinder Kumar; and treasurer — Mr A.K. Goel.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Lions Club (Greater) here: president — Mr Ashok Garg; secretary — Mr Mukesh Sharma; and treasurer — Mr Ashok Goel.  

CHANDIGARH

ELECTED: The following persons have been elected the office-bearers of The Tribune Journalists Cooperative House Building Society Limited, SAS Nagar: President — Mr Surinder Singh; Vice-President — Mr Kamaljit Singh Banwait; Secretary — Mr Avtar Singh Bhanwara; Treasurer — Mr Gurdev Singh Bhullar. 

MEETING URGED: The Chandigarh JVG Investors Welfare Society has urged its members to meet on every third Sunday of the month in the Sector 16 Rose Garden at 10.30 am. The General Secretary of the Society, Mr Vishal Bector, said, in the meeting of the society this Sunday, members will discuss complications in the case of duping of investors by JVG Finance. 

DONATED: The Lions Club Nightingale has donated a wheelchair to a physically handicapped person, Mr Bassrudin, a tailor. 

CHAIN FAST CONTINUE: A gate meeting was organised by the Public Health Workers of the Municipal Corporation Union. The meeting was addressed by the President of the body, Mr Amrik Singh, it General Secretary, Mr Rajinder Katoch, Vice-President, Mr Ram Lal and the Office Secretary, Mr Tara Dutt. The speakers criticised the Administration for failing to implement the agreement between the coordination committee of the UT and the MC employees. They urged the workers to join the chain fast. 

COMMITTEE INVITED: The Home Secretary of Chandigarh, Mr M.P. Singh, invited the coordination committee of the government and the MC employees to discuss the agreement which had been reached on November 13 past year. He assured the committee members that their demands would be met shortly. 

CONDEMNED: The Sarb Hind Akali Dal has condemned the increase in the sales tax on petrol. In a press note issued here on Friday, the President of the local unit of the party, Mr Joginder Singh Sawhney, said the Administration should ask for the the opinion of the public before taking such decisions. 

HONOURED: Shruti Nayyar, a local student, has been awarded for her performance in the final examination for Company Secretaries. She has secured the second highest marks in the examination, for which, she has been given the Pandit Gopal Shashtri Memorial Award. She has also got the NIRC Silver Souvenir Award. 

INTRODUCED: Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib Eye Hospital of Sohana has claimed to have introduced a new Acrisof single-piece SA 30AL lens, a first of its kind in India. The hospital claims that although the lens has undergone extensive clinical trials in the USA and Europe, it is still not commercially available in India. This lens is considered to be one of the most bio-compatible of all lens material. It reduces the chances of intraocular implantation after phaco-emulsification surgery. 

MEMBERSHIP: The local chapter of AIESEC will begin its annual membership drive in the Shivalik Public School auditorium on Saturday. More than 300 students are expected to enroll themselves as members of the Chandigarh chapter of AIESEC. The body has members in 84 countries and is recognised by 714 universities all over the world. Mr Vipul Gupta, President of the organising committee of the project, said there would also be an information seminar on Saturday and all undergraduates could apply for the membership. 

CTCC GESTURE: The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee has decided to begin the construction of Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan. The bhumi poojan ceremony will be held on Sunday. Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal will be the chief guest. This was decided at a meeting held on Friday of senior Congressmen. They praised Mr Bansal and Mr B.B. Bahl, President of the CTCC, for making serious efforts in this direction. 

CELEBRATIONS: Shri Sanatan Dharam Kendriya Parishad will celebrate Janmashtami on Wednesday in all temples of Panchkula. A shobha yatra will be taken out on Sunday from Sanatan Dharam Mandir, Sector 16, to Radha Madhav Mandir,
Sector 4. 

RECOMMENDED: The local administration has recommended the names of Yogesh Bali, an assistant in the local Assistant Commissioner's office, and Parshottam Chaudhary, an executive officer of the Municipal Committee, for award. They had saved the lives of many accident victims by rushing them to hospital. Mr Bali had also arranged for some cash to meet the medical expenses of some victims. 

EXTENSION: The Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, has extended the term of Dr Kuldip Singh Dhir, Dean Academic Affairs, for another year. Mr Dhir who is a Professor in the Department of Punjabi, is already the Dean of Languages. This information was given in a press note issued by the university here on Friday. 

COMPETITION: The Rotary Club of Patiala will organise an essay competition on the topic My View of an Ideal Teacher. The competition is open to all school and college students of all Rotary International Districts. Participants will be allowed to write in any language, including Nepali, Bhutanese, Tibetan and English. Those willing to take part in the contest may send their essays in not more than 500 words to the Rotary Club President, Mr Ranjit Khosla by Sptember 15. 

HARYANA

AMBALA
UNIT SETUP: The youth wing of the Samajwadi Party is planning to set up its Haryana unit at Ambala. According to Mr Devinder Kumar, Secretary of the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, the party will hold a pradesh sammelan here which will be attended by senior party leaders, including Mr Raj Babbar. 

PHONE SEIZED: A mobile telephone which was being used by two prisoners in Central Jail here for making threatening calls to witnesses was seized by the area police. The local police received an information that Sukhnandan Singh and Baljit Singh, who had been accused of murder, were using a mobile telephone to threaten witnesses and were also planning to escape from the jail. After a case was registered in this regard, the police and the jail authorities checked the prisoners and seized the telephone. A watch was being kept on both prisoners, a press note said. 

KAITHAL
COMPENSATION: The District Consumer Redressal Forum has directed Dhillon Kool Drinks and Bewerages Limited, Panipat, and its distributor Vikas Sales Agency, Kaithal, to pay a compensation of Rs 5,000 along with the price of goods purchased with interest to a consumer for supplying him a crate of contaminated soda.

KARNAL
BAR INAUGURATED: A new bar at Oasis Tourist Resort, Uchana, near here was inaugurated on Thursday by Dr Harbaksh Singh, Secretary, Tourism, Haryana. The department has plans to undertake an “urban haat” project here soon. Under this, 48 hutments will be built. Items of handloom and handicraft would be displayed in these.

SIRSA
BEAUTIFICATION: The district administration on Friday decided to launch a drive for the beautification of the city. It also decided to shift dairies and meet shops to the city outskirts.

SONEPAT
ARRESTED: The police intercepted a motor cycle and arrested Jai Bhagwan of Kabri village and Sumer of Garhi Sikandarpur village on a charge of liquor smuggling near Namestey Chowk at Ganaur, 16 km from here, on Thursday. The police seized 45 liquor pouches from them and impounded the vehicle. A case has been registered under the Excise Act.

MEDICAL CAMP: The local Hindu Manch will organise an eye camp on August 20 in Arya Eye Hospital, near Subhash Chowk. According to a press release noted eye specialists will examine the patients.

EVE-TEASERS HELD: The police arrested Ram Kumar of Sanpera village and Rajesh of Pipli Khera village on a charge of eve-teasing near Bharat Steel Tubes Limited at Ganaur, 16 km from here, on Thursday. The police also arrested Suresh and Sandeep on the same charge in Sector 15. Criminal cases have been registered against them.

DIED: Rajinder Sihag, a junior engineer, Sonepat Municipal Council, was killed when his scooter was hit by a truck on the G.T. Road near Murthal Chowk, about 8 km from here, on Thursday night. The truck driver escaped. The police has registered a case.

GAMBLING: The Civil Lines police arrested Jugul Kishore of Kot Mohalla, Sonepat, on a charge of gambling near a cinema house in the Model Town area here on Thursday. The police has registered a case.

ELECTROCUTED: A constable, Sijender Singh, was electrocuted in a street, near Thakurdwara Temple, in the Ganj Bazar area, here on Thursday night. According to a report, the victim was chasing a thief when he got trapped in an iron gate, unauthorisedly installed by residents of the area, and got electrocuted. An inquiry has been ordered.

LPG DEALERS: The District Food and Supplies Controller convened a meeting of all LPG dealers here on Friday and directed them not to issue LPG cylinders meant for domestic use to halwais, owners of dhabas, hotels, restaurants and other commercial establishments in the district. He told them to issue 19-kg refills to them. He warned that stern action would be taken against them if they did not comply with the order.

SRIGANGANAGAR
SHOT DEAD: Two brothers — Gopiram Bishnoi and Om Parkash Bishnoi — were allegedly shot dead by Jameel Iqbal of the BSF at a farmhouse in Sriganganagar on Wednesday night. He has been arrested and a case registered.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

HAMIRPUR
STRIKE: Members of the District Bar Association continued their strike for the third day on Friday to protest against a recent amendment made to the HP Land Revenue Act. They also decided to observe a strike on Saturday, according to Mr Sandeepan Sharma, president of the association.

BAIL GRANTED: Mr Gobind Ram Sharma, District and Sessions Judge, Hamirpur, on Thursday granted bail to Mr Prem Kaushal, a Congress leader, till August 22. He was named in an FIR for the desecration of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on August 10. However, the court has directed him to appear before the police for investigation.