R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
APPOINTED: The Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Dr Harbhajan Singh Soch, has appointed Dr V.K. Taneja, Head of the Hindi Department, as member of the university Syndicate up to March 22 next year.

BARNALA
SUSPEND: Mr Anirudh Tewari, Deputy Commissioner, Sangrur, has suspended Vijay Kumar, a kanungo here and Sukhjit Singh, a local patwari, said to be involved in a land grab case.

FAIR PRICE SHOPS: Thirteen fair price shop owners here have been found guilty of irregularities during the past one month. The authorities have forfeited their security deposits. According to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anil Malik, action had been taken against two brickkiln owners of the district found guilty of irregularities.

BATALA
TALENT SEARCH: R.R. Bawa DAV College for Girls, Batala, organised a Talent Search — 2000 function sponsored by the State Bank of India, Batala, here on Friday. Mr Vikram, DeputyCommissioner, Gurdaspur, presided over the function.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: Mr B.S. Sudan, Deputy Commissioner, addressing a sangat darshan programme at Bharri village on Friday said Rs 5.30 crore were being spent on various development projects in the district. He said unemployed youths would be given training to start their own workshops at various focal points and they would be provided loans at low rate of interest. He distributed cheques of Rs 5 lakh for rural development to different panchayats.

HOSHIARPUR
THIEVES ARRESTED: The police arrested Raj Kumar and Hira Lal here and recovered Rs 85,000 and gold ornaments. Mr R.P. Mittal, SSP, Hoshiarpur, said they were wanted in at least 12 cases of theft.

KILLED: Yudhvir Handa (35) of Bazaar Vakilan was crushed by an oil tanker on Una Road here on Friday. A case has been registered.

MALERKOTLA
POWER CUTS: Resentment prevails among local citizens over frequent undeclared power cuts. Mr Madan Mohan Angrish, patron of the local Citizens’ Welfare Council, has demanded regular power supply.

NAWANSHAHR
RESENTMENT: Resentment prevails among school teaches working under the Operation Black Board in Government Middle Schools here as they have not been paid salary for the past three months.

PHARMACISTS: Resentment prevails among the unemployed pharmacists over the dilly-dallying attitude of the state government to start recruitment even though it had invited applications in 1997. Mr Deepak Sharda and Mr Madhusudan Duggal, spokespersons of the Berozgaar Pharmacists Association said they would launch a stir if the government did not change its attitude.

ORGANISED: A medical camp was held at St Soldier Paradise Public School, Dhakoli, Zorakpur. Birg M.L. Kataria and a team of doctors including Dr Narinder Sandhu and Dr Shakuntala Duggal attended the camp. Consultation, laboratory and ECG services were rendered to approximately 300 citizens of the area and over 200 students of the school. About 300 laboratory tests and 150 ECG were done. The camp was organised by the Principal, Ms Subhash Dutta, and school staff. The camp was inaugurated by Sardar Sher Singh Sidhu, SDM Dera Bassi.

CHANDIGARH

CAMP ORGANISED: A camp on AIDS awareness for 40 jail inmates at Burail was organised by the Indian Council of Social Welfare in collaboration with the local unit of the State AIDS Control Society. The resource persons at the camp included Dr Wadhera, Dr Chanderkant, Dr Ajit Saroha and Manjit. A play on AIDS was also shown. The honorary general secretary, Ms Shrestha Mehta, distributed eatables to the inmates. 

RALLY: A rally by the members of the Super Bazar Employees Joint Action Committee was held at the head office in Sector 22 to protest against non-payment of salary. The union urged the Administration to review the recommendations of the Registrar, Cooperative Societies, to liquidate the super bazars or give liberal funds to run it effectively. It was decided to hold a rally everyday outside the head office in support of the demands. A joint action committee with members of the three active unions of the super bazar has been formed. 

BSP HOLD RALLY: The women’s cell of the Bahujan Samaj Party has decided to hold a rally on August 21 at the parade ground to press for raising of SC, ST, BC and OBC quota of women in legislative assemblies to 50 per cent. A memorandum will be submitted to the President of India through the Chandigarh Administration. The rally will be flagged off by Ms Bishan Devi and will be addressed by Ms Ajit Singh Bains, Ms Maina Devi and will conclude at the Matka Chowk. 

STRIKE: The relay fast started by the workers of the Administration and the employees of the municipal corporation entered the 127th day, here today. The co-convenor, Mr Rakesh Kumar, appealed to the Administration to implement the agreement and appealed to the workers to unite for the success of the strike. 

TABLEAUX: The Shri Sanatan Dharam Adhyan Kendra will celebrate Shri Krishan Janamashtami on August 23 at the Sanatan Dharma Mandir in Sector 15. A tableaux on the life of Lord Krishna will be exhibited on August 22. 

CONDEMNED: Ajay Jagga, President, Janata Party City unit, has condemned the hike in petrol price in city, and poor handling of the taxation structure by the oil companies which is penalising the citizens of Chandigarh. In the present situation the petrol is most expensive in Chandigarh because the oil companies don’t have their reservoirs in city. The petrol is released either from Punjab or Haryana to Chandigarh, by charging 4 per cent central sales tax and that is the reason why petrol is most expensive here. 

MEETING: The Bhartiya Valmiki Sabha held its meeting here under the presidentship of Mr Karnail Singh Sahota. The meeting unanimously condemned the decision to abolish 12.5 per cent reservation offered to Valmiki and Mazhbi Sikhs. In a press note Mr Sahota urged all members of the Bhartiya Valmiki Sabha as well as other organisations belonging to Valmiki and Mazhbi community to protest against this decision. 

WOMEN RALLY: The Bahujan Samaj Partys Istri Wing are organising a women rally on August 21 at 10 a.m. from Parade ground, Sector 17, to urge the Union Government to provide 50 per cent quota within the quota for SC, ST, BC and Minority communities women. More than 80 per cent women of these communities are still illiterate. No legislation so far has helped them due to shortcomings in the implementation since Independence. Therefore it is imperative that separate 50 per cent reservation be given to them within the 33 per cent quota for women in the Women Reservation Bill for providing reservation in legislatures so that they can also safeguard and protect their rights and ensure better implementation as they have no share in administrative and managerial jobs so far. 

MEETING: A meeting of Muslim associations of Punjab Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh to discuss the malpractices and corruption in the Punjab Wakf Board was held here today. Speakers of various Muslim organisations spoke against the corruption and malpractices of the employees of the Wakf board. The graveyards of Muslims are being leased to non-muslims and muslims of the area are being deprived of the burial of their dead body. The National Muslim Welfare Movement, Chandigarh, and Punjab State Muslim Welfare Association has jointly decided to stage a dharna at the head office of the Punjab Wakf Board, Ambala, on August 28. 

HARYANA

HISAR
ARRESTED: The police arrested Manjit Singh, who headed a gang of dacoits near Hansi on Thursday. The SP said his other gang member who were involved in many dacoits in the district had already been arrested. 

NABBED: The CIA staff arrested Desraj, member of a gang of vehicle thieves, at the local auto market in Thursday when he was trying to sell a stolen Maruti car. Three members of the gang have already been arrested.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

STRIKE CONTINUES: Lawyers here continued strike for the fourth day on Saturday in protest against an amendment made to the HP Land Revenue Act. They abstained from the courts and asked government for the immediate withdrawal of the amendment.