The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, August 25, 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
SKATING CHAMPIONSHIP: The Amritsar Roller Skaters Association will organise an open district roller skating championship on August 26 and 27 at Manav Public School. Nearly 400 skaters from schools of the district are expected to participate. The championship will, for the first time, include “figure skating” as one of the events.

CONSUMER PROTECTION: A Consumer Rights Protection Society has been set up here to settle complaints of consumers. Mr Hari Krishan Gandotra and Mr Baldev Raj Preenja have been elected its president and general secretary, respectively.

BATHINDA
FRUIT VENDORS: The Hath Rehri Union (HRU) has urged the government to take action against the municipal council which is “not allowing” fruit vendors to sell fruits on the allotted land. This was stated by Mr Ram Ditta, president, HRU, in a press note issued here on Wednesday. He said traders had been selling fruits at Shastri Market for the past 25 years and the land was allotted to them by the District Sessions Judge.

CAMPAIGN: The Divine Eye Research Foundation (DERF) will start a two-week eye-donation campaign in the district to promote the eye donation movement among the people. In a press note issued here on Wednesday, Mr Rakesh Kumar Narula, president, DERF, said the campaign would start on August 25 and continue till September 8.

FARIDKOT
DC’S DIRECTIVE: Mr A. Venu Prasad, Deputy Commissioner, has directed all district officers to stop the forcible collection of funds in connection with the celebration of Baba Farid Agman Purab here next month. He said stern action would be taken against those who violate the orders. Mr Prasad was addressing a citizens’ meeting at his office here on Tuesday.

ARTIFICIAL LIMBS: A two-day free hearing-aid, and artificial limbs camp, organised by the Sewa Bharti in collaboration with the District Red Cross Limbs Centre, concluded here on Tuesday. As many as 127 handicapped persons were provided hearing-aid, wheelchairs and tricycles on the occasion. The Punjab Agriculture Minister, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, who was the chief guest, announced a grant of Rs 25,000 to the Sewa Bharti.

EYE CAMP: As many as 35 eye operations were performed and over 400 patients examined during a five-day free eye operation camp organised by the local National Youth Club in memory of the Kargil martyrs which concluded here on Tuesday. The Punjab Agriculture Minister, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, who was the chief guest, appealed to all voluntary organisations to arrange camps to eradicate cataract diseases. He also announced a grant of Rs 25,000 to the club.

GURDASPUR
HELD: Jagdish Raj, alias Rinku and Bodh Raj, alias Lahouri Mal, both of Sujanpur were arrested on Monday. With these arrests, a case of theft committed on August 20 at the residence of Ramesh Mahajan of Adarsh Colony, Sujanpur, has been solved. Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, in a press note issued on Wednesday said stolen goods worth Rs 50,000 were recovered from them.

KHARAR
MISHAP: Three foreign nationals were injured when the Sumo in which they were travelling hit a Punjab Roadways bus near Sahoran village on Kharar-Kurali road on Wednesday. The police has registered a case in this connection.

MALERKOTLA
POWER CUT: Residents of the local Lohtia Bazaar and the Old Municipal Committee area remained without power for about 13 hours on Tuesday. The local Citizens Welfare Council has appealed to the PSEB to ensure uninterrupted power supply and speedy attendance to the complaints of the people.

NAWANSHAHR
FUNDS RELEASED: The Transport Minister, Mr Raghuvir Singh, while presiding over a meeting of the District Development and Planning Board here on Tuesday released a sum of Rs 2.40 crore for carrying out various development and welfare activities in the district. Of this, Rs 93.41 lakh has been released for disbursing pensions, Rs 59.53 lakh for providing drinking water, Rs 48.82 lakh to the Zila Parishad and Rs 39 lakh under the united funds.

MEETING: A meeting of the District Legal Services Authority under the chairmanship of Mr M.M. Aggarwal, District Sessions Judge, was held here on Tuesday. He said 98 Lok Adalats had been held since 1991 and 1,278 applicants had been provided free legal services.

PATIALA
DISCRIMINATION: The Punjab Government College Teachers’ Association, on Wednesday expressed concern over the stepmotherly treatment given to the lecturers of government colleges by the UT Administration, by depriving them deputation. While IASs, PCSs and officers from other services are still being considered for appointments on deputation with the UT Administration, the teaching community is the only category being discriminated against, according to a press note by the teachers association here.

HAILED: Dr Harmanjit Singh, president of the Punjab Ayurvedic Medical Services Association, on Wednesday, welcomed the decision of the Punjab Government by which “drug licencing authority” has been given to the district Ayurvedic and Unani officers in the state. In a press note Dr Singh said the decision would check the corrupt practices which were a common thing while issuing a drug manufacturing licence. He also demanded that the authority who issue the various “No Objection Certificates”, maintains the G.P.F. and G.I.C. accounts and sanctions power of different loans should be transferred to the District Ayurvedic and Unani Officers immediately.

TROPHY: Budha Dal Cricket Academy (BDCA) beat NICS Academy (B) by one wicket in the `Club-16’ cricket trophy league match played at the BDCA sports complex here on Wednesday. Brief scores : NICS (B): 101 for 9 (Ankur Jund 29, Harshkaran Singh 20,Damanjit Singh 18, Upinder Singh 3 for 12, Navdeep Chandi 2 for 19, Rajwinder 2 for 13, Ravinder Kaler 1 for 13) BDCA: 102 for 8 (Upinder Singh 27, Simranjit Singh 12 n.o, Sumeet 11, Vishal 10, Amarpreet Singh 2 for 11, Sukhpreet 2 for 07, Ishpreet Singh 2 for 20, Harshkaran 1 for 14)

ELECTED: Mr Chajju Ram Sofat, a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal [SAD] working committee has been appointed as a non-official Director on the Board of Directors of the Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation (PUNSUP), according to a Punjab Government notification. Mr Sofat has been appointed for a term of one year.

MURDERED: Hardayal Singh, 45, was done to death at Sidhu farm in Jakatpura village in Sanaur block, near here, on Wednesday. He is suspected to have been murdered by 4 to 5 persons and one Avtar Singh, a chowkidar of Sidhu farm, has been identified as the main suspect, as per the FIR registered at the Sadar police station. Avtar Singh was assisted by 4 accomplices. The local police is still investigating the case.

AWARD: The National Theatre Arts Society (NTAS), Patiala, on Thursday conferred ‘Rajiv Award’ on their artiste Vijay Shah, a singer and guitarist who is leaving India on a two-month cultural trip to the United Kingdom, Canada and the USA. The function, coincided with the commemoration of Rajiv Gandhi’s 56th birth anniversary.

PHAGWARA
CASE REGISTERED: Mr Satinder Singh, DSP, told mediapersons here on Wednesday that a complaint regarding forcible entry into the house of Ms Kamla at Palahigate on August 18 was lodged by her on Tuesday. In her complaint, she alleged that the armed intruders, who were in police uniform, decamped with Rs 9.75 lakh, besides jewellery. A case has been registered.

ROBBERY FOILED: Mr Vishesh Lamba, a chemist, foiled a bid by two armed persons to loot his shop at gun point here on Thursday. He, along with a friend overpowered one of them while the other escaped on his motor cycle. The nabbed person was later handed over to the police.

TARN TARAN
ULTIMATUM: The Mulazam Action Committee, Patti, in a memorandum submitted to the local civil administration on Wednesday issued an ultimatum to it up to August 30 seeking legal action against a journalist of a Jalandhar-based daily, who allegedly manhandled a teacher during working hours.

ELECTROCUTED: Seventy-year-old Chanan Singh of Banka village was electrocuted to death allegedly by his relatives on Tuesday. A case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered. The suspects are absconding.

HARYANA

AMBALA
AUCTIONED: The Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar, is going to auction 16 residential plots on August 30. The plots are located close to the nullah in the Housing Board Colony. The plots sizes vary from 110 to 115 square yard: The auction will take place on August 30 at 10 a.m. in the Community Centre, Housing Board. The bidders will have to deposit Rs 20,000 before participating in the auction. While the sum will be returned to the unsuccessful bidders, the successful bidders will have to deposit 25 per cent of the bid at the spot. The remaining amount will have to be deposited within 30 days. The remaining conditions will be announced at the spot, an official said.

SEIZED: The police seized 15.4 kg of poppy husk from a woman belonging to Punjab here on Thursday. According to the police report when the woman was crossing the over-bridge at Ambala Cantt the police nabbed her on a tip off. The woman had been identified as Munni Devi of Ludhiana. The police registered a case under NDPS act and has arrested her.

VISIT: The Haryana Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala, will be visiting Ambala on August 27. The Deputy Commissioner of Ambala, Mr Ram Niwas, said that Mr Chautala will lay the foundation stone of a dharamshala at the Civil Hospital, Ambala City, inaugurate the Old Age Home and Vikas Vihar community hall. He said the community hall is a Rs 24 lakh project while the dharamshala is going to be built at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. The old age home was built at a cost of Rs 65 lakh.

DEMANDED: The Cantonment Board member, Mr Umesh Sahni, has demanded that the Church Road should be constructed up to Park Road in Ambala Cantonment. He said with the construction of the road, a number of the people who have to travel to the Income Tax office or go to the Cantonment Board and the residents of BC Bazar will benefit from the road, a press note said. Mr Sahni stated that the Defence Minister, through the efforts of the Ambala Cantonment MLA, Mr Anil Vij, has agreed for the construction of BI Mess Road and the Church Road which falls in ward no. 3 of the Cantonment Board.

BODY FOUND: The body of a child was found in John Sahab Ki Diggi near the Housing Board in Ambala cantonment on Wednesday. The dead child was found floating in John Sahab Ki Diggi. The child is yet to be identified and is suspected to have died about a week back. The body had deteriorated to a large extent so the body was sent to Rohtak for forensic examination.

HISAR
ARRESTED: Sunil and Geji, of Rewarikhera village, involved in a murder and dacoity at Jui town of Bhiwani, were arrested from Majra Chowk near Narnaund on Tuesday. A country-made pistol and three cartridges were seized from them. The two, along with Satbir, a resident of Rewarikhera and Baljeet, a resident of Bhaini Badshahpur village on the district, had killed Surender Tiwari, treasurer of a petrol station, after looting Rs 2.50 lakh on June 26.

JAIL ADALAT: The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sanjeev Kumar, held a jail adalat at the local Central Jail here on Tuesday. He decided 16 cases of petty offences relating to theft, illicit liquor and the Railway Act and acquitted nine undertrials on the spot. This was the fourth jail adalat held on the direction of the apex court.

JIND
LINEMAN KILLED: A lineman of the Haryana Vidyut Parsaran Nigam, Ram Sharma, died after he fell from an electric pole near Dhatrath village on Tuesday while repairing a fault.

PANIPAT
HOUSE TAX: Despite the 20 per cent rebate on house tax allowed from July 24 to August 22, Rs 40.22 lakh has been collected as house tax. This was stated by Mr S.K. Vats, Executive Officer, Nagar Parishad, here on Wednesday. He said house tax dues of Rs 19 lakh were due from government departments.

REWARI
PROJECTS SANCTIONED: The Haryana Government has sanctioned 733 projects costing about Rs 160 crore for the augmentation of water supply in rural and urban areas and for the improvement of sewerage system in urban areas of the state. This was stated by Mr R.S. Verma, Chief Secretary, Haryana, while inaugurating a Rs 20.40 lakh water-supply scheme at Beriawas village, near here, on Tuesday.

FAST BROKEN: Mr Vijay Saini and his two associates — Gurcharan and Gopal Dass — ended their eight-day-old fast at Moti Chowk here on Tuesday. They were offered juice by Congress legislator, Rao Inderjeet Singh and Mrs Sushma Bathla Councillor.

SONEPAT
RAIDED: The police raided a dhaba on the G.T. Road near Bhigan village, about 10 km from here, on Wednesday and arrested 10 persons on the charge of gambling. The raiding party recovered Rs 25,000 from the spot. A case under the Gambling Act has been registered.

KILLED: A woman was killed and two others were injured when their scooter was hit by a Haryana Roadways bus of the Karnal depot on the G.T.Road near Bahalgarh village, about 10 km from here, on Wednesday. The injured have been hospitalised.

PROMOTED: The Haryana Government has promoted Mr Mahesh Sardana, District Programme Officer of the Public Relations Department, Assistant Public Relations Officer and posted him at Kaithal with immediate effect.