R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

DERA BASSI
MUSICAL EVENING: The local unit of Bharat Vikas Parishad will organise a musical event at the SS Jain Girls Senior Secondary School on Saturday evening. The song and drama division of Chandigarh will perform at the function. Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Finance and Planning Minister of Punjab will be the chief guest, said Mr Sushil Vyas, president of the unit.

GURDASPUR
SEMINAR: Dr Paramjit Singh Bagga, Plant Pathologist, Punjab Agriculture University Regional Research Station, here will participate in the Sixth European Fusarium Seminar, 2000, and the third Cost 835 Workshop being organised by the Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry and Free University of Berlin, Germany, from September 11 to 16.

ARRESTED: The police on Wednesday arrested Kuldip Singh on the charge of cheating. Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, said the accused had taken a VCR and a video-cassette on rent from a shopkeeper at Dhariwal and given him a wrong address. The police, on a complaint by the shopkeeper, started investigations and recovered the goods.

JALANDHAR
HEALTH CAMP: To inculcate healthy habits and increase awareness about AIDS among youths, a health camp-cum-exhibition was organised at the local Army School on Thursday. Brig A.K. Bakshi, Commandant, Military Hospital, inaugurated.

LUDHIANA
VACCINATION CAMP: The Health Education Cell of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital will organise a Hepatitis B vaccination camp in the Dumra Auditorium on Friday. Dr G.S. Wander, Medical Superintendent, informed that those who were vaccinated for the first time of the second camp should bring their registration cards to get the second dose. Those who want to get vaccinated for the first time could also benefit from the camp. The vaccination charges would be Rs 100 and Rs 50. Dr Rajoo China, Convener, Health Education Cell said that Hepatitis B was as dangerous as AIDS and every four out of 100 people in Ludhiana suffered from it.

REINSTATED: Ms Saroj Sharma, a teacher of Punjab Agricultural University, who was suspended in January, 1999, was reinstated on Wednesday. The Vice-Chancellor after considering the inquiry report submitted by Mr V.K. Sharma ordered to reinstate her with immediate effect.

MACHHIWARA
CONDEMNED: The people living in the adjoining villages like Ghumana, Mahal Ghumana, Fatehgarh Jattan, Boothgarh and Satiana are reported to be in deep trouble over the improper functioning of telephone lines. According to the consumers, telephone sets in their houses are no more than mere showpieces. On repeated requests to the higher authorities at Sahnewal and Ludhiana, an official had visited these villages and an employee was supposed to get all the faults corrected, but the employee did not turn up again, they said.

OPIUM SEIZED: In an anti-drug mission launched by the SHO, Machhiwara, Mr Rajesh Hasteer, the police was able to arrest a smuggler with 1.42 kg of opium. According to Mr Susheel Kumar, DSP, Samrala, the accused, Mohammad Akram, used to supply opium by going from village to village. The police had been searching the accused for the past five days after getting information from its sources. A case has been registered.

CLUB FORMED: A meeting of the representatives of different sports clubs of the town was held on Wednesday in the local Janj Ghar. At the meeting a decision to merge all these clubs into a single club was taken. The new formed club is named as Shree Charan Kanwal Sports Club, Machhiwara. The office-bearers of this club are: patron — Mr Rupinder Singh Benipal; president — Mr Karamjit Singh Gill; senior vice-presidents — Mr Kamaljit Singh Batra; Mr Jaspal Jajj and Pritpaul Singh Nagra; secretary — Mr Sukhdev Singh Gill; joint secretary — Mr Ravinder Singh; cashiers — Mr Kanwardeep Singh and Karanveer Singh; and executive members Mr Jeeti Pehalwan and Mr Jeet Ram.

NAWANSHAHR
SAPLINGS PLANTED: The local Ralla Mall DAV Public School organised a plantation drive on the school premises here on Wednesday. Mr Pritam Singh Johal, SDM, inaugurated the drive. About 200 saplings were planted by schoolchildren.

MEDICAL CAMP: Mr Hardev Singh Kahma, vice-president, Guru Nanak Mission Medical and Educational Trust, Dhahankaleran, inaugurated a free medical camp at Nanak Nirwair Sach Khand Dham Gurdwara, Balachaur, about 20 km from here, on Tuesday. Medicines were distributed to about 500 patients free of cost.

AWARD: The National Literacy Mission, New Delhi, has adjudged Nawanshahr as the best performing district regarding literacy campaign in the country. It will be awarded the Satyen Maitra Memorial Literacy Award on September 8 (World Literacy Day) by Vice-President Krishan Kant at a national-level function at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.

COMPUTERISATION: Dr Roshan Sunkaria, Deputy Commissioner, inaugurated the computerisation of land registration work at Banga sub-tehsil, about 13 km from here, on Wednesday.

CASE REGISTERED: The local police has registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC and the Anti-Corruption Act against Paramjeet, a local merchant. The district police chief said on Wednesday that Paramjeet allegedly received Rs 40,000 in the name of a judge from Gurdeep Singh of Khalipur, who was convicted in a case. Gurdeep had filed a review petition in a lower court and its hearing and decision was fixed for August 7 and 9, respectively.

PATIALA
STUDENT EXCELS: Master V.P. Chauhan, a class IX student from Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 3 bagged the third position in the National Children Science Congress (NCSC) of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. He has been further selected to participate in the Open National from Chandigarh Region to be held in November.

CAMP: Dr Sukhdip S. Boparai and his team of doctors from Patiala Eye Hospital will hold a free eye operation camp at Dudhian village, near Patran on Saturday. The Malwa Gramin Bank, Moonak, will provide free food and spectacles to the patients.

CONGRESS GRASS: The residents of Rajpura colony, on Thursday, complained about the spread of Congrees grass or Parthenium hysleropharous L, which has invaded the colony’s 550 quarters. A meeting of the joint Action Committee Government Quarters, under the presidentship of Mr Sanjiv Walia, demanded that this spreading grass should be cut and destroyed properly. The members of the committee also appealed to the district administration, the Municipal Corporation and the authorities of PWD (B&R) to take the matter seriously and save the colony residents from diseases like skin allergy and incurable breathing trouble, according to a press note here. Mr Narotam Singh, senior member of the committee, said despite several appeals to the local administrator nothing has been done so far to remove the grasses from the locality.

SAMRALA
CASE: The next date of hearing of pensions and gratuity case taken up by the non-government retired college teachers will be heard on October 6 by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Prof B.S. Pannu, Press Secretary of the Non-Government Retired Colleges Teachers Forum, said here on Wednesday.

VANMAHOTSAVA: The vanamahotsava will be celebrated on the premises of the local Punsup office on Saturday and Mr Bhag Singh, Chairman of Punsup, will plant 600 saplings in the Punsup complex, Mr P.L. Sinha, District Manager, said here on Wednesday. Mr Bhag Singh will also hear complaints of the public against the Punsup.

STRIKE: All the Class III employees of the local telephone exchange observed a strike for the second day on Thursday in response to the call given by the All-India Telecom Employees Union. Class III, Group D and all the other employees staged a dharna in front of the office. Addressing a rally, the branch Secertary, Mr Balwant Singh, said the strike would continue till their demands were accepted.

CHANDIGARH

DHARNA: Members of the Telecom Engineering Officers Association, Chandigarh on Thursday, held a dharna against the corporatisation of DTS in favour of their demands. The demonstration was addressed by Mr Yoginderjit Singh Sodhi, district secretary and Mr Amarjit Singh, president of the association.

APPOINTED: The following have been elected the office-bearers of the Government Museum and Art Gallery Employees Welfare Association (Ministerial): president — Mr V.K. Godwal; vice-president — Ms Vilka Bamba; general secretary — Mr Vijay Kumar; and cashier — Mr Shiv Kaushal.

JAGRAN: The members of Jai Durga Nav Yuvak Club, Sector 24, will organises the second annual Bhagwati jagran on Saturday. Mr P.C. Kashyap, Regional Director, Sports Authority of India will be the chief guest, said Mr Surjit Gill, general secretary of the club.

SUPPORT: The members of the Coordination Committee of Government UT Teachers have decided to support Mr Vijay Kumar, who is contesting from registered graduate constituency for the Punjab University Senate Election. This was disclosed by Mr Savinder Singh, convener of the committee.

SPORT MEET: The State Bank of India, Punjab University branch, organised a Sports Competition in Government High School, Sector 24, here on Thursday. Various sports competitions, including long jump, high jump and volley ball matches were organised under the Community Services Banking Activities. Mr B.S. Ratol, the Chief Manager of the branch, also distributed 16 sports kits to the students on this occasion.

TEACHERS DAY: The Lions Club, Chandigarh Supreme, will organise Teachers Day in Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 45, on Friday. Ms Shanta Hitabhilashi, Mayor of Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, will be the chief guest, said Mr K.K. Bansal, secretary of the club.

RALLY: A large number of members of the Punjab Mulazam Sangarsh Committee held a rally near Bridge Market in Sector 17 here on Thursday. The protesters were demanding restoration of allowances which has been withdrawn recently, introduction of higher scales after 4, 9 and 14 years of service on the pattern of PCS officers, regularisation of daily-wage workers on the Haryana pattern and some other demands. The rally was addressed by different union leaders.

HARYANA

AMBALA
AWARD: Vikesh Nijhawan, a Haryana Sahitya Akademi awardee, will be honoured with the Rashtriya Hindi Sevi Sahastrabadi Samman in Delhi on September 17. He said the award would be given during the Millennium World Hindi Conference. He has written eight stories compilations, three poetry compilations, one short story compilation and one novel. Mr Nijhawan’s book Ab din nahin niklega and poetry compilation Ek tukda akash won him wide acclaim.

BUSTED: A satta centre of Ambala was busted on Wednesday by the district administration. Eight persons were nabbed from the satta centre. According to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ram Niwas, a district administration team, led by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr Mohinder Kumar, acting on a complaint, busted a satta centre near Vijay Cinema. Mr Ram Niwas said satta was a major racket, with lakhs of rupees being exchanged in the process. “Our effort is to ensure that such illegal activities are checked. As part of that effort, this satta centre was busted,” he said.

RECOVERED: Superintendent of Police, Ambala, Mr Navdeep Singh Virk, on Thursday, said in August goods worth Rs 6,06,192 were recovered from robbers by the police. Mr Virk said the area police has solved one dacoity and 13 break-ins. He said, acting on information about two persons carrying stolen items, the police recovered Rs 7,200 worth of stolen goods. The police under the Excise Act has recovered 35 bottles of country liquor and 12,225 liquor pouches during last month. Under the NDPS Act, 97 kg chura post was recovered and 18 persons were nabbed for gambling.

CAMP: A free eye camp will be organised at Monga hospital, Ambala cantonment from Friday to Sunday, as informed by Dr Tarsem Monga, Director of the hospital here on Thursday. He said Dr Arvind Sharma, eye Surgeon, would check the patients. In case of emergency the operation arrangements had also been made in the camp, he added.

CONVOCATION: The annual convocation function of Shri Atmanand Jain (PG) College, Ambala City of graduate and postgraduate students who have passed out from the college will take place on Sunday. Kurukshetra University Vice-Chancellor R.C. Chaudhary will be chief guest on the occasion, a release said.

MEETING: A meeting of the newly elected sarpanches of Ambala district was held under the chairmanship of SDM, S.S. Saini at Panchayat Bhavan. Mr Saini appealed to the sarpanches to ask every family member of their respective villages to contribute Re 1 only. This amount is to be deposited with the Block Development Officer, Ambala, which will be forwarded to Mr Mahinder Chaudhury, the deposed Prime Minister of Fiji as financial help and token of love, a release said.

HELPING HAND: The President of Giants Group of Ambala Central, Mr Rajeev Soni, on Thursday said the organisation had taken the decision to help in the upliftment of Government Primary School No.1, Ambala City. Mr Soni said, as part of that effort, Giants group was going to complete the building of two toilets in a week. Also, the meritorious students of the school were going to be awarded and in the future, the meritorious students would be given school uniform and books, a press note said.

YAMUNANAGAR
OPERATED: About 1,200 operations have been performed under the 20-point family welfare programme to control population and provide better health services to the masses. This was disclosed by Mr Rajeev Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, here on Wednesday.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

NAHAN
FLORICULTURE: To promote floriculture among farmers of Sirmaur district, Mr Rakesh Kaushal, Deputy Commissioner, on Thursday distributed lakh of Kisan Credit Cards to farmers worth Rs 6.35 lakh at Mohron near here.