R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMLOH
MEETING: A joint meeting of village nambardars and chowkidars of Amloh sub-division will be held in the tehsil complex here on Saturday to discuss their problems, according to Mr Sohan Lal Nambardar of Annian village. 

BARNALA
PLANTATION DRIVE: Mr Paramjit Singh Khalsa, general secretary, Akali Dal (Amritsar), and Baba Tek Singh, district president of the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD), Sangrur, on Tuesday inaugurated a sapling-plantation drive initiated by the NSS unit of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Dhanaula, by planting two saplings on the school campus. Mr Khalsa also gave a cheque for Rs 1 lakh to Mrs Raksha Singla, Principal, on behalf of Mr Simranjit Singh Mann, MP, from the MP’s Local Area Development Fund for the construction of a new building of girls school near Ramsar Gurudwara.

DEMANDED: A delegation of Dhanaula residents, led by Mr Sukhwant Singh Dhanaula, vice-president of the state unit of the BJP, called upon Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister, and Mr Sat Pal Mahajan, Chairman, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, at Chandigarh on Monday. They wanted to get the defective sewerage system of Dhanaula improved.

FARIDKOT
SANGAT DARSHAN: The district administration has decided to hold sangat darshan on the second Monday of each month to resolve the problems of the ex-servicemen in the district. The first programme in this connection will be held at the local Sainik Rest House on August 13. This was stated by Mr A.Venu Prasad, Deputy Commissioner, here on Tuesday.

JAGRAON
DHARNA: DIET Students Welfare Association organised a dharna in front of their institution on Tuesday in support of their members who were on indefinite fast in Chandigarh. The students were demanding employment of ETT students and a stop to appointment of B.Ed qualified persons against the post. They also presented a memorandum to the SDM. 

KHAMANO
ONE HELD: A satta operator, Balwinder Singh, a local resident, has been arrested by the Khamano police from Sanghol, near here. A sum of Rs 165 was recovered from him on the spot. He has been booked under the Gambling Act. 

MEET: A bank-public meet was organised here by the Khamano branch of Fatehgarh Sahib Central Cooperative Bank. Bankers gave details about new schemes to the people gathered on the occasion. They claimed that the rate of interest offered by their bank on saving account was higher than that offered by other banks and the money could be transacted there up to 4 pm. 

LUDHIANA
SENTENCED: The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr G.R. Banyal, has convicted Ajay Vikas Singh, a resident of Garewal Colony, Haibowal Kalan, and sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for possessing 1.4 kg opium. Mr Banyal also ordered the accused to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh. In default of payment he will have to further undergo imprisonment of one year. 

RALLY: The Democratic Teachers Front, Punjab, organised a victory rally at the mini-secretariat to celebrate the cancellation of transfer order passed against Mr Gurpreet Singh, Punjabi teacher posted at Government Middle School, Alaur. Several teachers, students and villagers, including panchayat members, participated in the rally. Stating this in a press note, Mr Joginder Azad, district secretary, said the District Education Department had ordered transfer of the teacher in July. However, following a persistent demand of the association, students, staff and villagers with the State Education Department, the order was cancelled on Monday.

TRAINING CAMP: The Department of Agriculture will organise a one-day training camp for farmers at Sahnewal on Wednesday. According to Dr Gurcharan Singh Rajajung, Chief Agriculture Officer, farm experts would interact with the farmers and discuss various problems faced by them during cultivation of kharif crops. 

COMPLAINT: Ms Anita Darshi, Assistant Commissioner (Complaints), listened complaints of residents of the Iqbal Ganj locality in the city against the local Cable TV Network. The residents complained that their cable connections were disconnected for the past six months, simply because they had asked for proper receipts against payments made by them to the network. The area councillor, Mr Om Parkash Angrish, who accompanied the residents, demanded that Siti Cable - Cable TV Network, should maintain a complaint register since it was a service industry and the operators should be answerable to the public and should take necessary steps to rectify the complaints within a fixed time frame. 

IMPRISONMENT: Mr G.S. Sran, Additional Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, has convicted Dukhi Ram, a resident of the Daba road, Fauji Da Vehra, and sentenced him to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for raping a 19-year old girl. He also imposed a fine of Rs 1000. In default of payment of the fine, the accused will have to undergo further imprisonment of three months. 

MALERKOTLA
PENALTY IMPOSED: The PSEB authorities (Malerkotla division) inspected 25 industrial units on Monday and imposed a penalty of Rs 1,25,000 on consumers having unauthorised load.

MANDI GOBINDGARH
CONFERENCE: The district unit of the Mahila Congress, Fatehgarh Sahib, has decided to hold block-level conferences in the district. Ms Prem Lata, its district president, said here on Tuesday that a conference would be held at Raillon village on Friday at 10 a.m. to activate its women wing. A cultural programme will also be held. 

PATHANKOT
DEMONSTRATION: The Government Teachers Union, Gurdaspur, will hold a demonstration against the indifferent attitude of District Education Officers primary and secondary here on July 20. This was stated by Mr Subhash Sharma, joint secretary of the union.

PATIALA
VARSITY RESULTS: The result of MSc Forensic Science, Statistics, Microbiology and Food Technology, (all Part I) and MA (Part I) of Sociology and Religious Studies were declared here on Tuesday by Punjabi University. Giving this information, Mr R.K. Sharma, Joint Controller of Examinations, said result of MA Hindi (Part II) would be declared on Wednesday. 

CHOKED SEWER PIPES: Residents of the LIG alleged that heavy downpour in the past few days has played havoc as dirty water from choked sewer pipes has flooded their houses, causing a lot of inconvenience to the residents of the Urban Estate, Phase I. Issuing a press note, the LIG Residents’ Welfare Association president, Mr Krishan Lal Toor, claimed that despite repeated representation to the authorities, sewer system of their houses had not been improved. The association has met the SDO, PUDA, at least four times but all in vain. Mr Toor said their failure was attributed to the non-availability of any engine machine fitted with latest technology. The association also informed that even the tarmac used for carpeting streets was of poor quality and required recarpeting again. 

CONSUMER MEETING DAY: A Consumer Meeting Day was celebrated by Patiala Central Co-operative Bank, Rakhra branch, here on Tuesday. Speaking on the occasion, the branch Manager highlighted the activities initiated by the bank for helping the farmers. The Kisan Credit Card Scheme and the newly introduced Mini Dairy Scheme was also emphasised on the occasion. The farmers, dealers, businessmen, sarpanches and presidents of different colonies appreciated the schemes initiated by the bank in favour of farmers and other associated people. 

SAMRALA
SUICIDE: A middle-aged woman committed suicide by jumping into the Sirhind canal at the Neelon bridge here on Tuesday. According to ASI Darshan Singh, in charge, Neelon, Devi Dayal Sharma, kabaddi player, took out the body from the canal. The police sent the body to the local Civil Hospital for post-mortem. A telephone number of Hisar is also found along with the body. 

CHANDIGARH

NOMINATED: Mrs Amarjit Kaur Bhullar, president of the Istri Wing, Shiromani Akali Dal, Chandigarh, has been nominated as member of the Telephone Advisory Committee, Chandigarh, for two years till April 30, 2003, by the Union Ministry of Communication. 

TRAINING IMPARTED: The Indian Council for Child Welfare on Tuesday stated that it had imparted training to 40 village rehabilitation workers, who had been undergoing training under the National Programme of Rehabilitation of Persons at the Resource Centre, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, for the past one month. A press note issued by honorary secretary of the council said the rehabilitation workers were given practical training at the Prayaas Rehabilitation Centre for Handicapped Children, Sector 38. It said demonstration in the departments of speech therapy, physiotherapy, play therapy, teaching, I.Q. testing and counselling was also given to the workers in four batches. 

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the All-India Megh Sabha: president — Mr Viru Mal; senior vice-president — Mr R.C. Bhagat; vice-presidents — Mr Inderjit Megh and Ms Vijay Lakshmi Roozam; general secretary — Dr Surender Pal Bhagat; and cashier — Mr Hem Raj. 

OFFICE BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Shri Hari Mandir Committee Welfare Society, Sector 12, PGI Campus: president — Mr R.K. Khanchi; vice-president — Mr B.L. Vaish; general secretary — Mr Swaran Singh; joint secretary — Mr Shubh Karan; and cashier — Mr S.D. Rana. 

INTERNET GATEWAY: The city will get its first private international Internet gateway on Wednesday. SAB Infotech, which runs its services under the name of Glide, will launch its gateway. The services will be formally inaugurated by the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd.). At the moment, Internet users in the city and its surrounding areas are routed through either Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited gateway or the Software Technology Park gateway. The latter is for institutional users. 

STRIKE: Over 5.5 lakh workers, employed with Defence production units, will observe a 48-hour strike from Monday in protest against the government’s decision to privatise government owned Defence factories and to allow limited foreign investment. A joint statement issued by various Defence civilian workers federations, including the AIDEF, the INDWF and the BPMS here on Tuesday said their demands included reversal of the aforesaid decision, taking measures to ensure full utilisation of the capacity of Defence production factories, stop downsising and filling up of vacant posts. 

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers: chairman — Mr D.P. Goel; secretary — Mr R.C. Arora; treasurer — Mr A.K. Paul and executive members — Mr A.K. Dimri, Dr R.S. Prasad, Dr S.V. Rama Gopal, Mr C. Ghansham, Mr Yaduvir Singh, Mr G.S. Singh and Wg Cdr P. Prabhakar. 

HAILED: The Sweepers Union Chandigarh of the MC and the Chandigarh Pradesh Valmiki Sabha in separate meetings on Monday have hailed the nomination of Mr Kesho Ram, chairman sweeper union of the MC, as the coordinator of the local unit of the Akhil Bhartiya Safai Mazdoor Congress. The union and Valmiki Sabha members have expressed their gratitude to former Union Minister and national president of the Mazdoor Congress, Mr Buta Singh, and general secretary of Mazdoor Congress, Mr Vir Singh Dhingan. The union in its meeting held under the presidentship of Mr Zile Singh unanimously decided to lend total support to Mr Kesho Ram for undertaking welfare works of the safai karamcharis. The general secretary of the Valmiki Sabha, Mr B.R. Tisawar, has also thanked Mr Vinod Kumar Bechan, general secretary of the UP unit, for supporting the nomination of Mr Kesho Ram to the post. He, on behalf of other members, hoped that he would work for the betterment of the safai karamcharis. 

HARYANA

NARNAUL
SEMINAR HELD: The Deputy Commissioner inaugurated a seminar on heart diseases and their cure organised by the Narnaul unit of the Bharat Vikas Parishad here on Monday. A cardiologist, Dr Sumit Yadav, from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, highlighted measures to prevent heart diseases.

PINJORE
DEMAND: The Dhanak Samaj Agitation Morcha has demanded installation of a statue of Sant Kabir at the local bus stand. The morcha spokesman said a delegation of the morcha will meet the Governor of Haryana on Wednesday to pursue its demand. 

REWARI
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the managing committee of Kishan Lal Public College: president — Mr Davendra Kumar Jain; vice-president — Mr Brij Lal Goyal; secretary — Mr Rattan Lal Agarwal; and treasurer — Mr Ashok Kumar Sharma.

SONEPAT
HELD FOR TAKING BRIBE: Raj Kumar Dahiya, a junior engineer with the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, was caught red-handed by officials of the Vigilance Department while taking a bribe of Rs 1,000 from Mr Kuldeep Singh of Shershah village in his office at Kundli village on Monday. A case under the Anti-Corruption Act has been registered.

ADDITIONAL BUSES: The Haryana Roadways has started plying additional buses from Sonepat to Hardwar. According to official sources, the step has been taken on the demand of devotees visiting Hardwar.

SIRSA
LOANS GIVEN: Loans amounting to Rs 3.92 crore were provided to 980 women living below poverty line for self-employment through different banks during the last financial year. This year, the target is Rs 3.60 crore. This was stated by the Deputy Commissioner. Mr Ankur Gupta, here on Tuesday.

LIQUOR SEIZED: A team of the Excise and Taxation Department seized 3,800 pouches of liquor from a school van. The school authorities denied any connection with the vehicle, saying their contract with the vehicle had ended in last April. The van has been impounded and a case registered under the Excise Act.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

HELPLINE: The Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, has set up a helpline in the university for fruit growers. Dr R.P. Awasthi, Vice-Chancellor, said this while presiding over the celebrations of Mango Day at Indora in the subdivision on Monday. The growers could seek advice regarding their problems by telephone on the first and third Monday of every month, he said.