The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, July 27, 2001, 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
DRUGS SEIZED: A large quantity of banned medicines was seized from Sagar Medicos and Ajanta Medical Store at Sharifpura and Maqbool Pura, respectively. This was stated by Dr Ajaib Singh Sandhu, Deputy Director-cum-Civil Surgeon, at a press conference here. The medical stores were raided on a tip-off. As many as 800 capsules of proxivon and 100 capsules of lomotil were seized from Sagar Medicos.

‘DHADI DARBAR’: A two-day ‘‘Dhadi darbar’’ by the Shri Guru Hargobind Sahib ShiromanI Dhadi Sabha, Amritsar, concluded on Wednesday, informed Mr Baldev Singh, president of the sabha. Executive Magistrate Jaspal Singh gave Rs 1.25 lakh on the occasion on behalf of the Punjab Government.

BATHINDA
CHECK-UP CAMP: The Divine Eye Research Foundation will organise a medical check-up camp at the slum near Shri Krishan Prem Sarovar in the city on July 27. Dr Narinder Bharti, a heart specialist, will examine patients and medicines will be given to them free of cost. This was slated by Mr Rakesh Kumar Narula, president of the foundation, in a press note issued here on Wednesday.

DC’s DIRECTION: Mr R. Venkatratnam, Deputy Commissioner, took a round of the city on Wednesday. Mr Gurtej Singh, SDM, Mr Kamal Kumar, Assistant Commissioner (general) and officials of the municipal council also accompanied him . The DC visited many localities and instructed the officials concerned to complete the work of laying sewers in the low-lying areas.

HOSHIARPUR
STRIKE: On the call of the National Federation of Telecom Employees, all Group C and D telecom employees observed a two hours’ tool down strike on Wednesday. Mr Onkar Singh Rana, secretary of the district unit of the AITEU, claimed that the strike was complete. It was held to protest against privatisation and abolition of vacant posts.

BLOOD DONATION CAMP: Col A.S. Jatana, Group Commander of the NCC, Jalandhar headquarters, inaugurated a blood donation camp organised by the NCC group and the district Red Cross Society on Wednesday. Colonel Jatana, Lieut Col R.P. Singh, Lieut Col B.S. Bhullar and senior division NCC cadets donated 60 units of blood.

JALANDHAR
MORCHA TO BEGIN STIR: The naya Morcha, Punjab, has decided to launch a stir against encroachments in the city. It alleged that the police authorities were hand in glove with encroachers. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Arun Sharma Pappu, president of the morcha, alleged that incidence of encroachment had increased in the city owing to a nexus between the police and politicians.

KHAMANO
WELFARE SCHEMES: Ms Satwant Kaur Sandhu, Minister for Printing and Stationery, while addressing people at a function held to mark the laying of foundation stone of periphery roads around Badesh Kalan and Raton villages, near here, said the SAD-BJP government had launched a number of schemes for the welfare of people. She said projects worth Rs 37 lakh and Rs 32 lakh had been started at Balamgarh village and Chamkaur Sahib, respectively, to purify water for drinking purpose. She alleged that the Congress had done nothing for Punjab in 40 years of its rule. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Gurdial Singh, chairman, Market Committee, said the 0.75 km road around Badesh Kalan village would be constructed at a cost of Rs 5 lakh. Mr Ram Singh Manderan brought to the notice of Ms Sandhu the sarpanch of Manderan village had diverted the grant of Rs 1 lakh, meant for water drainage system in Dalit Colony, and used it for building a nullah in front of the houses of his supporters. She assured him that the officials concerned would look into the matter. The SDM, Mr Nirbhai Singh, and other officials were also present at the function. OC SAPLINGS PLANTED: About 20 saplings were planted by the Nagar Panchayat to mark Vanamahotsava, as part of a drive launched by the Deputy Commissioner.

KHARAR
KILLED: Rajinder Singh, a resident of Charuan village, was killed after being knocked down by an unidentified vehicle near Mamupur village on the Kharar-Morinda road on Wednesday night. A case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC has been registered.

LUDHIANA
COMPETITION: An inter-school lecture competition, involving 16 schools of the city, would be held at the Arya Samaj bhavan at Dal Bazar from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Sunday. According to Mr Roshan Lal Arya, president of the Arya Sabha, all the participating schools have been assigned different topics for the lectures. The competition has been devised by the Ved Parchar Mandal of the Arya Samaj with a view to making school children aware of the rich Indian heritage and counter the current education system, which had been founded by Lord Macaulay to raise an army of clerks in British India. The competition is part of a larger programme to inculcate human qualities among the youth and the spread of Indian culture. Under the programme, at least 70 educational institutions are involved in vedic lecture competitions.

DEMONSTRATION: The PWD Field and Workshop Workers Union, would organise an effigy-burning demonstration on Monday in front of the Public Health Department’s circles I and II here, in protest against the police excesses on agitating daily wagers at Matka chowk in Chandigarh on Tuesday. In a press note here today, Mr Baljinder Singh Lohgarh, president of the union, condemned the police repression on peaceful agitating workers at Chandigarh and said as they had lost all faith in the Chief Minister regarding their demands, they would shortly send a charter of their demands to the Punjab Governor.

NEW COURSE: The Nursery Teachers Training Course has been introduced at the Devki Devi Jain College of Education in affiliation with the DAV College of Management, Communication and Educational Administration, New Delhi. Giving this information, Ms Chandra Mohini, Principal, said that the course would be a good option for students aspiring for BEd and other teaching courses.

TWO-DAY WORKSHOP: A two-day workshop on new teaching techniques will begin at Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, on July 28. More than 100 teachers will participate in the workshop during which discussions will be held on change in role of a teacher according to changes in philosophy of education, its objectives, materials, methods and technology, said Principal Helima. She said that the workshop would be a part of the year long in-service training programme which the school keeps organising for its staff.

MOGA
SUICIDE BY LOVERS: Jasbir Singh and Amandeep Kaur, respectively, of Dhudike and Malke villages, allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance on Wednesday. They were reportedly in love and wanted to get married. Their bodies have been sent for a postmortem.

REPAIR DEMANDED: Residents of the town urged the municipal council on Thursday to make arrangements for repair of all main roads dotted with potholes. The situation worsened during rainy season, they said. They threatened to launch an agitation if no repairs were carried out.

NAWANSHAHR
COMPLAIN: The residents of local Sharda Mohalla have complained that sudden fluctuations in the electricity voltage has damaged their electrical goods and no steps have been taken by the PSEB authorities for the past many days.

PATIALA
PLEA: The Truck Operators Union has alleged that the increased passing fees should be minimised failing which the union would be forced to hold strike. This was stated in a press note issued by the union here on Thursday. The note also criticised the recent meeting of the STC held in Jalandhar in which the decision to fine the over loaded truck was taken which the union condemned. It added that even the five-year permit fee in Punjab should be reduced.

OFFICE-BEARERS: Mr Ashok Kumar Bhardwaj has been nominated as vice-president of the Legal Cell of the BJP, District Patiala (Urban). The other-office bearers are: general secretary — Mr Surinder Mohan Singla; secretary — Mr Rakesh Garg; and cashier — Mr Sukhvir Singh Khansian.

CELEBRATION: The Teej festival was celebrated at the Baradari Officers Club here on Thursday. On the occasion, women applied ‘mehandi’ and sang folk songs. The occasion was graced by the presence of Mrs Bharti Reddy, wife of the Commissioner, Patiala division, and Mrs Ravinder Kaur Bir, wife of the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala.

PHAGWARA
CRUSHED TO DEATH: Minu Rani (26) was crushed to death under a bus near Khurampur village on the Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road on Wednesday. Minu was riding pillion on a motor cycle which was hit by a jeep. She fell down and the bus ran over her. The deceased was a resident of Partap Nagar, Ludhiana.

ELOCUTION CONTEST: The district police on Wednesday organised an inter-school elocution contest on ‘Drug abuse and health’. Ms Gurpreet Deo, SSP, Kapurthala, gave away cash prizes to winners at a function held at the local Arya Model Senior Secondary School.

MEDICAL PROGRAMME: The Indian Medical Association, Phagwara and IMA College of General Practitioners, Punjab Faculty, will organise a continuing medical education programme (CME-2001) on July 29 at Lilly Resort on the G.T. Road. This was stated by Dr S.P.S. Sooch and Dr G.B. Singh, organising chairman and secretary of the programme respectively, on Wednesday. Management of HIV infection was the theme of the programme, they added.

SAHNEWAL
THREE INJURED: All the three persons travelling in a car (PB-08-2035), Gurmit Kaur, Bhupinder Singh and Ravinder Kumar, were injured when the vehicle hit a truck (VP-14-C-7458) at Majara Chowk, near Sahnewal, on Wednesday. They were taken to a nearby hospital. The police has taken the truck along with its driver into custody and registered a case under Sections 279, 339 and 427 of the IPC.

SAMRALA
ONE KILLED: Gurdarshan Singh (40), a resident of Muktsar, was killed in a road accident on Wednesday near Neelon Bridge, 8 km from here. According to the police, the deceased was in his car when he lost control over it and hit a tree. The body was brought to the Civil Hospital and was handed over to its heirs after a post-mortem examination.

TARN TARAN
HEALTH EDUCATION CAMP: The local Parents Association organised a health education camp on Wednesday at Government Primary School, Bhullar, in the subdivision. Schoolchildren were examined and advised not to eat uncovered foodstuff.

CHANDIGARH

MEETING: Earnest efforts need to be made to preserve and document various performing and folk arts which are on the verge of extinction due to neglect, opined, the UT Administrator, J.F.R. Jacob (retd), while presiding over the governing body meeting of the North Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC). Speaking about the progress made by the Kalagram, the Governor said it had become functional despite financial constraints being faced by the NZCC. Till date Rs 3.25 crore have been spent on the project. Representatives of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh attended the meeting.

CELEBRATED: The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals celebrated vanamahotsava on its premises on Wednesday. A press note issued by the Veterinary Officer of the SPCA said, Mr R.S.Vasdev, president of the Lions Club Shivalik (Chandigarh), and Dr Y.P.C. Mehta, planted saplings of fruit and green trees.

BULL RESCUED: The Fire and Health Wing of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation on Wednesday rescued a bull which had been trapped in the main sewerage line laid in Sector 39, in the proximity of the Badheri petrol pump. The bull was rescued after being trapped for about five hours. According to reports, two bulls had been spotted fighting in the area at about 5 pm. Following a scuffle between the two animals, one of the bulls fell into the main sewerage line which leads up to Sector 42. The police informed the MC about the trapped bull. When contacted, Mr S.K.Gosain, Station Fire Officer, informed that the rescue team reached the spot at about 5.35 pm. “We were also accompanied by the health wing people. It took us long to rescue the bull which had sneaked deep down into the lane on account of fear.”

AGITATION: On a call given by the General Insurance Employees Association, employees of various insurance companies held a demonstration in front of New India Insurance’s office in protest against the suspension of LTS facility and delinking of four insurance companies from General Insurance Corporation. A press note issued by Mr O.P. Sachdeva, secretary of the association, said employees of four insurance companies took part in the agitation. The demonstration was presided over by Mr I.P. Gupta, president of the Chandigarh unit, and addressed by Mr O.P. Sachdeva and Mr J.S. Walia.

DHARNA: Dharna by the Students Organisation of Panjab University entered its fourth day here on Thursday. The organisation is demanding revival of a placement cell, re-evaluation without detail marks card for RLL students, reduction of fees for B Sc (honours) Mathematics and Computing and also for the computer science classes. Students are also demanding the installation of coin phones and water coolers at the BMS block. The Panjab University Students Union is demanding promotion of B Sc (honours) students to higher classes based on the credit system.

RELAY FAST: The relay fast by members of the CHB Residents Federation entered the seventh day on Thursday. Batches of the federation sat on the day-long dharna to press the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to accept their demands.

PANCHKULA
BIJLI NIGAM: The Upper Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, Panchkula division, will hold a camp to hear consumers grievances relating to disputed bills at the office of the Operation City Sub-Divisional, here, on Friday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to a press note issued by the AEE (Operations), City Sub-Division.

SAS NAGAR
BOY KILLED: A 12-year-old boy, Anil Kumar, died when the bicycle he was riding was hit by a truck near Dara studio here today. The victim was coming along with his father, Mr Anvinash Dass, from Badmajra village. The truck driver has been booked.

HARYANA

AMBALA
SAPLINGS PLANTED: Vanamahotsava was celebrated in KV No 3, Ambala Cantonment, on Thursday. About 600 saplings were planted. It was inaugurated by Mrs R. Damasia, wife of the school chairman, Brig Damasia. The Principal of the school, Dr H.C. Madan, said, “There is need to protect the tress so that the environment is safeguarded.” He opined that each student and teacher must plant a sapling and look after its well being. Among others, saplings were planted by Mr G.K. Raina, Mr R.K. Meena, Mr Suresh Chander, Ms Rashmi Bhatnagar, Ms Indu Mahajan, Mr S.C. Sharma, Mr D.K. Narang, Mrs Veena Lidhoo and Ms Rashmi Kalra.

BHIWANI
LABOURER KILLED: Some unidentified persons attacked two labourers, Karan and Ramchander, with knives at a stone crusher and in Khanak village and decamped with Rs 35,000 on Tuesday. Ramchander died on the spot whereas Karan was injured seriously. They hailed from Gauraya in Jharkhand and worked at the stone crusher. The police has registered a case.

BODY FOUND: The body of an unidentified person, aged about 25 years, has been found near railway lines. It was handed over to the police for a postmortem.

WATER SHORTAGE: Residents of Kaliyana village are facing the shortage of drinking water following the disconnection of a pipeline by the Public Health Department. The local Chief Medical Officer urged the department to disconnect the pipeline as two persons had died after consuming the contaminated water. The villagers are fetching water from long distances or buying it from tankers.

ROHTAK
EX-SARPANCH SHOT: A former sarpanch of Nindana village in the Meham subdivision was shot dead by four persons on Tuesday. Raj Singh, numberdar, who was sleeping outside his house was allegedly attacked by Zile Singh and his sons — Neer, Bhagta and naresh. They fired two shots at him killing him on the spot. The police has registered a case under the Arms Act on a complaint of Krishan, son of Raj Singh.

SONEPAT
FANS FOR JAIL: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.N. Roy, has given a refrigerator and 25 ceiling fans to the district jail authorities. Mr Roy had promised to improve the living conditions in the jail. He also announced that the ambulance would also be replaced.

ELECTROCUTED: An 18-year-old worker, Devanand, was electrocuted at his quarter on the premises of the HSIDC complex at Kundli village, about 25 km from here on Thursday.

COMPUTER CENTRE: Under a scheme of the Education Department, a computer centre was opened on the premises of Government Senior Secondary School at Ganaur, 16 km from here, on Thursday.