R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMLOH
MEETINGS: Mr Baldev Singh Aulakh, Chairman, Tonk Kshatri Sabha, Punjab, stated in a press note issued here on Tuesday that the Sabha would hold meetings at district headquarters from August 19, the first being at Bahadurgarh in Ghanaur Block, Patiala. He said besides formulating a strategy for the coming Assembly elections in the state, the meeting would also discuss reservation policy of the government and simplification of procedures for taking loans for the Backward Classes.

CRITICISED: Mr Dalip Singh Pandhi, former Minister and senior Akali leader, while talking to mediapersons on Tuesday, termed the constituent parties of the Panthic Morcha as “B-team” of Congress. He said voters in the state had discarded these parties in the past. The chief architect of the morcha, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, had destabilised Akali governments in the past, he said, and added that if Mr Tohra had been in the SAD-BJP government, it would have fallen long ago. He said, the constituents of the morcha did not have a consensus on leadership issue. While some claimed that Mr Ravi Inder Singh would be the next Chief Minister, the others publicly opposed his candidature for the coveted post. The morcha's only aim was to bring the Congress in power, Mr Pandhi added.

GRANTS DEMANDED: Mr Baldev Sedha, president, Municipal Council, has claimed to have undertaken various development schemes in the town. Talking to the mediapersons here on Tuesday, he claimed that over 90 per cent of the streetlights were in working condition, disposal of drainage water had been made effective, and cleanliness was being maintained in the town. Besides, efforts were being made to complete the laying of sewerage system, which had been lying incomplete for the past three years, he said, and demanded grants from the government for the purpose.

AMRITSAR
COMPLAIN: Mr S.D. Sharang, president of the Paris Town Welfare Society, has complained about the poor condition of sewers in parts of Paris Town for the past three months. The society had complained to the municipal authorities but no action had been taken, he said.

CASSETTE RELEASED: Dr Inderjit Kaur, president, All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society, on Monday released a cassette titled “Saade Lai Vardhan Aae” to mark the ninth death anniversary of Bhagat Puran Singh, founder of the society.

BARNALA
INSTALLATION: Mr Satvinder Singh jandu and Dr Navjosh Singla were installed president and secretary, respectively, of the local Lions Club. The installation ceremony took place at Bansal Palace here on Sunday. Lion D.K. Sood, District Governor, Lions Club 321-F, was the chief guest and Lion Rajiv Lochan Mahajan was the installation officer.

BATHINDA
CIVIL DEFENCE: Mr Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Additional Deputy Commissioner, while presiding over a meeting of coordination committee of civil defence here on Monday said the city had been divided into 20 wards and a male and a female warden had been appointed for each ward who would give information regarding the civil defence to the residents of the city during emergency. Mr Moti Ram, Chief Warden, said earlier there were only 16 wards and the number had been increased keeping in mind the increase in population. He said 461 persons belonging to various departments had been given training about the civil defence.

TRAINING CAMP: At least 10 training camps would be held for farmers in Bathinda and Mansa districts in this year according to a press note issued here on Monday by Mr Malkit Singh, District Training Officer. He said the camps would be held on August 9 at Kothe Ablu, on August 21 at Lailewala and on August 23 at Thelwa, all in Bathinda district and on August 10 at Chhapianwali, on August 22 at Ubha and on August 24 at Daipai all in Mansa district.

KILLINGS CONDEMNED: The members of Dost Welfare Society, an NGO, condemned the killing of innocent people by militants in Kashmir on Saturday. In a press note issued here on Tuesday, Mr Ramnik Walia, president of the society, said a condolence meeting was organised on Monday. Members of the society expressed their anguish over the recent spate of killings in Kashmir. Mr M.R. Gupta, chairman, addressed the meeting and said people of Punjab should show their solidarity with Kashmiris by helping them in the time of need.

YOGA CAMP: The Divine Eye Research Foundation (DERF), an NGO, held a yoga camp at Jassi Pau Wali village on Monday. During the camp, Mr G.S. Jaura, Yogacharya, demonstrated the different “asans” of yoga and informed about their importance and effect on the body. In a press note issued here on Tuesday, Mr Rakesh Narula, president of DERF, said the foundation was holding yoga camps to inspire people to practice yoga.

KHAMANO
CHEQUES DISTRIBUTED: Mr Kirpal Singh Khirnia, member of the SGPC, while distributing cheques among some village panchayats for development works, said the Shiromani Akali Dal would win the coming Assembly elections, and Mr Badal would again become the Chief Minister. Thikriwal, Lakhanpur and Kalewal villages were allocated cheques worth Rs 70,000, Rs 90,000 and Rs 50,000 for the ongoing development projects. Some other leaders of the area were also present on the occasion.

CONSTRUCTION: The much-awaited construction of a bus stand here has been started by the Nagar Panchayat on a four-kanal land, adjoining the local Civil Hospital. This was stated by an executive officer and another official. The shelter at the bus stand would cover an area of about 37 feet by 15 feet, they said, and added that toilets would also be provided there. Arrangements would be made for entry of all buses at the bus stand. A grant of Rs 3 lakh for the purpose, was given by the Chief Minister during a sangat darshan programme.

LUDHIANA
ANNUAL DAY CELEBRATED: A fete and cultural programme marked the 20th annual day of Springdale Public School, Sherpur Road, here on Tuesday. On the occasion, stalls of various eatables and games were installed by its students. Lucky draws and tambola were also organised. Rides on motor-driven cars, jeeps and scooters were arranged for the children of primary classes. A cultural programme was organised in which students performed dance on the numbers, ‘hulle hulare’ and ‘boogie woogie’. A group song titled, ‘sab se pyara Hindustan hamara’, was presented by school students. Ms Avinash Kaur Walia, Principal, read the annual report and appreciated the efforts of the students.

MARTYRDOM DAY: The Shahid Bhagat Singh Vichar Manch would observe the martyrdom day of Mr Ajit Singh, uncle of Bhagat Singh, on August 15 at Dalhousie, site of the martyrdom. According to Mr Jaswant Zeerakh, general secretary of the manch, the activists of the body would leave for Dalhousie on August 14 and would reach the site in a procession the next day, where tributes would be paid to martyr Ajit Singh. A team from the Lok Kala Manch would stage a play at the occasion. A meeting of the manch, held earlier, was of the view that the current situation in the country, needed for effective measures to launch a struggle to safeguard the rights of working classes. The government was violating the rights of farmers, workers and students.

CRITICISED: The Public Cause has flayed the Punjab State Electricity Board for what it termed as its intentions to fleece the consumers. Mr A.K. Bhandari, general secretary said in a statement that the PSEB had recently imposed a surcharge of 10 per cent on bills for an amount more than Rs 2000, a fuel surcharge of 5 paise and had further collected Rs 8 each from over one crore consumers for issuing pass books. To further add to their misery, the PSEB has priced the application form for new power connection at Rs 50 whereas the form was earlier available free of cost. Mr Bhandari further said the slab system of rates for power consumption was faulty and was anti-consumers.

CONDOLED: A meeting of the Association of Schools Affiliated to Punjab School Education Board, held at Everest Public Senior Secondary School in Moti Nagar, here condoled the demise of Mr Vijay Sharma, Lecturer in Government Senior Secondary School, Bharat Nagar Chowk in the city. Mr Rajinder Sharma, president of the association, Mr Ravi Nandan Sharma, Secretary, Mr Sukhpal Singh, district president and Mr Lakshmi Narayan, member working committee, were among those who paid tributes to their departed colleague. The meeting conveyed its sympathies to the bereaved family. According to Mr Sharma, the last prayers would be held at Gurdwara Sant Isher Singh Rara Sahib, Near Dholewal Chowk, here on Tuesday.

SEMINAR HELD: A seminar on “Computers as career” was organised at BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, here on Tuesday. Mr Charanjit Singh, director of a computer education centre, told the students about the latest courses and job opportunities available these days. He told them that jobs were available in companies utilising new computer-enabled services, like mobile commerce and call centres. Besides, he said there was also a demand for programmers and website designers. He told the students of classes XI and XII about the use of computers in science and commerce. Ms Paramjit Kaur, Principal, said the seminar was organised as a part of career-counselling programme run by the school.

DEMANDED: A meeting of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal was held here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Mr Amritlal Jain. The meeting discussed various issues, including the abolition of octroi and the harassment of businessmen. According to a press note, the general secretary of the mandal stated that the businessmen had payed 39 per cent more tax as against 15 per cent. He alleged that the BJP had betrayed the business community by not fulfilling its promises. He demanded the abolition of octroi in the state. The meeting also demanded the reduction in the electricity charges and simplification of the procedures to solve the sales tax problems. They also demanded a clear information on VAT plans by the government.

MEETING: As a part of its programme to organise ward-level meetings, the Shiv Sena ( Bal Thackeray) held a meeting at Ward 55 here on Monday, which was presided over by its district unit president, Mr. Sandip Mittal. The state-level office-bearers of the party, including Mr Ravinder Arora and Mr Pawan Sharma, were also present at the meeting. Mr Lakshman Chawla was appointed head of the Ward unit of the party, while Mr Ramesh Chopra was appointed general secretary.

COUNSELLING: The Australian Migration Agents (AMA) would hold counselling and interactive sessions at their various centres in Ludhiana and Amritsar for prospective and aspiring immigrants every Saturday, between 4 and 6 p.m. A spokesman for the counselling agency said the focus would be on specific categories who were trained in various technical trades. The first session was held here on Sunday. The spokesman said degree holders with relevant work experience, professionals with management experience and ITI diploma holders had a better chance to get through. And the ability to speak in English was essential, he said.

MACHHIWARA
PROBE SOUGHT: Senior leaders of the PPCC (I), while attended the shardhanjali samaroh for the vice-president of the district Congress committee (I), Mr Sukhdev Singh Manewal, have demanded a high-level probe into the murder. Mr Manewal was murdered under mysterious circumstances on July 27. Condemning the murder, all the Congress leaders along with Mr Jaswinder Singh Baliewal from the Panthic Morcha blamed the ruling party for the murder. They termed it as a politically-motivated murder. The Congress leaders also flayed CM Parkash Singh Badal for providing shelter to the hardcore militants, like Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan and Wassan Singh Zaffarwal. They said by giving provocative statements in the newspapers these leaders were trying to disturb peace and law and order in the state. The district Congress committee (I) has given a two-day ultimatum to the police for apprehending the murders of Mr Manewal, failing which they threatened to launch a statewide stir. Interestingly, when the Congress leaders were flaying the ruling party for not showing any progress, a senior SAD (B) leader, Mr Gurdial Singh Kotala, also demanded a high-level probe into the killing.

MANSA
PROBE DEMANDED: Mr Pardeep Sapolia, Mr Sushil Bansal, Mr Avtar Singh and Mr Garish Garg, all local advocates who appeared in the written test conducted on Sunday to fill 51 posts of ADA, in a press note issued here on Tuesday, said both the papers of the said test had been leaked. They demanded probe into the leakage of question papers.

PATHANKOT
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Rajput Sabha: president — Col Swarn Singh Salaria (Retd); senior vice-president — Col Sagar Singh Salaria (Retd); secretary general — Prof I.N. Singh and cashier — Mr Satparkash Singh Chid.

PATIALA
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the PSEB Officers (General Services) Association: president — Mr Ganga Ram Mehta; vice-president — Mr Maghar Singh; general secretary — Mr S.L. Arora; joint secretary — Mr Tarlok Singh Bajaj; finance secretary — Mr Bipal Kumar Talwar; and office secretary — Mr J.P. Sharma.

COIN MELA: The Reserve Bank of India organised a small coins distribution mela in collaboration with the State Bank of Patiala at Nabha, near here on Tuesday. The mela was inaugurated by Mr S.P. Negi, Deputy General Manager, RBI, Chandigarh. Coins of all denominations were distributed as per the requirement of the people. Speaking on the occasion, Mr S.K. Sareen, DGM of the State Bank of Patiala, said coins worth Rs 20 lakh would be made available for Nabha residents.

CASE REGISTERED: The police has registered a case against three persons for allegedly murdering Sukhdev Singh of Naurangabad village whose body was found on the roadside in the village on July 9. A case under Sections 304, 201 and 34 of the IPC had been registered , according to police sources here on Monday. The accused have been identified as Balwinder Singh, alias Billa, of Naurangabad village, Amrik Singh of Malmohri village and Vasakha Singh of Kalake village near Patti.

CHANDIGARH

BREAST-FEEDING WEEK: The breast-feeding week, organised by the Chandigarh Chapter of the Nutrition Society of India concluded at the PGI here on Monday. During this week, Ms Madhu Sharma, a dietician in the PGI Paediatrics Department, and Dr S.V. Rana, Convener of the Nutrition Society of India, organised talks for the anganwadi workers, pregnant and lactating women in different colonies in the city. They were informed about the importance of breast feeding during the first six months of an infant’s life. In today’s session, Ms Madhu Sharma, Ms Rama Mahajan and Ms Uma Arora also demonstrated the correct way of feeding the baby and answered various queries of the participants.

HARYANA

FATEHABAD
IRRIGATION PROJECT: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr O P Indora, on Monday started an irrigation project under the Desert Development Project of the Water Resources Management Programme at Thuian village in the district. The project will be completed at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. Addressing villagers, the Deputy Commissioner said a total of 2500 acres of agricultural land out of 2892 acres would be benefited by this project.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHAMBA
PRIZES DISTRIBUTED: Mr Kishori Lal, Industries Minister, Himachal Pradesh, while presiding over the Minjar Fair at prize distribution function here on Monday, said the government had given priority to harnessing river water in the state to generate about 10,000 MW of power by 2010. He further said work on the 231 MW Chamera hydroelectric project (stage III) in the district had started.

NURPUR
SUICIDE: Reena Devi ( 23), an unmarried girl of Lakhanpur village, near Gangath, reportedly committed suicide on Sunday by consuming some poisonous substance. The cause of the suicide is not known. The police is investigating the matter.

SHIMLA
NOMINATED: The following have been nominated to the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC): president of Chamba district unit — Mr Thakur Singh Bharmouri; president of Kulu district unit — Mr Amar Purohit; vice-president — Mr Khub Ram Kulvi; general secretary — Mr Bhag Chand Shak; and treasurer — Mr Shayam Dass Mohant.