The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, August 26, 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

ABOHAR
DHARNA: Employees of the canal lining division staged a dharna in front of the divisional office here in protest against the proposed shifting of the office to Batala. The employees said the move to shift the office to Patti was dropped due to timely intervention of Dr Ram Kumar Goyal, MLA.

AMRITSAR
PROBE DEMANDED: Mr Satya Pal Dang, a veteran CPI leader, has called for an investigation into the Rs 24 crore pension scandal by a special investigation agency. In a written statement, Mr Dang alleged that without the connivance of “bigwigs” siphoning off such a large amount was not possible. In a letter to Mr Parkash Singh Badal, the CPI leader has said the government should unearth similar scandals, if any, in other districts of the state.

‘KALASH’ INSTALLED: A ‘kalash’ made of 12 kg of gold was installed on the sixth storey of the Gurdwara Satlani, near Attari. The gurdwara is built in the memory of Guru Hargobind. Giani Puran Singh, Head Granthi of the Golden Temple, performed the ‘ardas’. Baba Mangal Singh Satlani, Baba Kashmiri Singh Bhuriwale, Baba Anup Singh and sarpanches and panches of various villages and a large number of devotees were present.

DISCREPANCIES: Dr K.N. Kabra, a senior professor of economics at the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, on Thursday revealed the discrepancies between official statistics regarding poverty, unemployment, inflation, foreign exchange and other important aspects of Indian economy after adoption of the policies of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation. Dr Kabra was delivering a lecture on “State of Indian economy an alternative view” at Guru Nanak Dev University here. The lecture was arranged by the Punjab School of Economics of the university. Dr R.S. Bawa, registrar of the university, presided over.

BARNALA
BUSTED: The local police has arrested two astrologer brothers. This was stated by Mr Ajaib Singh Kaleka, SSP, here on Friday. He said the two brothers, Rajinder Kumar Bhargava and Sita Ram Bhargava, were staying at a local hotel for the past several days. The local police has registered a case of cheating against them.

BATHINDA
AWWA CELEBRATIONS: The Chetak Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) functions in connection with the 36th AWWA raising day concluded at the military station here on Thursday. The medical camp was held at the Military Hospital and women above 35 were examined for cancer. On this occasion an health exhibition on various types of cancer, blood donation and hygiene camps were also organised.

CAMP: A blood sugar check-up camp was organised on Friday at the local Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant. Employees and their family members were examined. Mr U.S. Lucky, General Manager of the thermal plant, inaugurated the camp.

NOMINATED: Mr Jagdeep Singh has been nominated senior vice-president of the district unit of the Punjab Dalit Sena. This was stated in a press note of the sena issued here on Friday.

HOSHIARPUR
COMPLAINTS: The Public Grievance Cells have become operational at the headquarters of telecom districts of Punjab Telecom Circle. The BSNL subscribers whose grievances have not been attended after registering their complaints on ‘198’ can approach the district public grievance cell. This was stated by Mr Mohan Lal, General Manager, Telecom, in a press note on Friday.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been appointed office-bearers of the local the Quality Assurance Group: chairman — Dr G.P.S. Bedi, supervisors — Dr Bhupinder Singh, Dr Arun Tuknayat and Dr Parminder Kaur Sethi, members — Dr Gurdev Singh, Dr S.K. Gangar, Mr Madan Lal, Arvind kalia and Dr D.B. Kapur.

RESIGNED: Mr Surjit Kumar, General Secretary of the Hoshiarpur unit of the Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes Employees Federation on Friday has resigned from the primary membership of the federation in protest against the dictatorial attitude of the president.

JALANDHAR
TO BE BOOKED: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr K. Shiva Prasad, on Friday ordered the registration of a case against Gurdeep Singh of Addi village near here who had been practising medicine without getting an approval from the authority concerned. Ms Nirmala Devi, a resident of the same village, had complained against him. She had also alleged that he had been selling drugs without being qualified to do so. The Deputy Commissioner, after holding an inquiry, ordered the Civil Surgeon, to get a case registered against Gurdeep Singh for practising medicine without having any medical degree.

FRAUD ALLEGED: A racket regarding the appointment of “safai sevaks” on contract basis was brought forth by a “safai sevak”. He alleged that though a local municipal councillor had been regularly withdrawing salary in his name for the past two years, yet he had never been paid the same. In an affidavit filed before the MC chief, the complainant, Mr Jagtar Singh of Ashok Vihar, alleged that the councillor of Salempur Muslamana (Ward 1), Ms Balbir Kaur, had been withdrawing contract money in his name though he was not working as a temporary “safai sevak”.

KHANNA
YOUTH MURDERED: A youth, Sahajpal Singh, was murdered in village Dhamot. A case has been registered at the Payal police station under Sections 302, 324 , 323, 148, 148 and 149, IPC. The father of the deceased, Mr Sharanjit Singh, alleged in the FIR that while they were going to their home, Gahna Khan attacked them near the house of Kamaljeet Sharma. His son was injured and later on sucummbed to his injuries. No one has been arrested so far.

RS 80,000 LOOTED: Some miscreants looted Rs 80,000 from Parminder Singh at gunpoint on a culvert at villages Pandher Kheri and Ramgarh Sardaran. The matter has been reported to the police. No arrest has been made so far.

cleanliness campaign: A meeting of the officials of the subdivision was held here under the chairmanship of Mr Pardeep Kumar Sabherwal, SDM. The SDM directed the employees to keep movement registered in their offices and affix an office board outside the office premises. He directed the municipal committee to start a cleanliness campaign in the town at the earliest. On the occasion Dr Iqbal Kaur stated that the new building of a 100-bed hospital would be completed soon. The BDPO said 31 villages had been covered for constructing drains and streets. The CDPO said 2,082 cases of pension had been cleared. The municipal council would fix two welcome gates on the outskirts of the city on the G.T. Road.

LUDHIANA
FRESHERS’ PARTY: Students of MA English (I) of GGN Khalsa College, Civil Lines, were given a warm welcome at Anjuman 2001, a freshers’ party, held at a resort here on Saturday. The second year students danced on various Punjabi and Hindi songs. The students also presented a choreography and played various games. Nearly 30 freshers of the college sashayed down the ramp as they participated in the freshers’ contest. Amit Bakshi was chosen Mr Fresher, Ramanjot was declared Ms Fresher, Nidhi won Ms Fresh Face title, Geetu was chosen Ms Beautiful Smile, Amanpreet clinched the Ms Catwalk title, Ms Beautiful Hair title went to Jyoti, Kuljinder was declared Ms Glamorous, Charu was chosen Ms Well Dressed and Harmanpreet bagged the title of Ms Personality. Prof L.S. Bedi, Ms Hargunjot and Ms Sushminder, all lecturers pronounced the judgement. Prof T.S. Anand, in charge of the department, and Prof Kuldip Singh, Principal, were also present on the occasion.

MOGA
COMMUNITY CENTRES: The construction of community centres at the focal points of Singhanwala, Saddasinghwala, Rajiana, Sekha Kalan and Kot Mohammad villages in the district has been completed. This was stated here on Thursday by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Kanwal Bir Singh Sidhu, while addressing a meeting of the development committee. The DC said the construction of veterinary hospitals and shops had also been completed and the government had deposited the requisite money with the Punjab State Electricity Board for 24 hour uninterrupted power supply to these places.

GLUT OF FOODGRAIN: The foodgrain godowns in Moga, Ferozepore, Muktsar and Faridkot districts are full to capacity. The stocks have been lying in these godowns for the past several years, the experts said on Friday. The tarpulines are in short supply and foodgrain stocks valued at crores of rupees are lying in the open making it unfit for human consumption.

PATIALA
NCC CAMP: A team of Traffic Police guided the NCC cadets of Patiala group during a NCC camp held here. A team of the Fire Brigade Department gave demonstration of fire fighting. A local Red Cross officer spoke about first aid and civil defence. Dr Asa Singh delivered lecture on drug addiction. A total of 700 cadets, including girls, took part in the camp.

WORKSHOP: The Punjab Public School (Junior Wing), Nabha, conducted a study technology workshop from August 5 to 22 here. About 70 students and seven teachers participated in the workshop which was conducted in two batches. The workshop was organised by the Scientology Centre, Patiala. The participants were given certificates by Mr M.S.Bedi, Principal of the school.

BOOK RELEASED: ‘Sehat Samassiyavan Ate Chetanta’ a book by Dr Manjeet Singh Bal, Head of the Department of Pathology, Medical College, Patiala, was released here on Saturday. Dr J.S. Gujral, Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid University, Faridkot, released the book and laid stress on the need of such books in Punjabi.

BHOG CEREMONY: The bhog ceremony of Ashinder Singh, father of Bhai Manjit Singh, Jathedar Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, was held here on Saturday. Those present on the occasion were the Finance and Planning Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, the SGPC President, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, the OSD to the Chief Minister, Mr Kirpal Singh Badungar, a former SGPC President, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Mr Gurbachan Singh Bachan, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Mr Surjit Singh Kohli, Mr Brahm Mohindra, Mrs Parneet Kaur and Mrs Satwant Kaur Sandhu.

OCTROI ABOLITION: The Punjab Government has decided to hold a talk with the Punjab Municipal Workers Action Committee on Wednesday whereby it would concentrate on the decision whether to abolish octroi or not, said the committee president, Mr Balwant Singh Sandhu. The municipal workers participated in a rally held at Chandigarh here on Saturday.

SAMRALA
SALARIES NOT PAID: Addressing a press conference at the Civil Rest House here on Friday, Mr Bhajan Singh, Mr Joginder Singh Azad and Mr Kulwant Singh Tark, the district president, district secretary and committee member, respectively, of the Democratic Teachers' Front, said if teachers and employees of the education department were not paid salaries before August 31, they would oppose the Badal government during the forthcoming Assembly elections. They added that since no financial authority had been provided to various heads of upgraded schools in the state, salaries of thousands of teachers and other employees for the months of June and July had not been paid to them so far. The leaders said teachers who were regularised under Operation Blackboard scheme were facing financial hardships, and demanded that head of the upgraded schools be immediately given financial authority. They added that GPF slips were not being sent to the teachers by the Education Department and they were feeling deep resentment over this. They demanded the immediate release of these slips.

senior citizens: Fifteen elderly persons were given clothes, ration items and money by Mr R. N. Dhoke, SSP, at a camp organised by the Lions' Club and HelpAge India at Government Girls Senior Secondary School here on Thursday. This was stated by Mr Gursharan Jeet Singh, secretary of the Punjab Police State Apex Committee for NGO Projects, here on Friday.

CHANDIGARH

CAMP: A safety camp for members of the Air Force Wives Welfare Association was organised at the Air Force Institute here on Saturday under the aegis of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). According to a statement issued here, the main thrust of the camp was to apprise the participants about the safe use of LPG and the need for its conservation. Various safety measures and precautions were highlighted by the IOC assistant manager, Mrs Neelam Aggarwal, while conservation methods were listed by the state coordinator, Mr A.S. Bajwa. A quiz was also held on the occasion.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local branch of the Draughtsmen’s (Cartographic) Association: president — Mr S.S. Pannu; vice-president — Mr D.P. Sekhri; secretary — Mr A.K. Dogra; secretary — Mr Mukesh Piplani; treasurer — Mr Harbans Singh; chief adviser — Mr J.S. Kanwal; advisor — A.C. Dhiman and Mr M.M. Bagga.

SHATABDI: Former members of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) for Northern Railway on Saturday welcomed the starting of third Shatabdi train from New Delhi to the city. In a press note, the members also urged the Union Ministry of Railways to introduce another fast train for the benefit of those who cannot afford Shatabdi. The former ZRUCC members also urged the ministry to introduce train services for Bangalore and Chennai besides more trains to Mumbai and Kolkata.

SAPLINGS PLANTED: More than 45 saplings of different varieties were planted by the NSS unit of SGGS College, Sector 26, during a sapling plantation camp on the college campus in collaboration with the State Bank of India. Mr S.K. Gupta, chief manager of the SBI, Sector 7, inaugurated the camp by planting a sapling. Speaking on the occasion Principal P.S. Sangha stressed the importance of pollution-free environment. Dr C.L. Narang was the guest of honour.

APPEAL: The Servants of People Society founded by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1921 has started a multi-volume project ‘‘Collected works of Lala Lajpat Rai’’ with the help of Mr B.R. Nanda who will be the chief editor of the volumes and Dr Madan Gopal Gandhi who will be the editor. The society has requested the general public that if anyone has any letter, photo or other writings of Lala Lajpat Rai under his signature, these may please be sent to the secretary, Servants of the People Society, Lajpat Bhavan, Lajpat Nagar IV, New Delhi, or contact at Phone numbers 6427650 (O), 6222150 (R) and fax 6288102.

HARYANA

AMBALA
ONE KILLED: A school boy was killed in a road accident here on Saturday. According to information the accident occurred on the Ambala-Hisar road near Jabbumajra village when a car hit the cyclist Gurjeet Singh. He was immediately rushed to the local civil hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. A case has been registered against the car driver.

VAMAN DWADSHI MELA: The famous Vaman Dwadshi ‘mela’ will be organised at Ambala City from Tuesday to Friday. The convener of the mela, Mr Madan Lal Aggarwal, said a religious procession would be taken out on Friday. The administration has made elaborate arrangements for the mela. Thousands of people from nearby areas were expected to participate in the mela, he said.

APPOINTED: Ms Kalpna Karolina has been appointed spokesperson of the Akhil Bharatiya Sonia Gandhi Association. The appointment has been made by the northern zone president, Mr M.C. Rishi. According to a press note, Mrs Usha Sharma will be the additional secretary while Mrs Amarjit Kaur Sodhi will hold the charge of the women cell of the association. Mr Puran Prakash Saini will be the new vice-president of the state unit of the association.

REMARKS CONDEMNED: Various Jain educational institutions have condemned the remarks made by a local politician regarding stoppage of government aid to SA Jain College. Mr Kirit Prasad Jain, general secretary of the SA Jain College Trust and Management Society, Ambala City, said the remarks were unnecessary.

MEETING: A meeting of the Army separated families staying in Ambala Cantonment was presided over by Mrs Gita Vij, president of the Army Wives Welfare Association. The station Commander, Brig N.D. Prasad. Administrative Commandant, Col G.S. Sisodia, and other senior Army officers were present on the occasion. The meeting was attended by 205 separated families of officers, junior commissioned officers and other ranks.

BHIWANI
MISHAP: Three persons were killed in a head on collision between a car and a truck near Naurangabad village, 8 km from here, on Friday. According to reports, the deceased had reportedly stolen a car of Darshan Kumar Verma, an Executive Engineer, from the PWD rest house. An FIR has been lodged with the police.

PROBE ORDERED: The Superintendent of Police has ordered an inquiry against the Sub-Inspector of Siwani police station in a dowry death case on a complaint of Shikarpur panchayat. Panchayat members had complained that Maya Devi, sister of Jagdish of the same village, got married to Dharmpal of Badwa village. Maya Devi was throttled by her in-laws on August 12. The panchayat had complained that Yad Ram, SI, tried to pressurise the complainants to change their statement.