The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Monday, September 10, 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
FEDERATION: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Income Tax Employees Federation: president — Mr Tarsem Lal; vice-president — Mr Sunil Arora; secretary — Mr Sudhir Khanna; joint secretary — Mr Chanchal Singh; and treasurer — Mr Suresh Arora.

SAPLING PLANTATION: The State Bank of India, Dhab Wasti Ram, organised a sapling plantation function in collaboration with Government Senior Secondary School, Katra Karam Singh, here on Saturday. Mr Bahadur Singh, ADC, was the chief guest. Mr J.S. Dhiman, branch manager, presided.

SCHOOL ADOPTED: The local Innerwheel Club has adopted a school with 50 children under the National Child Labour Project. The president of the club, Ms Sukhwant N. Singh, in a press note issued here said the children of the school in the Mustafabad area had been provided with free education, stipends, daily meals, uniforms and stationery etc.

RAFTING EXPEDITION: The Core of Engineers Brigade on Friday organised a rafting expedition which was flagged off at the Beas. In a press note issued here on Friday an Army spokesman said a team comprising officers, JCOs and jawans travelled 45 km down the river and the expedition ended at the Harike barrage OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the New Partap Nagar Vikas Sabha: president — Mr Kuldeep Singh Sandhu; vice-president — Dr Kuldeep Singh; general secretary — Mr Dalbir Singh; and joint secretary — Mr Sukhwant Singh.

KHARAR
2 WOMEN INJURED: Two women were injured in a road accident between a truck and a Maruti van near Kharar Textile Mills on the Kharar-Kurali Road on Saturday. According to the police, the accident occurred when the truck hit the van coming from the other side. Ms Vidya Wati and Ms Sunita Rani, who were injured, were taken to a hospital. The police has registered a case against the driver of the truck.

MANSA
MEETING: Mr Raji P. Sirivastava, Deputy Commissioner, here on Saturday addressed a meeting convened by the Punjab State Textbooks Board here, which was attended by all district heads of various departments.

STORES CLOSED: Two Red Cross medical stores on the premises of the local Civil Hospital were closed on Saturday on the directions of Mr Anurag Aggarwal, Managing Director, Punjab Health Systems Corporation Limited.

RAID: Dr Harbans Singh, drug inspector, accompanied by Dr Kashmir Singh, medical officer, Primary Health Centre, Budhlada, in the district raided the premises of Nitin Medicos, a chemist shop on the Boha road, Budhlada, on Friday and seized several types of allopathic medicines suspected to be intoxicants.

DIED: Teja Singh (60), a labourer of Boha village in the district, died while digging a pit for a tubewell. The dug-out mud kept on the side of the pit fell in and buried him.

NAWANSHAHR
AWARDED: The local Central Cooperative Bank Ltd has been awarded the international trade mark - ISO 9002: 1994 certificate from Det Norske Veritas certification B.V., the Netherlands. It is the first cooperative bank in the state to get this certification. This was stated by Mr M.L. Sunda, Manager of the bank, here on Friday.

MURDERED: Ram, a labourer, who had been working in the house of Gurdev Singh at the nearby Ghakewal village allegedly killed his master’s son. Dara Singh (30), with a sharpedged weapon while the latter was sleeping on Wednesday. He has been arrested and a case has been registered under Section 302, IPC.

SEIZED: Mr Tulsi Ram, SSP, in a press note issued here on Friday said the police seized 30 bags of poppy husk worth Rs 4.50 lakh during a raid at Rasulpur village. They had absconded and a case registered.

PADDY PROCUREMENT: All arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth procurement of paddy in the district. This was stated by Mr Jagjit Singh, Deputy Commissioner, in a press note here on Friday. As many as 39 procurement centres had been set up to store 2,63,365 mt of paddy, he added.

ROPAR
ROTARY CAMP: The Rotary Club, Nangal, has identified 95 handicapped persons at the camp organised at Navuljit Mandir. They would be provided artificial limbs, caliper shoes and crutches, informed the president of the club, Mr Ashok Manocha, on Friday. He added that in the camp, which was presided over by the Civil Surgeon, Ropar, Dr Rajinder Singh, the handicapped persons were also issued disability certificates which would help them in getting government jobs.

BSNL MOBILE PHONES: The BSNL would start its mobile phone services in the district by the end of current financial year. In the first phase, 2000 telephone connections would be released in the Ropar town and 1000 at Nangal. The Telecom District Manager (TDM), Ropar, Mr J.s. Sahota, gave this information while addressing a press conference here on Wednesday. He added that the BSNL internet dhabas have been opened at all the block headquarters in the district.

SANGRUR
PHONE CONNECTIONS: The district telecom authorities have fixed a target of providing 36,000 new telephone connections in the district during the current financial year to make available telephones on demand in all 132 telephone exchanges by the end of March, 2002. This was stated by Mr G.S. Gill, General Manager (Telecom), while addressing a press conference here on Thursday.

CHANDIGARH

FRESHERS' DAY CELEBRATED: Old students of the Institute of the Informatics Computer celebrated freshers' day to welcome the new students enrolled this year here on Sunday. The freshers were surprised that instead of ragging their seniors had organised a programme of music, dance, skits, bhangra and one-act play for them. They were also presented mementoes by their seniors. The main attraction of the party was selection of the couples among the freshers for dance competition. Two students were also given the title of Mr Fresher and Ms Fresher.

DEMANDED: The Himachal Maloya Niwasi Sudhar Sabha has demanded the shifting of a wine shop from the colony to some other place. In a representation to the DC, the sabha alleged that the opening of the wine shop on the main road had become a cause of nuisance to the working women and college students and the incidents of eve-teasing were on the rise. Since the buses did not go up to the colony but halted at the Maloya village, it had become difficult for the residents to get across the wine shop. The sabha said instead of addressing to the problems of the residents, the Chandigarh Administration had granted the permission to open the liquor shop. Rather the administration should have ensured regular bus service, water and electricity supplies to the colony besides improving drainage system, it said.

GENERAL BODY MEETING: The general body meeting of the Sector 18-C Social Welfare Society held here on Sunday expressed concern over the proposed shifting of rehri market to an adjoining greenbelt. The members also expressed concern over the supply of muddy water and low water supply in the sector. In a press note it stated that despite repeated representations to the Municipal Corporation nothing had been done to remove the “malba” left on the roadsides after the recarpeting of roads.

SAPLING PLANTATION: The State Bank Officers’ Colony held a sapling plantation function on the colony premises on Sunday. According to a press note issued by the bank Mr Rajindra Kakkar and Mr P.L. Manwani, Chief General Manager and General Manager (D and PB), respectively, Mr Deepak Chawla, General Manager (Commercial Banking) and other senior officers took part. The president and general secretary, Mr Amar Pal and Vijay Magoan, of the association also participated. The association also organised a cultural programme.

A CLARIFICATION: Apropos to a news item published in these columns on August 30 under the headline “ESIC to run ESI hospital in city”, the regional office of the ESIC has clarified that the Director General visited the ESI Hospital, Mandi Gobindgarh, Parwanoo and Chandigarh. The ESI hospital at Chandigarh would be commissioned and administered by the ESIC directly.

SEMINAR: The UT State Legal Service Authority organised the fifth legal awareness seminar in Dhanas village here on Sunday. "Such seminars are being organised twice a month in different villages for sensitisation of people about legal aid schemes and programmes of providing legal assistance and legal service to the needy," informed the member-secretary, State Legal Services Authority (SLSA), Mr B.C. Gupta. While addressing the gathering, Mr B.C. Gupta, said in addition to other cases, the authority was taking up matters relating to complaints of investors with the companies like Golden Forests as also resolving the bank recovery cases and grievances of jhuggi-dwellers and people living in colonies.

SAS NAGAR
DOCTORS' TRANSFER: Residents of Phase 1 have urged the government to transfer back the doctor in charge of the Phase 1 government dispensary, Dr Raju Dhir. Mr Sukwinder Singh, a resident of the area, said there was resentment among the residents over the transfer of the doctor from the dispensary.

HARYANA

AMBALA
JUNIOR CHAMBER: The Ambala Junior Chamber organised a typhoid vaccination camp at Rukmani Devi Hall, here on Sunday. A total of 112 persons were vaccinated at the camp. Among others, Dr Kaushik, Mr Naresh Bharadwaj, Mr Jagdeep Sodhi and Mr Hemant Batra were also present.

NSS CAMP: The National Service Scheme unit of DAV College held a camp under the presidentship of the Principal, Mr R.K. Chauhan, here on Sunday. Saplings were planted by the NSS volunteers. Among others, Mr R.S. Parmar and Mr Sukhdev Garg were also present.

MEMORANDUM: Local Congress leaders met the Superintendent of Police, Mr Sandeep Khirwar, to lodge their protest against the registration of a “false” case against a Youth Congress leader here on Saturday. They submitted a memorandum pleading that the case had been registered to damage the reputation of Mr Brahm Pal Rana. It stated that he had no connection with any travel agent and had not taken money from anybody. Mr Rana had been the president of the District Youth Congress and was an active social worker. The case was a political vendetta, the memorandum stated. Besides several sarpanches, former ministers, Mr Nirmal Singh and Mr Phool Chand Mullana, the District Congress president, Mr Balwant Gupta, Ms Kiran Bala Jain, Mr Randeep Singh Sandhu, Mr Parminder Singh and Mr Tarun Chugh were also present on the occasion.

SIRSA
SPECIAL DRIVE: The district police has arrested 43 proclaimed offenders and bail jumpers and recovered stolen articles worth Rs 16 lakh during the past one month. According to information given by the district police chief here today, the police had launched a special drive in this connection.

DOWRY DEATH: The district police has arrested Hans Raj and his father in a dowry death case. According to the police, on Saturday, on the complaint of Bal Ram of Chak 654 of Rajasthan the Rania police registered a case under Section 304B/201/34, IPC, against Hans Raj, husband of Bal Ram’s daughter Amarjeet and her father-in-law. Bal Ram alleged that his daughter used to be tortured for more dowry and died on August 29.

JIND
SUICIDE: A young married woman, Birmati of Dhigana village, and her six-month-old son Abhishek died of poisoning on Friday. According to reports, Birmati allegedly took poison herself and also gave it to her son. Both died on way to the hospital. She reportedly took this stop due to some family dispute.

SONEPAT
ROBBERY: At least five armed youths forced their way into the house of Mr Sham Lal Tyagi, president of the District Bar Association in Sector 15 here on Friday and decamped with a motor cycle and Rs 7,000. A case has been registered.

CYCLIST KILLED: Des Raj of Kundli village was killed on the spot when he was hit by a vehicle near the Singhu border, about 25 km from here, on Friday. A case has been registered.