AMRITSAR
THEFTS : A house and a medical store were burgled here on Sunday. According to reports, miscreants looted gold jewellery and Rs 10,000 from the house of Madan Lal, a resident of Gali Chruch Wali, while the family was out of station. A case has been registered. In another incident, three unidentified persons have been booked for allegedly stealing Rs 21,000 from a departmental-cum-medical store in medical enclave. The shop belonged to Deepak Kalia of the Kangra colony.

WORKSHOP: A two-day orientation workshop for university administrators, organised by the Academic Staff College, concluded here on Sunday. More than 100 administrators participated in the workshop.

CULTURAL PROGRAMME : Dr Bikram Singh Ghuman, Dean, Academic Affairs, Guru Nanak Dev University, inaugurated a three-day cultural programme, “Jashan”, here on Sunday. More than 500 students from 35 departments of the university are participating.

BATALA
EMPLOYEES SORE: Employees of the Batala Municipal Council are sore over the posting of two executive officers in the council. The Executive Officer of the council, Mr R.K. Singla, was transferred to the Improvement Trust, Jalandhar, and Mr P.N. Goel was transferred to Batala prior to the elections in Punjab. However, the transfer of Mr Singla was cancelled by the Election Commission.

BATHINDA
HEPATITIS CAMP: A hepatitis-B vaccination camp was organised by Police Public School in collaboration with a private company here on Sunday. Mr Ishwar Singh, district police chief, inaugurated the camp. As many as 962 persons were vaccinated and medicines given free of cost. Police personnel were examined for various diseases.

BAN ORDERS: Mr Anurag Verma, District Magistrate, on Monday banned the use of recycled polythene bags for the storage and sale of eatables in the district. He also banned the use of polythene bags of less than 20 microns thickness for storage, transportation and sale of eatables. Committees at the subdivision level had been formed and the officials of the civic bodies and the Punjab Pollution Control Board had been directed to implement the orders of the court in total, he added.

KISAN MELA: Dr Sham Singh Dhillon, Director, Punjab Agricultural University Regional Research Centre, has said a kisan mela will be held at the centre on March 18. Certified seeds will be distributed among farmers and the latest development and guidelines will be given to them. Training in dairy and other allied activities will also be given.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the district Indian Medical Association: president — Dr R.K. Madan; senior vice-president — Dr Paramjit Mittal; vice-president — Dr Surinder Garg; secretary — Dr Anil Grover; treasurer — Dr J. S. Romana; and joint secretary — Dr Munish Kumar.

YOUTH KILLED: A youth was killed when he was hit by a vehicle on the Bathinda-Goniana road on Sunday. The body was handed over to a local NGO, after a post-mortem examination.

HOSHIARPUR
HEALTH CAMPAIGN: The Punjab Health and Family Welfare Department will launch a health awareness campaign from March 20 to April 3, during which causes and symptoms of AIDS and preventive measures will be explained. This was stated by Mr Romesh Chander Dogra, Minister for Health and Family Welfare , Punjab, while addressing a public meeting at Mandbhandair here. He said in order to stop female foeticide, instructions had been issued to all ultrasound centres in the state. He distributed Rs 500 each to 50 expectant mothers.

CHEATING CASE: The Hariana police has registered a case under Sections 420 and 506 of the IPC against a “travel agent”, Santosh Kumari , her father-in-law Nank Chand of Janauri and Mukhtiar Singh for allegedly cheating Parmala Devi of Ghorewaha. In a complaint Parmala Devi had alleged that the suspects had sent her son Onkar Singh to Korea on forged documents for which they charged Rs 70,000. Her son was arrested in Korea and sent back to India. The suspects then charged Rs 1.50 lakh more from her to send her son to Japan but failed in doing so.

KHARAR
CAMP: Rotary Club, Kharar, organised a diabetes detection camp here on Sunday. About 154 patients were examined and given medicines.

DEMAND: Dr Ambedkar Bhalai Manch, Kharar, has urged the Punjab Government to open two government senior secondary schools, one for girls and one for boys in Kharar city. Mr Kirpal Singh, president of the manch, has written a letter in this regard to the minister concerned. According to him Kharar city does not have any government senior secondary school and the local students, after passing Class X examination, have to face a lot of problems for further studies.

LUDHIANA
DE-ADDICTION CAMP: A de-addiction camp was organised by the Rotary Club Doraha at Siddhu Hospital here on Sunday. Nearly 60 patients were examined by a team of doctors headed by Dr Kohli. Dr Gursharan Siddhu, Medical Director of the hospital, said the most common drugs in this area were alcohol, opium, ‘bhuki’, ‘zarda’, proxy on capsules and cough syrups.

RALLY: Volunteers of the Wildlife Trust of India will organise an educational rally to support ‘Say no to Shahtoosh’ on March 13. Ms Preeti Kansal, one of the volunteers, said the rally would be addressed by celebrities like Micky, a motocross champion, Rohit Sharma, an international cyclist, and Raman Viz, a fashion designer. Mr Apinder Grewal, Mayor, will flag off the rally from Baddowal.

MALERKOTLA
DIABETES CAMP: A diabetes camp was organised at the local Civil Hospital here on Sunday. According to Dr N.C. Garg, CMO, Civil Hospital, Dr Naveen Mittal from Oswal Hospital, Ludhiana, examined more than 500 patients.

BLOOD CAMP: The State Bank of India, Sandor branch, organised a blood donation camp at Sandor. Mr S.S.Gupta, AGM, SBI, presided over the camp. In all, 38 persons donated blood.

PATIALA
AWARD: Savita Kochar, an NRI Punjabi writer and poetess, received Swa-Shakti Award at a function organised by the National Theatre Arts Society to observe Women Empowerment Year at NTAS Mandir here. Ms Sunita Sabharwal of NTAS presented the award in recognition of her services to Punjabi literature.

CAMP: The Lions Club, Patiala Central, district 321-F, in collaboration with the State Bank of Patiala, YPS branch, organised a camp at the bank’s branch office for the physically challenged. The Deputy General Manager, State Bank of Patiala, handed over a wheelchair to a physical challenged person. Two sewing machines were also donated to the needy on the occasion. Mr V.D. Shourie chief Coordinator, Lions International, briefed the DGM and other officials, about the club project.

MEDICAL CHECK-UP CAMP: A free medical check-up camp was organised at Prabhjot Modern High School here on Monday. The camp was held under the superintendence of Dr Prem Singla a gynaecologist along with her associates. Two hundred women from surrounding villages were examined at the camp.

FREE INTERNET: The Artex Group (UK) opened its 27th branch at Patiala gate, Nabha, here on Monday. The inauguration was done by the CMO, Nabha, Dr Rajan Goyal, in the presence of the group directors, Mr Sukhminder Sandhu and Mr Jasdeep Bains. The branch will provide free internet services to the residents of Nabha.

EXHIBITION: As part of the National Environment Awareness Campaign sponsored by the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, an exhibition was organised in Kendriya Vidyalaya (No 1) here on Monday. The chief guests on the occasion, Wg Cdr D.S. Ahluwalia, planted some saplings. The school Principal, Mr H.S. Puri, inaugurated the exhibition.

SEMINAR ON ASTROLOGY: The Vastu International Consultancy here will organise a seminar on astrology and vastu shastra on March 30 and March 31. Mr Sanjay Gupta informed that several astrologer from around the country, including Mr Ajay Bhambhi and Mr Rajiv Sharma will participate in the two-day seminar.

PHAGWARA
6 PILGRIMS HURT: Six pilgrims bound for Anandpur Sahib from Amritsar were injured on Sunday night on the G.T. Road near Chaheru, 8 km from Phagwara, when the truck carrying them overturned after being hit by a vehicle from behind.

APPEAL: The executive committee of the Residents Welfare Association, Sector 40-A, Chandigarh, appealed to its members not to pay more than Rs 100 per month as cable charges. “After raising charges for a cable connection from Rs 50 per month to Rs 100 per month in October, 2001, the Sky TV cable operator sought to increase the charge further to Rs 150 per month with effect from February, 2002, which has no justification,” the executive committee of the association said here today. The association held a meeting on February 13 and issued a circular advising members not to pay more than Rs 100 per month, it said.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Residents’ Welfare Association Sector 32-A, Chandigarh for the year 2002-03: president — Mr O.P. Sethia; vice-president — Ms Mohni Sekhion; general secretary — Mr Ram Pal Aggarwal; and cashier — Mr J.K. Jain.

ELECTED: The Sector 18 Social Welfare Society here on Sunday unanimously elected Dr Gurdial Singh, former Director, Punjab Health Services, as the president of the society and gave him the authority to select his team.

MEETING: The Central Executive Committee meeting of the Indian Council of Social Welfare (ICSW) was held here on Sunday. A former Lieut-Governor of Delhi and a retired IAS, Mr P.G. Gawai, the President of the ICSW, outlined activities of the organisation. Representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Pondicherry, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttaranchal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Chandigarh attended the meeting.

FELICITATIONS: The Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), on Monday extended heartiest felicitations to the people on the eve of “Maha-Shivratri”. In a message, General Jacob said, “Let this auspicious day motivate all of us to lead our life according to the principles of love, truth and brotherhood. Calling upon the people to collectively celebrate the day, the Governor said this day would keep on guiding the humanity to stick to the path shown by Lord Shiva.

HONOURED: The Principal of Kailash Bahl DAV Centenary Public School, Sector 7, Ms Madhu Bahl, was honoured on the occasion of the 178 Janmotsava of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati by the Kendriay Arya Samaj , Sector 7, at a function, here on Monday. She was presented a shawl and a memento. She was honoured for her contribution in the field of education, participation in religious activities of Arya Samaj and inculcating vedic values in schoolchildren. Ms Bahl has been honoured with various national and state-level awards by various organisation.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the S.S Jain Sabha: President — Mr S.C. Jain; vice-president — Mr Pawan Kumar Jain; general secretary — Mr Sanjeev Jain; secretaries — Mr Subhash Jain, Mr Ram Gopal Jain and Mr D.K. Jain; treasurer — Mr Suresh Chand Jain.

BLOOD DONATION CAMP: A blood donation camp was conducted at 3 Base Repair Depot in collaboration with the PGI here on Monday. A large number of officers and jawans donated blood on the occasion. The camp was inaugurated by the AOC, 3 BRD, Air Cmde S.B. Prashar.

PANCHKULA
DEMAND: The Indian Citizens Forum and House Owners-cum-Plot Holders Association, Sector 15, have demanded that the on-line facility of viewing the voters’ list be provided at the office of the Deputy Commissioner, the municipal council office and at one place in every ward. Mr S.K. Nayar, president, and Mr J.S. Parmar, general secretary, have asked the Haryana Election Commission to deploy one official as Prescribed Officer at the aforesaid places to receive claims, objections and alterations from the concerned persons on the prescribed forms and pass them on to the Registration Authority. 

FAMILY PLANNING CAMP: The local chapter of the Family Planning Association, in collaboration with the Inner Wheel Club, conducted a family planning operation camp here on Monday. As many as 15 laparoscopic tubaligation operations were conducted at the camp. The operations were conducted by a team of surgeons from the district health administration along with the medical officer of PFAI and staff. According to press note, the Club distributed suits to the family planning acceptors. Ms Asha Vinayak, president of the club, and other members were also present.

NURPUR
BOYCOTT CALL: The Himachal Pradesh Government School Lecturers Association, Kangra, has decided to boycott the practical examinations of the HP Board of School Education to be conducted next month. Mr vinod choudhary and Mr Harbans Lal, president and general secretary, respectively, of the association, in a joint statement said the decision was taken in protest against the denial of practical allowance to lecturers on the pattern of science teachers.