R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

DEMONSTRATION: Employees of the Punjab State Tubewell Corporation on Friday staged a dharna in front of the divisional office here to condemn the “unjust” transfer of certain employees. The joint secretary of the association, Mr Mahabir Prasad, addressed the rally.

AHMEDGARH
DHARNA: The local unit of the Panjab Government Pensioners Association on Saturday staged a protest dharna in front of the treasury office. The activists were protesting against alleged harassment of pensioners at the hands of an employee of the office. Mr Nihal Chand Verma, president of the unit, alleged that Rajinder Singh, an employee of the office who had been posted here for more than six years, had been misbehaving with the pensioners. The association demanded stern action against the erring employee.

AMRITSAR
MARRIAGE PALACES: The Anand Avenue Residents Association has urged the government to close down more than 100 marriage palaces and banquet halls operating within the municipal limits. All these marriage palaces are operating without any licences required under the various Acts and are functioning without any fire fighting equipment, licences and approved building plans in residential areas.

VIDYA BHAVAN: Sarandhar Vidya Bhavan has achieved a cent per cent pass result in the matriculation examination held by the Punjab School Education Board. Isha Rani has topped the school.

DON INVITED: Prof Jasmeet Sandhu of the Sociology Department, Guru Nanak Dev University, has been invited to present a paper on “Globalisation in a traditional Indian city” during the 15th world congress on sociology to be held in Brisbane (Australia) from July 7 to 13.

NOMINATED: Dr Rajnish Arora, Placement Officer, Guru Nanak Dev University, has been nominated chairman of the regional committee of Chandigarh, Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), for a period of three years. CAPART comes under the Ministry of Rural Development and Employment of the Government of India.

UGC PROJECT: Dr Renu Bhardwaj, Head, Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, has been given a project of Rs 5.15 lakh by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi. She will study heavy metal intakes by plants under the influence of brassino steroids. These are plant hormones with significant growth-promoting activity and increase the resistance of plants against various viruses.

DRUGS SEIZED: The Majitha police on Friday seized a huge quantity of drugs. According to reports Jaspinder Singh, SI, asked Harpal, a resident of Jalandhar, to stop, but he fled, leaving the bag behind. Two boxes each of proxivon, spasmon and nitran and one box each of parodex, dexovon, provon forte, proxipar and sudhinol were seized from the bag.

GURDASPUR
CENTRAL JAIL: The local Central Jail will be developed into a modern jail, said Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Deputy Commissioner, after inaugurating a de-addiction centre in the jail premises to curb drug addiction among inmates.

MORE REPRESENTATIONS: Mr Darshan Singh, national president, and Mr Yudhvir Singh, district president of the Mahasha community, talking to newsmen here on Friday said the successive governments had failed to uplift the community even after 55 years of Independence. These leaders said the community had a total population of 40 lakhs in Punjab but out of 29 reserved constituencies for state Assembly only Dinanagar MLA was from the community. They demanded more representation in the Assembly, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha from Punjab.

LUDHIANA
MACHINE INSTALLED: Allegretto Wave Excimer Laser, the only laser developed specifically for custom lasik providing superior clinical results, has been installed at a hospital in the city. Dr G.S. Dhami, an Ophthalmologist at Dhami Eye Care Hospital, in a press conference on Friday said the multi-crore German machine provided wave front and large true optical zones, aberration-free clear, natural and excellent Mesopic (night) Vision and a wider range treatment for all types of refractive errors.

TRAINING CAMP: The District Congress Committee Ludhiana (urban) will hold a training camp for its workers in July. This was disclosed by the DCC president, Mr K.K. Bawa, here on Saturday. He said the workers would be educated about the party programme and also the performance of the government. Special sessions on various issues like security, economy, law and order, drug addiction, would also be held.

ARRESTED: The police has arrested Charan Singh, alias Charna, of Sirsiwala village in the district. He was wanted in a case registered at the Boha police station on January 10,1985, and was declared a proclaimed offender on August 21, 1989. Mohinder Singh of Bathinda, wanted in case registered at the Sardulgarh police station on July 24, 1983, has also been arrested. Another proclaimed offender, Jagsir Singh of Singhpura village in Sirsa district of Haryana, wanted in a case registered at the Jhunir police station on March 30, 1996, has also been arrested.

HARYANA

GATE MEETING: A gate meeting was held on Thursday under the presidentship of Mr Gurbaksh Singh by members of local unit of the Haryana Roadways Employees Union. Chief advisor of the union Joginder Singh and state secretary Sarvat Singh told the members that the union had urged the Chief Minister and the Transport Minister to cancel “unjustified” transfers and had impressed upon them to regularise daily wage workers. They said the Transport Minister had assured them that he would call them for a meeting to discuss their demands.

YAMUNANAGAR
BODIES FISHED OUT: The bodies of Pritpal (17) and his causin Babbu, who drowned in the Yamuna on Tuesday, were fished out on Thursday. The two had gone for swimming along with their friends when the mishap occurred. They were cremated on Thursday.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
NAVRATRA FAIR: Sharvan Ashtami (navratra) Mela will be organised from August 9 to 17 at the Naina Devi shrine, about 75 km from here. Presiding over the meeting of the mela management committee and the temple trust, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Chamel Singh, said the SDM, Mr Rakesh Dhiman, and the DSP, Mr Madan Lal, would look after the affairs of the mela.

CHAMBA
NO OFFICES: The constituencies of two ministers of the district, Mr Kishori Lal and Mr Mohan Lal, do not have the divisional offices of the Irrigation and Public Health Department, Public Works Department, Forest Department, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board, a depot of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation and a sub-judge court despite persistent demands of their residents. Mr Kishori Lal, Minister Industries, represents the Bhattiyat Assembly constituency and Mr Mohan Lal, who holds the portfolio of Ayurveda, represents the Rajnagar Assembly constituency.

NURPUR
PROPOSAL DEFENDED: Mr Rakesh Pathania, Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, and local MLA, talking to mediapersons here on Friday, came down heavily on the reported statements of state Congress leaders wherein they had criticised a proposal for the reorganisation and creation of districts. He said the government had proposed the reorganisation of districts on the demand of the people.

DGP VISITS DAMTAL: The DGP of Himachal Pradesh, Mr A.K. Puri, on Friday visited Damtal and met senior officials from Punjab. The meeting was also attended by the DIG (north), Mr K.C. Sadyal, the SP (Kangra range), Mr Sanjay Kundu and the DSP (Nurpur), Mr Sanjiv Gandhi.