R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
PAINTING WORKSHOP: More than 40 students from schools and colleges participated in a six-day free painting workshop conducted in the Fine Arts Gallery. New painting techniques in oil were demonstrated by Atul Mehra to students during the workshop that concluded here on Monday.

WORKSHOP: A month-long theatre workshop organised by the National School Drama at Guru Nanak Dev University concluded on Monday. A punjabi play, “Eh Hamara Jiwan”, written by a noted Punjabi author, Dr Dilip Tiwana, was staged under the direction of Mr Kewal Singh Dhaliwal. Dr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor of the university, presided.

GURDASPUR
SOLVED: The police has solved the blind murder of Boorh Singh, a resident of Sohal village, 9 km from here, whose body was recovered on June 25. According to sources, the police arrested Baljinder Singh and Balwinder Singh alias Bindi of the village in this connection on a tip off.

HOSHIARPUR
ARRESTED: The Tanda police has arrested Chidda Ram and his wife, Vidhya Devi, of Talwandi Dadian village under Section 306 of the IPC for allegedly torturing Nasib Kaur due to which she committed suicide on Monday. Her son, Kuldip Singh, had reported the matter to the panchayat earlier after which the couple had apologised.

CRUSHED TO DEATH: Sunita, a 2-year-old girl, was crushed to death by a truck while she was standing on the roadside with her uncle at Chabewal last evening. The truck driver fled after the accident. The Sadar police, Hoshiarpur, has registered a case in this connection.

HELD: Eleven years after the registration of a case against him , the Talwara police arrested proclaimed offender Jaswant Singh of Fatehkhan village of Jalandhar district on Monday. A case against him had been registered at the said police station on April 18, 1991.

DISMISSED: Mr Onkar Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur, on Monday dismissed 13 Panchayati Raj representatives of the district under Section 122 (1) of the Panchayati Raj Act and declared their posts vacant. Under the Section, the Deputy Commissioner can dismiss any Panchayati Raj representative, if it is proved that he/she has fathered or mothered a child which took birth after June 1, 2001.

KHANNA
TOPPER: Richa Gupta, a student of the local Government Girls Senior Secondary School, is the only student from Khanna who has been placed in the merit list of Class X examinations of the Punjab School Education Board. According to the Principal, she secured 568 marks, while Rekha Joshi got 512 marks and Kirti Sharma 498 marks.

KHARAR
DRIVING LICENCE CAMP: The Rotary Club, Kharar, in association with the local Licensing Authority will organise a driving licence camp at Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Kharar, on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. According to a press note issued here on Monday, Mr Harpreet Singh Rekhi, president, and the project chairman, Mr Vinod Kapoor, the residents of Kharar tehsil can make their licences in this camp. According to the press note, complete file including medical report and licence fee should be deposited in the bank before Saturday and driving licences will be issued on the same day on first-cum-first-serve basis.

LUDHIANA
DRIVER: The district marketing division of Indian Oil Corporation has launched a drive to check the misuse of domestic cylinders. According to a press note issued here on Tuesday by Mr S.K. Wasan, District Coordination, IOC, officials would check restaurants, hotels and factories in the area. He said action would be taken against the defaulters.

MALERKOTLA
COUNCIL ELECTION: The election of the president of the local municipal council was held in the presence of Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal, SDM, and local MLA Rajia Sultana here on Monday. Executive Officer Nazar Singh claimed that 13 councillors and MLA voted for Mr Mohd Faquiria.

PHAGWARA
NABBED: Om Parkash alias Omi, who was wanted in two Excise Act cases and had been declared a proclaimed offender in July 1991, and March 1993, was nabbed from Hoshiarpur on Monday. Omi belongs to Jalandhar.

ROPAR
DRIVE: Mrs Seema Jain, Deputy Commissioner, on Monday inaugurated a special drive for the facelift of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Garden, situated on the banks of the Sutlej here by planting a sapling. A sharmdan camp was also held. 

SAMRALA
MEETING: A meeting of the Punjab Handicapped Association, Samrala unit, was held here on Tuesday under the presidentship of Mr Manmohan Jarkhar. Problems relating to handicapped persons were discussed. Mr Jarkhar said during the survey by the government, the counting of the handicapped persons was shown very less. He said a delegation would soon meet Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, in this regard. OC Telephone exchange: A telephone exchange of 1,500 lines has started working at Ottalan village, according to Mr Mohinder Singh, DET, Samrala. As many as 30 villages near Ottalan and some part of Samrala will get benefit from the exchange.

CHANDIGARH

PANCHKULA
INAUGURATION: The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, will inaugurate a bridge over a nullah in Industrial Area on Thursday. A press note issued by the district administration also said Mr Chautala would also lay the foundation stone of 66 KV sub-station amounting to Rs 4 crore in Sector 3 and a newly constructed Community Centre at Shri Mata Mansa Devi Complex. After coming up of the sub-station, over 7,000 consumers of Sectors 23, 21, 12, 4 and Nada Sahib village would be benefited.

HARYANA

GANG BUSTED: A gang of robbers has been busted by the CIA staff and goods worth Rs 1.20 lakh have been recovered from them. Superintendent of Police Manoj Yadava said that a team led by ASI Randhir Singh had recovered goods which were stolen from three different places and whose cases were registered in Baldev Nagar police station. The police has recovered a countrymade pistol, a live cartridge and a knife from the accused, Jai Kumar, Devendra Kumar, Trilok Singh and Deepak. The goods recovered from the gang include a computer, a mobile phone, CD, six watches, gold ornaments and a video game.

CHAIN SNATCHED: Two unidentified persons snatched a chain of a woman at Ambala Cantonment on Monday evening Mr Surjit Kaur, in her complaint lodged with the Ambala Cantonment police has stated that she was passing through Machhi Mohalla, when two unidentified persons appeared there. They snatched her gold chain and ran away. A case has been registered.

KALKA
MOBILE PHONE SERVICE: Mobile phone service of the BSNL was expected to be launched in Kalka by the next month. The service would include alarm, call waiting and fast-dialling facilities, sources said.

SIX INJURED: Six persons, including two children, were injured in a road accident near Surajpur. According to information, Kulwinder Singh Sandhu, a resident of Mohali, along with his father Ajit Singh Sandhu, brother Kulwant Singh and Harjot (8) and Ratan Bir Singh were travelling by their car no (PB-34-1542). They were coming from Shimla side when another car (HR-26-B-8368) collided with their car. The seriously injured were rushed to the PGI, Chandigarh.

TRAINS DISCONTINUED: Two special trains which were started to clear the summer tourist rush from Kalka to Shimla have been discontinued. According to sources, the first train whose departure time was 6 a.m. from Kalka to Shimla, was discontinued from June 30 while the second train was discontinued from July 1. Sources added that the higher authorities had taken the decision in view of decreasing number of tourists.

PINJORE
DEMAND: The Chamber of Chandigarh Industries has urged the Union Ministry for Heavy Industries to direct the HMT authorities to clear all dues without any delay so that the SSI units and suppliers are not made to suffer any longer. The general secretary of the chamber, in a press note has said that due to delay in payments by the HMT (Pinjore) about 100 SSI units located in and around Chandigarh that have been manufacturing and supplying tractor parts to it for the past 25 years and are now on the verge of closure. The chamber has also raised the issue of delay in payments by Punjab Tractors Limited.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS: The District Administration has spent about Rs 47.64 lakh on development projects in Pinjore block under the ‘Sarkar Apke Dwar’ programme. Sources said during 2001-2002, Rs 8.35 lakh were spent and in 2002-2003, development project worth Rs 8 lakh were in progress. In the second phase of the programme, development work would be taken up in 12 villages of the Pinjore block, they added.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
MEMORANDUM PRESENTED: About 36 women members and village elders of Haridevi Balhada in Lehadisarel Gram Panchayat led by Mahila Mandal President Kantadevi met the SP , Dr Atul Verma on Monday and presented a memorandum demanding immediate action against Gram Panchayat President Veenadevi, who they alleged had threatened and maltreated them. They also presented a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner.

MONEY ORDER DELAYED: A money order of Rs 2,300 sent through Satellite Quick Money Order Service of the BSNL from the Head Post Office, Mandi, on June 24 has not yet reached Bilaspur. Ram Singh, president, of the HP State Draughtsmen Association, told mediapersons that money order was sent to him by Suresh Gupta, President, Mandi unit of the association for some urgent association work. 

PARWANOO
TREE PLANTATION: The Green Parwanoo Society has decided to distribute about 1,000 saplings, free of cost in the town. The society has requested the residents industrialists, traders and the social organisations of the town to collect the saplings in the next 10 days. According to Ms T.N. Gupta, organiser of the society, last year also the society had distributed about 1,000 saplings among the residents free of cost. He said the society would celebrate ‘Vanamahotsava’ in the town very soon in which trees would be planted at public places in the town.