The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Wednesday, July 31, 2002, 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
SARPANCH SUSPENDED: Girdhari Lal, sarpanch of Dangarkhera village, near here has been suspended and debarred from participating in the proceedings of the panchayat. This was stated in an order issued by Mr Joginder Singh, Additional Director, Panchayats, here on Monday. RALLY HELD: The junior Engineers Council, Technical Services Union and Ministerial Staff Union organised a rally on Tuesday in protest against the decision of the PSEB to cut salaries by 25 per cent. The officers and employees, attended the offices wearing black badges.

BATHINDA
BUS OPERATORS: The BKU has alleged that some bus operators are charging more than the prescribed fare on a local route in the Maur Mandi area. Members of the Maur Mandi unit of the BKU said they had met senior officials in this regard.

GURDASPUR
ARRESTED: The Purana Shalla police arrested Satnam Singh on Tuesday for selling spurious CDs. He was also found to be in possession of pornographic films and films like Devdas, Kuch Dil Ne Kaha and Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, said on Tuesday on a tip-off, the shop of the accused at Nawan Shalla was raided and 28 CDs were seized from his possession. A case under Sections 292, 293 and 420 of the IPC and 63, 68 of the Copyright Act, 1957, had been registered.

NAWANSHAHR
MEDICAL CAMP: The local police organised Hepatitis-B vaccination camps at Nawanshahr, Banga and Balachaur for police personnel and their families. Dr Naresh Kumar Arora and his wife Dr Monika Arora inaugurated the camps. More than 1,000 persons were vaccinated against the disease, informed Mr Lakhwinder Pal Singh, DSP, in a press statement on Monday.

CLERKS’ DEMAND: Clerks in the Education Department have urged the state government to implement the orders of the DPI(S), Punjab, issued on November 8, 2000, under which promotions to the ministerial staff were to be reviewed and to be granted proportionately as per seniority and merit.

PHAGWARA
POPPY HUSK SEIZED: The local police has seized 120 kg of poppy husk from Kirpanagar Mohalla on Monday. A case against four persons has been registered, on Tuesday. The poppy husk was found from four bags hidden in a heap of rubbish.

TARN TARAN
WIDOW’S PLEA: Shindo, a resident of Jamarai village, 20 km from here, who is a widow, has blamed three persons for demolishing her house and taking away gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 40,000. She has reported the matter to the police.

ROBBERS NABBED: The local Sadar police has nabbed two robbers responsible for a number of looting incidents in the area. Mr Narinder Bhargav, local SSP, said on Monday that the accused had been identified as Nachhatar Singh of Pandori Gola and Daljit Singh, alias Ghulla, of Dhunda village.

CHANDIGARH

TRAINING: Afghan police officers here began a 20-day training on crime scene investigation, procedures, application of forensic science in the investigation of capital offences on Monday. The training, which will continue till August 18, was inaugurated here by the Director General of the Himachal Police, Mr. A. K. Puri. The Afghan police officers had already been given training earlier between July 8 and July 13 in securing evidence in criminal investigation. They will also be taken to the PGI for explaining to them Medical jurisprudence to them.

ELECTED: Mr Satpal Singh and Mr Satyabir Singh were elected president and secretary, respectively, of the Chandigarh unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, on Monday. Mr Ashwini Sharma was elected vice-president, Mr Rajkumar Das as joint secretary and Mr Prakash Tiwari as treasurer. A 15-member committee was also set up comprising Madan Singh, Manjit Kaur, Ravinder, Jasbir Singh, Ashwini Sharma, Arjun, Sudarshan, Bhujju Ram, Satpal Singh, Raj Kumar Das, Lalan Chauhan, Ram Balak Shukla, Ram Prakash and Satyabir.

DEMAND: The Residential Leasehold Plot Owners’ Association of Chandigarh here on Monday decided to meet the Finance Secretary on Thursday to demand the withdrawal of a new notification allegedly increasing conversion charges from leasehold to freehold from Rs 18,000 to Rs 3 to 4 lakh for a 10 marla House. The association also urged plot owners to join hands with the organisation to put up a united fight against the Chandigarh Administration’s measure.

INAUGURATION: Sunil Dutt, MP, will formally inaugurate the PESCO Film and TV Institute at SAS Nagar on August 2. This is the first institute of this type in Punjab which has the backing of the government. It has a big campus, an auditorium and the latest equipment to train youths in the field of acting, modelling, dance, choreography and direction. In the first batch, 40 students have been selected, according to Mr Deepak Malhotra, principal of the institute.

CONGRESS GRASS: The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh on Tuesday sought participation of residents welfare and market associations in removing the congress grass. The appeal has come in the middle of a campaign to remove the grass launched on July 10 and is to end on August 20. The campaign is jointly being conducted by the MCC, the Housing Board and the Chandigarh Administration to remove weeds and grass from the road berms, open spaces and parks.

PROCESSION: All Sikh societies, including the Palki Sahib Sewa Society, the Dashmesh Sewa Society, the Young Khalsa Sewa Society and the Nagar Kirtan Sewa Society, are organising a nagar kirtan procession on the eve of Parkash Utsav of Guru Harkrishan on Wednesday. The nagar kirtan will start from the Sector 23 gurdwara and pass through Sectors 22 and 21 and terminate at the Sector 34 gurdwara.

PANCHKULA
SAMITI MEMBER: Ms Rachna Kaur of Kiratpur village has been unanimously elected member of the Panchayat Samiti of Pinjore block. Similarly, Mr Jasber Singh of Majri Jattan has been elected from Ward No. 6, Mr Charan Singh of Karanpur village of Ward No. 5, Ms Salamti of Ishlampur of Ward No. 3, Mr Shamsher Singh of Vasdevpura of Ward No. 4 and Ms Amarjeet of Thane Ki Sar from Ward No. 4 have all been elected as panches of gram panchayats.

MC CRITICISED: The House Owners-cum-Plot Holders Association, Sector 15, has decried the Municipal Council for its laxity in providing services to the residents. Mr J.S. Parmar, general secretary, and Mr S.K. Nayar, chief adviser of the association said that with the inception of the Municipal Council, HUDA had begun ignoring the township. They said that insanitary conditions, stray cattle, unauthorised jhuggis in most sectors, etc. were the order of day.