R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
ARRESTED: The police claims to have arrested two persons involved in a robbing incident on Saturday. Mr Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, SP (City), said here on Sunday that the police had arrested Seeto Baba and Kala for allegedly robbing Ajay Kumar of Ajit Nagar. The SP said the accused snatched Rs 2000 from the victim on gunpoint when he was returning home. The police had seized one .32 bore pistol and one country made pistol, five live cartridges and 35 gms of smack from them.

VAN DONATED: Mr Amarjit Singh Sandhu, a resident of Glasgow, Scotland, donated a medical mobile van to ‘Helpage’, at a function organised at Government Senior Secondary School at Kirtowal village on Sunday. Mr Sandhu said the van was donated in the memory of his father Chanchal Singh.

PLANTATION DRIVE: The Youth Welfare Federation, Punjab, started a sapling plantation drive at Vallipur village here on Sunday. Mr Kuldip Singh, president of the federation, said their organisation aimed to plant at least 100 saplings in each village of the district.

TRANSFORMER BURNT: Fire engulfed a transformer outside Springdale Senior School at Fatehgarh Churian road here on Monday. There was no power for several hours in the area. Prompt arrival of the fire brigade helped in arresting the spread of fire.

BATHINDA
OFFICE-BEARERS: A regional conference of the Bhartiya Khadya Nigam Karamchari Sangh was held at Barnala on Sunday. Mr K.K. Sharma, who was re-elected state secretary of the sangh, in a press note here on Monday said employees of the FCI were facing problems in storing and handling of foodgrain. In the elections to the regional committee, the following had been elected office-bearers: Regional Chairman — Mr Karnail Singh; Senior Vice-Chairman — Mr Nirpal Singh; additional state secretary (senior) — Mr O.P. Chugh; and treasurer — Mr Sat Pal Sharma.

ARRESTED: The SSP, in a press note here on Monday, claimed that 12 persons had been arrested under the NDPS Act and large quantities of drugs had been seized from them. Two vehicles used by the smugglers had been impounded. As many as 19 persons had been arrested under the Excise Act.

HOSHIARPUR
KILLED: Piara Singh of Bhatian village of Gurdaspur died on the spot while Shaminder Singh, Ravinder Singh, Kulwinder Kaur, Parmjit Kaur and Charanjit Kaur were wounded when a truck hit their Maruti car near Sangra bridge on the Dasuya-Hajipur road on Sunday evening. The injured have been admitted to the Civil Hospital at Dasuya. The police has registered a case.

ELECTROCUTED: Mohan Munda, labourer, died at Roopowal due to electrocution while switching on a fan on Sunday.

DROWNED: Ram Lal a tea stall owner, drowned in a canal at Kitna village on Sunday. He was standing near the canal when he slipped.

DHARNA: Members of the Punjab State Karamchari Dal of Hoshiarpur unit staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Monday in support of their demands, including withdrawal of ban on DA, LTC, promotions and recruitment.

KAPURTHALA
NUMBERDARS: The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rakesh K. Verma, has set the process in motion for filling all 330 vacant posts of Numberdar in the district. He said while 172 posts were vacant in Kapurthala tehsil, 30,75 and 55 posts were vacant in Phagwara, Sultanpur Lodi and Bhullath tehsils, respectively.

MOGA
BODIES FOUND: The district police recovered three bodies from different places on Sunday. The police said two persons, a man and woman were killed on the spot when their scooter collided head on with a tractor near Rajeena village. The body of another person was found in Nehru Park here.

ACTION SOUGHT: Members of the Punjab unit of the BKU on Monday urged the administration to take action against certain employees of the PSEB who, they alleged, were indulging in corruption. Former president of the Punjab unit of the BKU, Mr Kuldip Singh Sandhu, said farmers were asked by the PSEB employees to get damaged transformers, lying in their respective villages, repaired on their own.

ARRESTED: The Fateh Garh Panjtor police on Monday arrested Dalip Singh Deepa, a resident of a nearby village, and recovered six bottles of illicit liquor from him. A case has been registered under the Excise Act.

PATIALA
MEDICAL CAMP: A free homoeopathic medical camp was held at Gurdwara Sewak Jatha here on Sunday. The camp was organised by the Homoeopathic Medical Education and Research Foundation. As many as 270 patients were examined by a team of doctors headed by Dr K.C. Bathish.

TALWANDI SABO
TAKHT DIRECTIVE: Mr Bharpur Singh, Manager of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, in a press note here on Monday said as per the directions of Akal Takht, functions requiring the installation of Guru Granth Sahib on roads, marriage palaces and cremation grounds had been banned. He said the SGPC had been receiving complaints that the respect and dignity of Guru Granth Sahib was not being maintained.

CHANDIGARH

AWARDED: Mr Baljit Singh Sandhu, DIG (Training), Police Headquarters, Panchkula, was awarded with the President’s Police Medal for his meritorious services of Independence Day. Mr Sandhu had joined the IPS in 1984 and remained posted as SP at Hisar, Karnal, Kaithal, Rohtak, Ambala and Sirsa.

HARYANA

BHIWANI
3 GIRLS DROWNED: One person died while spraying pesticides in a field at Jatu Luhari village. According to sources, Mintu was spraying pesticides in the field and fell unconscious. He was admitted to a hospital, but died there. In another incident, three girls drowned in a pond at Kakroli village on Sunday. Two of them have been identified as Kavita and Sandokhi.

KAITHAL
SENTENCED: A court here has sentenced seven persons of Kaul village to life imprisonment after convicting them under Section 302 of the IPC for a murder in 1998. The court has also fined them Rs 10,000 each. The accused were also convicted under Section 307 of the IPC and sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 8,000 each for a bid on the life of the brother of the deceased in the same incident.

TEACHER BOOKED: A flying squad from Panchkula, headed by Inspector Om Prakash, has registered a case against a teacher, Krishna Devi, of Government Primary School at Shakti Nagar here for irregularities in the distribution of wheat meant for schoolchildren. According to information, following complaints a raid was conducted in November, 2001, and 12 bags of wheat were found in excess of the stock.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

HAMIRPUR
PENSIONERS’ PROTEST: Members of the district unit of the HP Pensioners Sangh on Monday staged a dharna in support of their demands, including grant of dearness allowance, enhancement of medical allowance, removal of anomalies in pension and re-fixation of family pension. They also submitted a memorandum to the government.

SHIMLA
ST STATUS: The Himachal Government will take up the case for conferring the tribal status on the Labana community with the Centre, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, assured a deputation of the community, here on Sunday. He said the community was poor and backward economically, socially and educationally.