The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Monday, September 9, 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
SMACK SEIZED: The Sadulshahr police on Saturday intercepted a vehicle near the Karanwala checkpost, on the Hanumangarh-Abohar road and seized 26.600 gm of smack from Seeta Ram and 51.400 gm of smack from Krishan Kumar.

AMRITSAR
BLOOD DONATION CAMP: Students and staff of BBK DAV College for Women participated in a blood donation camp here on Saturday. The president of the Red Cross Society, Mrs Puri, who presided over the camp complimented the students for coming forward voluntarily to donate blood.

KHARAR
DEMAND: Mr Gurmit Singh sarpanch of Simble Majra village, and others in a letter written to the Minister of Railways have demanded that a gate should be installed on the road between Simble Majra and Mamupur villages on the Chandigarh-Kharar-Morinda rail link. They have written that construction work on this link was in progress and a lot of people cross this particular spot on this road.

ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMITTEE: The Anti-Corruption Committee has decided to meet senior officials to bring to their notice corrupt parties being adopted by an employee of the Tehsil Complex and a Kharar police official. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the committee held here on Saturday. According to a press note, the decision was taken after verifying the charges levelled against these officials.

PROGRAMME: The Rotary Club, Kharar, organised a drug addiction awareness programme here on Sunday in front of the main police station. Mr Gurcharan Singh and his team members presented a play “Main Eh Nahi Hon Diyangi”. Mr Balbir Singh Sidhu, a politician, was the chief guest on the occasion. A choreography “Today’s Bhagat Singh” was also presented. A number of students from schools and prominent residents attended the programme.

LUDHIANA
WORKSHOP: A one-day workshop was organised at Kundan Vidya Mandir (KVM) on Saturday in which English, Social Studies, Art and Craft teachers from the Primary and Nursery/KG sections attended the programme. The resource persons were Mrs Kamlesh Mohindra and Ms Ritu Dutta from Sri Aurobindo Educational Society, Delhi. They were accorded a floral welcome by the Principal, Mrs Neena Khanna. The resource persons demonstrated the techniques of teaching various subjects and suggested new methods of teaching.

FUNCTION: Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle Unit of GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sadhar, organised a welcome function for the new entrants of the college on the Teachers’ Day. Principal (retd.) Hari Singh of GNDE College, Ludhiana, was the chief guest, while Principal J.S. Cheema presided over the function. Mr Satnam Singh, Director Students’ Affairs GGSSC, spoke on “AIDS, cancer, cultural pollution and students”. Principal Dr J.S. Cheema gave the presidential address and highlighted the role of teachers. Dr Rajinder Singh, Prof Balwinderpal Singh, Prof G.S. Mastana also spoke on the occasion.

CELEBRATIONS: Sutlej Public Senior Secondary School, Rahon Road, celebrated the Teachers’ Day. Mr Bachittar Singh, District Education Officer, was the chief guest. Children spoke on the role of teachers in the development of students and presented a cultural programme that included group songs, skits, story-telling and gidha. Highlighting the role of teachers in building the nation, the chief guest apprised the teachers of their duties and future challenges in education. The Principal, Mrs A.K. Sur, highlighted the efforts made by the school staff and the management.

INSTITUTE LAUNCHED: Ivanna IFT has launched city’s first hotel management institute. The institute will offer PTU affiliated diploma and degree courses in Hotel Management and Tourism, Hotel Management and Catering Technologies, cookery and catering. It will conduct morning and evening batches for the undergraduate and postgraduate classes. The institute has 40 boys and girls from the city and other districts of Punjab.

SEMINAR: A one-day seminar on “Career-Training” was organised on Saturday at the Guru Nanak Institute of Management and Technology, Gujarkhan Campus, Model Town. Final-year students of various undergraduate courses from around 17 degree and professional colleges in the city were invited to attend the seminar. Prominent speakers were Col H.S. Sangha, Mr Arvind Gupta, Mr Harpreet Singh, Ms Inderpreet Kaur and Mr Jaswinderbir Singh. The seminar was followed by a question-answer session.

MANSA
SHIFTED: Activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta), who have been blocking the traffic on the Gaushala Road here since Friday shifted the venue of dharna to the railway crossing on Sunday causing inconvenience to people. Mr Ram Singh Bahini Bhaga, district president of the BKU(E), said leaders of the union met the Deputy Commissioner and the SSP on Saturday and submitted a memorandum but nothing had been done so far.

CREMATED: The bodies of Gurdeep Singh, his wife Malkit Kaur, daughters Kuljit, Sukhjit and Ramandeep and son Balkar Singh of Peron village of the district who committed suicide reportedly by consuming poison were cremated on Saturday in their village. A large number of villagers, including Mr Kaur Singh, father of Gurdeep Singh, and other relatives attended the cremation.

PHAGWARA
FLAYED: Mr Avinash Rai, leader of BJP Legislative Party in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, on Saturday flayed the decision of the Congress government to withdraw free power facility to farmers and to hike tariff of domestic and industrial sector power. Meanwhile, a former Punjab minister Mr Swarna Ram also describes the decision as anti-people. He denounced the Amarinder Singh government for slashing to 50 units per month the free electricity to the Scheduled Castes.

ENGINE DERAILS: An engine derailed at the local railway station on Sunday. It was going to Ludhiana, railway sources said. Railway traffic was not affected due to the derailment.

CHANDIGARH

SURVEY: The Economic and Statistical Wing of the Chandigarh Administration is holding a comprehensive six-month survey to collect data on the conditions of the disabled, housing conditions of the residents and facilities in villages and slums. According to Mr Suresh Kumar, Research Officer in the statistical cell, the survey is being held as part of the 58th round of National Sample Survey on socio-economic conditions. He said the survey would also collect information from consumers about their expenditure pattern. He said that it was for the first time that Chandigarh was being covered under the NSS sample survey. The results of the survey, likely to be completed by December 31, would be available by April, 2003.

PANCHKULA
ELECTED: Mr J.D. Chawla has been elected president of the Jhang Sabha, Chandigarh. Elections were held at Gita Mandir, Sector 11, here on Sunday. The other office-bearers are: vice-presidents — Mr Subhash Katyal and Mr O.P. Malik; vice-presidents — Mr Shadi Lal Kapoor and Mr O.P. Juneja; general secretary — Mr H.R. Suneja; finance secretary — Mr S.L. Juneja; and joint secretary — Mr K.L. Sachdeva.

MEETING: A meeting of the Federation of Welfare Association of Panchkula was held under the presidentship of Brigadier R.S. Sharma on Saturday. The issue of cable tariff hike was discussed in the meeting. Women representatives of the Mahila Sangharsh Samiti also participated in the meeting. It was decided that the residents would not pay the enhanced cable rates. During the meeting following were elected office bearers of the Mahila Sangharsh Samiti: convener — Ms Satwinder Trikha; president — Ms Madhulika Kanwar; vice-presidents — Ms Bala Pathak and Ms Satya Rekhi; and general secretary — Ms Anandjit Gill.

SUPPORT TO CHAUTALA: The working committee of the local unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party met in the party office here on Sunday in Sector 2 and expressed its support to the Chautala government on the SYL issue. The meeting was chaired by the state party president, Mr R.L. Kataria. He asked the local leaders to step up the membership drive in the district and create a mandate for the BJP government. It was said that the total membership of the party in the district was about 5.500 and efforts were being made to increase it further.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

KANGRA
MEDICAL CAMP: More than 450 students of the local Maharshi Vidaya Mandir were examined at a free medical camp organised by the local unit of Sewa Bharti on Saturday. Medicines and sun glasses were distributed free of cost among the needy.

PROTEST: Scientists and the non-teaching staff of the Oil Seed Research Station and Krishi Vigyan Kendra here which are parts of the Chaudary Sarwan Kumar H P Krishi Vishvavidayalaya ( CSK HPKV) Palampur on Saturday resorted to protest and boycotted work in support of their demand that they be given last month’s salary. The protesting employees of Oil Seed Research station and Krishi Vigyan Kendra said it was due to the wrong policy of the government that the employees of the university had to suffer and had to go without their salary.

KUMARHATTI
SPORTS POLICY: The Punjab Government will come out of a sports policy to encourage the rural and urban youths in the field of sport. North India Youth festival would be hosted by Punjab in Chandigarh in the month of December. This was stated by Jagmohan Singh Kang, Punjab Cabinet Minister for Animal and Husbandry, Sports and Youth Services, while presiding over the valedictory function of training and awareness camp organised by the Punjab Red Cross for the NSS officers of Punjab at Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry at Nauni on Friday.

MARKET COMMITTEE: The Barog market committee has decided to collect Rs 50 from each shopkeeper here for proper disposal of waste. Those failing to cooperate would be proceeded against, Mr Sanjay Kumar, vice-president, Barog panchayat said. The following are the members of committee: Mr Jai Parkash - president; Mr Kamal Kumar - secretary; Mr Deepak - treasurer and Mr Sham Lal and Ashok Kumar - members.

NURPUR
PRIMARY SCHOOL: Government Primary School, Bhariyata, in the Dhar panchayat at Jawali subdivision, is facing closure as many parents have shifted their wards to other schools in protest against a controversy raised over the appointment of a water carrier in the school.

APPOINTED: Lt Ratan Singh Chib (retd) of Kathal village has been appointed president of the Nurpur Block Congress Committee, Ex-servicemen Cell.

SHIMLA
MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Saturday submitted a memorandum to the Regional Transport Office that the bus service to the Summer Hill area be made regular and private buses should be allowed to ply, as per rules.

MARKET FEE: Mr Kuldeep Rathore, a spokesperson for the Pradesh Congress Committee, on Saturday termed the BJP’s claim of abolishing 2 per cent commission in the Delhi market as false. he said even the 6 per cent commission being charged in the Azadpur market was illegal. Mr Rathore claimed that it was the Congress leaders who were responsible for the lowering the market commission as they had taken up the matter with Ms Sheila Dikshit, Delhi Chief Minister.

FAST THREAT: Mr Vidya Sagar Sharma, president, HP Semi-Government Conductors and Drivers Association, on Friday alleged the Chief Minister, Mr P K Dhumal was trying to divide the association on regional lines and announced that He would go on a fast unto death, if the agreement reached with the association in July was not implemented. He said an NGO leader, Mr Ganga Singh Thakur, was creating a parallel body under the leadership of Mr Man Chand Dhiman. He asserted that 98 per cent of the union members were still with him.

CYSV PROTECT: Mr Sandeep Kumar, state convenor of the Chatra Yuva Sangarsh Vahini, on Friday said that an agitation would be launched to abolish the market commission being charged from the orchardists by commission agents in Delhi. He said the CYSV had rejected the decision to reduce the commission from 8 to 6 per cent.

LEGAL CELL: Mr Ashok Sharma, state convener of the legal cell of the Bhartiya Janata Party, has appointed Mr Sudesh Sharma - vice-president; Mr Vikas Rathore - general secretary and Mr Bhikham Singh Padgotra - secretary. he has also appointed conveners for the district legal cells of the party. Mr Sudhir Thakur, was made convener for Solan; Mr Suman Singh Chancel for Bilaspur; Mr Vikay Agnihotri for Hamirpur; Mr Naseer Negi for Kinnaur; Mr Rajender Dogra for Shimla; Mr Jai Singh for Chamba and Mr Kuldeep Thakur for Mandi.