R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
DISTRIBUTED: As many as 525 kisan credit cards worth Rs 6 crore were distributed among farmers by Mr Iqbal Singh Sidhu, Deputy Commissioner, at Patti on Friday. The credit card distribution function was organised by the Gurdaspur-Amritsar Kshetriya Gramin Vikas Bank.

APPREHENDED: The district police claims to have apprehended three persons with a stolen gold chain within 24 hours of the theft. The arrested are Gulshan Kumar of Himatpura, Love Kumar of Fateh Singh Colony and Sonu of Dewi Wali Gali. A case has been registered.

URGED: The International Bhai Mardana Yaadgari Kirtan Darbar Society has, in a letter to the President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, and the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, urged to give permission to 5000 Sikhs to visit Pakistan from April 11 to April 20 on the occasion of Baisakhi. Mr Harpal Singh Bhuller, chief of the society, said earlier only a token jatha of 50 devotees was sent to Pakistan.

BATALA
CONVOCATION: The prize distribution and convocation of RR Bawa DAV College for Girls, Batala, was held on the college campus here on Saturday Dr Satinder Singh, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar was the chief guest. The Principal of the college, Mrs Veena Vatni read out the college report.

BATHINDA
WELCOMED: The local Peoples’ Law Forum has welcomed the verdict of the Supreme Court vide which Section 33 (B) of the Representation of People Act has been struck down as unconstitutional. Mr Vasudev Aggarwal, president of the forum, in a statement on Friday said that now all candidates would be required to disclose their antecedents, financial assets and liabilities to people before elections. He said the politicians, by an amendment, had sought to circumvent the order of the Supreme Court of May, 2002.

DORAHA
EXPIRED: Jathedar Sadhu Singh Ghudani, former MLA, Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), expired here on Thursday night. He had been in the hospital for the past four days after paralysis. He was 64 and is survived by wife Ms Mohinder Kaur, son Manjit Singh and daughter Gurdeep Kaur. His body was cremated on Friday afternoon.

GURDASPUR
GAMBLERS HELD: The police has arrested four persons under the Gambling Act and recovered more than Rs 41,000 in cash Mr RPS Brar, SSP, talking to newsmen here on Friday identified the accused as Anil Kumar, Darshan Kumar, Ashwani Kumar and Satish Kumar all residents of Pathankot. A case under Sections 13/3/67 of the Gambling Act has been registered.

RALLY: The NSS unit of the Beant College of Engineering and Technology on Thursday organised a rally in Bariar and Kounta villages near here to celebrate Women’s Day. Dr S.S. Koonar, Principal, flagged off the rally in which more than 500 volunteers participated.

KHANNA
THEFT: Two thieves were handed over to the police by the residents of Bija village on Thursday when they entered a locked house and stole some valuable articles. According to the police, two thieves identified as Bhajan Singh of Raja Sansi in district Amritsar and Balbir Singh of Dehlon entered the house and stole a TV, cylinder and Iron (press). A case under Sections 380 and 454 was registered against them. Both were produced in the court of the senior Sub-Judge Khanna, Mr Munish Arora, who sent them to a one-day police remand.

LUDHIANA
EYE CAMP: On the occasion of the 44th Annual Sammelan of the Bharat Daharam Parcharak Mandal, Daresi Road, Ved Mandir Charitable Eye Hospital will organise its 25th free Eye Operation camp on Sunday in the hospital premises. Mr J.C. Kapur, President, VMCE Hospital, in a press statement issued on Saturday said the patients will be examined and provided medicines and spectacles free of cost.

DA INSTALMENT: In a communication sent to the Union Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, the Government Pensioners’ Association has urged him to release the DA instalment at the rate of 3 per cent which has become payable to the employees as well as the pensioners from January 1, 2003. With the release of this instalment, they will get DA at the rate of 55 per cent.

EYES DONATED: The eyes of 48-year-old Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Bhalohar (Mullanpur Dakhan) village were donated to Eye Bank, Mansuran, recently. In another incident, the family of 22-year-old Manish Kumar who died in an accident also donated his eyes to the same bank. The eyes were transplanted into four needy patients free of cost by Dr Ramesh, Director Eye Bank, Mansuran.

FAREWELL FUNCTION: Students of Mai Bhago College, Ramgarh, had a great time singing and dancing together on the occasion of their farewell party. The students of junior classes entertained the outgoing students by organising various games and activities. Ms Gurpreet of MA, who was adjudged Miss Farewell, was crowned by Ms Manjit Kaur Ahluwalia, Vice Principal and Miss Mandeep Kaur of BA Final was adjudged Miss Farewell, graduate, and was crowned by the Principal, Ms Prem Singla.

FAREWELL PARTY: BCA, B.Com and BA II year students of Shanti Tara College, Ahmedgarh, were bid adieu at a farewell party organised here on Wednesday. The students of BCA and BA II students entertained the outgoing batch. The programme which started with a ‘shabad’ was followed by songs, skits, one-minute show, jokes and speeches.

PATHANKOT
ROAD DAMAGED: A large stretch of the Jammu-Amritsar national highway from Dinanagar to Gurdaspur has been damaged and blocked with trees which were uprooted the squall that hit the area recently.

HONOURED: Dr Rakesh Mohan Sharma, Principal, SPN College, Mukerian, was honoured here on Friday at a simple function by Mr L.R. Vasudeva, Director, FCI, for his lecture on development among homo-sapiens.

SUICIDE: Mr Janak Raj, a resident of Sarna village near here, allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous material. He was brought to Civil Hospital here on Friday. His body was handed over to his kin after post-mortem.

PATIALA
FARMERS’ FAIR: The Central Government may waive off loans taken by the farmers from co-operative societies and institutions. Stating this Mr B.S. Minhas, Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Cooperative, Government of India, said efforts were being made to provide farmers with loans on minimal interest rate. He was speaking at the Farmers’ Fair organised by the Young Farmers Association at Rakhra village, near here on Friday. Dr R.K. Rampal, Director, State Agriculture Department, said that maize and sunflower seeds would be sowed in 7,500 and 18,500 acres, respectively, under the ongoing contract farming season in the state.

TARN TARAN
ARRESTED: The Verowal police has arrested Balwant Singh and Balwinder Singh both residents of village Takhtuchak village, for the alleged murder of Harpal Singh, who was kidnapped by the accused on March 2 and later killed. A case under Sections 302, 201, 34 of the IPC has been registered.

HARYANA

AMBALA
FESTIVAL: “Anubhuti 2003 - feel the pulse” was organised by Shri Atmanand Jain Institute of Management and Technology (AIMT) here on Friday. Dr Hawa Singh, Registrar, Kurukshetra University, was the chief guest in the inaugural session, while the Commissioner, Ambala Range, Mr Maha Singh, was the chief guest in the valedictory session. Ms Neena Singh, vice-president, HDFC Bank, was the guest honour. Twelve teams from management institutes and universities participated in the festival. The events included quiz, solo dance, solo song, duet song, group dance, antakshari, dumb charade, ad mad show, face painting, rangoli, turn coat and flower arrangement.

FUNCTION: A colourful cultural function was presented by the staff and students of various institutions of MM Education Trust during a national-level seminar on Friday. The function was organised for the delegates and participants of the seminar. The chief guest, Mr Tarsem Garg, inaugurated the function. Pankuri and Group presented “vande matarm” and welcome dance, while Shivani and Group presented an Irish dance on the foot-tapping Irish music. Meanwhile, on the second day of the three-day national seminar, 65 papers were presented by scholars from various parts of the country on Saturday.

SIRSA
FLYOVER: Work on the construction of a flyover over the level crossing on the national highway will soon begin. Informing this the Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, National Highway, said the proposal for the flyover over the railway cross in Dabwali city had also been accepted in the budgetary proposals for the new financial year.

FACILITY: Sirsa has been included among the four districts of Haryana to have Restructured Sanitation Rural Programme (RSRP). The Additional Deputy Commissioner and chief officer, DRDA, Mr Vijender Singh, said Sirsa would receive Rs 6.96 crore under the project. He said one toilet would be provided in each house of a family living below the poverty line.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
CONCLUDED: A 25-member, “five-day adventurous trekking expedition” to Murari Dhar in Mandi district concluded here on Friday. The expedition consisted of youths drawn from yuvak mandals of Chandpur, Balhbhulana, Kandraur, Sarvinkhaas, Hawean, Bhadraun, Jamthal, Deoth, Badaghat, Harlog, Kuhmajhwad and Bhaged.

WORKSHOP ENDS: A five-day “Sarv Siksha Abhiyan” workshop organised by the district Abhiyan Samiti concluded here on Thursday in which teachers from 22 primary schools drawn from the Bilaspur Sadar Education Block participated.

NAHAN
ASSURED: The Himachal Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, during his first visit to his constituency after being elected Speaker, assured people at Rajgarh that the Pacchad constituency would be developed as a model Assembly segment in the state by initiating fresh development projects.