R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
INAUGURATED: Mayor Sunil Dutti on Friday inaugurated the construction of a pucca road being constructed at the cost of around Rs 4.50 lakh at Ajad Nagar, Chheharta. He asserted that to make the city clean tractor-trailers and machines had been purchased by the municipal corporation.

FUNCTION: The Association for Democratic Rights Punjab (ADRP) along with at least half a dozen organisations, including the Lok Morcha, the Taraksheel Society Bharat, the Freedom Fighters Association, the Hari Singh Baghi Yadgari Manch and some farmers organisations will pay tribute to martyrs at Jallianwala Bagh on Sunday. They will also hold a rally against the US attack on Iraq.

BATHINDA
INAUGURATED: Mr Surinder Singla, MLA and Chairman, high-powered committee on Finance on Friday, inaugurated Swami Vishwash Public School at the Bathinda-Goniana road. He lamented the declining standard of education. Mr Dinesh Vishwash, spokesman for the school said in addition to education, moral and spiritual development of students would be looked into at the school.

ALLEGED: Mr Mukhtiar Singh Phoola, state president, Inklabi Kendra in a statement issued here on Thursday alleged that the USA and the UK had attacked Iraq to ‘control’ the world’s oil market and to establish the US dollar as the supreme currency in the market.

INAUGURATION: Justice Ajit Singh Bains, Chairman, Punjab Human Rights Organisation, will inaugurate the Bathinda unit of the organisation here on Monday. R.D. Gupta, district president, PHRO, said in a press note that Mr Rajwinder Bains, of the Supreme Court would preside over the function.

DERA BASSI
SUKHMANI FEST: More than 100 students from 30 engineering colleges participated in 'Sukhmani Fest 2003' organised by the Sri Sukhmani Institute of Engineering and Technology here on Saturday. Various events, including collage-making, rangoli, face-painting and mehndi competition, were organised. Earlier, Mr Avtar Singh, Chairman of the institute, inaugurated the festival. Prizes were also given to winners of various competitions, said the Principal of the institute, Dr Kirpal Singh.

GURDASPUR
3 ARRESTED: The police has arrested Mahinder Singh of Pathankot for his involvement in the smuggling of poppy husk. Mr H.P.S. Brar, SSP, said on Saturday that 10 kg of poppy husk was seized from him. He said following a tip-off, the suspect was arrested at a naka near Military Hospital, Pathankot. A case under Sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered. Meanwhile, the police on Friday arrested Rajinder Pal and Dali Kumar, alias Raju, for possessing a born movie and for preparing duplicate CDs of T-Series cassettes, respectively. Cases have been registered.

HOSHIARPUR
PENSION FUND: The Social Security Department has sent Rs 2,73,57,200 to various bank branches in the district for the distribution of pensions to 57,049 beneficiaries in Hoshiarpur district. This was disclosed by Mr Kirandeep Singh Bhullar, Deputy Commissioner, Hoshiarpur, in a press note here on Friday. He said that pensions of 39,888 beneficiaries of old-age and 8,527 of widows up to September, 2002, had been sent to bank branches. Besides, pensions of 5061 dependant children and 3358 handicapped beneficiaries up to December , 2002, had been issued. He stated that Rs 12.73 lakh had also been sent to bank branches for providing pensions to 1817 beneficiaries under National Old-Age Scheme upto December, 2002.

JALANDHAR
CRITICISED: Terming the Capt Amarinder Singh government as anti-people, the secretary of the CPM, Mr Mangat Ram Pasla, on Friday criticised the state government for its recent decision to withdraw free education facility to girl students and fee hike for various courses.

KHARAR
ACCIDENT: Three persons were injured seriously when the car in which they were travelling hit a tree near Sahoran village on the Kharar-Kurali road on Saturday. Mr Balwant Rai, along with his wife, daughter and a grand-daughter of Jalandhar, was going to Chandigarh. The grand-daughter escaped unhurt. The injured were admitted to the General Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh.

LUDHIANA
SEMINAR: Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, invited Dr K.N.S. Kang, Dean, Punjab Technical University and Director PCTE, to a seminar on management and career options for the students of Class XII to broaden their horizon and keep them abreast with the latest career options.

BAISAKHI CELEBRATED: The tiny-tots of Kiddies Paradise celebrated Baisakhi with fervour here on Saturday on the school premises. A cultural show was also presented on this occasion.

DENTAL CAMP: Gurdwara Nanaksar, Samrala Chowk, will celebrate Baisakhi under the guidance of Baba Jaswant Singh. Ragi jathas will recite gurbani and there will be Guru ka langar on the occasion. Baba Jaswant Singh Dental College will hold a free dental check-up camp.

CAMP: The Akhil Bharatiya Shri Sangmeshwar Seva Dal will organise a blood donation camp and Murti Sthapan samaroh at Sri Krishna Mandir, Krishna Nagar, near PAU on April 13, 14 and 15. The blood donation camp will be inaugurated by Mr S.K. Sharma, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, on Sunday.

NATIONAL FLAG: A programme using multimedia, film, songs and dances depicting the evolution of the National Flag will be brought here on May 1 at the local Guru Nanak Bhavan. Mr Sunil Munjal, president of the Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam, at a press conference held on Saturday said the organisation would bring mega programme titled ‘Tiranga’ dedicated to salute the National Flag through poetry, music and art.

TRADE FAIR: The North India trade fair will be held on the premises of Government Girls College here from April 25 to May 4. Various companies will exhibit their products in the fair.

PENSIONERS MEET: A pensioners meeting will be organised at Government College for Boys here on Sunday to discuss management, supervision and maintenance as well as other related issues of the newly-constructed Pensioners’ Bhavan in the mini-secretariat here.

STRIKE CONTINUES: Even though the Prime Minister, has assured a deputation hosiery and textile units that the government would favourably review the decision about the imposition of central excise in the next session of Parliament beginning April 21, The Federation of Knitwear, Textile and Allied Industries Associations (FEKTAA), has asked the hosiery and textile manufacturers to continue the strike till April 25 and not to apply for registration under the Central excise.

FUNDS SOUGHT: Mr Harbans Singh Kairon, honorary secretary, Bhai Veera Singh Birdh Ghar here, has stressed the need for more funds for the NGOs especially for the old-aged homes. Mr Kairon raised the issue on the recently held meeting organised at Chandigarh under the chairmanship of Mr Rafiq-ur-Rahman, project director, National Initiative on Care for Elderly.

HARYANA

AMBALA
AWARDED: The Director of the S.A. Jain Institute of Management and Technology, Ambala City, was awarded ‘Jewel of India Award’ and ‘Vidhya Rattan Award’ by the International Institute of Education and Management at a function in Delhi recently. According to a press note of the college, the award was given for his contribution in social work and on the publication of an article written on the role of entire entrepreneurship.

WHEAT: Around 10,905 tonnes of wheat have arrived in various grain markets of the district. This was stated by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr D.D. Gautam here on Saturday. He said the district administration had made all necessary arrangements to procure the wheat.

BODY FOUND: The body of a resident of Barara was found near a nullah on Saturday. According to the police, Pawan Kumar (30) went to his field last evening to look for his servant who had gone, there to meet some person. Relatives of Pawan have alleged that he was murdered. They have named four persons in an FIR in this connection. Three persons have been arrested.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
INAUGURATED: Brigadier Sansar Chand Verma, Commander, 23 (Independent) Armed Brigade, inaugurated a polyclinic at Sainik Rest House here on Friday. He said the Defence Ministry had decided to open such poly-clinics for ex-servicemen and their families in all districts of Himachal Pradesh.

URGED: The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh here has urged the state government to release insurance money, under the crop insurance scheme, to thousands of villagers who had insured their crops last year. Bilaspur district was hit by draught and farmers who had got their crops insured had not received compensation despite repeated requests.

REQUESTED: The Ghumarwin unit of the Congress has demanded that five panchayats namely Chhat, Kotlu-Brahamana, Paplah, Kapahada and Karloti should be attached with Block Development Office at Ghumarwin and should be detached from Block Development Office at Jhandutta.

DHARAMSALA
ALARMED: Showing her concern, the Himachal Health Minister, Mrs Chandresh Kumari, said in case the sex ratio amongst the newly born was not maintained, it would lead to innumerable social problems in the coming years. She was addressing doctors, social workers and officials while inaugurating a seminar organised on the occasion of national mother safety day.

MANDI
DEMANDED: The Himachal Pradesh Project Engineers’ Association at its meeting held at Sundernagar on Saturday demanded the setting up of a permanent monitoring committee comprising eminent engineers, including those from the HPSEB, to examine project planning and quality control of various project currently under execution in the state.

SHIMLA
POWER ENGINEERS: The Himachal Power Engineers’ Association at its executive meeting here on Friday hailed the decision of Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, to execute the 400 MW Rampur hydro electric project through the HPSEB. It said the decision of the state government had given a clear-cut indication of the wide vision of the present government towards the development of vast hydel potential of this state, mainly through the state sector agencies.