R E G I O N A L   B R I E F S

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
PICKET SHIFTED: A ‘police picket’ in the Ram Bagh Garden, which was served a notice of vacation on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, was ‘shifted’ from the garden on Wednesday. The police made temporary arrangements and set up a picket at the Improvement Trust building in the Nehru Plaza Complex. Mr Shiv Kumar Verma, SP, confirmed the shifting.

BATHINDA
SAPLING PLANTATION: A sapling camp was organised at Rampura Phul organised by the State Bank of Patiala in collaboration with the district chapter of the Bharat Vikas Parishad. Speaking on the occasion, Mr A.K. Kamra, branch manager, of Rampura Phul, highlighted the importance of trees in life.

DERA BASSI
TEEJ CELEBRATED: Students of Deepmala Public School took part in various competitions with enthusiasm to celebrated the Teej festival on the school premises, here on Thursday. The competitions held to mark the festival include solo dance, group dance, sawan song competition and salad making competition. Apart from this, the students along with the teachers also enjoyed traditional swings on the occasion. In the solo dance competition, Amita, Heena and Ashima and Gagandeep were adjudged the first, second and the third positions, respectively. Earlier, the school chairperson, Ms Deepmala, inaugurated the festival and educated the girls about the reason behind celebrating the festival. The school Principal, Ms Anita Mittal, thanked the chairperson and distributed prizes to the participants.

JALANDHAR
ROBBERY: Robbers looted Rs 70,000 in cash and gold ornaments from a housewife at Shahkot, about 40 km from here, on Wednesday. According to the police, five robbers barged into the house of the Secretary of Punjab House Fund at Shahkot and overpowered his wife, Kulwinder Kaur, at pistol point. They looted Rs 70,000 in cash, gold ornaments and a mobile phone. Kulwinder Kaur, later, informed her husband and the police. A red alert was sounded in the district.

LUDHIANA
COMPETITION: students of SAN Jain Model Senior Secondary School, Circular Road, participated in a handwriting contest on Wednesday. Among the participants in English writing, Neha Dev stood first, Manu Joshi second and Srishti third. Among the writers in Hindi, Leena and Rashi were declared first and second, respectively. The third prize was shared by Madhuri Dhir and Balwinder Kaur. Mr R.P. Gupta, Administrator, was present of the occasion.

ADMISSION: Admission to the 10 vacant seats of industry and NRI-sponsored seats for LLB are lying vacant at Panjab University Regional Centre. Mr Bal Krishan, chairperson, has asked the interested students to send their applications for the same till August 8 to the Department of Laws, Panjab University.

MANDI GOBINDGARH
KILLED: One scooterist identified as Harjeet Singh, son of Gopal Singh, a resident of Ward No. 11, Amloh, who was posted as senior assistant in the Punjab School Education Board, SAS Nagar, was killed on Wednesday when his scooter collided with a tractor-trailer at Mandi Gobindgarh. The police has registered a case. After post mortem the body was handed over to his relatives, who took it to SAS Nagar for cremation.

MANSA
APPOINTED: Senior Congressman of the district Megh Raj Goyal of Budhlada has been appointed secretary of the Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee (PPCC) by Mr H.S. Hanspal, President of the PPCC.

ELECTED: Mr Ramji Dass Jindal has been elected president of the managing committee of Gandhi Senior Secondary School here. He has been authorised to appoint other office-bearers of the committee, according to a press note issued here on Thursday by Mr Sadhu Ram Lumba, Principal of the school.

SUSPENDED: Mr Raj Kamal Chowdhary, Deputy Commissioner, here has suspended Mr Bhoga Singh, namburdar of Gehle village in the district, and the proceedings in this regard has been started. The action was taken as his name was mentioned in an FIR in which the polling party was attacked at Gehle village in the recent panchayat elections in which six persons were injured.

BAN ORDERS: Mr Raj Kamal Chowdhary, District Magistrate here issued orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, on Wednesday banning the use of loudspeakers in the district. The pasting of obscene posters on all private and government buildings within the district has also been banned.

NAWANSHAHR
WARNING: Mr Gurpal Singh Bhatti, Additional Deputy Commissioner, while presiding over a meeting here on Wednesday in connection with the implementation of the PNDT Act, in which doctors running ultrasound scan centres, members of the Advisory Committee and NGOs participated, warned the owners of the ultrasound centres to follow the PNDT Act in letter and in spirit. Dr Kiranjit Kumar, Civil Surgeon, and Dr Arjan Singh Gill, DHO and Dr Surinder Mohan Singh Sidhu, Nodal Officer, PNDT Act also addressed the meeting.

NO SALARIES: School teachers working against Plan posts are sore over the non-payment of their salaries for want of issuance of requisite financial sanctions. Mr Prem Rakker, District President, Government Teachers Union, in a press statement has urged the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to mitigate the sufferings of the teachers.

“JAP ANUSHTHAN”: As many as 91 couples from various districts of the state participated in the ‘Jap Anushthan’ organised here on Wednesday at Jain Upasra to mark the 104th birth anniversary of Jain Acharya Anand Rishiji Maharaj. Sadhavi Adarsh Jyoti gave religious discourses and highlighted the scientific importance of the ‘Jap’.

TEACHERS UNHAPPY: Teachers working in schools against Plan posts are sore over the non-payment of their salaries for want of issuance of requisite financial sanctions. Mr Prem Rakker, district president, Government Teachers Union, in a press statement has urged the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to mitigate the sufferings of the teachers.

PATIALA
PEAK LOAD HOURS: The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has decided to change the timing of evening peak load hours restrictions applicable to large supply consumers from August 1. The revised timing of evening peak load hours restrictions for the consumers falling under all operation zones except Central zone shall be from 7 pm to 10 pm and for consumers falling under Central zone shall be from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm.

PHAGWARA
WLL FACILITY: Mr K.C. Jindal, GMT of Jalandhar Telecom District of the BSNL, on Wednesday said the facility of wireless local loop (WLL) would soon be started in Jalandhar telecom district at a cost of Rs 8 crore. At present, three towers of the BSNL Mobile were functioning at Phagwara, he said. Fourteen more towers would soon be installed in Jalandhar, besides one each at Apra and Noormahal, he informed.

TARN TARAN
OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the local Focal Point Association: chairman — Mr Harbans Singh Kairon; president — Mr Harbhajan Singh Kairon; senior vice-president — Mr Harinder Singh Panesar; general secretary — Mr Hira Singh, joint secretary — Mr Kamal Kapoor, and treasurer — Mr Mukhtar Singh.

HARYANA

AMBALA
MEETING: Indian Jaycees officiating vice-president Sudesh Borkar visited Ambala on Wednesday. Ambala Jaycees president Ashwani Bhatia said Mr Borkar arrived on an official visit. He said a zone governing board meeting was held in which a number of issues were discussed, a release said. Besides informing Mr Borkar about the Jaycee week projects, secretary Vikas Chona gave a detailed presentation about the activities throughout the year.

TRAINING CAMP: District Congress training camp will commence from Friday. Ambala Cantonment district Congress president Ashok Jain said that the preparation for the two-day training camp were complete. He said the camp was being held as per the direction of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Mr Jain said a number of issues, including Congress history, booth training, outreach programme and atrocities on women will be discussed. HPCC general secretary Phool Chand Mullana will be the in charge of the training camp.

MEDICAL CAMP: The Khatri Sabha, Ambala, is going to organise a free medical check-up camp for hips and knees joint pain. Senior consultant of Apollo hospital, Dr Rajeev K. Sharma, will check the patients at Nandra Hospital, Ambala cantonment, on August 3 from 9 am to 5 pm. The camp is being organised by Prof Naveen Gulati, Dr Ashok Nandra, Mr R.R. Suri and Dr Vivek Malhotra. 

OPIUM SEIZED: The police has seized 250 gram opium and 4.5 kg poppy husk from the possession of Gurnam Singh, a resident of Bahreri village near Naraingarh on Thursday. In another incident, the police seized 3 kg poppy husk from Surjit Singh. The police has registered two separate cases in this regard and arrested Gurnam and Surjit.

ONE KILLED: One person was killed in a road accident on the GT road near Ambala city here on Thursday when two cars collided with each other. According to information, one person Satvinder, travelling in one of the car died on the spot. The police has registered a case.

FATEHABAD
DISCHARGED: A local court has discharged a man accused of murdering his father for want of evidence. Kuldip Singh, a resident of Chan Kothi village, was accused of killing his father, Reshan Singh, on February 28. The prosecution said Kuldip Singh had a land dispute with his father and on the fateful day shot his father with his gun killing him on the spot. Gurdip Kaur, mother of the accused, who was a key witness in the case turned hostile.

SPECIAL DRIVE: The district police as part of a special drive, ‘Operation Agni’, organised a seminar here on Wednesday. The drive has been launched at the instance of the Director General of Police, Haryana, Mr M.S. Malik. Mr Ram Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (City), addressed the villagers.

HISAR
GOODS IMPOUNDED: The local Municipal Council has launched a campaign against encroachments on pavements, parking lots and corridors in city markets. Under the campaign, teams of municipal officials accompanied by a police team went to Rajguru Market for the third day on Wednesday and impounded goods displayed outside shops’. The teams also went to the Jahajpul and Partap Nagar areas and removed encroachments.

KAITHAL
BOATING: Boating will be started in the Bidhkyar lake situated in the heart of the town on Independence Day. Deputy Commissioner Anurag Agarwal said on Wednesday that four boats would be made available by the District Child Welfare Council for children. He added that the beautification of the local Jawahar Park on the banks of the lake would be extended and an amusement park developed by providing swings and a toy train.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
DEAD: Chanduram Deova (95), father of prominent BJP and Beopar Mandal leader Geetaram Sharma, died in his house here on Wednesday. His cremation was largely attended.

CHAMBA
ILLEGAL FELLING: A case of illegal felling of two deodar trees in the reserve forest of Shikri beat in Churah tehsil of Chamba district has been detected during patrolling by the Forest Department. According to an FIR lodged with Tissa police station in Chamba district by Mr Kailash Sharma, Range Officer of the Shikri beat, the timber was taken into possession by the Forest Department.

NAHAN
RELIEF: Presiding over a meeting of revenue officers here on Wednesday, the Additional Deputy Commissioner said relief would be provided to the rain affected families in the district according to the emergency relief manual. He asked the revenue officers to prepare a report of the damage so that it could be assessed for the entire district.