The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, August 8, 2003, 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

AMRITSAR
HONOURED: The Chief Khalsa Dewan Management Committee on Wednesday honoured Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the newly elected President of the SGPC, at Central Khalsa Orphan House on the occasion of the ‘ardas divas’ held for starting a new session at Bhai Vir Singh Gurmat Vidhyalia here. He was honoured by Mr Bhag Singh Ankhi, working secretary of the dewan. On the occasion, Dr Mahinder Singh, retired Principal of Khalsa College, was also honoured. Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, chief secretary of the SGPC, was also present.

FATEHGARH SAHIB
WORKSHOP: Mr Rana K.P. Singh, Chairman, Punjab Pollution Control Board, addressed industrialists at Mandi Gobindgarh town on Thursday. He had come to preside over the workshop on “Air Pollution Control” organised by the Pollution Control Board.

FAZILKA
ELECTROCUTED: Balwinder Singh (25), a resident of Gharumi village, 8 km from here, was electrocuted when he touched a live electric wire while trying to start a water motor on Wednesday evening. He died on the spot.

SKELETON FOUND: A highly decomposed human skeleton was recovered from Gang Canal, near Khui Khera village, on Wednesday evening. As the body was in an advanced stage of putrefaction, the cause of the death and sex of the deceased could not be determined. Hence, it was sent to the Forensic Department of Medical College, Faridkot, for autopsy.

GURDASPUR
TIMBER MAFIA: The police busted a gang engaged in the smuggling of sheesham wood to the Pathankot area after stealing it from Jammu and Kashmir. The SSP, on Thursday identified the suspects as Om Parkash, Dharampal, Vijay Kumar and Kala, all residents of Sunderchack Mehta, and Tajinder Singh, a resident of Banial under Pathankot subdivision. All suspects have been arrested.

GANG BUSTED: The police has busted an interstate gang of robbers for its alleged involvement in stealing of vehicles and snatching of gold chains. Mr RPS Brar, SSP, on Thursday identified the members of the gang as Kirti Atri, Dilshad Ahmad and Suraj Singh. Atri has been arrested and one stolen Maruti car and a .303 pistol with nine cartridges have been recovered from him. The other members of the gang are still at large.

HOSHIARPUR
ONE DEAD: Sagar, a resident of Mohalla Balmik Bahadurpur, died on the spot and Bupesh Kumar Thapa of Chatta Bazar and Naveen of Mohala Balmik Nagar were injured when the Maruti car in which they were coming from Nasrala to Hoshiarpur rammed into a standing truck near the octroi post, Piplanwala, on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar road on Wednesday morning. Both injured have been admitted in the Civil Hospital here.

LUDHIANA
PAU RESEARCHERS: The PAU Researchers Association has hailed the decision of the university to allow them to be posted as assistant professors or equivalent even though they have not cleared the NET conducted by the UGC. According to Mr Kanwaljeet Sandhu, president of the association, more than 100 research fellows are working on various projects who now be considered for teaching posts without clearing the NET. This had been done since the ASRB had not conducted it since the past year He, however, clarified that additional benefits would be given to those who had cleared the NET.

EXCELLED: Maninder Kaur of M.Sc (IT) part II of Ramgarhia Girls College, stood fourth in the Panjab University annual examinations while she stood first at the district level in these examinations. Twenty seven girls got above 75 per cent.

CONDEMNED: The Indian Medical Association, Ludhiana, has criticised the withdrawal of non-practicing allowance to government doctors. The IMA, in its communication to the Chief Secretary, Mr Jai Singh Gill, has urged him to review the decision. It has called for rallies and demonstrations against the decision. Dr Gursharan Singh of the IMA said on Thursday: “Bureaucrats have misinformed the government.”

DANCE PARTY: Tiny tots of Cherryfields Nursery School, Atam Nagar, danced to the tunes of various western and Indian pop songs at a party here on Thursday. There were prizes for the best dressed boy and girl, most well-behaved child, most active child and best dancer. Some of the prize winners were Jasmine, Rahul, Abhijeet, Yadwinder Singh, Aditi Aggarwal, Jaskaran Singh, Abhijat, Amisha, Amandeep and Bhavdeep. Ms Priya Sharma, Principal, said that the party was part of the Friendship Day celebrations.

BOOKS GIVEN: At the beginning of the new academic session at Shanti Tara College, Ahmedgarh, books were distributed on Wednesday among 30 needy and brilliant students. The Principal, Mr Inder Mohan Kamra, distributed the books. Subedar Darshan Singh, who was presiding over, described it as a step in the right direction.

NAWANSHAHR
GRANT RELEASED: Mr Jasjit Singh Randhawa, Minister of State for Public Health and Rural Development, while presiding over a meeting of the District Planning and Development Board here on Thursday, released a sum of Rs 2.17 crore — Rs 1.48 crore for infrastructure development, Rs 34.77 lakh for Centre-sponsored schemes and Rs 34 lakh for welfare schemes. The minister also deputed SDM, Balachaur, to conduct an inquiry against junior engineer of the Public Health Department against whom a complaint was made by members of the board.

STUDENTS HONOURED: The local unit of Sri Ramsharanam (Gohana) has organised a function here at Sri Ramsharanam Bhavan to honour meritorious students of the district. Mr Surinderjit Singh Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, presided over the function and honoured as many as 11 meritorious students, who won positions in various board and university examinations. This was stated by Dr Jatinder Dev Verma, pramukh sewak, here on Thursday.

PHAGWARA
NABBED: The local police on Wednesday nabbed Arwind Kumar Roda of Patel Nagar and recovered from him two passports and gold and silver jewellery stolen two days ago from the house of Ms Prem Kumari of Professor Colony. The stolen items were contained in two purses, according to a press note here received in the evening.

HARYANA

AMBALA
KARATE: Two children from Black Charger Children’s school participated in the All India Itosu-Ryu karate championship. Kavita Sahu won the bronze medal in the below nine years category. Mr Hemant Sharma is their instructor.

APPOINTED: Mrs Pankaj Shandilya has been appointed president of the women’s wing of the Anti Terrorist Front of India.

PINJORE
NO STREETLIGHTS: Residents of various colonies of Pinjore including Dharampur and Shiv Colony are facing a lot of problems due to absence of streetlights in the area while on “thikri pahra”. A delegation led by the Pinjore Municipal Council met the Deputy Commissioner of Panchkula in this regard. In view of two incidents of burglaries, the residents have started the “thikri pahra”.

SIRSA
DOWRY CASE: Three persons were arrested by the district police under the Anti-Dowry Act. According to information here on Wednesday, Murti Devi, daughter of Jagdish of Resaliakhera village in the district, lodged a complaint with the police alleging that her in-laws and husband Suresh of Sector 15, Hisar, were pressing upon her to bring a Maruti car. On May 14 they shut her in a room and physically harassed her.

WATER SUPPLY: Development work worth Rs 9.76 crore is in progress in the district to improve the potable water supply. Disclosing this the Deputy Commissioner, Mr D Suresh, said Rs 2.7 crore was being spent to provide more than 100 litres of potable water per day being provided at present. After the completion of the scheme, 135 litres of water per person would be made available.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

BILASPUR
APPOINTED: Tulsidass Bansal, a youth leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party of Barmana and party in charge for the district, has been appointed president of the Himachal Pradesh BSP by the national Vice-President and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati after she visited Shimla on August 1.

NAHAN
GIRL MISSING: Naushad, a resident of Khajurna village, about 10 km from here, in a report lodged with the police, has alleged that his sister Tashina (20) has been missing since Monday evening. He said his sister had gone to the Cutting at and Tailoring Centre Shambuwala on Monday, but did not return home.

INAUGURATED: The Speaker of the HP Vidhan Sabha, Mr G.R. Musafir, inaugurated a 1.5-km link road to Nai Netti, near Rajgarh, on Wednesday. He also announced Rs 75,000 for the construction of a stadium at Nai Netti.

PARWANOO
TREE PLANTATION: The Anand Welfare Center, a local social organisation organised a tree plantation programme on Thursday. Seventyfive saplings of ornamental silver oak and gulmohar were planted in Sectors 2, 4 and 6.

SOLAN
WALL COLLAPSE: Five women were hurt when a wall of their house collapsed near Saproon on Wednesday. Two of them, who received serious head injuries, have been referred to the IGMC for a CT scan. The rest were admitted to the local Zonal Hospital.